This was an interesting discussion. I was very young and remember telling my parents how I had a crush on Freddie, and was very sad he died. On another note, it makes my blood boil that two grown men having a discussion on RU-vid have to change the word suicide to “unalive” I mean really think about it… they are forcing people to change verbiage in order to what? Not trigger a small subset of people who get to dictate what is said? I’m very concerned that people are getting used to, and automatically play along with this constant censorship and forget that it should not be tolerated.
RU-vid doesn't like words like suicide, abuse, sexual assault-- those words gets your videos flagged and buried in the algorithm, demonetized, and sometimes even taken down until you edit out the "bad words"
i have been watching reruns of Family and White Shadow lately. These and other shows like Jeffersons and All In The Family dealt with the issue of s*icide and more, openly. This “unaliving” nonsense is akin to banning books.
@@steelethesceneCensoring the word SUICIDE with an asterisk that replaces the U is just as bad as skipping the word altogether by referring to it as “unalive.”
@lady i agree with u 100%. i’ve had comments removed in the past for this or that word so i have made certain concessions. but i just can’t bring myself to use a euphemism such as unalive ...
In 1980 I worked for a Beverly Hills Law Firm doing billing. Many high profile Hollywood clients at this firm. Most client billing files had maybe 10 or 20 billing sheets in them. I ran across a file which was 6 inches thick. I look at the name. Freddy Prinze Estate. When he died, Freddy's mom, girlfriend from the old neighborhood and his wife all lawyered up to cash in. My law firm was the "referee." So who got the money? The 3 lawyers got everyone fighting and churned it until there was nothing left.
As a 9 or ten year old, I never missed an episode of Chico and the Man. My favorite part always was when Chico jumped out of the back of his van, with that killer smile of his. He was such a doll… loved to have seen how far his career might have gone. His death was so tragic.
He unalived himself in despair when his wife divorced him & took custody of his baby son. In doing that, he took himself permanently out of his son's life. He was bipolar.
he didn't need a script .one time, on Dinah Shore's show, she was opening a present on TV w/ some difficulty. Tony Orlando was on, also. Freddie says, "whattya know? 2 puerto Ricans, and not a knife between us".got a killer laff.@@bobma6342
Interesting story, I think his son is the silver lining of this story. I hope Freddy Prinze is at peace and is able to see everything his son accomplished.
Freddie’s mother Maria wrote a book about his life, and death… ‘The Freddie Prinze Story’. It’s heartbreaking, from a mother’s perspective. There was also the story of a 13 year old girl in California who killed her self after Freddie died. She wanted to be buried near him. Tragic.
Mark is among the greatest story tellers I've ever encountered. I could listen to this guy read my entire insurance policy and still be looking forward to him reading my auto finance paperwork.
For me, it's bedtime stories by Mark and Eric. I sleep and wake up periodically to Mark's voice - soothing, unobtrusive and fascinating, I have no problem rewatching what I fell asleep to. Mark has encyclopaedic knowledge of everything he talks about - how brilliant! Absolutely amazing work you guys! Thank you Eric for creating this platform for the two of you, I have followed them from the get-go.
Wow, brings back so many great memories. As an 8 year old, I had a humongous crush on Freddie Prinze! I was rapt watching Chico and the Man! Thanks for covering this, guys! 🙌🏽
Me TOO! I graduated in 1979 (well, I was in college by 1975, but that's a looong story) & my friends all crushes on the SNL cast, the Bee Gees & John Travolta. Not ME. I was always the black sheep. I Ioved Freddy Prince, George Clinton, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, ALL the Isley Bros., Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, et al. I ended up marrying a White cop & we have 4 kids (& 7 grandchildren), LOL. I STILL listen to the same music & enjoy the same TV shows/movies. As a matter of fact, the ONLY shows my kids were allowed to watch were, "Hanging With Mr. Cooper", "The Steve Harvey Show", "A Different World", "The Cosby Show", & others that portrayed men as smart, professional, caring, well-groomed & respected by the women around them. Not ONE of the "White" shows did that. The most popular were the WORST. "Home Improvement", with "Tim the Tool Man" was awful. Not just his TV wife, but his kids, treated him like he was a buffoon. Always breaking things things & the ER knew him by name. NOT how I wanted my children to view a dad.
