Chico and the Man
Encyclopedia
Chico and the Man is an American sitcom
which ran on NBC
for four seasons, from September 13, 1974 to July 21, 1978. It stars Jack Albertson
as Ed Brown (the Man), the cantankerous owner of a run down garage in an East Los Angeles
barrio
, and Freddie Prinze
as Chico Rodriguez, an upbeat, optimistic Chicano
young man who comes in looking for a job. It was the first U.S. television series set in a Mexican-American neighborhood.
and berates Chico, a latino, in an effort to get him to leave when Chico comes looking for a job. Yet Chico sees something in Ed, and sneaks back in at night to clean up the garage and move into an old van that Ed has parked inside. As Ed sees all the effort Chico has put in, he begins to warm to Chico. Over the course of the show, Ed grew to see Chico as family, although Ed will deny this on several occasions.
The chemistry between Jack Albertson's "Ed" and Freddie Prinze's "Chico" was a major factor in making the show a hit in its first two seasons. It started in the top ten and remained there for the first two seasons.
The show was created by James Komack
who produced other successful TV shows such as The Courtship of Eddie's Father
and Welcome Back, Kotter
. Freddie Prinze was discovered by Komack after he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
in December 1973. Komack thought he would be perfect for the role of Chico Rodriguez. As the show progressed, Chico's background was revealed as being Mexican on his father's side and Puerto Rican on his mother's side (with a nod to Prinze's Hungarian ancestry in the same line which stated these facts, as Chico remarks in his Hispanic accent, "...and my grandmother speaks a little Hungarian!").
In a nod to Freddie's background, Chico was revealed to have spent part of his childhood there following the death of his mother, being raised by his Aunt Connie (a character who appeared in two other episodes). Chico attempts to explain his situation to Ed by portraying it as the dilemma of his distant cousin in Hungary, torn between the farmer for whom he now works and whom he has grown to love, and another farmer who has offered him a better job. During this scene and this episode, the love between these disparate characters was made clear for the first time, which Carlos notes when he releases Chico from his promise. The bond between the characters, and the chemistry between Albertson and Prinze, were largely responsible for the show's popularity.
By the second season, Ed begins to see that he is a part of a bigger world, although he still complains about it. By this time he has found himself a girlfriend by the name of Flora (played by Carole Cook
).
The last episode to star Prinze, "Ed Talks to God", was taped several hours before he shot himself.
An effort was made to find a new Chico, but the third season finished out with episodes based on the other characters in the show. Early in the fourth season, a replacement for Chico was introduced. Instead of an adult, the producers brought in twelve year-old Raul, played by Gabriel Melgar. His first appearance came when Ed and Louie go on a fishing trip to Tijuana
and find the Mexican orphan hiding out in their trunk on their return. At the end of this episode, Ed is putting Raul to bed and accidentally calls him Chico. Raul corrects him and Ed remarks that, "You're all Chicos to me." Ed eventually adopts Raul, only to have Raul's overprotective aunt — played by the singer Charo
— come from Spain
and try to become a part of the "family" as well.
A two-part episode ran in the final season in which Raul discovers Chico's belongings in a closet. Ed catches Raul playing Chico's guitar and Ed smashes it on the van in anger. Raul believes Ed does not love him anymore and runs away to Mexico. Ed goes after him and finally explains to Raul that Chico died, but did not say how, putting a measure of closure on the fate of Chico in the series.
portrayed Louie Wilson, Ed's friend and garbage man; Bonnie Boland played Mabel, the mail lady; Isaac Ruiz portrayed Mando, Chico's friend; and Ronny Graham
played Rev. Bemis. Also, Della Reese
played Della Rogers, Ed's neighbor and landlady.
