The tremendous court

La Tremenda Corte was a radio and television program of the comedy genre, which was produced in Havana, Cuba, and whose scripts were written by Cástor Vispo, a Spaniard. who would later adopt Cuban nationality. It was broadcast on radio between 1942 and 1961 uninterruptedly. It is said that around 360 episodes were recorded, the vast majority of them heard internationally.

Later, in the mid-1960s, the program's format was rescued to be brought to television in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, however it was produced for a few years (three and a half seasons, between 1966 and 1969)..

The program is considered, by many experts in the field, as the best radio comedy produced in Latin America at that time.

History

Origins

Cástor Vispo was originally from La Coruña, Spain, from where he emigrated due to the civil war that affected his country. He left his homeland at the age of 18 to join his relatives, who were on the island of Cuba; For this reason, the character of the “Galician” was a general and familiar cliché in his works.

Vispo learned and understood the essences of Cuban popular culture of those times. He identified with the idiosyncrasies, the sayings and idioms of the rogue Cuban, and knew how to gradually pour them through his characters.

He worked in the administration of the newspaper El Universal, in the offices of a warehouse, and in his free time, he wrote.

Its history is also linked, since the first decades of the XX century, with the written press, caricatures, Cuban theater and radio, although for many he was only known as a radio scriptwriter.

When the weekly La Semana emerged, Vispo sent it some verses that were not published, but which earned him entry into the editorial staff, and later his creations would be read throughout Cuba. In this publication he created the unforgettable character called “The Baron of the Enchanted Underpants”, which he later adapted (1948-1949) for RHC Cadena Azul.

In 1937, after achieving a media boom with the radio program “The Adventures of Chan Li Po” on CMK, Radiodimisiones O'Shea, created by the Cuban writer Félix B. Caignet, Cástor Vispo premiered on the same station the humorous series “Rudecindo Rodríguez, Rudy Rod” with the nickname of the Galician detective from "Santa Marta de Ortigueira", which curiously was also performed by Aníbal de Mar —"Chan Li Po".

Then, in April 1940, it was the turn of “Pepe el Cortao”; This program, like the previous one, were parodies of the aforementioned work by Caignet, and of the now famous adventures of “Pepe Cortés” by the radio author Aramís del Real, another local success.

However, this Spaniard wanted to create a new radio space, with which he rose to international fame, perhaps without intending to. Some characterizations that he would use for the new program he had already used—in a certain way—in the two radio series, previously mentioned, that preceded it.

Success

“La Tremenda Corte”, was the work of the writer Cástor Vispo, who was definitely immersed in Cuban popular speech and psychology. Those in charge of directing and producing the program were Francisco Álvarez de Lara (Paco Lara), and later Miguel Yao, close collaborators.

Both Vispo and the production team took on the task of looking for local comedians to create a light and white humor space in 1941 (in the middle of the Second World War), as a way to cheer up and make people forget the problems the inhabitants of the island. They soon found Leopoldo Fernández, a talented comedian who was already recognized in radio and theater spaces, as well as his inseparable friend, Aníbal de Mar, who had already worked with Vispo some time ago. The rest of the cast emerged from tests with other lesser-known, but equally notable, comedians.

Thus, the program began its broadcasts on the RHC-Cadena Azul radio station on January 7, 1942; This was owned by Amado Trinidad Velasco since 1941 (RHC belonged to the famous cigarette company Trinidad y Hermanos).

In 1947, "La Tremenda Corte", like other diverse programs of its time, was brought to the competing station CMQ Radio by its advertisers and sponsors in search of greater competitive advantages.

The programs were then broadcast live, three times a week from Monday to Friday at 8:30 PM, and were sponsored by a perfumery and soap products firm.

To fill a fifteen-minute radio script, many pages of text had to be written, and its only writer was Vispo. This work, therefore, was quite exhausting for his imagination, something that he always managed to carry out during that period. Thus, “La Tremenda Corte” was on the air without interruption from 1942 to 1961 (first on RHC Cadena Azul and later on CMQ).

It is estimated that more than 360 episodes were recorded, many of which are still heard on the radio, but there are a few that have never left Cuba, and therefore little is known about them.

