Luis Ángel Pinasco shares endearing anecdotes: María Félix, secrets of Triki Trak and more

Their first steps

68 years have passed since Pinasco Riess debuted in the booths of Radio Loreto, in Iquitos. At that time he shared his school obligations with his job as host of the program “La disco sudamericana”, and at night he supported his father in the family business.

“Since I never said ‘no’, I also got involved in radio sports. I became a member of the Circle of Sports Journalists of the East“, remember.

In 1958, a year after finishing school, he arrived in Lima to study a university degree and look for new work spaces. After three failed applications to the San Marcos University, he applied to the School of Journalism at the Catholic University, which he entered with a meritorious grade.

“While studying, he worked at Radio Miraflores. I arrived through a contest. I was there three years. Then I worked at Radio Lima and Radio Sol as a replacement for the permanent announcers. I was in almost all the sports programs, with all the greats of that time“, he points out after remembering his time in the written press in El Diario, a tabloid launched by La Prensa.

“In that newspaper, which I came to thanks to my friend and university classmate Alfredo Kato, I covered all the areas. When I was in shows, Guido Monteverde, who wrote in Última Hora, told me that to succeed in shows you have to beat everyone up. I never followed your advice”, he assures.

That is until TV arrived.

The ‘Rulito’ of ‘La Doña’

A crucial turning point in Luis Ángel Pinasco’s professional path was, without a doubt, his meeting with María Félix on Channel 2. ‘La Doña’, the most beautiful face of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, notably boosted his then budding television career.

“When La Doña comes, Eduardo Cavero, for some reason, believed that she would do comedy passages, and looked for a comedian actor (Miguel Arnaiz) to interview her. The ideal would have been for me to do it, but he asked me to take her wherever she wanted: for a walk, to eat, to drink, and that all expenses would be borne by the channel.”Luis Ángel recalls. “But the interview with Miguelito did not flow, it became tense because María Félix did not like double meaning jokes. So, when they were done, she told the manager that she wanted me to interview her in the four days after she would be on the channel.“, remember. The Press reported this fact as: “El Rulito de ‘La Doña‘”.

After spending two years on Channel 2, Pinasco migrated to América TV, first as a replacement for legendary figures such as Pablo de Madalengoitia and Kiko Ledgard. He then hosted the channel’s main newscast with Madalengoitia and Sonia Oquendo, who became his wife.

“On Channel 4 I met great characters, Kiko, for example, was very special, restless, he wore five watches: three on one arm, and two on the other. Each one with different hours, but when you asked him for the time, he would tell you the correct one. [ríe]. “She wore different colored stockings and had a small, round BMW with a propeller on top,” she remembers.

Flagship program

In 1986, Luis Ángel began a different stage in his career, leading the historic game show “Triki Trak”. Through this space, which remained on the air for seven years, the most famous international artists paraded. Huge prizes were awarded and the catchy dance of La colita became a classic on Peruvian television.

“Sonia was the presenter of the program and Hugo Salazar was the voice actor. I wrote the scripts for him. I also wrote the opening song. I took the tail dance from the program ‘Sábado Gigante’ by Don Francisco. We started with two hours, then four, and ended with six. That’s when Cadet Pinasco, who was Bruno, comes out. I named him cadet because he was going to put him at the Leoncio Prado School to wake him up because at that time he was very shy. Then he started to like television, and he looks at what it is now,” he says, proud.

“My children have surpassed me, they have earned more money than me. Bruno has interviewed more artists than me, he also does it in English. “I don’t speak that language,” he clarifies.

Sportscaster

Luis Ángel Pinasco is the only Peruvian journalist who has broadcast eight World Cup soccer games. The first was in 1970, in Mexico. In November 2022, He was recognized on the walk of fame located at the studios in Pachacamac with a star with his name. She is part of the cast of actors of “Al Fondo Hay Sitio”, the most watched program on Peruvian television and for almost two decades she has been the main voice of the “Cinescape” reports.

“I think there is nothing left for me to do. I just need to be an astronaut,” she jokes. “I already recorded some scenes for the series for this year. I don’t know when they will come out, now they are giving more space to young people. There are new characters, the routine changed,” she emphasizes.

Reborn

Luis Ángel is experiencing one of the most rewarding periods of his life, marked by a personal rebirth after overcoming an illness called arteriosclerosis, that in 2022 threatened to take away her right leg.

“I couldn’t walk even 25 meters because my leg hurt, I had to sit down. Some doctors told me that nothing could be done, that we had to wait for an amputation. It was Dr. Américo Peña, my savior, I owe everything to him, who suggested an operation. Now I can jog and live my normal life,” he notes gratefully.

Luis Ángel Pinasco, 83 years old, assures that the passing of the years does not worry him. He takes it with gratitude and responsibility. He just hopes to celebrate his 50 years of marriage with Sonia [llevan junto 48 años], with whom, he confesses, he fell in love from the first day he saw her. “And I’m still in love,” he emphasizes.