In the early days of Venezuelan television, the great authors of universal literature served as fertilizer for spaces that sought to entertain the public, fulfilling the corresponding quota of culture.
Great Friday, Saturday Theatre, Ana, Great theater, Star Tuesdays, Home Theater, Footlights, Gala Night y Sunday at 9In the form of single episodes and distributed throughout the week, they allowed the audience to get closer to the classics, thanks to the talents who worked on national television stations.
In that context, however, there was also room for Venezuelan writers. Among the former were Teresa de la Parra and Andrés Eloy Blanco, whose works Ifigenia y Crazy Luz CaraballoThey were adapted in 1956, with Hilda Vera and América Alonso as the respective protagonists.
It's worth making this distinction because, in the history of the national industry, Rómulo Gallegos has undoubtedly been the most frequently referenced writer. Perhaps due to his importance in the 20th century, or perhaps due to the prolific nature of his legacy, television channels have featured him since the very first version of Miss Barbara, dated 1957, until the last of The climber, dated 2008.
For this reason, these lines are dedicated to other Venezuelan creators who have contributed their own work, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the broadcast of the final chapter of ChampionsThe 36-chapter adaptation by José Ignacio Cabrujas and Ligia Lezama of Guillermo Meneses's work. The novelized version starred Doris Wells and Miguelángel Landa, from July 27 to August 3, 1976.
Years earlier, in the 60s, its history The sloop Isabel arrived this afternoon It had been performed live (videotape did not yet exist) and, a decade later, it would be refreshed with Marina Baura and Miguelángel Landa, in the format of a soap opera.
In addition to both of Meneses' titles, the following have also been adapted for television, as far as we can recall: Very tall fruits y The Abila house by José Rafael Pocaterra, The Christ of the Violets y The Lord's Lemon Tree by Andrés Eloy Blanco, Zárate by Eduardo Blanco; Ana Isabel, a decent girl by Antonia Palacios; broken idols by Manuel Díaz Rodríguez, The iron Man by Rufino Blanco Fombona and My father the immigrant by Vicente Gerbasi.
Three special mentions. The first for Ifigenia which returned to the screen in the anatomy of Amanda Gutiérrez, in the late 70s; the second for the version of Crazy Luz Caraballo which starred Doris Wells in 1975; and the third for the mini-series that Bárcenas' channel dedicated to Arturo Uslar Pietri, with The puppy, El enemigo y Simeon Calamaris, in the mid-80s.
