CHICO AND THE MAN was the brainchild of producer James Komack, his previous success with THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER giving him the clout to do an original sitcom, at least partially inspired by Cheech and Chong, specifically their most popular characters, Pedro and Man. The star was longtime veteran Jack Albertson, one of only 8 actors to win both a Tony Award and an Oscar for playing the same role, as husband John Cleary in "The Subject Was Roses," then riding high from hit movies like "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "The Poseidon Adventure." CHICO earned him three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series during each of the show's first three seasons, winning for the second in 1976. Opposite him was an up and coming comedian named Freddie Prinze, who rocketed to fame after back to back smash appearances for Jack Paar and Johnny Carson, at the exact moment that James Komack was looking for his Chico Rodriguez, a Mexican American like Cheech Marin, living in the barrio of East Los Angeles, where Ed Brown's garage drives away as many customers as it receives. Ed was of course played by Albertson, similar in his knowing and curmudgeonly way to Redd Foxx's Fred Sanford, the show's instant success on Friday nights right after SANFORD AND SON taking it to the season's Top Three in only five weeks. The 20 year old Freddie Prinze was allowed to use all of his famous catchphrases from his night club act, the pilot off and running with "it's not my job," done in the intentionally exaggerated accent that audiences loved (he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his work during the third season). A Vietnam veteran, winner of a Silver Star, and eternal optimist, Chico has been watching the garage run down for years, and proclaims himself an expert mechanic, having fixed up his uncle's 64 Chevy: "beautiful condition, pom poms on all the antennas, cellophane seat covers, little dog in the back window where the head keeps going up and down!" Ed's grouchy disposition may have a negative effect on customers, but Chico appreciates the fact that he's an honest businessman who never tries to rip people off. The young Chicano's persistence eventually wears down The Man's resistance, especially after fixing up the garage to look cleaner than it's looked for years. The clincher at the end has Chico presenting Ed with a daisy ('margarita' in Spanish) in honor of his late wife Margaret, moving into their dusty old van to live inside the garage. There were two different theme songs contributed by Jose Feliciano, both too good not to be used, so Komack featured one at the beginning, the other at the end.
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