Gilda Gales

Gilda Gales was one of those temptresses of the movie screen who captivated the hearts of many Filipinos during the years preceding World War Two. In an American-dominated Filipino movie industry in the 1930s, she managed to shine as a star, but her physical ailments have hampered her otherwise promising career as an actress. Gilda Gales is said to be the Philippines' Greta Garbo. One would just have to look at her picture and somebody would already see the resemblance to the Swedish film queen. It is also interesting to note that her name's initials are the same with Greta Garbo's. These facts have become Gilda Gales' capital for what could have been otherwise a fruitful career. Gilda Gales was born and raised in Iriga, Camarines Sur. She completed her elementary education at St. Anthony's Institute. Her beauty was already noticeable at that time. Because of this, she was frequently called upon by school and town officials to appear in school presentations and town celebrations. This was the acting bug that bit Gilda, and she dreamed of working in the movie studios in Manila when she gets older. Her chances did came soon enough. Her father, a traveling agent for Smith, Bell and Co., was transferred to Manila. As soon as she moved to Manila, she approached Jose Nepomuceno to give her a job at the movies. Jose Nepomuceno knew, right from the time that he gave Gilda a screen test, that he had found a star in Gilda Gales. Her first movie role was a supporting one in Malayan movies' Makata at Paraluman. Her beguiling screen debut led to another movie, Liberty Cadet's Love, and six more pictures. Her career blossomed when she appeared in Brides of Sulu (1937), a film about Sulu, which was directed by Hollywood's Jack Nelson and released in the United States through Universal Pictures. It featured an all-Filipino cast, and the film itself was in Tagalog, however, for its American release, an American narrator was employed. The movie is somewhat remarkable because it was one of those first Filipino films that shot underwater scenes. This film starred Gilda Gales in a supporting role, and the roster of cast also included Eduardo de Castro and Adelina Moreno in the top roles. Her performance in this film led Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to sign her up for an important role in its 1935 blockbuster Mutiny on the Bounty (which turned out to be the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science's Best Picture pick for 1935). However, she was ill at that time and could not stand traveling to the United States. Her poor health had thoroughly affected her career. After Brides of Sulu, she made two more pictures. She made Andres Bonifacio for Manila Talkatone (a poverty row production company), and she capped her career with Susi ng Kalangitan. She then retired from the movies for good. She married Miguel Blanco, a bar and restaurant proprietor in Manila, and she had four children with him. On June 16, 2003, she died from complications resulting in a stroke at Monrovia, California. She was 88. This forgotten movie star's movies were believed to have been destroyed during World War Two. It is such a pity that such a remarkable actress had been forgotten by the public just because her legacy was not able to be preserved by the film industry. Gilda Gales could have continued on to an illustrious career if not for her physical ailments. However, her enduring legacy and spotless beauty would truly immortalize her.