¿Qué pasa, U.S.A.? (1977–1980)

In the Peña household, language barriers arise, cultures clash... and hilarity ensues!

Creator:

Manny Mendoza

Stars:

Velia Martinez, Ana Margarita Martínez Casado, Luis G. Oquendo

Cast

Series cast summary:
Velia Martinez	...	Abuela Adela (39 episodes, 1977-1980)
Ana Margarita Martínez Casado	...	Juana Peña (39 episodes, 1977-1980)
Luis G. Oquendo	...	Abuelo Antonio (39 episodes, 1977-1980)
Manolo Villaverde	...	Pepe Peña (39 episodes, 1977-1980)
Ana Margo	...	Carmen Peña (39 episodes, 1977-1980)
Connie Ramirez	...	Violeta (32 episodes, 1977-1980)
Barbara Ann Martin	...	Sharon Robinson (30 episodes, 1977-1980)
Steven Bauer	...	Joe Peña (28 episodes, 1977-1979)

Storyline

Pepe Peña is a proud man who emmigrated from his native Cuba in the early 1960s. With him came his young son Joe, his wife Juana, and her parents Adela and Antonio; daughter Carmen was born to the couple in their new home: Miami. Pepe has his hands full coping with his Americanized teenagers, newly independent-minded wife, and Spanish-only speaking in-laws. Adding Carmen's wacky girlfriends and lusty next-door neighbor Marta to the mix is almost too much for Pepe to bear!

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Plot Keywords:

culture clash | americanization | refugee | cuban american | acronym in title | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

1 May 1977 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Miami, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

WPBT2

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (39 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to executive producer Jose Bahamonde, the series did not have a budget for the set. So he decorated it with his personal belongings and item that he bought at thrift stores.

User Reviews

I remember it as being hilarious

Like most things, the show tarnished a bit with age, but what I remember most was that this show could be watched by people who only spoke one or the other of English and Spanish, and still be enjoyed and understood.

I was in high school when this show was on PBS in the NYC area, and my father's mother was living with us. My grandmother and I were watching the show and laughing till we choked, some slapstick scene with the grandmother and the dishwasher is all I remember now, 30 yrs later. What I remember most vividly is my father walking into the TV room to find his youngest kid and his mother laughing themselves sick, over a Spanish language TV show when neither of us spoke or understood Spanish. He talked about it for days, told everyone he knew at work about it. All we could tell him was, "it was FUNNY!"