Guo Qiru (1900-1969), a native of Beijing, Manchu, sang civilized drama in his early years (the predecessor of drama, but the form was relatively primitive and simple), and at the age of 25, he worshiped Liu Dezhi, one of the "Eight Virtues of Crosstalk", as a teacher (according to Zhang Lilin, Liu Dezhi was late in getting started, Jiao Dehai told him not to discuss generations with Zhang Shouchen, Liu Dezhi obeyed Jiao Dehai's instructions, and discussed with Zhang Shouchen's peers, and after accepting Guo Qiru as an apprentice, Liu Dezhi relayed This instruction of Jiao Dehai to Guo Qiru, so although Guo Qiru and Zhang Shouchen were of the same generation In his early years, he performed with the famous cross-talk artists Liu Dezhi, Jiao Dehai, Zhang Shouchen, Yu Junbo, Jiao Shaohai, etc. in Beijing Tianqiao, Xiannong Market, Dong'an Market, Longfu Temple, etc. (he also gave master Liu Dezhi an old record "Tethered Doll", indicating that his artistic level was already very high when he was very young). In 1940, he began to form a partnership with Hou Baolin and came to Tianjin to perform, becoming one of the most famous "five files of cross-talk" in Tianjin at that time (the other four actors were Zhang Shouchen first, Dai Shaofu, Ma Sanli and Chang Baokun), after liberation, he and Hou Baolin participated in the Central Radio Rap Troupe, and Hou Baolin, Liu Baorui, Guo Quanbao, teased each other, leaving a large number of precious cross-talk materials (at that time, the four of them could organize a cross-talk conference), and later taught many cross-talk skills to young actor Ma Ji. And personally praised it, so that the level of Ma Ji has been greatly improved. Guo Qiru filmed Lao She's famous book "Fang Pearl" at the Shanghai Daguang Film Studio in 1951 (according to Hou Baolin's recollection, there was also a cross-talk documentary "Portrait of Truman" at that time, and later because Truman stepped down, the film lost its timeliness and did not let go much), and in 1955, he filmed "Dream in the Garden" at the Beijing Film Studio, which was the film and television material left by Guo Lao.
Mr. Guo Qiru praised
Although Guo Qiru is famous for his praise, but the level of comic is also very high, he also left some comic recordings in his later years, the more famous is "Astronomy" (Hou Baolin praise), this is Guo Lao's representative work, there is a strong book atmosphere, the character image is in place. In this passage alone, Guo Qiru and Hou Baolin's version is stronger than Wei Wenhua's, Wang Wenyu's, Li Jindou, and Chen Yongquan's version (Hou Baolin's praise is not very good). Guo Qiru also has a piece of "Boiling Persimmon", which is his stand-up comedy performance, a glimpse of the whole leopard, from the two recordings that are preserved now, it can be seen that Guo Qiru's skills are very comprehensive (Guo Qiru is not other comic and stand-up recordings I don't know, anyway, I personally have only heard of these two paragraphs. However, many of the recordings of the Central Radio Rap Ensemble have not yet been made public, and it is estimated that there should be other recordings of Guo Qiru's teasing or stand-up, but we have no chance to hear them).
