Bessie Badilla and Tia Pusit.
Among the many colleagues who remember the late comedienne Tia Pusit with fondness and vivid detail is one of her very first co-stars on the hit ’80s sitcom “Eh Kasi Babae”.
Bessie Badilla was already an established fashion model and part of the Paris-based House of Balenciaga when director Johnny Manahan cast her in the sitcom that would follow on the heels of the extremely popular “Chicks to Chicks”.
“Eh Kasi Babae” eventually became the number one primetime show at the height of its popularity. Writer/director Jose Javier Reyes would later join its creative team and by the time the show ended, it also became the forerunner of a similarly styled sitcom on ABS-CBN called “Palibhasa Lalake” also with Manahan and Reyes as its driving creative force.
In an interview with InterAksyon shortly after news of Tia Pusit’s demise broke out, the now US-based former actress, producer, dancer and cancer-survivor recalled that “Eh Kasi Babae” — which also starred Gloria Diaz, Debbie Miller, Janice Jurado, Boboy Garrovillo, Johnny Wilson and Charlon Dabao — ran for originally one hour every week but was extended to an hour and a half as its popularity grew.
This allowed the cast to spend more time together during tapings and that was when Bessie said she and Tia Pusit became really close.
“During a location shoot, Tita Pusit opened up to me and told me we have met years ago when I was just a struggling model. I was embarrassed because I couldn’t remember her,” Bessie confessed.
“She said it was alright and explained that I would not recognize her because she was the sexy waitress wearing knee-high boots, hot pants and a Nik-Nik Shirt. The one who always gave me free freshly squeezed orange juice from the bar and loads of chips because she knew I came from school and was very hungry.”
That’s when Bessie immediately remembered who she was and the two women hugged each other and cried right there and then.
“I asked her why she kept her secret for so long. She replied in character as Tita Pusit, complete with accent and that crazy helium-infused voice, ‘Eh kasi, babae ako noon. Eh ngayon, Pusit na ako, malay ko baka hindi mo na ako pansinin!’, was her reply.”
Throughout the show’s run, Bessie who popularized the expression, “Yeba!” said Tia Pusit was one of the reasons why she enjoyed doing “Eh Kasi Babae”.
“Tita Pusit, Janice Jurado and I would always do adlibs and our director, Mr. M, would not edit any of our improvised chatter. Tita Pusit was wickedly funny and witty. When Jose Javier Reyes took over the show, he also had no problems with Tita Pusit’s character,” she further recalled.
“She would come up with outfits and props that would be perfect for her scenes. She would often leave her house in character. She took public transportation for each taping day and she would carry all the props with her. One time, she brought a hollow block and everyone in the jeepney wondered what it was for. Her fans asked and she explained, ‘Meron akong bathroom scene, kailangan ko ng panghilod’,” Bessie quoted Tia Pusit as saying.
Off-camera, everyone in the cast and crew loved Tia Pusit for what Bessie described as “her kind and nurturing nature”.
“I remember she always brought green mangos and bagoong for me when I was pregnant. She did thoughtful gestures that I still remember to this day. She was friendly and sweet to everyone on the set. The camera crew and food servers were all her buddies. She always carried candy in her duster pockets and handed them to everyone she met on the set. She pretty much took care of everyone,” Bessie shared.
Former model-actress Bessie Badilla remembers ‘kind and nurturing’ Tia Pusit
Source: InterAksyon.com (October 04, 2014 at 02:01PM)
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