@@jennifersignsoflife1375 hahaha I love this! We would be buddies in real life! I graduated HS in ‘85. I’m biracial but leaned towards the pale side of the divide with my crushes, lol!!! Speaking of: I luurrrrrved the Bee Gees! And Peter Frampton. And David Cassidy! *sigh* We never missed Archie Bunker and Welcome Back, Kotter. When I was very little, I remember Mod Squad. I wanted to be Peggy Lipton, but I’m brown and have curly hair, lol. A little girl could dream. Good stuff. We knew right from wrong then. People got along a lot better then when it should have been the contrary according to today’s standards. Laughing alleviated tensions while exposing bigotry for what it was. I hate how sensitive and unnecessarily nasty many people are now. So much in current society is engineered to divide. I love all kinds of music but lean towards ‘80s pop, ‘70s rock, and ‘90s country. 🤠
I had such a crush on Freddie and never missed an episode of Chico and the Man. I was so upset when he died, especially the way he died. I'm older now and understand why he did that, which makes his death that much sadder.
My sister almost die because of depressionn condition that was not well known at that time, the intro song was perform by Jose Feliciano another Puerto Rican Feliz Navidad Carol.
Mark Jose Feliciano is a Puerto Rican born in 1945 in Lares Puerto Rico.he was five when he migrated to Spanish Harlem. Love your content I can hear you for hours.
I never realized until you said how ahead if it's time was chico and the man. A fully diverse cast with theme composed and performed by a blind Puerto Rican. So many Ts crossed. Thanks mucho
Love the clip of Freddie drumming with Buddy Rich. I had no idea Freddie could drum. Very impressive that he could hang in there with Buddy. I also remember Scatman Crothers best from The Shining. One of my top 5 favorite movies of all time.
When Mark speaks, it feels like reliving so many moments during my own life along with knowledge and facts that fill out that point in time. Very special & important to share.
My dad really liked Chico & the Man. I remember watching the show with him & mom. I wonder what Freddie would have achieved had his life gone on. Such a tragedy.
I'm a fan of your show in Japan. I grew up in Japan watching reruns of Brady Bunch and I love Lucy, imagining that was what America was like. When my family moved to NYC in 1974, Chico and the Man was on. It wasn't Brady Bunch, and even with my broken English, I was laughing my ass off every week!
You can't you have the crybabies hollering racism all the time. Which is the most over used word today. They wouldn't be able to handle it. Back then nobody was offended by that humor.
@@michelefranz7522 I agree. It’s not like it was one-sided then either. People of all races cracked on themselves and other races. So many comedians have gotten shut down now that were truly funny.
Chico and the man is one of my most favorite shows ever. And I've shown it to all my children. And they absolutely love it, and it's the perfect way to show how people can be totally different from one another and end up loving each other at the end . Jack Albertson's character loved Freddie prinzes character like a son. He never had a son, and Freddie showed him to open up his heart and that we all arent so different from eachother, and laughing all the way. Many years ago I went to go visit. Freddy's grave and that same day. I found an original TV Guide proof cover That hung in the tv guidehead quarters and hollywood of him Jack and Scat man inside of a trash can. And it is one of my most prized possessions that I own.
My husband looked like Freddie Prinz when he was young. I will mail that book to you when I get some time. My 98 yr old Mom hasn’t been feeling good right now. Taking care of her right now. Great show. Brings back a lot of memories.
The intro song Chico and The Man was perform by another Puerto Rican Jose Feliciano, Feliz Navidad Tim and your loves ones from Borinquen, I was 17 at that time as well.
@@AmericasUntoldStories I didn't know what to make of Freddie, he wasn't that funny to me, ethnic jokes aside he had no foundation to build his life/act/public life on... I think he was not that cool a person. Pretending you've just shot yourself is NOT funny now, or ever. He was either a pathetic, mentally ill young man who had the world at his fingertips at the age of 21, then lost it all, leaving his family in a mess. He was a likable enough guy ( money has a way of attracting people, eh? ), but he had "yes men" as his underlings, which led to his mess after the death of Freddie.
