Just thought I'd share an article I found on Freddie - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

wheeeone · 06-18-2001, 03:58 AM

Encore

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THE LOST PRINZE OF COMEDY

PRIME TIME'S FIRST PUERTO RICAN STAR KILLED HIMSELF 18 YEARS AGO by Tim Appelo

New York-born funnyman Freddie Prinze, 22, the half-Puerto Rican costar of TV's Chico and the Man who embodied the cheeky ebullience of youth, sat on his couch in Los Angeles, scribbled January 28, 1977. I must end it , made a few calls, and then put a .38 caliber bullet through his amazingly creative brain.

Few entertainers came farther faster or fell more tragically than Freddie Prinze. In 1972, at 17, he got his first small break on Broadway as a $2-an- hour usher at a movie theater, which fired him for polishing his comedy act on company time; that year he also lost a girlfriend and made his first suicide attempt. His 1973 Tonight Show debut was so stellar that Johnny Carson, in a rare move, invited the unknown over to the couch to chat. In 1974, he got Chico and stole the show from old-pro costar Jack Albertson. By 22 Prinze was cracking up Jimmy Carter at his inaugural gala, and doing 70 through school zones in his Corvette Stingray.

With its catchphrase, "Ees not my job!" Prinze's act provoked Hispanic protests yet broke ground for Hispanic actors. The instant fame seemed to break his spirit. "His judgment was impaired by his age, drugs, and the incredible success," says Peter Greenberg, producer of the TV bio Can You Hear the Laughter?: The Story of Freddie Prinze. A heavy cocaine user by 16, he became a five-gram-a-day addict and bought Quaaludes by the hundreds. He'd charm cops out of giving him speeding tickets and drunkenly weave his way home. He obsessively reran the Zapruder film of President Kennedy's assassination, and played Russian roulette in front of horrified friends. Once he clicked a gun at his head, then pointed it outside, pulled the trigger again, and was knocked backwards by the blast.

When he finally did kill himself, Prinze had blown his fortune yet had signed contracts worth more than $7 million with NBC and Caesar's Palace. "He never got a chance to think," says Greenberg. "He was moving too fast." He was enormously depressed by his impending divorce from former cocktail waitress Kathy Cochran Prinze, 26, and his possible separation from his 10-month-old son.

Now that son, Freddie Prinze Jr., 18, is about to make his network acting debut in an antigun episode of ABC's Family Matters, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 10. "If people would only think of his gift instead of his death, I would love it," Freddie Jr. says. "I have this album of his stand-up, Lookin' Good, and no matter how upset I was, anytime, ever, the second I played it he could make me laugh. He was so sharp and spontaneous, so fast!"

wheeeone · 06-18-2001, 05:16 AM

Also...a quote from an appearance on The Hollywood Squares..

Peter Marshall: ...star of the new show here on NBC called, Chico and the Man. Freddie, is it possible to teach a pig to bow?
Freddie Prinze (signature line): It's not my job...

EdBrownJr · 06-18-2001, 07:24 AM

Cool thanks for posting that it was a good read.

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GET OUT OF MY GARAGE!!!

Pitooey · 06-18-2001, 08:26 AM

I agree with Ed Brown....... Thanks for posting it.

Joy · 06-18-2001, 11:10 AM

that was a great article. I love the quotes from his son,very touching. I to wish people would remember his gift and his life rather then the tragic end

chicosladyfair · 06-18-2001, 11:29 AM

Way to go, wheeeone! That was awesome. A few new facts and a great quote by his son. Also, loved the Hollywood Squares quote...true Freddie fashion! Thanks for sharing.

Anna · 06-18-2001, 11:49 AM

I agree with Ed too. Thanks for posting it.

atlangel · 06-18-2001, 12:56 PM

To Wheeeone, Thank-You for posting this article. I appreciate it and the other quotes.

Cheryl Harrell · 06-21-2001, 03:42 AM

THis article tells how on FRENWOOD 2NIGHT they almost did a thing on Freddie Death but scrapped it. Glad they did as it would've been tasteless: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache...+suicide&hl=en

Also found this article on a website:

1977 - Gifted comedian and TV actor Freddie Prinze, age 22, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a revolver in front of Martin "Dusty" Snyder, his business manager. He died in a Los Angeles hospital 36 hours later. Prinze catapulted to fame in the television sitcom, Chico and the Man, and experienced many emotional problems as a result, as well as a divorce. His suicide note read, "I cannot go on any longer." It was later determined that the suicide was actually intended as a practical joke by Prinze, who was under the influence of Quaaludes. He had faked suicide attempts in front of network secretaries earlier that day. Whether Prinze thought the gun was empty, thought that the safety was on, or just wasn't thinking due to the drugs, the joke he thought he was pulling on Snyder resulted in his untimely death.