as Chico's absentee father;Tony Orlando
as Chico's look-alike
, the ex-fiance of a hostile woman he wants to date; José Feliciano
, who wrote the theme song, as Chico's womanizing famous-singer cousin Pepe Fernando; Sammy Davis Jr. as himself; Herbie Faye
appeared as Bernie in the 1975 episode "Louie's Retirement"; Shelley Winters
(reuniting with Albertson, with whom she'd costarred in The Poseidon Adventure) as the owner of the local bakery, Shirley Schrift (her real name); Jim Backus
as Ed's friend who uses him as a "beard"—pretending to be playing cards with him when cheating on his wife (Audra Lindley
); silent-film actress Carmel Myers
as a former star who has fallen on hard times, brings in her car for repairs, and stays in the garage while looking for work; George Takei
as Ed's supposed long-lost son from his time in Japan during World War II; Cesare Danova
as Aunt Connie's Spanish aristocrat boyfriend, the Count de Catalan, in the second episode in which she appeared; comedian Joey Bishop
as an inept robber; Bernie Kopell
as a plastic surgeon; Rose Marie
as a CB radio enthusiast with whom a lonely Ed connects on New Year's Eve; Penny Marshall
, as a waitress; football star Rosey Grier
as himself, Della's date for a charity benefit dance; Larry Hovis
as a customer in the second episode of the first season; and Jim Jordan
(of radio's Fibber McGee and Molly
) as a mechanic who used to be a big businessman, until he was victimized by his own company's retirement-age mandate).
Additionally, Jeannie Linero
appeared in several episodes as one of Chico's more constant girlfriends, nurse Liz Garcia.
in few markets and only for a relatively short period. It was briefly re-aired on NBC
's morning schedule from May 9 to December 2, 1977.
TV Land
also aired reruns during 2001
as did ION Television in 2007. AmericanLife TV Network also aired this series previously.
The show appeared in Canada on Toronto's SunTV (CKXT-TV
). Selected episodes of the show are also available online on sites including AOL's In2TV
.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
which ran on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
for four seasons, from September 13, 1974 to July 21, 1978. It stars Jack Albertson
Jack Albertson
Jack Albertson was an American character actor dating to vaudeville. A comedian, dancer, singer, and musician, Albertson is perhaps best known for his roles as Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure , Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Amos Slade in the 1981 animated film The Fox...
as Ed Brown (the Man), the cantankerous owner of a run down garage in an East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles, California
East Los Angeles is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
, and Freddie Prinze
Freddie Prinze
Freddie Prinze was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was known as the star of Chico and the Man. He is the father of actor Freddie Prinze, Jr.-Early life:...
as Chico Rodriguez, an upbeat, optimistic Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
young man who comes in looking for a job. It was the first U.S. television series set in a Mexican-American neighborhood.
Synopsis
A hard-drinking widower, Ed, a white man, stubbornly refuses to fit in with the changing East L.A. neighborhood and has alienated most of the people who live around him. Ed uses ethnic slursStereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
and berates Chico, a latino, in an effort to get him to leave when Chico comes looking for a job. Yet Chico sees something in Ed, and sneaks back in at night to clean up the garage and move into an old van that Ed has parked inside. As Ed sees all the effort Chico has put in, he begins to warm to Chico. Over the course of the show, Ed grew to see Chico as family, although Ed will deny this on several occasions.
The chemistry between Jack Albertson's "Ed" and Freddie Prinze's "Chico" was a major factor in making the show a hit in its first two seasons. It started in the top ten and remained there for the first two seasons.
The show was created by James Komack
James Komack
James Komack was an American actor, writer and film producer. Komack was in the original cast of the Broadway musical Damn Yankees and also in the film version; in both productions, he was one of the baseball players who perform the song " Heart"...
who produced other successful TV shows such as The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father is an American television sitcom based on the 1963 movie of the same name, which was based on the book written by Mark Toby...
and Welcome Back, Kotter
Welcome Back, Kotter
Welcome Back, Kotter was an American television sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan and featuring a young John Travolta.It originally aired on the ABC network from September 9, 1975 to June 8, 1979.-Premise:...
. Freddie Prinze was discovered by Komack after he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
in December 1973. Komack thought he would be perfect for the role of Chico Rodriguez. As the show progressed, Chico's background was revealed as being Mexican on his father's side and Puerto Rican on his mother's side (with a nod to Prinze's Hungarian ancestry in the same line which stated these facts, as Chico remarks in his Hispanic accent, "...and my grandmother speaks a little Hungarian!").
In a nod to Freddie's background, Chico was revealed to have spent part of his childhood there following the death of his mother, being raised by his Aunt Connie (a character who appeared in two other episodes). Chico attempts to explain his situation to Ed by portraying it as the dilemma of his distant cousin in Hungary, torn between the farmer for whom he now works and whom he has grown to love, and another farmer who has offered him a better job. During this scene and this episode, the love between these disparate characters was made clear for the first time, which Carlos notes when he releases Chico from his promise. The bond between the characters, and the chemistry between Albertson and Prinze, were largely responsible for the show's popularity.
