Chico and the Man (1974–1978)

The relationship between a cranky old mechanic and a twentysomething Chicano.

Creator:

James Komack

Stars:

Jack Albertson, Scatman Crothers, Freddie Prinze

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Jack Albertson	...	Ed Brown (88 episodes, 1974-1978)
Scatman Crothers	...	Louie (65 episodes, 1974-1978)
Freddie Prinze	...	Chico Rodriguez (62 episodes, 1974-1977)

Storyline

Energetic Chico wants to form a partnership with cynical Ed Brown in the old man's garage. His efforts bring in customers and the crabby Ed softens toward Chico. After the actor who played him committed suicide, Chico was replaced by 12-year-old Raul.

---

Plot Keywords:

mechanic | sitcom | hispanic | junkyard | auto shop | 

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chico

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Komack Company Inc., Wolper Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

José Feliciano, who composed the show's theme song, actually appeared on one episode. He played the role of Chico's cousin who, appropriately enough, was a world famous musician.

---

Quotes

Chico: Loo-king good!

---

Crazy Credits

An episode aired soon after the suicide of Freddie Prinze has 'Jack Albertson' voicing a tribute to Prinze over the opening credits.

---

Connections

Referenced in Gilmore Girls: I Get a Sidekick Out of You (2006)

User Reviews

What Might Have Been

This show was well on its way to becoming one of the all time classics when the tragic death of Freddie Prinze occurred. You had the two classic themes in the show. One was the theme of age versus youth and the other was the clash of cultures between Chico and Ed. This latter them is reminiscent of the show which aired on the same night and network as this one, "Sanford and Son". You could pretty much see Ed in the Fred Sanford role and Chico in the Lamont role and it basically was the same, the older father figure constantly clashing with his young charge over how to run the business. It was these qualities that helped make this show the semi-classic that it was. Also, the supporting cast of Scatman Crothers as Louie, Della Reese as Della and Ronny Graham as Reverend Bemis really made it a fun show. Unfortunately, when the tragedy happened and they brought in Gabriel Melgar to play Raul (a.k.a. the new "Chico") that's when the show went downhill. They should have canceled the show at that point and spared us the pain of watching it decline. If that had happened it probably would still be remembered as a good sitcom.