1 00:00:05,797 --> 00:00:07,233 - As a kid growing up in Spanish Harlem, 2 00:00:07,257 --> 00:00:09,986 I used to watch Muhammad Ali on TV all the time, 3 00:00:10,010 --> 00:00:11,571 which was hard to do while two guys 4 00:00:11,595 --> 00:00:13,198 were carrying it out the window. 5 00:00:13,222 --> 00:00:14,491 (audience laughing) 6 00:00:14,515 --> 00:00:15,492 - [Narrator] Freddy Prinze's brand 7 00:00:15,516 --> 00:00:18,203 of trailblazing comedy made him one of the hottest comics 8 00:00:18,227 --> 00:00:19,996 of the 1970s. 9 00:00:20,020 --> 00:00:21,998 - They had the Puerto Rican Day parade. 10 00:00:22,022 --> 00:00:23,958 It's 500 cars going down, separate streets, 11 00:00:23,982 --> 00:00:25,418 stalling out simultaneously. 12 00:00:25,442 --> 00:00:26,212 (audience laughing) 13 00:00:26,236 --> 00:00:29,464 - He was able to be that first Latino comedian 14 00:00:29,488 --> 00:00:32,759 and allowed us as comedians to say, oh my gawd, 15 00:00:32,783 --> 00:00:34,761 we can not only make fun of ourselves, 16 00:00:34,785 --> 00:00:36,054 but make fun of others. 17 00:00:36,078 --> 00:00:36,846 - Will you get off the stage, please. 18 00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:37,639 - Yes, I will. 19 00:00:37,663 --> 00:00:38,432 (laughing) 20 00:00:38,456 --> 00:00:40,225 - And for that, everybody's gotta give him credit. 21 00:00:40,249 --> 00:00:42,018 Somebody had to be first. 22 00:00:42,042 --> 00:00:43,061 (laughing) 23 00:00:43,085 --> 00:00:44,145 - [Narrator] And his transition to television 24 00:00:44,169 --> 00:00:46,564 and movies made him a household staple. 25 00:00:46,588 --> 00:00:47,589 - We got a customer. 26 00:00:48,465 --> 00:00:49,318 (audience laughing) 27 00:00:49,342 --> 00:00:52,570 - Lucille Ball saw Freddy, got down on her knees, 28 00:00:52,594 --> 00:00:55,990 saying, "I bow to you, I bow to you." 29 00:00:56,014 --> 00:00:58,159 - [Narrator] By 22, he had fortune, family 30 00:00:58,183 --> 00:00:59,827 and limitless fame. 31 00:00:59,851 --> 00:01:01,246 (imitating metal sliding) - Okay, man. 32 00:01:01,270 --> 00:01:04,082 - [Narrator] But it was all teetering on a knife's edge. 33 00:01:04,106 --> 00:01:07,126 - He would, at gunpoint, make me strip down 34 00:01:07,150 --> 00:01:10,046 to my underwear to see if I had coke on me. 35 00:01:10,070 --> 00:01:13,716 - With the drugs, everything was to the extreme. 36 00:01:13,740 --> 00:01:17,095 - He would just challenge people and he did it all the time. 37 00:01:17,119 --> 00:01:19,180 Click, click, click. 38 00:01:19,204 --> 00:01:21,349 - Freddy had these moves and you add cocaine 39 00:01:21,373 --> 00:01:24,978 to that, might as well put gasoline in a fire extinguisher. 40 00:01:25,002 --> 00:01:28,564 - As of this morning, Mr. Prinze gave no indication 41 00:01:28,588 --> 00:01:30,632 of any central nervous system function. 42 00:01:31,466 --> 00:01:33,695 - Freddy's sudden death would have everyone asking 43 00:01:33,719 --> 00:01:35,929 the same question for decades to come. 44 00:01:37,014 --> 00:01:41,160 - He had everything and could have had much more 45 00:01:41,184 --> 00:01:43,371 and he put a bullet in his head. 46 00:01:43,395 --> 00:01:46,165 - Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to be entertained. 47 00:01:46,189 --> 00:01:46,959 (audience laughing) 48 00:01:46,983 --> 00:01:48,710 - [Woman] Getting the laugh is the greatest addiction. 