Where to watch five iconic films by Concha Velasco: from The Girls of the Red Cross to Valentine's Day

Concha Velasco It will always be remembered with immense affection by the vast majority of the population. Died this Saturday at the age of 84, the artist was one of the few conciliatory icons so that the so-called two Spains (so polarized) could at least coincide in praising her. The woman from Valladolid will always be remembered as a great lady of acting and one of the most beloved actresses. The actress said goodbye to the stage not because she wanted to but because of the health problems that she was already experiencing and that prevented her from remaining on stage in September 2021, two years ago now. The performer, as good in film or theater as on television, playing roles or presenting programs, was one of the most charismatic in our history and throughout her almost 70 years in service she was loved by both the public and her colleagues on set. , sets or stages, from the directors and producers to their cast mates and other technical personnel: electricians, makeup artists, hairdressers…

It is impossible to find someone who would not praise Concha's immense humanity and generosity, in addition to her obvious talent. A phrase from her beloved Saint Teresa of Jesus served as a farewell years ago: “Read and you will lead, don't read and you will be led. May you be very happy and see you forever,” she recited excitedly remembering one of her most iconic characters.

In those almost seven decades of “work, triumphs and struggle”, as he once said, he received such important distinctions as his Goya of Honor, the Grand Cross of the Order of Alfonso Arts and at Work or the National Theater Award.

He started in cinema when he was just 15 years old and remained on stage until he was 81. First it was Conchita Velasco, when she was successful in Television Stories and made the film's song, La chica ye-yé, famous, but half of Spain fell in love with her in Valentine's Day or in The Girls of the Red Cross, both alongside the unforgettable Tony Leblanc. Many of her works can be seen on FliXolé. We choose five essential titles.

The Red Cross Girls (1958)

This film is one of the classics of Neighborhood Cinema. Concha starred in it in 1958, when she was not 19 years old, alongside the Swiss actress living in Spain. Katia Loritz, and Mabel Karr, who years later would be Fernando Rey's wife, as well as Antonio Casal and Luz Márquez, and Tony Leblanc. No one can forget those almost teenagers with full skirts in Madrid in the fifties, volunteering on Flag Day, collecting donations, to the rhythm of the music of Augusto Algueró (who would marry Carmen Sevilla three years later)

Valentine's Day (1959)

After The Girls of the Red Cross, with a very similar aesthetic and structure, came another film dedicated to Valentine's Day: on Valentine's Day, the character comes down to Earth to solve the love problems of couples in Madrid in the 1990s. 1950. The film's main song is part of the soundtrack for many generations.?

The Paloma festival

Directed by José Luis Sáenz de Heredia, her great love of the time and with whom she had a secret romance, this classic of Spanish cinema shows us a Concha who not only acts: she sings and dances in her role as a humble shop assistant who seduces chief apothecary named Don Hilarión. The relationship upsets Julián, the man who is in love with her, and everything becomes complicated when, on the day of the Paloma Festival, the two young women decide to let the mature man accompany them…

Television stories

We had already heard her sing and seen her dance, but in Television Stories an icon was discovered that persists even today. her side as a singer. The song composed by Augusto Algueró, with lyrics by Antonio Guijarro still resonates: La chica ye-ye is part of the soundtrack of the history of Spanish cinema. With the director, José Luis Sáenz de Heredia, 28 years older than Concha, he spent eleven years. He was a married man with children, so his affair was kept secret.

Those that have to serve

The great Alfredo Landa, another of our unforgettable legends, coincided with Concha Velasco in this film in which Conchita played the domestic worker of an American couple who served in a house full of futuristic appliances and her only goal in life was to marry her boyfriend of all kinds. life. The film directed by José María Forqué in 1967 is based on a play from years ago by Alfonso Paso, in which Concha Velasco played the same role.