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 Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

in Filipino movies and the local bodabil circuit.

Biography

Canuplin was born in Tondo,

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, but grew up in

Divisoria Divisoria () is a commercial ''sub-district'' along the districts of Tondo, Binondo, and San Nicolas in Manila, Philippines known for its mass market shops selling low-priced commodities; and for its diverse manufacturing activities. Tutuban C ...

. 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 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 City, Tacloban, Leyte, to a Spaniards, Spanish father and a ''mestizo, mestiza'' mother.Zaf ...

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 Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, or Patrice). Among Italian A ...

and

Bayani Casimiro Bayani Casimiro Sr. (July 16, 1918 – January 27, 1989) was a Filipino dancer who was among the leading stars of bodabil (vaudeville) in the 1930s and 1940s. He also appeared in musical films and later in life, in comedic roles. A tap dancer ...

. 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 LVN Pictures, Inc. was a Filipino film studio that was considered one of the biggest in the history of Philippine cinema and its foremost establishment in motion picture post-production until 2005. In its heyday of motion picture production, LV ...

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 language, Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Hapones sa Pilipinas''; ) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when the Empire of Japan, Japanese Empire occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during Wo ...

, film production was halted and Canuplin returned as a headliner in bodabil. He performed at the

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

, Capitol and

The Avenue The Avenue was a rugby union stadium and training pitches in Sunbury-on-Thames that belonged to the England, English club London Irish since 1931 when the team bought its . The team moved one season to the Stoop Memorial Ground thereafter to ...

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,'' released in 1977, with the actress

Vilma Santos Rosa Vilma Tuazon Santos-Recto (born November 3, 1953) is a Filipino actress and politician. In a career spanning over seven decades, she is recognized for her versatility in acting across various genres of film and television in the Philippine ...

Death

Canuplin died on September 4, 1979, in Manila, Philippines at the age of 75.

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 Filipino male comedians Comedians from Manila Celebrity impersonators