Of all those radio programs that were recorded at the CMQ station in Havana between 1947 and 1961, no one knows how many still exist, and they are considered rare objects of incalculable value for admirers and collectors of the series.

"Pototo and Filomeno"

In 1951, the comedy-musical film called “Girls' Hotel” was released, filmed in black and white, and directed by Manuel de la Pedrosa. In it, Leopoldo Fernández and Aníbal de Mar stand out with leading roles, making their debut on the big screen as "Pototo" and "Filomeno"; It is worth mentioning that Julito Díaz (the “Secretary” of "La Tremenda Corte") had a secondary role. The film soon became a classic within its genre for that time, despite having a fairly light conception, and motivated its actors to continue with the characters.

In 1955, the radio program received a second air indirectly when the humorous TV space "El show de Pototo y Filomeno" premiered, through CMQ TV, in which Leopoldo Fernández ("Pototo") played a role very similar to that of "Tres Patines"; His companion was again Aníbal de Mar (& # 34; Filomeno & # 34;).

The space consisted of humorous segments and tropical music songs with an orchestra, a precursor format of its style on the island. The show was presented at the Sierra and Montmartre nightclubs in Havana, and its success led to two albums by the couple and a second film ("Olé Cuba!") in 1957.

The success made the cast of the program go to countries such as Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Panama and the Dominican Republic, where they were acclaimed.

All this happened in conjunction with their work in "La Tremenda Corte", and, because of this, a large part of the public still identified them with their radio characterizations.

In November 1958, Adolfo Otero, an essential actor in the cast, suffered a heart attack and later died at the age of 65. Almost simultaneously, Julito Díaz, the secretary in some episodes, also died of a similar cause. Still, the program continued without them for almost three consecutive years.

Cancellation of the radio program

Around the year 1960 there was a drastic change in the production of the program, due to the revolution led by Fidel Castro and a politically turbulent society that manifested itself in those years. However, the circumstances of that time did not stop the two main protagonists, who years later would take the program to television, maintaining most of the style it had on the radio.

Previously, adaptations were made for local theaters, where there were some controversial performances, given that the actors in the program (particularly Leopoldo Fernández) were openly critical of politics, and they expressed this in their performances.

The Castro regime, with its rigid Marxist tendency of those years, showed its disagreement with the existence of humorous spaces in the media, especially when its leaders began to be the object of jokes.

The years 1960 and 1961 were particularly difficult for the cast, because the Government began to send groups of sympathizers to scandalize with communist slogans during the performances and interrupt the performances by all means.

As they did not achieve their goal, in 1961 a decree was issued requiring all theater, radio or television companies to submit their programs to the Censorship Commission.

Despite this, one night that same year when “La Tremenda Corte” was presented, adapted for the National Theater, a shootout broke out by the G2 repression force. Leopoldo Fernández was arrested and served a sentence of 27 days of house arrest without further justification.

After being acquitted, it is said that Fernández created a small comedy piece that he presented in the Cuban capital. Playing “Pototo”, he and another actor were reviewing an archive of photos of the presidents of Cuba to hang them on the wall. The other actor showed a photo of Fulgencio Batista and Leopoldo told him: —"You throw this one away...". The actor continued taking different figures of politicians with the comedian's invariable response: —"You throw this one out too...". Finally, the assistant took a photograph of Fidel Castro; Leopoldo looked at it, showed it to the public and, turning to the wall, he said with his usual sarcasm: - & # 34; Leave it to me, I want to hang this one ... & # 34;.

The joke, which at the time was widely disseminated and was repeated everywhere, concluded with the statement that this phrase was what forced his arrest and subsequent exile that same year. But despite how well it rhymed, the story was later totally denied in Miami by Fernández himself who, when he heard the version from the lips of a supposed theater goer during the aforementioned performance, corrected him, not without a certain hint of disgust, measuring him by his feet. to head: “Gentleman, if I had done and said that, I would not be here now telling the story…”.

In any case (whether the aforementioned event was real or just a kind of "urban legend"), the Castro police closed the theatrical show of “La Tremenda Corte” and the presentations of " Pototo and Filomeno" definitively.