Who killed Freddy Prinze? I think it’s obvious it was Freddy himself. He was off his head on drugs, depressed, had just gotten bad news in regard to his impending divorce. His ex was taking him to the cleaners. He had spent the night making phone calls in which he had made some troubling remarks, enough for his family to get his doctor to go visit him at his hotel room. His manager, his assistant, his parents, and other people around him who had received calls from him or had been in his presence that night were deeply concerned by his behaviour. His mother and father had made the drive to his hotel in the middle of the night, prior to his shooting, only to arrive to discover he had been taken to the hospital. He was worth more money alive than dead, so nobody particularly benefited from his death. Do I believe he was suicidal, not particularly. I believe though at the moment of his shooting he was at a low point. My youngest brother also took his life when he was drunk and under the influence of drugs. He was depressed at the time but I don’t believe he was suicidal. I believe he made a silly decision while not in the right frame of mind. I believe if he went to sleep instead of hanging himself he would’ve woken up and been fine. It was a spur of the moment the decision which cost him his life.
Scat Man Caruthers was the voice of the 1970's cartoon Hong Kong Phooey. He also did a great episode of "The Twilight Zone" called "Kick The Can" where he shows up at this old folks home and gets these old people to play the kid game Kick The Can. The longer they play it the younger they get.
That was from the 83 Twilight Zone movie, I had thought the original TZ show would be a bit before my time. I also saw Scatman Crothers was also in The Shining, again I didn't realize that was him.
I remember reading about his death at age 14 and weeping. I had never experienced that with a celebrity death. He was a very disturbed young man. So talented and such a beautiful man but so disturbed.
Prinze's obsession with Lenny Bruce and dating his daughter is similar in some ways to Nick Cage's with Elvis. In Cage's case it included a large collection of Presley memorabilia and merchandise, then going a bit further by marrying Elvis's daughter, Lisa Marie. Just luck he wasn't obsessed with Sonny Bono.
@@SJ-ni6iyLisa Marie had to be deeply steeped in drugs to not know she was marrying a gay with interest in young boys and was carving his face into Diana Ross. She used him as much but by putting her kids in harm's way cuz she probably hooked up with him as she wanted a singing career and he could help. Do you honestly believe those 2 were ever intimate?
This is really good guys. The stories, and letting people know of the weaknesses that so many of us share, it makes you think. And now we look back and say, “imagine what Freddie could have done.”
He couldn't handle that level of fame. Sad. I was watching an episode of Later with Bob Costas in the 1990s. Costas interviewed Tony Orlando, a good friend of Prinze. It was revealed in this interview that Prinze was not in his right mind. Prinze would watch old flim footage of President Kennedy's funeral...over and over again. He had written a list of the celebrities that he wanted at his funeral. The list read like a who's who of the film industry. Elizabeth Taylor was on that list and later stated that she would've attended Prinze' funeral but she was snowed in at her ski chalet in Switzerland. That level of fame messed up his mind...and the drugs made it worse. I mourned him then and I mourn him now. It didn't and shouldn't have ended that way. He had so much to live for. The devil is a liar...we can't listen to the devil when he messes with our heads. Im glad that his son, Freddie Prinze,Jr. is living a happy and healthy life.💯✝️🙏
His son was all over the place in Hollywood with huge success early 2000s but you never really hear of him anymore. Family and all that im sure but he basically dissapeared.
Great episode on Freddie Prince brings back many memories. One correction is Jose Feliciano is actually born in Puerto Rico and his mother moved to NYC to have access for his blindness.
WB's was scared to hire Pryor in the lead, as he was a wild man. but he is credited as a writer in the opening credits, as he'd written jokes for Brook's comic masterpiece. Mel Brooks badly wanted him, but was overruled. Cleavon Little didn't disapoint anyone. he was excellent.
Thank goodness Freddy Jr.s mother did well to keep him stable. So smart great husband and father. Sad to think if dad lived what would he have done to his son? Great study of a time where drugs messed up so much talent. This should be a part a documentary. Very educational. Luckily, I read these stories as a kid. It kept me away from drugs.
Husky! I used to work in the children's department at Sears.They had a Husky section. People were very sensitive about Husky jeans. I used to tell them it was just a name.I didn't think that kids should have to get a complex over a jeans size.
