Softdrink Beauties – Bold 80's Pinays

Sarsi Emmanuelle

admin Uncategorized April 18, 2017May 25, 2017Bold 80s, Bold Movies, Coca Nicolas, Pepsi Paloma, Philippines, Pinay, Sarsi Emmanuelle, Softdrink Beauties 4 Comments

Sarsi Emmanuelle was a popular bold actresses of the 80’s. Born Maria Jennifer Obregon Mitchell, she studied in Catholic school and had a good family upbringing in Manila. However, her parents separated during her teenage years, and she discovered her wild side. She began a relationship with a much older man, and took work as a go-go dancer in several Manila beerhouses. When she was 20, she was discovered by Rey dela Cruz, her mother’s optometrist who was also a movie talent scout. “Rey approached me and asked me if I wanted to join showbiz,” Sarsi later related. “I thought there was no harm in trying so I took the opportunity.” Dela Cruz gave her the screen name Sarsi Emmanuelle, and she became part of a popular trio -along with Pepsi Paloma and Coca Nicolas– nicknamed by del Cruz as the “softdrink beauties.” In a short time, Sarsi went from earning just P3,000 a month dancing, to an asking price of P300, 000 per film at the peak of her success.

Her movie debut was in the film Brown Emmanuel in 1982. A string of bold films followed, all of which were commercial successes, and some of which were critically acclaimed as well. In 1984 she was nominated for the Gawad URIAN Best Actress award for her role in Tikoy Aguiluz’s movie, Boatman.

In the 1990s, Sarsi disappeared from the limelight. “I wanted to live a normal life again -that’s why I left showbiz,” Sarsi said in an interview years later. “I wanted to be able to do ordinary things again like shopping or riding a jeepney without creating a commotion.” She invested her acting money in several business attempts, none of which were successful. She was last reported living a simple life as a cashier for a booth in a carnival fairground (perya).

Pepsi Paloma

admin Uncategorized April 17, 2017May 25, 2017Bold 80s, Bold Movies, Coca Nicolas, Filipina, Pepsi Paloma, Philippines, Pinay, Sarsi Emmanuelle, Softdrink Beauties 11 Comments

Pepsi Paloma’s story is both tragic and, after all these years, still shrouded in suspicion and mystery. Her real name was Belia Smith. She was the daughter of Lydia Duenas, a Filipina from Borac, Northern Samar, and Kenneth Smith, an American postal worker who left when Delia and her three sisters were still young. She blossomed into a beautiful girl, and at the age of thirteen, Delia’s mother brought her to talent scout Tita Ester, who introduced her to talent manager Rey dela Cruz. Dela Cruz changed Delia’s name to Pepsi Paloma, and she became one of his “softdrink beauties” -a trio of bold stars that also included Sarsi Emmanuelle and Cola Nicolas. At the age of thirteen, she was given a starring role in her first bold film, Brown Emmanuelle (1981). Despite her age, she appeared nude on screen and engaged in softcore straight and lesbian sex.

In 1982, she stared in two more bold movies: Krus sa bawat punglo and The Victim. While promoting one of her movies that year, she met actors Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon and comedian Richie D’Horsie. Allegedly the three drugged her in a bar and then gang raped her in a hotel room. Pepsi went to the authorities and the accusations made headlines. If convicted, Sotto, de Leon and D’Horsie would have faced the death penalty. But Senator Tito Sotto, the younger brother of Vic, intervened. He went to see Pepsi and allegedly coerced her into signing an affidavit that dropped the rape complaint. He did this by “placing a pistol on the table in front of her,” according to an Inquirer reporter who investigated what happened.

Pepsi continued her movie career, starring in number of bold movies over the next few years, including Suicide Mama (1983), Naked Island (1984), Matukso kaya ang anghel? (1984), Snake Sisters (1984), and Room 69 (1985).

But her life ended tragically when, at the age of seventeen, she was found dead in her apartment, hanging in her closet with a “three-inch thick and 36-inch long cotton sash” tied around her neck. Police concluded that she committed suicide due to financial problems, citing a diary found in her apartment. Her manager at the time, Babette Corcuerra, disputed the police report, stating that Pepsi “was earning well” and that she was “fully booked for dance performances.” In addition, Pepsi had just concluded performing the “Pepsi Paloma Show” in beerhouses around Metro Manila, and had three pending film offers from various producers. The validity of the diary was never established, and Corcuerra’s implication was that Pepsi was murdered.

Questions remain over Pepsi’s sad death, but one thing is certain: her vibrant life ended much too early.

Coca Nicolas

admin Uncategorized April 5, 2017May 25, 2017Bold Movies, Coca Nicolas, Filipina, Johnnalee Hickins, Kalapating Musmos, Naked Island, Pinay, Rey dela Cruz, Snake Sisters, Softdrink Beauties 4 Comments

Famously known as one of the “Softdrink Beauties” (along with Sarsi Emmanuelle and Pepsi Paloma), Coca was discovered by talent manager Rey dela Cruz and starred in a string of hit films. During this time, Coca, whose real name was Johnnalee Hickins, enjoyed a lavish lifestyle as a bankable actress, with box office hits like Snake Sisters (1984), Naked Island (1984) and Kalapating Musmos (1985).

Excessive vice lead to her addiction to the drug Mogadon. When the Bold Era passed, her film career deteriorated. She took work as an entertainer in Japan, where she turned to alcohol abuse and heavy smoking. Eventually she returned to the Philippines, but she had squandered her savings. She lost her house, and is now battling lung disease from her past chain smoking. Coca said she regrets not putting aside money for her future during her glory days as a bold star.