At the beginning of 1962, the Cuban artistic milieu suffered a severe setback when the Fidelista government seized radio CMQ and canceled all the comedy programs it carried out. The situation led to the main roster of "La Tremenda Corte" (with the exception of the production team, including Cástor Vispo), emigrated from Cuba that year towards Miami, United States, never to return.

The environment was uncomfortable and uncertain to continue doing humorous work, for which they never obtained fair and proportionate economic remuneration despite public and international recognition.

The exile of the program's protagonists was due to economic reasons, not due to ideological differences. In fact, none of the actors in the cast ever expressed political affinity, and they decided to stay away from the events that agitated Cuban society, even when they were based abroad.

At that time, the actors did not receive royalties for the copy rights of the program, as happens today, which is why Abel Mestre, (who had been an executive of the CMQ company before it was expropriated by the Castro regime) intelligently He bought a large part of the chapters of La Tremenda Corte at a truly ridiculous price; He later offered them for sale to many of the main Latin American radio stations of those years.

The retail value was estimated at the time at $20 US per episode, or more than $7,000 US for all of those still recorded, an exorbitant amount even today.

Television program: 1966-1969

The radio program would come back to life in Mexico in the mid-1960s, thanks to radio station XEFB-AM (located in Monterrey). There the episodes recorded in Cuba began to be broadcast again. The radio broadcasts were very well received by the public, and the series gained popularity in the country.

The success of the program led to the creation of a version adapted to television, and some time later, Televisión Independiente de México (Cadena TIM) screened the first broadcasts of the series in 1966 through channel 6 of Monterrey (XET-TV 6), and channel 8 in the Federal District (XHTM Channel 8), with a weekly slot of half an hour (around 21 minutes without commercials); At that time, Cadena TIM had magnificent programming, thanks to the fact that it had hired several Cuban writers of the moment.

However, the television series showed the limitations of the time, such as painted cardboard as scenery, rudimentary video equipment in low-resolution format, and black and white transmission. The last season on air showed that the public attended the recording forum, thus giving greater credibility to the Court; This circumstance highlighted the actors' ability to improvise and their stage control.

"The Tremendous Court" It was one of the first television comedy programs that were exported from Mexico to various countries in America. It is worth mentioning, as a curious fact, that in the first chapters of this series the Galician character "Rudecindo Caldeiro y Escobiña" does not appear. Later, the role would be played by the well-known Florencio Castelló (of Andalusian origin), one of the few actors hired with extensive experience and experience in acting in front of the cameras to carry out the program.

Of the original radio cast, only Leopoldo Fernández (who also wrote the scripts in Vispo's absence) and Aníbal de Mar, the central and irreplaceable characters in the program's plot, repeated their roles. Mimí Cal ("Nananina"), a regular comedian in the radio series, refused to participate from her exile in Miami. Meanwhile, Adolfo Otero ("Rudecindo") and Julito Díaz (the "secretary"), had died the same day, November 10, 1958, first Díaz at noon, a victim of cancer and then Otero, who collapsed during Julito's funeral. Their places were taken by Norma Zúñiga ("Nananina") and Florencio Castelló ("Rudecindo"), while the position of secretary was assumed by at least three different actors.

The rest of the cast was made up of Cuban and Mexican actors, the vast majority of whom were completely unknown to the public, since the television station was not willing to pay high salaries. Some comedians, like the young Alfonso Zayas ("Casimiro" very sporadic participation), became known through this series. Another particular actor was "Tonina Jackson", known in the country as a wrestling character during the 1950s and 1960s, who appeared in a few episodes. A very young María Antonieta de las Nieves made her debut on the small screen appearing in a re-edited program. Many actors returned to anonymity - once the series was canceled - without much being known about their lives. Along with this cast, characters different from those who had been heard decades before were added.

The television program had a short life (until mid-1969) since production costs were unsustainable for the television station, and there was no strong enough sponsorship to support it, coupled with the obvious technical limitations with which it was made. The fourth season was unfinished, despite the fact that it was already a success in other parts of the continent, and the fact that the actors made an effort to keep it on the air.

