homefree
01-22-2001, 01:06 PM
Della's first regular network series assignment was when she joined the cast of the NBC hit comedy Chico and the Man > (Sept. 1974 - July 78).
The series starred Freddie Prinze, a relative unknown when he was cast as 'Chico' - opposite 'The Man', vaudeville veteran Jack Albertson (as irascible mechanic Ed Brown).
The director of 'Chico' was Jack Donohue, formerly director of 'The Lucy Show' and the producer was James Komack of 'Welcome Back, Kotter' fame, so this was standard Seventies sitcom fare.
'Chico and the Man' was the number-three show in 1974, but Freddie Prinze' drunk driving and drug possession arrest in 1975 sent ratings falling to the mid-twenties. Today, a network star like Kelsey Grammer can get caught driving drunk and possessing drugs and his ratings go up, but not 25 years ago.
Prinze was more and more frequently drunk, stoned and belligerent, missing gigs in Vegas and causing a lot of concern on the set. He was reportedly drinking wine, snorting Cocaine and gulping up to one hundred Quaaludes a day.
Ratings continued to fall. To take some of the pressure (and screen time) away from Prinze, Della Reese surfaced as the garage's new owner (Della Rogers) at the start of the 1976 season.
Rogers was an outspoken community activist who argued with Ed Brown on every subject possible and provided sufficient distraction so that you hopefully wouldn't notice that Chico was too messed-up to argue with anybody anymore.
It seemed like a dream job for the singer/actress - ratings leveled off when Della joined the cast and a long run seemed assured - provided Prinze could just show up and participate in some meaningful way.
The series starred Freddie Prinze, a relative unknown when he was cast as 'Chico' - opposite 'The Man', vaudeville veteran Jack Albertson (as irascible mechanic Ed Brown).
The director of 'Chico' was Jack Donohue, formerly director of 'The Lucy Show' and the producer was James Komack of 'Welcome Back, Kotter' fame, so this was standard Seventies sitcom fare.
'Chico and the Man' was the number-three show in 1974, but Freddie Prinze' drunk driving and drug possession arrest in 1975 sent ratings falling to the mid-twenties. Today, a network star like Kelsey Grammer can get caught driving drunk and possessing drugs and his ratings go up, but not 25 years ago.
Prinze was more and more frequently drunk, stoned and belligerent, missing gigs in Vegas and causing a lot of concern on the set. He was reportedly drinking wine, snorting Cocaine and gulping up to one hundred Quaaludes a day.
Ratings continued to fall. To take some of the pressure (and screen time) away from Prinze, Della Reese surfaced as the garage's new owner (Della Rogers) at the start of the 1976 season.
Rogers was an outspoken community activist who argued with Ed Brown on every subject possible and provided sufficient distraction so that you hopefully wouldn't notice that Chico was too messed-up to argue with anybody anymore.
It seemed like a dream job for the singer/actress - ratings leveled off when Della joined the cast and a long run seemed assured - provided Prinze could just show up and participate in some meaningful way.