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.

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Plot Keywords:

mechanic | sitcom | hispanic | junkyard | auto shop | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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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

Freddie Prinze committed suicide after rising to stardom as Chico, forcing the producers to bring in new cast members to replace him. The replacements were not accepted and the series was cancelled soon after.

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Quotes

Chico: Loo-king good!

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

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

User Reviews

The "Man" of the half-hour....

"Chico and the Man" broke major ground in two areas: it created a successful series with an ethnic lead and made an overnight star out of Freddie Prinze, the "Chico" of the title.

Every week, Chico would take strides in making the garage he worked and lived in more successful and bringing his boss, "The Man" (Albertson) out from the walls he had built up against the rest of humanity.

There were plenty of laughs every episode; I mean, with a cast like this, how could you miss? Not only were Prinze and Albertson on hand, but so were Scatman Crothers ("Put out your can, here comes the GARBAGE MAN!"), Della Reese, Ronny Graham, and even Isaac Ruiz as Chico's buddy Mando - all making big with laughs, both ethnic and otherwise.

But this was a show that appealed to every demographic; Back in the mid-'70s, you couldn't avoid a teen magazine that didn't have Prinze's face plastered all over it, and there were constant reminders of the show's success on talk shows, specials and variety shows that the stars would appear on.

It was a sad day when Prinze took his life; it left a great void in entertainment as well as the lives of those he left behind. But at least with this series, we can all see the genius of Prinze and witness the effect he's had in the comedy world since.

Ten stars for "Chico and the Man", a classic in every sense of the word.