I remember as a kid my 2 older Bros teasing each other over having to wear “ Husky” as the other Wore “ Slim “…😂😂😂 Having to wear a “ Husky” was a game changer for my Bro… he did not like having to wear a bigger sized clothing…ijs..
Does YT think they're not contributing to the stigmatization of suicide when they force podcasters to use silly words like "unalive" and they remove videos containing stories of suicide while at the same time, leaving little alerts under said removed videos on how to reach out for help after they've suggested suicide is too taboo a topic to speak openly about? That is not compassionate. YT is part of the problem.
On the night of January 28, 1977, after talking on the telephone with his estranged wife, Prinze received a visit from his business manager, Marvin "Dusty" Snyder. While Snyder was visiting him, Prinze put a gun to his head and shot himself.
Mark, sometimes those who exit this plane of existence via their own manner leave notes for various reasons. Someone who "gotz ya" to an assistant who thought Freddie had just shot himself, was sick. The whole desire, or need to have people know your name, face, voice, whatever, is the first red flag that should alert mental health experts that there is a problem to begin with. Early success often leads to excess. NBA basketball players make millions of dollars even for bench warmers, yet many former players end up with no home, money, or prospects. They didn't know how to manage money. Freddie fell into the same trap, evidently. I found out things I'd rather not know, but I appreciate your storytelling and Eric keeping up with you. Great yob, man. I mean, "Looking good"-- yeah, that's so close....---
I had his album back in the day and he was really funny. I was in high school when he passed and I keep thinking the news reports were he did it solely due to being depressed over his failed marriage. Drugs/alcohol were not even mentioned if I remember correctly. Of course we know the media gets it wrong all the time.
@jahgirl8647 My dad's too! I feel lucky my parents played music from the Big Band era so we could hear what amazing artists they got to listen to growing up.♥🎵♥
i still love the show chico and the man i stream it on tubi Freddie prinze was such a talented and funny comedian. it's tragic that his demons beat him.
Scream was filmed in Sonoma County, and they were set to use Santa Rosa High, an old brick campus from before the Big War for it. A deal was cut with the skool bored, but they bailed when somebody read the script and found out that teenagers in it were sex obsessed and swore. I lived a block away and attended the big meeting with the community where most of us were pissed that the board was making us look like a bunch of yokels. It got ugly when a black preacher on the board was reminded by one of the crowd that he had once been busted for beating his wife. This was about the same time that Isaac Asimov's kid was busted for having a ton of kiddie porn on his computer, also in Sonoma County.
You guys could do a show on Barney the dinosaur and it would be riveting!!!! You are both great and no ego involved👍🏻 can’t say that about a lot of other shows
People who call everything and everyone racist today couldn't handle tv shows back then. All in the Family, Chico and the man, Sanford & Son, Good Times. they would really lose their minds. Nobody cared about the ethnic comedy back then.
Because the over the top buffoonery (such as Carroll O'Conner's parody character of Archie Bunker) was supposed to show us how racism and sexism is stupid - but too many didn't get the memo (or simply ignored it) and foolishly chose to embrace it instead of learning from it.
Spoiler alert: in the book The Shining, dick halloran doesn't die. I have a weird reaction every time I've reread the book because I saw the movie first. He was so good in the movie he was the only character I pictured in my head looking the same. Rest in power scatman. Great storytelling in this content. Thank you for making me think of him tonight.
@@isabellind1292 yes, I remember Tony Orlando television show. I was a fan. I was more of a , “ Knock Three Times “ guy. I remember them ending one of their shows. Singing the Beatles. Oh Bla Dee Bla Da!
@@lesevans6567 Yes, they released some great songs. (I love The Beatles "Oh Bla Dee..."!) He's still touring at 79 yrs old. He must love performing. He doesn't need the money. ❤🎶❤
@@isabellind1292 yes, he is a smart man. And, has been through out his career. And, you’ll see or hear his name pop up sometime. As being part of worthwhile causes. I believe Candida was maybe another of his songs. I could look it up real fast. But, I’d rather be wrong than phony.🐶
Buddy loved his reefer. I had the pleasure of seeing him in the '80's. he gave the lighting guy in the balcony a hard time. "are you trying to blind me, or what?" but he was first rate, and I was blessed to see/hear him.