By the second season, Ed begins to see that he is a part of a bigger world, although he still complains about it. By this time he has found himself a girlfriend by the name of Flora (played by Carole Cook
Carole Cook
Carole Cook is an American actress. She has appeared in many theatrical productions, in films and on television.Born as Mildred Frances Cook, she was a protege of Lucille Ball. Ball gave her the stage name of "Carole", after her friend Carole Lombard because, Ball reportedly told Cook, "you have...
).
Freddie Prinze's death
After struggling with depression and drug use, Freddie Prinze shot himself on January 28, 1977. He was taken off life support and died of his injuries the following day at the age of 22.The last episode to star Prinze, "Ed Talks to God", was taped several hours before he shot himself.
Post-Prinze episodes
After Prinze's death, the producers considered canceling the show, but opted instead for trying to replace the charismatic young comic. To write Chico out of the script, they had the other characters comment that the now absent Chico had gone to visit his father in Mexico.An effort was made to find a new Chico, but the third season finished out with episodes based on the other characters in the show. Early in the fourth season, a replacement for Chico was introduced. Instead of an adult, the producers brought in twelve year-old Raul, played by Gabriel Melgar. His first appearance came when Ed and Louie go on a fishing trip to Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
and find the Mexican orphan hiding out in their trunk on their return. At the end of this episode, Ed is putting Raul to bed and accidentally calls him Chico. Raul corrects him and Ed remarks that, "You're all Chicos to me." Ed eventually adopts Raul, only to have Raul's overprotective aunt — played by the singer Charo
Charo
María del Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Gutiérrez de los Perales Santa Ana Romanguera y de la Hinojosa Rasten , better known as Charo, is a Spanish-American actress, comedienne, and flamenco guitarist, best known for her flamboyant stage presence, her provocative outfits, and her trademark phrase...
— come from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and try to become a part of the "family" as well.
A two-part episode ran in the final season in which Raul discovers Chico's belongings in a closet. Ed catches Raul playing Chico's guitar and Ed smashes it on the van in anger. Raul believes Ed does not love him anymore and runs away to Mexico. Ed goes after him and finally explains to Raul that Chico died, but did not say how, putting a measure of closure on the fate of Chico in the series.
Cancellation
Toward the end of the show's final season, actress Julie Hill was added to the cast as Monica, Ed's attractive 18-year-old adopted niece. She had come to Los Angeles to get into show business, and lived in Chico's old van while awaiting her big break. Despite various changes to the show, Chico and the Man was not able to pull in the ratings it did in previous seasons. The show's ratings declined after Prinze's death, and the show was canceled at the end of the fourth season.Supporting cast
The show also had a veteran and talented supporting cast. Scatman CrothersScatman Crothers
Benjamin Sherman "Scatman" Crothers was an American actor, singer, dancer and musician known for his work as Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show Chico and the Man, and as Dick Hallorann in The Shining in 1980...
portrayed Louie Wilson, Ed's friend and garbage man; Bonnie Boland played Mabel, the mail lady; Isaac Ruiz portrayed Mando, Chico's friend; and Ronny Graham
Ronny Graham
Ronny Graham was an American actor and theatre director, composer, lyricist, and writer.Graham was born Ronald Montcrief Stringer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second of five children born to vaudeville performers Florence and Thomas Graham Stringer . Graham...
played Rev. Bemis. Also, Della Reese
Della Reese
Delloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese , is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You...
played Della Rogers, Ed's neighbor and landlady.
Notable guest stars
Other notable guest stars included: Cesar RomeroCesar Romero
Cesar Julio Romero, Jr. was an American film and television actor who was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years...
as Chico's absentee father;Tony Orlando
Tony Orlando
Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis , better known as Tony Orlando, is an American show business professional, best known as the lead singer of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn in the early 1970s. Discovered by producer Don Kirshner, Orlando had songs on the charts in 1961 when he was 16, "Halfway to...
as Chico's look-alike
Look-alike
A look-alike is a person who closely resembles another person. In popular Western culture, a look-alike is a person who bears a close physical resemblance to a celebrity, politician or member of royalty. Many look-alikes earn a living by making guest appearances at public events or performing on...