Hou Baolin and Guo Qiru
Speaking of Guo Qiru's praise, it is of course well-known in the cross-talk industry, and he has played a crucial role in Hou Baolin's fame. Hou Baolin performed in Tianjin for a long time in the 1940s, Hou's characteristics are "fashionable" (this is not to say Mr. Hou's gossip, we can compare it, Hou Baolin and his contemporaries compared, the traditional taste is not very sufficient, and he was known for learning to sing the popular songs of the time on the Tianjin Cross-Talk Stage in the early days, Mr. Zhang Lilin once said in "Insider Speaking doorway" that Zhang Shouchen was not in favor of Hou Baolin learning to sing popular songs in cross-talk, of course, later with Hou Baolin's growth, Shou Lao's view of him also changed. In the movie "Fang Pearl", there is also a performance of Hou Baolin learning to sing popular songs, you can enjoy this film fragment with documentary value), it is Mr. Guo's calm and sophisticated, thick and simple stage image, and Hou Baolin have a strong contrast, so that the two people have achieved great success on the Tianjin stage (at that time, Hou Baolin and Guo Qiru were very popular, it is said that the quyi audience at that time gave Hou Baolin the nickname "Chicken" and Guo Qiru nicknamed "Potato"). Hou Baolin's stage image when he was young was very youthful and vigorous (you can look at the small section of "Buying the Buddha Shrine" in "Fang Pearl", you can find this), but the typhoon is not very calm, and Guo Qiru's auxiliary and supplementation just make up for Hou Baolin's defects, it can be said that Hou Baolin's fame and Guo Qiru's help are inseparable.
Guo Qiru life photo
Guo Qiru's praise is characterized by calm, sophisticated, he does not deliberately show off himself on the stage, but just dutifully plays a role in cheering, in Hou, Guo's program, Guo Qiru shakes the baggage is not much (in their new program "I am the parent" there is Guo Qiru shaking the baggage part), but his praise is very rigorous, the size is just right, the language is also very refined, which requires considerable artistic skills. In particular, Hou Baolin has a lot of programs to learn to sing, and Mr. Guo handles it very calmly. For example, the last of their "String Tunes" (also known as "Four Great Su Shengs") to learn the Qilin Tong, Hou Baolin learned to sing the four sentences of "Chopping the Scripture Hall" [Gao Shuzi Scattered Board], singing very full, Guo Qiru added a gong after the last sentence "Go to the Scripture Hall to kill Wang Lanying", which set off the tense atmosphere very well, and the audience responded with warm applause at that time. This point requires a fairly tacit cooperation to have an effect. From this, we can see Guo Qiru's ability to praise.
Hou Baolin and Guo Qiru in their prime
In general, among the cross-talks cooperated by Hou Baolin and Guo Qiru, there are not many passages of Zimu, especially worth mentioning their "Fenhe Bay". Many people have acted in this section, such as Su Wenmao, Ma Zhicun; Chang Baoting, Bai Quanfu and Wei Wenliang, Wei Wenhua, each with their own strengths (there is an episode in the TV series "Six Groups of Serious Cases" that plays the case of the poisoning of an old cross-talk artist named "Little Crab", and there is a fragment, "Little Crab" played by Teacher Li Ding and the apprentice played this "Fenhe Bay"), but many actors sing Hebei Zizi is flat with a low-key door ("Leg Work" does not deliberately pay attention to the throat), only Mr. Guo Qiru, although the voice is hoarse and low, The singing is very unpleasant, but it is still high, and from his singing voice, you can feel the momentum of the "YanZhao Sorrowful Song" of Hebei Zizi (their quiet recording was recorded when Hou Baolin was suffering from a cold, of course, the quality was discounted, but Guo Qiru's few sentences of Hebei Zizi are still very valuable).
Hou Baolin, Hou Zhan (Hou Baolin's eldest daughter), Guo Qiru, and Liu Baorui
In his later years, Guo Qiru promoted young actor Ma Ji and performed some traditional and newly compiled cross-talks, of which "To chunlian", "Wang Jinlong and Zhu Yingtai" and "Telephone" are the most representative, especially their "to chunlian", when the Ma family's way is popular in the world, revisit Ma Ji, Guo Qiru This decent acting method, but feel that "don't be a taste in the heart". Guo Qiru has made great contributions in excavating traditional cross-talk and cultivating cross-talk talents, which is worth learning from future generations.
Note: Guo Qiru is a bald head, so in Tianjin there is a nickname of "potato", although this "red" word is made of "red", but it can also be used as the meaning of "bare", I took this meaning, and gave this nickname to Guo Lao (to be continued).