49 00:01:48,734 --> 00:01:49,460 - [Man] They want more of it, they want more of it. 50 00:01:49,484 --> 00:01:50,337 - [Man] She was getting death threats. 51 00:01:50,361 --> 00:01:51,587 - [Woman] It (beep censor) with your head. 52 00:01:51,611 --> 00:01:52,380 (laughing echoing) 53 00:01:52,404 --> 00:01:53,173 - He's out of his skull. - That's what took her down. 54 00:01:53,197 --> 00:01:55,091 - It's a crazy story. 55 00:01:55,115 --> 00:01:58,303 (metallic clinking) 56 00:01:58,327 --> 00:01:59,387 (soft upbeat jazz music) 57 00:01:59,411 --> 00:02:01,806 - [Narrator] Born on June 22nd to a Puerto Rican mother, 58 00:02:01,830 --> 00:02:05,143 Maria, and Hungarian immigrant father, Carl, 59 00:02:05,167 --> 00:02:08,688 {\an8}Frederick Carl Pruetzel was raised in Washington Heights, 60 00:02:08,712 --> 00:02:11,232 {\an8}a working class borough in New York. 61 00:02:11,256 --> 00:02:13,359 - Freddy took me to his apartment 62 00:02:13,383 --> 00:02:15,862 where he grew up, Washington Heights, 63 00:02:15,886 --> 00:02:19,198 {\an8}and it was like 147th and Broadway. 64 00:02:19,222 --> 00:02:20,658 {\an8}And I went, I don't know, I've never been to, 65 00:02:20,682 --> 00:02:22,869 {\an8}I've never been past 95th street, you know. 66 00:02:22,893 --> 00:02:25,246 {\an8}Jeeze, you know, and it was very different 67 00:02:25,270 --> 00:02:26,456 from what I thought, you know. 68 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:28,166 Blue collar, but, but you know. 69 00:02:28,190 --> 00:02:30,209 {\an8}- I'm Carol Novack. 70 00:02:30,233 --> 00:02:34,672 {\an8}Yeah I his gofer as well as secretary slash assistant. 71 00:02:34,696 --> 00:02:35,466 {\an8}(chuckling) 72 00:02:35,490 --> 00:02:39,052 He was a shy, chubby kid that used to pretend 73 00:02:39,076 --> 00:02:41,804 that he was a disc jockey in his bedroom. 74 00:02:41,828 --> 00:02:45,558 He set up, like, a makeshift microphone and all of that, 75 00:02:45,582 --> 00:02:48,061 and he would, you know, do his whole shtick 76 00:02:48,085 --> 00:02:49,479 and he would practice. 77 00:02:49,503 --> 00:02:53,024 And he found that he had a knack for, for standup. 78 00:02:53,048 --> 00:02:54,067 (audience applauding) 79 00:02:54,091 --> 00:02:55,985 - [Narrator] Freddy and his unusual hobbies made him 80 00:02:56,009 --> 00:02:58,196 a target for the neighborhood kids. 81 00:02:58,220 --> 00:03:02,200 - I dug ballet as a way to, to lose weight. 82 00:03:02,224 --> 00:03:04,494 So I went to ballet class and the guys 83 00:03:04,518 --> 00:03:06,120 in the neighborhood'd break my face. 84 00:03:06,144 --> 00:03:07,039 (audience laughing) 85 00:03:07,063 --> 00:03:08,164 - [Narrator] But soon he realized 86 00:03:08,188 --> 00:03:11,125 that his comedic talents pacified the bullies. 87 00:03:11,149 --> 00:03:13,586 - The teachers would always know where to find me. 88 00:03:13,610 --> 00:03:15,546 I would be in the washroom telling corny jokes. 89 00:03:15,570 --> 00:03:16,756 So it was actually, the toilets 90 00:03:16,780 --> 00:03:18,698 were the first nightclub I ever played. 91 00:03:19,741 --> 00:03:20,511 - Now, I don't know how he 92 00:03:20,535 --> 00:03:24,389 got the guts to go to the comedy clubs in New York, 93 00:03:24,413 --> 00:03:25,431 but he did. 94 00:03:25,455 --> 00:03:26,641 (audience cheering) 95 00:03:26,665 --> 00:03:28,601 - [Narrator] During his senior year of high school, 96 00:03:28,625 --> 00:03:31,187 Freddy spent most of his nights at comedy bars, 97 00:03:31,211 --> 00:03:33,064 honing his routine. 