Ask Robert Arevalo how, 45 years ago, he offered his girlfriend Barbara Perez an alternative – a marriage contract – and his eyes turn misty with fond reminiscence.
It was the time when Hollywood was recruiting Filipino actors, including Pancho Magalona who starred in The Hook, Luz Valdez in Merrill’s Marauders (with Jeff Chandler) and, yes, Barbara in No Man Is An Island (with Jeffrey Hunter).
Coming from the Ylagan clan (his father, musical director Tito Arevalo, was the brother of the great director Gerry de Leon), Robert, an Ateneo graduate with theater background, was then being built up as a drama actor by Premiere Productions while Barbara belonged to Sampaguita starmaker Dr. Jose R. Perez’s stable of luminous stars.
Any relative newcomer (like Barbara was then) would have sacrificed everything for a chance to be a Hollywood star. But no, thank you, she followed the dictate of her heart.
Robert and Barbara have just celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary last August. Except for an occasional appearance in soaps, Barbara is retired while Robert, who quit as member of the MTRCB (Movie and Television Review and Classification Board) a few years ago, is active both in television and film, having just finished shooting Barcelona, directed by Gil M. Portes and shot entirely in Barcelona, in which he plays an OFW in Spain, a widower imprisoned by guilt of having allowed his children to decide the fate of his terminally-ill wife. (Also starring Alessandra de Rossi, Luis Alandy, Kristina Paner, Alan Paule and Kris Martinez, Barcelona will premiere on Oct. 10 at Greenbelt Theater to coincide with the celebration of the Spanish Week, sponsored by Circulo Cervantes.)
Meanwhile, let’s again hear Robert recall what could be local showbiz’s greatest love story ever told.
It happened 45 years ago. How did you pull such a feat?
"Yes, in 1961. After the shooting of No Man Is An Island, Barbara went with the Karilagan models (Joji Felix-Velarde, Amalia Fuentes, Bambi Lamoglia, etc.) to Seattle for a show at the World’s Fair. The producer of No Man Is An Island asked her to make a side trip to L.A. to promote the film. She was at the Universal Studio for a pictorial and interviews with the press. The movie was produced by somebody else and was bought by Universal Pictures."
Was that the time Universal asked Barbara to sign the five-year contract?
"Yes. And that was also the time I got insecure. Paano naman, the guys she was meeting at Universal were the likes of Cary Grant. How can I not be insecure?" (Followed by laughter) "So I proposed to her by sending her a telegram, ‘Come home, let’s get married.’ Sayang nga at hindi pa uso noon ang cellphone. I could just have texted her, you know. I didn’t want to call her long-distance because overseas calls were expensive even at that time. I was young...We were both young and selfish and very much in love."
How romantic! Barbara junked the Hollywood contract in favor of a marriage contract.
"As I said, I was young and impulsive, and I didn’t know the sacrifice that I was demanding of her. The rest of the Karilagan models came home ahead of Barbara so she came back alone. I was the only one who met her at the airport and the first thing I asked was, ‘Will you marry me?’ She said ‘Yes!’ right away. Maybe she thought hard about it during the 18-hour flight from L.A. to Manila."
Did she bring home a copy of the contract?
"Yes, she did. Universal Pictures gave her enough time to think about the contract but I didn’t give her a chance to think of the marriage contract I was offering her."
How long have you been going steady at that time?
"About eight months. She was under contract with Sampaguita and I was with Premiere Productions. She was being built up as the Audrey Hepburn of the Philippines. I had just done two movies then, Huwag Mo Akong Limutin which was banned by the censors because of its theme (immorality) and Grease Gun Gang which was also banned because they said it was too violent. Because of that, they jokingly called me a ‘jinx’."
Isn’t it ironic that years later you would become a member of the MTRCB?
"Yes. But I was more liberal than the censors during those years."
You were with Premiere and Barbara was with Sampaguita. How did your paths cross?
"I would escort my cousin, Liberty (Ilagan), to Sampaguita affairs where I would see Barbara. Every now and then, we would meet casually during occasions when stars from Sampaguita, Premiere and LVN (the so-called Big 3 at that time) were invited. It took a while before we were formally introduced to each other by George Sison, her cousin who happened to be a friend of mine. At first, we would go out in groups."
