Lucas Tomás Muñiz Ramírez (4 February 1922 – 15 January 2009), better known as Tommy Muñiz, was a Puerto Rican comedy and drama actor, media producer, businessman and network owner. He is considered to be one of the pioneering figures of the television business in Puerto Rico. Although Muñíz was born in Ponce, he was raised in the capital city of San Juan where he studied. Muñíz developed an interest in the entertainment business thanks to his father Tomas and to his uncle and godfather Félix Muñíz, who also produced radio programs.Article about his death in Primera Hora Muñiz was a successful radio producer in Puerto Rico during the mid- to late 1940s. Five of his radio programs -comedies for which he was often the scriptwriter, sometimes with the assistance of Sylvia Rexach- would consistently earn a strong following, as judged by the attendance to personal presentations of the artists featured in them. He was responsible for introducing more than a dozen new artists to the media. He bought Radio Luz 1600 (WLUZ-AM) a radio station in Bayamón, Puerto RicoGarcía, Beba, ¡Juan, Juan, Juan! Crónicas de la televisión en los tiempos de don Tommy, Terranova Editores, San Juan, 2009; pg. 28 During the first years of commercial television in Puerto Rico, and after a brief period during which revenues from his radio productions trickled down, Muñiz opted to start producing television programs as well. During the 1940s, when radios where ubiquitous in Puerto Rican households, Muñiz's radio scripts then became increasingly successful, beginning with El colegio de la alegría, in which he performed along José Miguel Agrelot. This was followed by La familia Pérez, Adelita, la secretaria, Gloria y Miguel and ¡Qué sirvienta!, all of which featured him in some function. He was producer or executive producer for dozens of television programs and specials between 1955 and 1995. At one time in the early 1960s, five programs produced by Muñiz were in the top five television rankings in local audience surveys. One of the programs even spawned a 1967 film, "La Criada Malcriada", starring Velda González, Shorty Castro and Muñiz, among others. He is credited for producing most of José Miguel Agrelot's television programs during his career. He is also credited with discovering and promoting other television artists as well, particularly Otilio Warrington. In the 1970s he was the owner of WRIK-TV Channel 7 in Ponce.
In the late 1970s, Muñiz revived a comedy format that he had successfully used in three previous radio and television productions, the family sitcom. He produced and acted in a comedy series named Los García together with his real-life son Rafo Muñiz, and with longtime friend Gladys Rodríguez. Also starring were William Gracia as Pepín, Gina Beveraggi as Gini, Edgardo Rubio as Junito, Manela Bustamante as Doña Tony, Emma Rosa Vincenty as Doňa Cayetana, and a number of additional actors in various roles. The show became the most successful television show in Puerto Rican history, having a mostly successful six-year run and staying for three of those years at the top of local television ratings. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Muñiz was the owner of a radio station (Radio Luz WLUZ) and a television channel (Teleluz). Both were named after his wife, Luz María. In 1988, he became one of the largest minority owners of another channel, TeleOnce. In 1989, he and Rodríguez reunited to act in the movie Lo que le Pasó a Santiago, directed by Jacobo Morales, a longtime friend of Muñíz. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film becoming the first and only Puerto Rican film so far to do so. As a consequence of his part in Lo que le Pasó a Santiago, Muñiz was selected to act in the 1991 television comedy film Crazy From The Heart, directed by Thomas Schlamme and featuring Christine Lahti and Rubén Blades. In the movie, Muñiz played Blades' father, a Mexican peasant with a proclivity for setting billboards on fire as a protest. The movie was eventually broadcast by Turner Network Television (TNT).
Early years Muñiz Ramírez was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on 4 February 1922, to Don Tomás Muñíz Souffront and Monserrate "Nena" Ramírez. His father, Don Tomás, was a marketing executive who later became the administrator (and eventual owner) of various radio stations, as well as a radio producer.Chronicle of his life in Primera Hora Muñiz was born during the 1920s, the same decade when radio first arrived to Puerto Rico, to a household of several siblings including Carmen, Marjorie, Nellie, Andy, Néstor and Nilza. Early in his life, Muñiz suffered from rickets. Despite this, he gained interest in eventually becoming a race jockey. His father Tómas Muñiz, Sr. had pursued several venues of substainance including real estate sales, while his mother Nena was sickly. He was an insecure child, which was reflected in issues at schools and a number of expulsions. Witnessing this, his uncle Félix Muñiz decided to take him to the West Indies Advertising Company (WIAC) where he worked. The institution would become a radio station in 1942, and when his uncle died, His father Tómas was selected to fill the vacancy. Since the age of 12, Muñiz would be the tasked with several functions within WIAC. Under José A. Torres Martinó, he learned to write scripts and wrote Francisquito Rosales y Miel de Aveja along his mentor. In this, he performed as the effeminate titular character. In 1939, Muñiz met Luz María García de la Noceda while coursing high school. During the following five years he approached her, eventually convincing her after appearing at her house with a gift. They married in 1944, living in poverty for some time. Afterwards, Muñiz,Sr. loaned a large house from the owners of WIAC which became known as La Casona.
