Enrique Núñez Rodríguez

Enrique Nuñez Rodríguez was an innate communicator, an authentic Cuban, a profound intellectual and a talented artist. Writer, radio and television scriptwriter, playwright and Cuban humorist. National Prize for Humor in 2001, National Hero of Labor. Deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power and Vice President of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba.

Author of several radio and television programs with genuine popular roots, such as El pueblo y sus leyes, Leonardo Moncado, Si no fuera por mamá, Casos y cosas de casa among others. He collaborated with publications such as Zig-Zag, Bohemia, Carteles, Palante, Juventud Rebelde and DDT. The history of Cuban communication and art owes much to this man.

He was born in the locality of Quemado de Güines, former province of Las Villas and graduated with a Doctor of Law degree from the University of La Habana in 1962.

From his telegraph operator father he inherited artistic sensitivity, humor, a yearning for social justice, humility and simplicity.

He sold newspapers, worked in textiles and insurance, but one day he discovered the talent and sensitivity that made him a prolific poet and narrator in various media and formats. Enrique lavished creativity, hard work and warmth in everything he did.

At age 10 he was a journalistic contributor to student publications and, from 1936, to a literary journal of the Cuban left. In the 1940s he sold his bicycle and went to live in La Habana, where almost by chance he became a columnist for social and political humor in the newspapers Siempre, Pueblo and Zig Zag.

In 1948 he makes his debut in Cuban radio writing the section "Cuba en llamas" for the COCO radio station of Guido García Inclán, this was a space for political satire.

He then substituted for the famous humorist Antoniio Castell due to illness and after his death became the scriptwriter of a customary space where "Chicharito y Sopeira" worked on CMQ Radio.

In 1949 he fully entered radio by substituting for the writer of the adventure series Leonardo Moncada, the titan of the plains. That same year the premiere of his works "Cubanos en Miami" and "La chuchera respetuosa," starring Rita Montaner, took place.

Then came the humorous Cascabeles Candado with which he obtained an exclusive contract with the powerful soap company Crusellas. These two projects became leading programs on national radio and this is what opened the doors for him to national TV.

In the 1950s Enrique made his debut as a playwright on the national stage. His first work was "Cubanos en Miami" which was presented at the Teatro Martí. Later works such as Qué noche la de anoche, Acuérdate de Acapulco, El Bravo, Voy abajo and Dios te salve comisario would follow on the marquee of this theater. There he worked alongside paradigms of Cuban culture such as Rodrigo Prats, Eduardo Robreño, Alicia Rico and Candita Quintana.

His comedy "Gracias Doctor" received in 1959 first mention in the Luis de Soto Prize. There were many other theatrical pieces that came from his pen to add to the collection of the best Cuban vernacular theater, among them: "El bravo" and "Voy abajo"; other comedies such as "Dios te salve comisario," "Sí, señor juez" and "La sirvienta," he wrote especially for television.

He was the creator of unforgettable characters on the Cuban stage such as Ñico rutina, brilliantly played by Carlos Monctesuma.

In the seventies he wrote and directed the show "Me caso con una sirena" starring María de los Ángeles Santana and Armando Bianchi with the participation of the quartet Los Zafiros, which was presented at the Internacional in Varadero and at Tropicana.

He wrote adventures for Cuban TV, the series El Mambisito is very well remembered, he also ventured into historical telenovelas by writing his rigorous and moving creation inspired by the life of Carlos Juan Finlay, a paradigm of audiovisual and the fusion of reality and fiction.

He became very popular for his presence as a panelist on the popular program ¿Qué traigo aquí?

Enrique Núñez Rodríguez leaves an extensive and relevant body of work as a creator, which stands out for his particular treatment and rescue of the most authentic of national humor, which he also brought with much success -for Cubans- to the theater. He maintained for years a weekly section on Sundays in the newspaper Juventud Rebelde of great popularity in which he described chronicles of Cuban reality.

He was invited to various congresses in Europe. In Latin America he collaborated as a professional in Nicaragua, went to represent Cuba in Mexico on a solidarity mission and gave lectures in several Spanish provinces.

Radio and television were nourished by Enrique's scripts for the best programs of good humor, from radio events of the nineteen-fifties such as:
- Chicharito y Sopeira. Performed by Alberto Garrido and Federico Piñero.
- Cascabeles Candado. Starring Luis Echegoyen in his very popular characterization of Mamá Cusa Alambrito.
- Leonardo Moncada. Starring Eduardo Egea and Ramón Veloz, also in the 50s, it was a radio adventure with enormous audience, written by Enrique.
- Si no fuera por mamá. Long television serial of great popularity.
- Conflictos. One of his last serial programs -starring Isabel Santos, Luis Alberto García (son), Beatriz Valdés and other important figures- exhibited on our television.
- Casos y cosas de casa. For many years it captured the attention of Cuban television viewers.
- El pueblo y sus leyes.

He collaborated with Zig-Zag, Bohemia, Carteles, Palante and DDT

He won the distinction of National Hero of Labor of the Republic of Cuba, the Replica of the Machete of Máximo Gómez, the National Prize for Journalism José Martí, the National Prize for Humor and the National Prize for Radio, as well as countless important decorations, among which he cherished with greatest love, the status of Distinguished Son of Quemado de Güines.

He served for years as Vice President of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba. He was elected as a deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power by the municipality of 10 de Octubre.

He died at the age of 79, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 28, 2002, victim of lung cancer.

Scripts for TV
Radio and television were nourished by Enrique's scripts for the best programs of good humor, from radio events of the nineteen-fifties such as:
- Chicharito y Sopeira. Performed by Alberto Garrido and Federico Piñero.
- Cascabeles Candado. Starring Luis Echegoyen in his very popular characterization of Mamá Cusa Alambrito.
- Leonardo Moncada. Starring Eduardo Egea and Ramón Veloz, also in the 50s, it was a radio adventure with enormous audience, written by Enrique.
- Si no fuera por mamá. Long television serial of great popularity.
- Conflictos. One of his last serial programs -starring Isabel Santos, Luis Alberto García (son), Beatriz Valdés and other important figures- exhibited on our television.
- Casos y cosas de casa. For many years it captured the attention of Cuban television viewers.
- El pueblo y sus leyes.

Some of his theatrical works
Dios te salve, comisario (theater).
Voy abajo (theater).
Gracias, doctor (theater).

Published books
"A guasa a garsín"
"Yo vendí mi bicicleta"
"Mi vida al desnudo"
"Gente que yo quise"
"Oye como lo cogieron"
"Martí y el Humor"
"El vecino de los bajos"
Sube, Felipe, sube (novel, Manjuarí Collection)