98 00:03:33,088 --> 00:03:35,566 - I remember the owner of The Improv, 99 00:03:35,590 --> 00:03:38,319 Bud Friedman would tell me stories about Freddy coming 100 00:03:38,343 --> 00:03:41,197 {\an8}into the club when he was really underage, you know, 101 00:03:41,221 --> 00:03:43,658 {\an8}and he was so funny that they 102 00:03:43,682 --> 00:03:47,370 would overlook that, you know, risking his liquor license. 103 00:03:47,394 --> 00:03:49,539 I happened to be Paul Rodriguez, 104 00:03:49,563 --> 00:03:52,983 a Mexican American and professional fool. 105 00:03:54,067 --> 00:03:55,878 - [Narrator] Yet Freddy was able to hold his own amongst 106 00:03:55,902 --> 00:03:57,338 the more experienced comics 107 00:03:57,362 --> 00:03:58,132 (audience cheering) 108 00:03:58,156 --> 00:04:00,716 and that got him noticed by the right people. 109 00:04:00,740 --> 00:04:02,760 - When I saw Freddy, I thought, oh my gawd, 110 00:04:02,784 --> 00:04:04,095 this guy is a kid. 111 00:04:04,119 --> 00:04:05,221 {\an8}I was pretty impressed. 112 00:04:05,245 --> 00:04:09,082 {\an8}My name is Ron De Blasio and I managed Freddy Prinze. 113 00:04:10,041 --> 00:04:12,603 I was managing Richard Pryor at the time 114 00:04:12,627 --> 00:04:15,898 and I also had managed George Carlin. 115 00:04:15,922 --> 00:04:16,859 - My name is Alan Bursky. 116 00:04:16,883 --> 00:04:19,819 I'm a comedian or I was a comedian. 117 00:04:19,843 --> 00:04:22,029 I would go into clubs that he had just played, 118 00:04:22,053 --> 00:04:24,115 or he would go into clubs that I had just played, 119 00:04:24,139 --> 00:04:27,285 'cause we were the only two guys around our age. 120 00:04:27,309 --> 00:04:29,120 We were 18, you know. 121 00:04:29,144 --> 00:04:31,372 The next young comic after us was David Brenner, 122 00:04:31,396 --> 00:04:32,665 30 years old. 123 00:04:32,689 --> 00:04:33,750 - [Announcer] It gives us a great deal 124 00:04:33,774 --> 00:04:34,543 of pleasure to welcome 125 00:04:34,567 --> 00:04:36,752 the very marvelous talents of Mr. Freddy Prinze, 126 00:04:36,776 --> 00:04:39,589 ladies and gentlemen. Freddy! (applauding) 127 00:04:39,613 --> 00:04:42,550 - [Jimmie Walker] Freddy Prinze, we met for the first time 128 00:04:42,574 --> 00:04:44,576 at The Improv in New York. 129 00:04:45,452 --> 00:04:47,472 - You see people who take Spanish in school 130 00:04:47,496 --> 00:04:48,223 and try and talk it. 131 00:04:48,247 --> 00:04:50,207 Coma estess osted. 132 00:04:51,583 --> 00:04:53,561 Moy beans, grassy azz, thank you. 133 00:04:53,585 --> 00:04:56,981 {\an8}- Even if he was bombing, he did it with such confidence. 134 00:04:57,005 --> 00:05:00,318 {\an8}The audience went, "well, maybe we're wrong. 135 00:05:00,342 --> 00:05:02,820 "Maybe we're missing it," 136 00:05:02,844 --> 00:05:07,825 and he just had ultimate confidence. Ultimate. 137 00:05:07,849 --> 00:05:08,826 (distant club music playing) 138 00:05:08,850 --> 00:05:11,162 - [Narrator] His confidence finally gets him a regular spot 139 00:05:11,186 --> 00:05:13,104 at one of the hottest comedy clubs in town. 140 00:05:14,397 --> 00:05:18,628 {\an8}- I opened Catch A Rising Star December 18th, 1972. 141 00:05:18,652 --> 00:05:22,048 My idea was to open a showcase where singers 142 00:05:22,072 --> 00:05:24,759 and comedians could perform in front of a live audience 143 00:05:24,783 --> 00:05:27,220 and there was nothing around like that at that point. 