Canuto Francia (January 28, 1904 – September 4, 1979),
better known as Canuplin, was a
Filipino stage performer and magician who gained fame for his impersonation of
Charlie Chaplin in Filipino movies and the local
bodabil
Vaudeville in the Philippines, more commonly referred to as bodabil, was a popular genre of entertainment in the Philippines from the 1910s until the mid-1960s. For decades, it competed with film, radio and television as the dominant form of Filip ...
circuit.
Biography
Canuplin was born in
Tondo,
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
, but grew up in
Divisoria.
[ At age 11, he won "best in costume" while dressed as Chaplin in a local fair. As his prize, he was employed as a ]barker
Barker may refer to:
Occupations
* Barker (occupation), a person who attempts to attract patrons to entertainment events
* Barker (coachbuilder), a builder of horse-drawn coaches and later of bodywork for prestige cars
* a person who strips tanbar ...
at a circus. Soon, he was featured in the circus as a magician's assistant, and he learned to perform magic tricks as well.[
]
Early career
Canuplin was noticed by the bodabil producer Lou Salvador, Sr.
Luis "Lou" Salvador Sr. (July 7, 1905 – March 1, 1973) was a Filipino basketball player, stage actor, and talent manager. Salvador was born in Tacloban, Leyte, to a Spanish father and a '' mestiza'' mother.Zafra, p. 315
As a player for the ...
and hired as a Chaplin impersonator. He gained fame performing his Chaplin act and various magic tricks on the Manila bodabil circuit, appearing alongside stars such as Patsy and Bayani Casimiro.[ He also ventured into such films as ''Tinig ng Pag-ibig'' (1940), ''Luksang Bituin'' (1941) and ''Princesa Urduja'' (1942). One of his most notable roles was as the court jester in the 1941 LVN Pictures production of ''Ibong Adarna''. In many of his films, Canuplin would appear in his Chaplin guise, wordless as was the silent film star.][
]
Later career
During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines
The Japanese occupation of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Japones sa Filipinas''; ja, 日本のフィリピン占領, Nihon no Firipin Senryō) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when Imperial Japan occupied the Commonwealth of t ...
, film production was halted and Canuplin returned as a headliner in bodabil. He performed at the Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
, Capitol
A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity.
Specific capitols include:
* United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
* Numerou ...
and The Avenue
The Avenue was a rugby union stadium and training pitches in Sunbury-on-Thames that belonged to the English club London Irish since 1931 when the team bought its . The team moved one season to the Stoop Memorial Ground thereafter to Madjes ...
theaters. After the war, he appeared in several other films until the 1950s.[
Canuplin ended his entertainment career at the bodabil circuit where he remained until its waning years in the sixties. His last years were spent in relative obscurity in Tondo, though still recognized by his peers.
His last movie was ''Burlesk Queen'' was released in 1977 with the star of all seasons Vilma Santos.
]
Death
Canuplin died on September 4, 1979 in Manila, Philippines at the age of 75 years old.
Legacy
After his death, the playwright Manny Pambid wrote a play, ''Canuplin'', on the bodabil star's rise and fall. It was staged by the Philippine Educational Theater Association in May 1980.
Filmography
* 1930 – ''Collegian Love''
* 1940 – ''Tinig ng Pag-ibig''
* 1941 – ''Luksang Bituin''
* 1941 – ''Kung Kita'y Kapiling''
* 1942 – '' Princesa Urduja''
* 1947 – ''Dalawang Anino''
* 1948 – ''Waling-Waling''
* 1950 – ''Tubig na Hinugasan''
* 1955 – ''Salamangkero''
* 1961 – ''Operetang Sampay Bakod''
* 1977 – ''Burlesk Queen''
Notes
External links
*
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canuplin
1904 births
1979 deaths
Impressionists (entertainers)
People from Tondo, Manila
20th-century Filipino male actors
Filipino magicians
Cultural depictions of Charlie Chaplin