On the other hand, the TIM Network was in the middle of a serious financial crisis, along with administrative changes that culminated in 1973. That year TIM merged with its competitor, Telesistema Mexicano, forming from that union what is today known as Televisa, one of the most powerful media networks in the world.

While this was happening, Leopoldo Fernández was required to make the Mexican film "Vírgenes de la Nueva Ola" (1969, Fernando Cortés), filmed in Miami. It was the first film that the comedian made in color and without the presence of Aníbal de Mar; The prominent singer Daniel Santos briefly appears in it.

In the middle of that same year, Panamericana Televisión (channel 5 of Peru) bought the 260 filmed episodes and the rights to "La Tremenda Corte" to the TIM Chain; So, they hired Fernández for a short season for another variant of the program, called "El Guardia Tres Patines". There he played a clueless policeman with a tropical flavor; His boss was Antonio Salim (Sergeant & # 34; Bonifacio Palomino & # 34;), along with other Peruvian comedians in the field, such as Jorge Montoro and Anita Saravia. The space did not have great diffusion or significance outside that country.

A final adaptation for Peru was the even less fortunate and unknown "Tres Patines en su salsa" (1970), of which not much audiovisual material is preserved. With this program the artist retired from Lima. Ultimately, the original cast of the series never reunited.

International success and validity

"The Tremendous Court" It has been one of the most listened to radio programs in recent years in many countries in America, and its success has been so great that even today it continues to be broadcast on various radio stations, mainly for audiences in Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, the Caribbean (particularly in the Dominican Republic), the state of Florida in the United States, and in other countries in America (Latin America). The television version continues to be broadcast on certain networks, mainly in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador and Panama.

Mega TV Channel 22 of Miami announced that, starting January 15, 2007, it would have a daily broadcast of the series for South Florida. In Puerto Rico, the radio station WPAB (550 kHz-Ponce) broadcasts two episodes from Monday to Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., maintaining a considerable audience.

Tributes

New generations learned of its existence through the Miami station Radio Mambí, which since the eighties broadcast, with the aim of sowing nostalgia for the past across the Strait of Florida, classics such as “The Right to Be Born ”, the famous serial novel by Felix B. Caignet, and The Tremendous Court. It was a broadcast for political purposes not recognized by the Cuban state, and interfered with noise on its frequency, but which, nevertheless, allowed younger Cubans to get closer to those exceptional comedians.

In 1998, Cuban comedians paid tribute to the show within the program And you what are you laughing at? on Cubavisión, and aired a version starring, among others, Ulises Toirac, as Trespatines, Carlos Otero as the Judge, Geonel Martín as Secretary, and Edith Massola as Nananina. This sketch was the closing of the program and was enormously popular. Later they tried to turn the aforementioned version into a regular program, and finally, in 2001, it was only possible by making some changes that eliminated the original names, still banned on a large scale, and Trespatines became Chivichana (a kind of rustic skateboard from the Cuban children), the plaintiffs were replaced by new characters (Amado Fiel del Toro, Marieta Pozo Alegre, Professor Pepe Rillo and Cuqui la Mora), and the name remained as Do you swear to tell the truth?.

Set in the Republican era, however, it was soon contextualized in current times at a subtextual level, with unprecedented sharp social criticism (the character Corporal Panther, who appeared in the second season, has been the only satirical allusion to the current police throughout the history of post-revolutionary radio and television), a weekly comedy show that established itself as one of the most popular in the entire history of Cuban television (directed by Ulises Toirac himself and Gustavo Fernández-Larrea), and in which the poster always appears at the beginning: Homage to the Tremenda Corte.

In Ecuador, a version titled 'La trebunda corte' was released, starring David Reinoso in the lead role.

The program was brought to Costa Rica in the early 60's by popular sports journalist José Luis "El Rápido" Ortiz who played the role of Tres Patines during the first year, when they only had the rights of interpretation and not reproduction of the original tapes. The radio station "Columbia" maintains the transmission of the chapters daily. In addition, the radio station "Monumental", in its humor and criticism program called "Pelando el Ojo" parody of "La Tremenda Corte" through sketches related to current Costa Rican news where a "Tres Balines" who is the main culprit of the crime and the news that is being discussed that day.