144 00:05:27,244 --> 00:05:30,932 Freddy showed up early on and was so strong, 145 00:05:30,956 --> 00:05:33,893 minute he got on stage, he was really compelling 146 00:05:33,917 --> 00:05:35,144 in so many ways. 147 00:05:35,168 --> 00:05:39,357 {\an8}- Catch A Rising Star, a lot of people came out of there. 148 00:05:39,381 --> 00:05:41,484 - There was Billy Crystal, David Brenner, 149 00:05:41,508 --> 00:05:44,111 Andy Kaufman, Gilbert Gottfried, Robin Williams, 150 00:05:44,135 --> 00:05:45,112 Richard Belzer. 151 00:05:45,136 --> 00:05:47,323 - Rick Newman was a ground breaker 152 00:05:47,347 --> 00:05:50,326 by putting somebody like Freddy even on stage 153 00:05:50,350 --> 00:05:53,663 because Pat Benatar is white and Richard Belzer is white, 154 00:05:53,687 --> 00:05:55,498 and David Brenner is white. 155 00:05:55,522 --> 00:05:57,083 You know, even a Jimmy Walker who was black, 156 00:05:57,107 --> 00:05:58,834 but they could handle a black guy. 157 00:05:58,858 --> 00:06:00,610 But now there's something different. 158 00:06:01,653 --> 00:06:03,047 - [Narrator] In the early 1970s, 159 00:06:03,071 --> 00:06:05,967 Latino comedians are few and far between. 160 00:06:05,991 --> 00:06:07,343 - Hey, I got light skin, straight hair, 161 00:06:07,367 --> 00:06:08,678 that's from my father. 162 00:06:08,702 --> 00:06:10,638 From my Puerto Rican mother, I got my nose and my mustache. 163 00:06:10,662 --> 00:06:11,557 (audience laughing) 164 00:06:11,581 --> 00:06:13,933 - Freddy was the beginning of that moment 165 00:06:13,957 --> 00:06:15,518 {\an8}because of the jokes that he did 166 00:06:15,542 --> 00:06:19,272 {\an8}and he was opening up his Latino life. 167 00:06:19,296 --> 00:06:21,315 It wasn't, hey, we're all like this. 168 00:06:21,339 --> 00:06:23,484 It's like, some of you aren't gonna get this, 169 00:06:23,508 --> 00:06:25,027 but let me tell you about my life. 170 00:06:25,051 --> 00:06:26,529 - Any Puerto Ricans here tonight? 171 00:06:26,553 --> 00:06:27,905 (shouting) 172 00:06:27,929 --> 00:06:30,116 All right! In the front. 173 00:06:30,140 --> 00:06:32,368 - If you talk about your difficulties, 174 00:06:32,392 --> 00:06:35,454 your uniqueness, being a Puerto Rican in New York 175 00:06:35,478 --> 00:06:37,540 is like being in the capital of Puerto Rico, right? 176 00:06:37,564 --> 00:06:39,542 So there was a lot to, to mine there for, 177 00:06:39,566 --> 00:06:41,168 for comedy purposes. 178 00:06:41,192 --> 00:06:43,588 - Nixon has the wrong impression of Puerto Ricans. 179 00:06:43,612 --> 00:06:46,507 I blame him that there's no Puerto Rican astronaut, right? 180 00:06:46,531 --> 00:06:47,550 What are they afraid of? 181 00:06:47,574 --> 00:06:48,467 All the way to the moon, we'll blow the horn, 182 00:06:48,491 --> 00:06:49,344 play the radio. 183 00:06:49,368 --> 00:06:50,928 (audience laughing) 184 00:06:50,952 --> 00:06:53,180 - When I first thought of doing standup, 185 00:06:53,204 --> 00:06:56,642 I actually got his album and listened to it. 186 00:06:56,666 --> 00:06:59,812 I could identify with a lot of the things that he said, 187 00:06:59,836 --> 00:07:04,275 living in the projects, accented people, roaches. 