Iskul Bukol is a Philippine situational comedy show that aired on the IBC-13 network from October 1978 to 1988.[1] It starred Filipino comedians Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon. The show centered around student life in the fictional Wanbol University.
| Iskul Bukol | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Situational comedy |
| Starring | Tito Sotto Vic Sotto Joey de Leon |
| Theme music composer | Joey de Leon Vic Sotto |
| Country of origin | Philippines |
| Original language | Filipino |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Emmanuel "Boy" Gatus |
| Running time | 60 minutes (including commercials) |
| Production company | Our Own Little Way Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | IBC |
| Original release | October 1978 (1978-10) – 1988 (1988) |
Iskul Bukol: Book 2 immediately succeeded the original series on IBC-13 and featured the Sietepares brothers, Niño (Niño Muhlach) and Keempee (Keempee de Leon), both nephews of Tito and Joey Escalera. Mely Tagasa, Bing Angeles, Anthony Raquel and Jimmy Santos would reprise their roles from the original series.
Main characters:
Back to Iskul Bukol is the 1999 sequel to the original Iskul Bukol series and produced by IBC-13 in cooperation with Viva Television. Joey de Leon, Mely Tagasa (cameo) and Bing Angeles (cameo) were the only cast members from the original series to return. De Leon's character, Joey Escalera, is now an English literature professor who decides to go back to Wanbol University to teach and wreak havoc like in the old days. Things could not get any worse when he finds out that one of his students, Ludwig von Tapia (Jeffrey Tam), is actually his and Miss Tapia's love child. The series also starred Val Sotto, Marissa Sanchez, Ruby Rodriguez, Patricia Javier, Gian Sotto (as Jigs), Mausi Wohlfarth (as Mumai), Maui Taylor, and Katya Santos. The show ran for two seasons.
Its canonicity in the Iskul Bukol timeline is in question with the appearance of Gian Sotto and Jeffrey Tam in Iskul Bukol 20 Years After.
On December 3, 2010, TV5 executive Percy Intalan announced the remake of Iskul Bukol titled Iskul Bukol: Eskwelang Kwela 'To!, a joint project with APT Entertainment. Fred Lo, Sam Y.G., and Alwin Uytingco will play the three main characters, with Erika Padilla and Regine Angeles in supporting roles.[2][3] The remake would not feature any character from the original series, although it would still be set in Wanbol University. He added that the remake would have partial influences from Glee and How I Met Your Mother.[4] The series premiered the remake on May 24, 2011 and ended on September 27, 2011 after 19 episodes. It was directed by Soxy Topacio and Dante Nico Garcia.
The eponymous opening theme song was composed by Joey de Leon and Vic Sotto, inspired by Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up”. A full version of the theme song was released as single by Tito, Vic & Joey in 1979 and featured in the trio’s Sgt. Pepe (Tito, Vic & Joey, Vol. IV) album. The trio also released an album in 1980 entitled Iskul Bukol, featuring the logo of the television series on its cover.
| "Iskul Bukol" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Tito, Vic & Joey | |
| from the album Sgt. Pepe (Tito, Vic & Joey, Vol. IV) | |
| B-side | "Upakan (Dialogo)" |
| Released | 1979 (1979) |
| Studio | Cinema Audio |
| Genre | Pop, comedy |
| Label | Sunshine |
| Songwriter(s) | Joey de Leon, Vic Sotto |
| Producer(s) | Spanky Rigor |
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 1980 (1980) |
| Recorded | 1980 |
| Studio | Cinema Audio |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Label | Canary |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Featuring | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Iskul Bukol Medley" | Joey de Leon | ||
| 2. | "Bale, Bale (“Macho Man”)" | Vincent Huang Dy Buncio, Pancho Oppus III | ||
| 3. | "Body Odor (“Body Language”)" | Joey de Leon | ||
| 4. | "Barado (“Love Boat”)" | Vincent Huang Dy Buncio, Pancho Oppus III | ||
| 5. | "Black & White (“American Dream”)" | Joey de Leon | Mang Tem-i and Redford | |
| 6. | "Utang (“Love Hurts”)" | Joey de Leon | Richie D'Horsie | |
| 7. | "Middle East Connection (“Rainbow Connection”)" | Vincent Huang Dy Buncio, Pancho Oppus III | ||
| 8. | "Reprise: Macho…. Manggagancho!!!" | Joey de Leon | ||
| 9. | "Mekekekwe (“A Lover's Holiday”)" | Joey de Leon | ||
| 10. | "Maskuladong Syota (“Can’t Stop The Music”)" | Joey de Leon | ||
| 11. | "Lome (“Love Me”)" | Joey de Leon | ||
| 12. | "Stainless Gin (“Fame”)" | Joey de Leon |
A Iskul Bukol mini-reunion was celebrated on June 30, 2007 in the GMA-7 show Eat Bulaga!'s Bulagaan portion. Mely Tagasa, Tito Sotto, Joey de Leon and Vic Sotto appeared, reprising their roles from Iskul Bukol.
In the GMA-7 documentary show I-Witness, presenter Jay Taruc revisited Iskul Bukol and the Philippines’ comedy trio (Tito, Vic, and Joey) in a 2007 retrospective episode titled "Wanbol University" and discovered that TVJ merchandise was still a hit.[5]