La Tremenda Korte, a Mexican ska band originally from Mexico City, drew its name from the legendary Cuban radio program.

Actors and characters

Radio version: produced in Havana, Cuba, between 1942 and 1961

• Leopoldo FernándezJosé Candelario Tres Patines)
• Aníbal de Mar (The Tremendous Judge)
• Mimi Cal (Luz María Nananina)
• Adolfo OteroRudecindo Caldeiro and Escobiña)
• Miguel Angel Herrera (Michael Angel Herrera)The Secretary "young voice")
• Julito Díaz (Julito Díaz)The Secretary "Old Voice")

Other characters also participated occasionally; Among them were the following (of some it is unknown who carried out the action):

• Erdwin Fernández (“Simplicio Bobadilla y Comejaibas”)
• Wilfredo Fernández (“Federico "Perico" Jovellanos y Campoflorido”)
• Reynaldo Miravalles (“Leoncio Garrotín and Rompecocos”)
• Miguel Yao (“Don Olegario Cascarilla y Pinotea”)
• Emilio Ruiz (“Ching Chong Chaw(Chino who owns a washing train)
• Mr. Robert Two Base and One Strike American
• Lupe Suárez “Inés María de Fernández”
• Queque and Estupiñán (An old man who is Nananina's boyfriend)
• Guampampiro Canistel y Talanquera (Guajiro)
• Sindulfo Roqueta (Representative of the League Against the Choques, where they have the list of those who have been “victim of speed”).
• Bethlehem of the Pinar and Tomeguin (Professor of cutting and sewing)
• Dr. Vitamin Pildorite (started by Agustín Campos)
• Bonifacio Batilongo (Prime de Nananina, starring Miguel Yao)
• Erdwin Fernández "Rubén Darío Nervo Espronceda and García Lorca de Baudelaire(Poet)
• “White Albino Table” (Cantinero, starring Reynaldo Miravalles)
• “Yeyo Carreras” (rental driver)
• “Jesus Mary Picota” (Protagonized by Julito Díaz)
• Erdwin Fernández “Bertoldo Edmundo Melones Diet”
• Lupe Suárez “Luz Rosa Matraca del Valle”
• “Petronilo Talanquera(Nananina's cousin)
• “Severo Calderilla”
• “Catalino Talanquera del Potrero”
• "Monsieur Gabán and Malapolán "(Modist) starring Armando Soler (Cholito)
• “His Excellency Mr. Don Ñico Pantalón” (Ambassador of the Principality of Jambalán)
• “Cheo Guayabera” (Dependant on the "El Zapato Vigueta" shoe)
• "Don Efraín"(The Vigueta Shoe)

TV version: produced in Monterrey, Mexico, between 1966 and 1969

• Leopoldo FernándezJosé Candelario Tres Patines)
• Aníbal de Mar (The Tremendous Judge, Filomeno, Dr. Homobono)
• Zúñiga Standard (“Marina Nananina Light”)
• Florencio Castelló (“Rudecindo Caldeiro and Escobiña”)
• Alonso Castaño (the first "Secretary" -only in the first season-
• Ricardo Barroeta (the “Secretary”, also made other occasional characters
• Raúl “Cascarita” Salcedo (originally "Secretary", then he made other participations with other characters, in particular with that of "Heliotropo Flores del Rosal"and..."Don Abundio"

Among the rest of the television cast were:

• Marco de Carlo (“Patagonio Tucumán y Bandoneón “)
• Leopoldo Fernández Jr. (“Polito Abril y Mayo(*)
• Eny González (“Angela Toribia Market” mainly)
• Luis Manuel Pelayo (“Felix Amargo”)
• Delia Garda (“Julieta Tacoronte”, “White Mountain Flower”, “Asunción Cordero”)
• Yerye Beirute ("Abraham Mojalamohama"
• Tonina Jackson (the “mechanical” and other occasional roles)
• Anna Marty (“Cucusita”, “Loving of Sites”)
• Alfonso Zayas ("Casimiro"
• Other unaccredited actors (Rigoleto, Court Guards, Public)

