Eddie Domer

 

EDDIE DOMER: THE FACE OF FILIPINO FILM POSTERS by Andrew Leavold

Born Eduardo Domer (b. 14th April 1931, d. 13th June 2006) in Kalibo, Aklan, Eddie was to become one of the Philippines’ most talented and distinctive – not to mention prolific – film advertising artists.

He moved to Manila in his early twenties, where he served an apprenticeship to advertising agency J.T. Juco’s resident artists. There he learned illustration and poster artwork (always instantly recognizably Eddie’s, with his looped-Ds signature), hand-lettering film credits, and the noble art of hand-painting huge billboards outside cinemas and along roadsides.

In the mid-Sixties he left Juco to start his own business, and soon his regular clients included Cirio H. Santiago and his family’s Premiere Studios, Dolphy’s RVQ Productions, Bobby A. Suarez’s BAS Films, as well as many other independent producers during the hey-day of Filipino filmmaking from the Sixties to mid-Eighties.

As Eddie’s hand-painted advertising gave way to cheaper photo-based posters, Eddie would still receive commissions from Dolphy, who evidently preferred Eddie’s caricatures, and Bobby A. Suarez, who was still asking Eddie for artwork for his planned productions right up until Eddie passed away in 2006.

I’m forever indebted to Eddie’s family for the information and the above images, and in particular his grandson Josef Domer. I hope the following gallery of Eddie’s work – most of the images courtesy of Simon Santos and his incredible Video 48 blog - does his memory justice.

 

 Apat Na Agimat/“Four Amulets” (1962)

 

 Apat Na Kilabot (1962)

 

 Cuatro Condenados (1962)

 

 Sugupa (1963)

 

Talahib And Dario Moreno (1963) 

 

 Panginnoon Ng Pantalan (1964)

Sgt Dalanon (1977)

Artwork for the unfinished Bobby A. Suarez film Queen Cobra (1978)

 

Artwork for the abandoned Bobby A. Suarez film Code Name: The Destroyers (1978)
 

 The Quick Brown Fox (1980) 

 Attack And Destroy (1981) 

 Hantingan (1981)

James Bone: Agent 001 (1987)