06-18-2001, 03:58 AM	#1
wheeeone Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 11, 2001 Location: Woodland Hills, Ca Posts: 138	Just thought I'd share an article I found on Freddie Encore -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE LOST PRINZE OF COMEDY PRIME TIME'S FIRST PUERTO RICAN STAR KILLED HIMSELF 18 YEARS AGO by Tim Appelo New York-born funnyman Freddie Prinze, 22, the half-Puerto Rican costar of TV's Chico and the Man who embodied the cheeky ebullience of youth, sat on his couch in Los Angeles, scribbled January 28, 1977. I must end it , made a few calls, and then put a .38 caliber bullet through his amazingly creative brain. Few entertainers came farther faster or fell more tragically than Freddie Prinze. In 1972, at 17, he got his first small break on Broadway as a $2-an- hour usher at a movie theater, which fired him for polishing his comedy act on company time; that year he also lost a girlfriend and made his first suicide attempt. His 1973 Tonight Show debut was so stellar that Johnny Carson, in a rare move, invited the unknown over to the couch to chat. In 1974, he got Chico and stole the show from old-pro costar Jack Albertson. By 22 Prinze was cracking up Jimmy Carter at his inaugural gala, and doing 70 through school zones in his Corvette Stingray. With its catchphrase, "Ees not my job!" Prinze's act provoked Hispanic protests yet broke ground for Hispanic actors. The instant fame seemed to break his spirit. "His judgment was impaired by his age, drugs, and the incredible success," says Peter Greenberg, producer of the TV bio Can You Hear the Laughter?: The Story of Freddie Prinze. A heavy cocaine user by 16, he became a five-gram-a-day addict and bought Quaaludes by the hundreds. He'd charm cops out of giving him speeding tickets and drunkenly weave his way home. He obsessively reran the Zapruder film of President Kennedy's assassination, and played Russian roulette in front of horrified friends. Once he clicked a gun at his head, then pointed it outside, pulled the trigger again, and was knocked backwards by the blast. When he finally did kill himself, Prinze had blown his fortune yet had signed contracts worth more than $7 million with NBC and Caesar's Palace. "He never got a chance to think," says Greenberg. "He was moving too fast." He was enormously depressed by his impending divorce from former cocktail waitress Kathy Cochran Prinze, 26, and his possible separation from his 10-month-old son. Now that son, Freddie Prinze Jr., 18, is about to make his network acting debut in an antigun episode of ABC's Family Matters, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 10. "If people would only think of his gift instead of his death, I would love it," Freddie Jr. says. "I have this album of his stand-up, Lookin' Good, and no matter how upset I was, anytime, ever, the second I played it he could make me laugh. He was so sharp and spontaneous, so fast!"

06-18-2001, 05:16 AM	#2
wheeeone Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 11, 2001 Location: Woodland Hills, Ca Posts: 138	Also...a quote from an appearance on The Hollywood Squares.. Peter Marshall: ...star of the new show here on NBC called, Chico and the Man. Freddie, is it possible to teach a pig to bow? Freddie Prinze (signature line): It's not my job...

06-18-2001, 07:24 AM	#3
EdBrownJr Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 08, 2001 Location: Jersey City, NJ Posts: 1,247	Cool thanks for posting that it was a good read. ------------------ GET OUT OF MY GARAGE!!!

06-18-2001, 08:26 AM	#4
Pitooey Member Forum Star Join Date: Feb 15, 2001 Location: Rocking in Transylvania. Posts: 15,042	I agree with Ed Brown....... Thanks for posting it.

06-18-2001, 11:10 AM	#5
Joy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: May 10, 2001 Location: In Mn lovin my DVD and the Prinze of comedy!!! Posts: 3,247	that was a great article. I love the quotes from his son,very touching. I to wish people would remember his gift and his life rather then the tragic end

06-18-2001, 11:29 AM	#6
chicosladyfair Member Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 10, 2001 Location: Sunny California Posts: 770	Way to go, wheeeone! That was awesome. A few new facts and a great quote by his son. Also, loved the Hollywood Squares quote...true Freddie fashion! Thanks for sharing.

06-18-2001, 11:49 AM	#7
Anna Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 23, 2001 Location: Indpls,Ind. U.S.A. Posts: 442	I agree with Ed too. Thanks for posting it.

06-18-2001, 12:56 PM	#8
atlangel Member Forum Regular Join Date: May 02, 2001 Location: Lawrenceville, GA, USA Posts: 523	To Wheeeone, Thank-You for posting this article. I appreciate it and the other quotes.

06-21-2001, 03:42 AM	#9
Cheryl Harrell I Love You Mike 4-Ever Forum Veteran Join Date: Mar 23, 2001 Location: Pixley!!!! Actually VA--USA LOL! Posts: 6,192	THis article tells how on FRENWOOD 2NIGHT they almost did a thing on Freddie Death but scrapped it. Glad they did as it would've been tasteless: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache...+suicide&hl=en Also found this article on a website: 1977 - Gifted comedian and TV actor Freddie Prinze, age 22, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a revolver in front of Martin "Dusty" Snyder, his business manager. He died in a Los Angeles hospital 36 hours later. Prinze catapulted to fame in the television sitcom, Chico and the Man, and experienced many emotional problems as a result, as well as a divorce. His suicide note read, "I cannot go on any longer." It was later determined that the suicide was actually intended as a practical joke by Prinze, who was under the influence of Quaaludes. He had faked suicide attempts in front of network secretaries earlier that day. Whether Prinze thought the gun was empty, thought that the safety was on, or just wasn't thinking due to the drugs, the joke he thought he was pulling on Snyder resulted in his untimely death.