(*) Leopoldo Fernández Jr. (with an opaque artistic career and little public recognition) should not be confused with his half-brother, Leopoldo Fernández's eldest son, Leopoldo "Pucho" Fernández II (1927-† 2008), who lived practically his entire life in Puerto Rico, and with a much more recognized career. In the 1990s, "Pucho" Fernández, tried to revive "La Tremenda Corte" for television, using the same concept, but with new characters. The attempt was unsuccessful and only a few episodes were filmed.

As a curious fact, the son of "Pucho" Fernández (reporter and & # 34; paparazzo & # 34; by profession in Miami and Puerto Rico) is also called Leopoldo, like his father, grandfather, and uncle. He is known, therefore, as Leo Fernández III.

Plots and characters

The program's arguments present absurd, light and white humor situations, and always conclude in the Court of the Tremendous Court, with an unspecified location. These are crimes in which José Candelario "Tres Patines" He has made Rudecindo or Nananina a victim with any of his thefts, deceptions or misdeeds, and they have him accused before a judge in that correctional court. The everyday topics deal with misunderstandings that Tres Patines himself provokes by playing with words, always distorting for his benefit the double meaning that some phrases could have. Three Skates most of the time mistakenly reveals the malevolent intent of him.

Brief description of the characters

José Candelario Tres Patines: played by Leopoldo Fernández, he is a man who has no job or benefit. He and his mother survive by carrying out scams, tricks, petty thefts, and some mischief, but they never commit major crimes. His thefts consist of the theft of chickens, domestic animals, and edible items from a food establishment. Tres Patines is also dedicated to collecting clandestine lottery bets, and carries out scams or deceptions to receive some benefit. For the above reasons he is always brought to court. José Candelario is a good son who adores his mother, whom he calls “Mamita” or “Mima”. The lady never intervenes in the broadcast; she is simply mentioned in the story. She is an elderly woman who takes her years off, but due to this custom, it turns out that she is younger than her son. Furthermore, in an episode her supposed name is revealed: Zoila Owner of the House. José Candelario has said that he sleeps late, (on one occasion he mentioned that he slept in a pinpanpun, but that if he didn't wake up on the fifth call from his mom, she would give the pinpanpun to him. Tres Patines has a girlfriend who Her name is Cucusita, who, according to him, is skinnier than a noodle, or that she is so skinny that to see herself in a mirror she does not need to be in front of it; she can also see herself even if the mirror is on edge. Cucusita does not appear in the mirror either. program, but Tres Patines mentions her on several occasions. Finally, José Candelario does not have legitimate uncles either, but many people come to the house where he lives with his mother and shout: "My family!", staying in the home.

Rudecindo Caldeiro y Escobiña (Adolfo Otero and later on TV Florencio Castelló): he is a Spanish immigrant, from Galicia, to be exact. He came to live in Havana, Cuba a long time ago. Rudecindo is a friendly Galician, very hard-working, a little grumpy and of legal age. He is so old that Tres Patines, to make him angry, jokes that when the Galician was born, the island of Cuba was still attached to the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico (referring to the past geological era of the planet). On some occasions Rudecindo brings Nananina to court as a witness, and always accuses Tres Patines of the misdeeds he has committed against him; On other occasions the accuser is Nananina, and on very rare occasions Tres Patines is the accuser, a situation that generally ends up being revealed as an attempted scam on his part).

Luz María Nananina (Mimí Cal and later on TV Norma Zúñiga): she is a not very fine or educated lady who detests Tres Patines, or holds a grudge against him because they were married in the past, However, to date they are divorced, a situation that can be seen in the program's arguments, but it is never mentioned if they had children. In one chapter he mentions that his father was Galician, when making the same expression as Rudecindo "I morro" 3. 4; (I'm dying, in Spanish). Nananina has a niece named Ángela Toribia, who she mentions in some anecdotes she tells about her family life. In the radio programs, Mimí Cal played the role of Nananina even though she and Leopoldo Fernández had already divorced, but on television the person in charge of the role was Norma Zúñiga.