He started by being the messenger of the marketing firm where his father and uncle used to work, and eventually became a radio scriptwriter. Muñiz sold his car, a 1932 red Ford, and acquired an Underwood typewriter in which he wrote his scripts. Meanwhile, he survived by raising chickens for his parents in law which served to produce eggs to sell and would also be sold themselves. The couple moved to Santa Rita in Río Piedras and had three children, Tómad Gerardo, Félix Antonio and Mario Andrés. Muñiz loaned a building at Santurce, which would serve as his workplace, the first local independent production entity known as Producciones Tommy Muñiz. The services provided grew to include representation and the hosting of activities by his artists, but focused on his radio productions. Among them was Sylvia Rexach, who also collaborated in writing scripts. Jacobo Morales would be among the public at WAPA Radio where La familia Pérez was recorded, since he knew a member of the cast. The live performance of the radio scripts was popular and depending the nature of the work, required selective the public. However, his shows would be concurrent with Diplo, usually falling second to them. Muñoz would recruit Paquito Cordero to serve as Andy Tenorio in Las adventuras de Andy Tenorio, a show that was a parody of the Archie comics and included a Diplo impersonator. The show would give birth to the Yoyo Boing character that defined the career of his interpreter, Luis Antonio Rivera. At the moment, Puerto Rican society was being forced to adapt to an industrial movement that replaced the agrarian economy that prevailed during the early years of American colonialism. It was, however, also a time of political unrest caused by the Cold War, the Korean War and the adoption of the Commonwealth and the reaction that the Nationalist Party had to it. This led to a focus in the local middle class, from which Muñiz drew inspiration in his scripts. He created characters based on the average working class and placed them in every day settings. The first example was Violeta Flores, a representation of the jíbaros that were leaving the rural areas to settle in urban zones amidst the change and which was featured in a radio show in which he played a man named Tadeo.
Television producer Variety shows and sitcoms Muñiz was concerned with the arrival of the new medium, assuming it would seriously hit radio and not expecting to have a role in it. The medium was received with some skepticism fueled by reports of losses abroad, but had a positive reception which eventually convinced most of its doubters. Radio suffered an economic decline when most of its established figures left to work television and the sponsors followed them. His work soon lost its audience, with La familia Pérez at risk of disappearing and the radio stations in turmoil over the loss of advertisement. The family had moved to Floral Park near his parents, while he was increasingly considering how to deal with his future in other ways. While radio stations loaned their facilities for other purposes to survive, Muñiz decided to open a pet shop named Zoo Pet Shop. On 19 April 1955, the couple had its fifth child, Manuel Alberto. That same day, Muñiz received a call from WKAQ. Having practiced for the call in case that it came, he took the offer. His father had advised him to avoid appearing overly enthusiastic in his response in order to avoid appearing desperate. Producciones Tommy Muñiz was struggling Cordero and Agrelot were already involved in television shows Mímicas del Monte, Mapy y Papi and Capitán Colgate. Muñiz began working as a script writer for Casino Tropical, a comedy segment of the half-hour El show de shows. Despite the family still living in poverty and he still selling animals for a living, Producciones Tommy Muñiz moved to Miramar in the large property that had been loaned by his parents years before, La Casona. While attending the pet shop, he received a call from WKAQ-TV to replace Agrelot at Capitán Colgate, leaving the business in charge of his sister. Wondering what to create, Muñiz examined WKAQ's programming, consulted his father and summoned his co-workers to La Casona. Two shows where then created, a television adaptation of El colegio de la alegría and A reirse con Ola, which aired in a prime time slot on Wednesdays and was hosted by Yoyo Boing and Cordero. WAPA-TV responded by creating Una hora conmigo hosted by Myrta Silva. Conducted by Mario Pabón, A reirse con Ola peaked in the rating charts, which earned Muñiz personal congratulations from Ángel Ramos. It also won the recognition for "Best Comedy Show" and Yoyo Boing won "Best Comedian", while also serving to propel figures such as Helga Avilés and Eddie Miró, while its music interludes served as the debut of Cortijo y su combo.
Adapting radio IPs Agrelot returned to Puerto Rico during their peak and became the centerpiece of El colegio de la alegría, which had been recreated with him in mind. Muñiz had made several changes to El profesor Colgate to focus it on Agrelot's forte, giving rise to this adaptation. Producciones Tommy Muñiz also traveled Puerto Rico and made live presentations in a number of places and fiestas patronales for additional revenue. During these tours, the group became acquainted with several food establishments and where involved in several mishaps during the weekends, eventually adopting the name of "Caravana del Monte" gaining patronage from the Del Monte brand. A reírse con Ola changed names several times, twice due to branding in the cases of A reírse con Fab and Diviértase con Fab and once to highlight its characters in A reírse con Yoyo. Muñiz, however, was annoyed by the involvement of the advertisers in his shows. On 1 August 1955, Muñiz took over La taberna India after Rivero left the show. Américo Castellanos suggested to play the female character of Floripondia, a move that was considered in poor taste by the administration of WKAQ, but went ahead due to the producer's insistence. With the cast completed by regulars from other Producciones Tommy Muñiz performers, the show became a hit.