MEET MOMMY ELVIE
Mommy Elvie makes a good case for proving that comic talent can be absorbed by osmosis. From her real and reel-life son Ariel Villasanta, half of the comic duo of ABC5's "Maverick and Ariel" to her nephew, comedy veteran Joey De Leon, the septuagenarian lady was surrounded by plenty of comic inspiration almost half of her life.
Born Elvira Ramos on December 14, 1927, she first came face-to-face with stardom at the ripe age of 75 without even auditioning. She was originally spotted by one of the producers of "Misadventures of Maverick and Ariel" while the crew was filming episodes of the reality comedy series in their home in Sampaloc. She shares, "natuwa kasi sila sa akin kaya pinilit nila ako isali sa shooting, eh sabi ko paano yun 'di na ako maka-memorize ng script sa tanda kong nito?". "So ang nangyari ikinuwento nila sa akin ang istorya at sabi nila pag nakita ko na si Ariel, banat agad." With near perfect timing and genius for ad-libbing, Mommy Elvie cruised eight seasons of MisAds before its plug was pulled.
Even though Mommy Elvie is no certified crush-worthy (of course, she lost her youthful glory many years back), she is well-loved by legions of young male fans who tuned in weekly to laugh at her zany antics. Perhaps they see in her a bit of their own moms or grandmas. In fact, there were students who paid her a surprise visit in Sampaloc on her birthday, complete with flowers and a cake. "Daig ko nga 'yan si Ariel, mas marami pa akong fans," she chuckles.
And given that she made viewers guffaw as the ever-cynical geriatric in MisAds, Mommy Elvie shows the same comedic nature off screen. "Kahit nga pagnagkikita kaming pamilya, magkwentuhan lang, laging nauuwi sa tawanan," she enthuses.
Read on for some fast facts about everyone's favorite comic lola:
- She is sister to Joey De Leon's mother Mrs. Emma Ramos-De Leon.
- She was married to the late Bienvenido M. Villasanta, a former Civil Engineer, who died of a heart attack in 1994.
- She worked for COMELEC for four decades.
- She is an avid fan of comedy legends Rod Navarro, Ading Fernando, Pugo and Dolphy. She hopes that someday she gets to work with the comedy King. "Naku, fulfilled na ko pagnakasama ko si Dolphy kahit isang episode lang".
- Though she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, signing autographs is one of her joys. In fact, during a mall tour Ariel gave her a rubber stamp with her personal signature etched on it for her to use.
- She considers "leche flan" as her culinary specialty.
Catch Mommy Elvie as she reteams with her uber-colorful son Ariel to make everyone sit up, drop everything and laugh to his or her hearts content as she once again graces TV in her self-titled reality program, "Mommy Elvie's Problematic Show, come Tuesday nights at 10:00pm, beginning June 19.
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