The Tremendous Judge (Aníbal de Mar): he is a fair magistrate in his decisions, upright and very honest. He always has ailments, whether from rheumatism or some other discomfort. The judge talks to Tres Patines about you, and although he appears to be very strict, he is kind deep down. Every time a character contradicts him, he confuses him, or differs from his way of thinking, he imposes fines, days in jail, and other strange penalties (e.g., fifteen fine blenders).

The Secretary (Miguel Ángel Herrera, alternating with Julito Díaz, and then on TV Alonso Castaño, Ricardo Barroeta and Raúl Salcedo): is a character whom the Judge always fines for anything he says at the beginning of the trial; he only participates at the beginning of the hearing and at the end; He then exclaims: Come the sentence! On some occasions he participates more actively in the case, such as when Tres Patines was a graphologist. His role is secondary, however, he is a fundamental piece of the cast.

Denouement of the plot

Tres Patines always manages to justify himself, using the double meaning of words to his advantage, when the Judge discovers the truth. This situation basically contains the charm of the program's plot, since the listener becomes interested in the plots until Tres Patines' explanation is revealed to justify his absence. Very rarely, Tres Patines is right in the trial, and therefore he is acquitted, like once when he became a boxer; However, on other occasions, his acquittal is thanks to the generosity of the Lord Judge, such as on Mother's Day, when Tres Patines "obtained" him. some chickens for Mamita.

Anecdotes

In post-revolutionary Cuba, little attention was paid to 'La Tremenda Corte', basically because its protagonists had left the country. Nor did anyone take into account that its creator, Cástor Vispo, died on the island.

The expression --"To the fence!"--, typical of Tres Patines every time he was called to appear, was used in Cuba to call the people who were imprisoned; that is, locked in their cells when they received visits from a relative, lawyer, or anyone. Thus, so that the prisoner would approach the fence, because they wanted to talk to him, they told him. --"So-and-so...to the fence!"—. From this it is deduced that the character spent much of his time confined to a cell.

For those who have listened to the radio broadcast of the program, during its years of broadcast, the different characters who paraded through the court of "The Tremendous Judge" They are endearing. Although the actors stuck to Cástor Vispo's comic scripts, it is evident that the format and development of the program allowed for constant improvisation. The ingenuity of the actors, along with the mastery of their respective characters, shone when those unexpected changes to the script occurred.

From time to time the actors made allusions to characters and events of the time, but they did not focus the theme of the program on it. During some episodes, recorded laughter was used as a framework for the characters' funny phrases, however this fact detracted from the freshness of the spontaneous expressions of the public attending the recording studio. The freedom of improvisation that the actors had was evident when, for example, they issued somewhat veiled criticism about the script or the dialogues. On one occasion, Tres Patines alludes to the fact that an audience member has fallen asleep, implying that the script was not liked by the audience.

In another episode, when asked by the Judge to repeat a particularly difficult phrase, Nananina comments with a laugh that she cannot do so because the doctor has prohibited it.

There are many memorable moments and phrases, the product of ingenuity and synchronization between the actors. On one occasion, Tres Patines explains to Mr. Judge that when one receives the blow of an avocado thrown in the face, it is like receiving the same blow twice: the first time when the peel hits, and the second time when the peel breaks. and makes way for the seed. Or it also happens that, one day, Rudecindo gets tired of the fines that the Judge imposes on him, and argues with him.

Trespatines' anecdotes always cast doubt on Cervantes' language, since he never says the words as they are. In fact, the success of his character lay in the ease of interpreting the language for his own benefit.

Ecuadorian parody of La Tremenda Corte

On Monday, March 21, 2011, at 7:30 p.m., the Ecuadorian network Teleamazonas premiered the series 'La Tremebunda Corte', a rehash of the original series with the performances of David Reinoso as José Candelario Tres Patines (in this version he is José Calendario Tres Patines), Emerson Morocho as the Judge (in this version as El Tremebundo Juez), and Mauro Guerrero as The Secretary.