How did the courtship go?
"It started with phone calls, short calls at first until they became longer and longer. Then, we started going out, just the two of us. We would eat in restaurants where there were musicians, sina Romy Katindig. She was so demure. One time, I tried to steal a kiss from her and she dodged. Magaling umilag! After that, I didn’t try again. We were what they call now ‘MU’ (Mutual Understanding) for a while and we became committed to each other only before she left for Seattle."
What set Barbara apart from other actresses you must have been courting then?
"Well, I was courting a few...Barbara was different. I knew that at Sampaguita nobody was courting her. Iba ang beauty niya. Was she shy? No, not at all. Mayroon siyang aura."
Did she give you a hard time?
"Not really. Hindi naman niya ako masyadong pinahirapan. She didn’t give me a hard time."
When did she say "yes?"
"I remember it was New Year’s Eve, 1961. I was doing El Filibusterismo at that time; I was playing Basilio. It was directed by my uncle, Gerry de Leon. Charito (Solis) was Juli and Pancho Magalona was Simon. Barbara had yet to start shooting No Man Is An Island."
How long after she came back from L.A. did you get married?
"Less than two weeks. We were married in Baguio on Aug. 11, 1962, at the St. Joseph Church (Where Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzalez were also married on May 28, 2001. – RFL) Baguio was one of our favorite places although we didn’t really spend time together there."
You didn’t worry that marriage would adversely affect your careers, did you?
"It didn’t cross our minds. I wasn’t a big star then. Besides, Barbara and I were known more as actors than as stars."
Three years later, in 1965, you did Ang Daigdig ng Mga Api (the Gerry de Leon classic about land reform, used as election propaganda by President Diosdado Macapagal in his reelection bid; both Robert and Barbara won FAMAS Best Actor/Best Actress awards the following year). Of course, much later you did two or three movies for Regal. Hasn’t there been any professional jealousy between the two of you?
"None. I don’t even know what professional jealousy means." (Laughs again)
It’s hard to keep a marriage intact especially in showbiz. How do you and Barbara do it?
"Honestly, we don’t really work hard at it. It just happens that our marriage has lasted this long. I think what keeps us together is the family, our children Anna (42, single) and Georgina, and now our grandchildren Anton and Erika (two by Georgina)."
Have there been any instances when you and Barbara fought and, well, broke up maybe even for a while?
"None that I can think of. We also have our differences but not so big and so serious as to cause a separation. If there have been indiscretions, they were all my fault."
How do you deal with showbiz intrigues and tsismis?
"There’s hardly any tsismis about us. Fortunately, maybe out of respect for us, hindi naman kami natsitsismis. Barbara is not ma-PR but she was the original darling of the press."
How did you keep your children away from the showbiz spotlight?
"When they were growing, I wasn’t very active in showbiz; I was working with an advertising agency. Under the Martial Law, I managed Channel 5. Barbara was also not so active when our children were growing up. She didn’t have to work. I was providing well for our family."
Neither of your daughters ventured into showbiz, right?
"Anna is into production of documentary and advertising films. Georgina has had two stints in theater, until she got married. Anna took up Masscom and Georgina, B.S. Tourism, both at UP."
Now that your daughters are leading lives of their own, how’s life between you and Barbara?
"We still live in the same compound in Mandaluyong City (Where Ronaldo Valdez and wife Baby Ylagan’s family also lives. –RFL). It’s a big compound. Until lately, our daughter Georgina and her husband Jojo Villa-Ignacio and their two children were staying with us. They have moved to their own house which is just near our place. Our grandchildren come to our house every day. My sister’s son, Christian, is living with us. He’s 21, guapo ‘yon, very good-looking; he should be in showbiz. He has been with us since he was an infant. He’s a Fine Arts graduate from UP. He’s here on a visit from the US."
How do you think your life had been if you didn’t snatch Barbara from Hollywood?
"Two things could have happened: Had she signed that the five-year contract, she could have been successful or she could have failed."
Judging from what happened to her without Hollywood, I’m sure Barbara made the right choice.
"Ask her!"
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph)