CAFETERIA AROMA of Apeng Daldal, Meniong Villegas & company remains a true classic....in my memory. The laughs were not elicited by trying hard - for example in another show, Dyords Javier brings a piece of petrified chicharong bulaklak to "prop" a joke (that fell flat), or splicing the script with repartees (that almost always falls flat) between Nanette Inventor and Mitch Valdes. It was almost effortless, the laughable situations and dialogues simply flows over, I remember one line: Mamaya niyan mabubugbug mo na naman si Mare (a double entendre). I find it funny three decades later that when the nuns running our school has some administrative thing to do and they'd stopped the school for a day by 10 am - I'd rushed home too eagerly to watch the 11 am C. Aroma. Too bad Apeng died too young, and the show's archival tapes might be beyond salvaging. I still missed it, and would very much like to see it again.
One more show that airs at the same season in the early 80's was SAPAK TALAGA. Runs at 5 pm and is only 15 minutes long. Yes, just a quarter of an hour show that came off like an hour of joyful entertainment because at that time commercials were not being rammed our throats like enema to anus in our time. Sapak starred the late Joel Alano and Tessie Tomas and other characters thats obliterated in the memory. Joel is an INK follower and a promising actor but he died too young from natural causes. On the other hand, Tomas is still around and astounding is her career longevity. Sapak has brilliant timing and truly "funny knock, knock, who's there" sort of jokes.
In my books, nothing has been subsequently made in comedic sitcoms that surpasses these two's laugh-a-minute craziness, except that of Champoy circa 1981-1983....