, the ex-fiance of a hostile woman he wants to date; José Feliciano
José Feliciano
José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
, who wrote the theme song, as Chico's womanizing famous-singer cousin Pepe Fernando; Sammy Davis Jr. as himself; Herbie Faye
Herbie Faye
Herbie Faye was an American actor who appeared in both of Phil Silvers's CBS television series, The Phil Silvers Show and The New Phil Silvers Show ....
appeared as Bernie in the 1975 episode "Louie's Retirement"; Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
(reuniting with Albertson, with whom she'd costarred in The Poseidon Adventure) as the owner of the local bakery, Shirley Schrift (her real name); Jim Backus
Jim Backus
James Gilmore "Jim" Backus was a radio, television, film, and voice actor. Among his most famous roles are the voice of Mr...
as Ed's friend who uses him as a "beard"—pretending to be playing cards with him when cheating on his wife (Audra Lindley
Audra Lindley
Audra Marie Lindley was an American actress, most famous for her role as landlady Helen Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers.-Career:...
); silent-film actress Carmel Myers
Carmel Myers
Carmel Myers was an American actress who worked chiefly in silent movies.Myers was born in San Francisco, the daughter of an Australian rabbi and Austrian Jewish mother. Her father became well-connected with California's emerging film industry, and introduced her to film pioneer D. W. Griffith,...
as a former star who has fallen on hard times, brings in her car for repairs, and stays in the garage while looking for work; George Takei
George Takei
George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
as Ed's supposed long-lost son from his time in Japan during World War II; Cesare Danova
Cesare Danova
Cesare Danova was a television and screen actor. Born as Cesare Deitinger in Bergamo, Italy to an Austrian father and an Italian mother, he adopted Danova as his stage name after becoming an actor in Rome at the end of World War II. He emigrated to the United States in the 1950s to make the film...
as Aunt Connie's Spanish aristocrat boyfriend, the Count de Catalan, in the second episode in which she appeared; comedian Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin...
as an inept robber; Bernie Kopell
Bernie Kopell
Bernard Morton "Bernie" Kopell is an American television character actor who is probably best known for his roles as Dr. Adam Bricker in The Love Boat and KAOS agent Siegfried in Get Smart...
as a plastic surgeon; Rose Marie
Rose Marie
Rose Marie is an American actress. As a child performer she had a successful singing career as Baby Rose Marie....
as a CB radio enthusiast with whom a lonely Ed connects on New Year's Eve; Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
, as a waitress; football star Rosey Grier
Rosey Grier
Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier is an American actor, singer, Christian minister, and former professional American football player. He was a notable college football player for Pennsylvania State University who earned a retrospective place in the National Collegiate Athletic Association 100th anniversary...
as himself, Della's date for a charity benefit dance; Larry Hovis
Larry Hovis
Larry Hovis was an American singer and actor best known for playing a fictional prisoner of war on the 1960s television sitcom Hogan's Heroes.-Early life and career:...
as a customer in the second episode of the first season; and Jim Jordan
Fibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly was an American radio comedy series which maintained its popularity over decades. It premiered on NBC in 1935 and continued until its demise in 1959, long after radio had ceased to be the dominant form of entertainment in American popular culture.-Husband and wife in real...
(of radio's Fibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly was an American radio comedy series which maintained its popularity over decades. It premiered on NBC in 1935 and continued until its demise in 1959, long after radio had ceased to be the dominant form of entertainment in American popular culture.-Husband and wife in real...
) as a mechanic who used to be a big businessman, until he was victimized by his own company's retirement-age mandate).
Additionally, Jeannie Linero
Jeannie Linero
Jeannie Linero , is an actress best known for playing Lucy Mancini in The Godfather and The Godfather: Part III...
appeared in several episodes as one of Chico's more constant girlfriends, nurse Liz Garcia.
Syndication
Chico and the Man was only shown in syndicationTelevision syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
in few markets and only for a relatively short period. It was briefly re-aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's morning schedule from May 9 to December 2, 1977.
TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
also aired reruns during 2001
2001 in television
The year 2001 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2001.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:*Meet the Press .*Candid Camera .*CBS Evening News ....
as did ION Television in 2007. AmericanLife TV Network also aired this series previously.
The show appeared in Canada on Toronto's SunTV (CKXT-TV
CKXT-TV
CKXT-DT was a broadcast television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and serving much of southern and eastern Ontario, owned by Quebecor Media through its Groupe TVA unit. At the time of the station's closure on November 1, 2011, the station was serving as an over-the-air simulcast of...
). Selected episodes of the show are also available online on sites including AOL's In2TV
In2TV
In2TV was a website offering ad-supported streaming video of classic TV shows in the USA only .The main appeal of the service was that it made available numerous old shows which were rarely, if ever, aired on broadcast television...
.