This was great. I remember all of it. Chico and the Man was one of my parents' fav shows. Would you guys consider doing something on Peter Deuel? A popular stage and tv actor who seemed to have much to live for but made himself not alive. Thanks for all the 'Untold Stories'.
Freddie Prinze Pretty much played his Life like a Cat with Nine Lives! He was Liked and Loved by Millions and Had everything to Live for, Unfortunately! The Drugs had their major play for most of his Jekyll & Hyde Syndrome throughout his Career and Finally The Ending to His Life, His Suicide was Senseless! Left Behind A Beautiful Family and True Friends! If Only He would had thought things over and seek the proper type of Professional Help He would probably still be with us Today! Twenty-Two Years Old was Most Too Young! The Reality of his Death To The Fourth and Final Season of Chico and The Man was done so Unprofessional and Should had been brought to the Storyline First thing right away! Just wish we had more Chico Rodriguezs in our World Today! Great Coverage and Thank-You!
And that's what drives me crazy about the revisionist "woke" era -- there's no sense of nuance or historical context... They call ALL IN THE FAMILY "racist" because it's portraying racism through Archie Bunker. And they hiss at the "chauvinism" of Lou Grant on the MTM Show, because its portraying chauvinism through the character of Lou Grant...As if these fifty-year-old shows couldn't possibly have been progressive enough to be deliberating exposing those old school attitudes, so instead they MUST have been promoting those attitudes!
Alan Parker's "Fame" (1980) was recently inducted into the Library Of Congress in 2024 as "an artistically and culturally important" film. Nominated for six Academy Awards and winner of two Oscars, the core of the film centers around the character of Raul Garcia, a gifted and troubled young Hispanic teenager from the South Bronx ghetto aspiring to be a stand-up comedian, and going into the same downward spiral as his fallen idol Freddie Prinze. It was essentially a fictionalized "roman a clef" portrait of the then-recent Prinze tragedy, and it remains to this day a relevant and undimmed cautionary tale about Hollywood, the young, and the dark underside of "The American Dream", with a powerful performance at its center (Barry Miller) that garnered the lion's share of the film's critical acclaim.
I saw JJ Walker at the Comedy Store in 1980 (with Steve Landesburg and David Letterman). He wasn't original or gifted as a standup like the other two. After his peak moment he got more into serious acting. He's done some really good work on the odd TV show or movie here and there. You don't recognize him at all, so he's not bearing the burden of "Dyno-mite! " any more.
Enjoyed this content. I knew Freddie Prince committed suicide, but had forgotten his manager was witness. I remember feeling that his son will never know his father. It was a sad time especially for the baby. He was only 2. I never could understand why he did it.
At the 26:13 minute mark, Mark says "they accuse Freddy of cultural assimilation;" "assimilation" is the wrong word:; he should have said "they accuse Freddy of cultural appropriation." Then he uses the correct word a couple of minutes later so it was just a slip of the tongue. He knew the correct word.
just got back from 'Milloin Dollar Heist'. I gave you guys a plug. the least I could do, being too broke to send you money. Prinze is outstanding. especially, since it was his first feature .he had a future, whether he realized it or not..
With friends like his who needed enemies? I might be wrong to have a poor opinion of his widow but she sure came up in a short amount of time once she met Freddie. She wasn't interested in reconciliation . She wasn't trying to support his addictions or mental illness instead she takes out a restraining order and she then lives in the mansion and he lives in a hotel. It was all about the money with her. He shot himself on her birthday. I bet his mother did have a lot of issues with the widow knowing she could have maybe changed things. I feel badly for his son having to deal with it all.
I'm typing this from my hometown, Malden ,Mass, which is also Jack Albertson's hometown. BTW, one of the best 'GUNSMOKE' episodes is one where he shoots pool as the main character, who's an old pool legend. great actor. I remember the whole Prinze story vividly. even the waiting for the news to report on wether he'd survive. all comics are intrinsically great actors, because they've survived years of being funny on cue. not just saying lines convincingly. being funny whenever the director says "action". after that, drama is simple. as Peter O'toole said in 'My favorite Year',on his deathbed, "dying is easy. comedy is hard". now I must track down that heist TV movie Freddie did.