188 00:07:04,299 --> 00:07:06,944 - Cockroach in my building, they're Puerto Rican with us. 189 00:07:06,968 --> 00:07:08,279 They threatened me before I go out. 190 00:07:08,303 --> 00:07:11,032 They say, "listen, if you don't come back with some candy 191 00:07:11,056 --> 00:07:13,326 "or some chocolate, we change all the locks on the door." 192 00:07:13,350 --> 00:07:14,119 (audience laughing) 193 00:07:14,143 --> 00:07:16,370 - Freddy Prinze was a guideline, so to speak, 194 00:07:16,394 --> 00:07:20,082 for who we were as Latino comedians in the beginnings 195 00:07:20,106 --> 00:07:21,106 of where to take it. 196 00:07:22,108 --> 00:07:23,669 - [Narrator] And Freddy would take his comedy 197 00:07:23,693 --> 00:07:26,047 to one of the biggest stages in America. 198 00:07:26,071 --> 00:07:29,759 - Heeeereeee's Johnny! 199 00:07:29,783 --> 00:07:31,010 (audience applauding) 200 00:07:31,034 --> 00:07:31,803 (upbeat jazz music) 201 00:07:31,827 --> 00:07:32,970 - [Narrator] After barely a year of doing stand 202 00:07:32,994 --> 00:07:34,889 up in New York as a teenager, 203 00:07:34,913 --> 00:07:37,266 19 year old, Freddy Prinze gets the invitation 204 00:07:37,290 --> 00:07:38,375 of a lifetime. 205 00:07:39,376 --> 00:07:41,103 - As he appeared on The Tonight Show, 206 00:07:41,127 --> 00:07:43,064 everybody was talking about it in those days. 207 00:07:43,088 --> 00:07:46,233 25 million people watch The Tonight Show. 208 00:07:46,257 --> 00:07:49,528 Today, it's like 3 million people or something. 209 00:07:49,552 --> 00:07:51,656 - If you did that, and you played a club, 210 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:54,867 the Zig Zag Room in Saginaw, Michigan, next week, 211 00:07:54,891 --> 00:07:57,078 there would be 700 people waiting 212 00:07:57,102 --> 00:07:58,579 to get into a hundred seat club, 213 00:07:58,603 --> 00:08:01,874 because in those days you only had like five channels. 214 00:08:01,898 --> 00:08:05,544 So everybody saw you. You did one shot, that was it. 215 00:08:05,568 --> 00:08:06,504 (brass music building) 216 00:08:06,528 --> 00:08:07,296 - [Narrator] And it all starts 217 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:08,320 {\an8}with one man. 218 00:08:09,030 --> 00:08:11,759 {\an8}- Craig Tennis was sort of the guy that you 219 00:08:11,783 --> 00:08:12,552 {\an8}had to go through. 220 00:08:12,576 --> 00:08:14,470 {\an8}The gatekeeper that went to the clubs 221 00:08:14,494 --> 00:08:16,430 and saw all the acts. 222 00:08:16,454 --> 00:08:18,474 - I would go to the clubs in New York 223 00:08:18,498 --> 00:08:21,394 and then in LA three or four times a week 224 00:08:21,418 --> 00:08:23,354 {\an8}and I would be there until two o'clock 225 00:08:23,378 --> 00:08:25,773 {\an8}in the morning, watching. 226 00:08:25,797 --> 00:08:29,193 - The beauty of The Tonight Show is that that was a time 227 00:08:29,217 --> 00:08:31,612 where you wanted Johnny to see you. 228 00:08:31,636 --> 00:08:35,991 You wanted this, but you really wanted this. 229 00:08:36,015 --> 00:08:39,495 And if you got the call over, you're gonna be a star. 230 00:08:39,519 --> 00:08:40,955 That was it. 231 00:08:40,979 --> 00:08:42,748 (somber rhythmic music) 232 00:08:42,772 --> 00:08:45,251 - [Narrator] On December 6th, 1973, 19 year old 233 00:08:45,275 --> 00:08:48,045 Freddy Prinze is booked in the last slot 234 00:08:48,069 --> 00:08:51,030 on a star studded episode of The Tonight Show. 235 00:08:51,948 --> 00:08:53,843 - That show in particular, 236 00:08:53,867 --> 00:08:58,055 I remember Diane Keaton was on and then Sammy Davis, Jr. 237 00:08:58,079 --> 00:09:01,642 - Freddy showed up wearing a rather incredible, 238 00:09:01,666 --> 00:09:05,855 probably expensive, dark green velvet suit. 239 00:09:05,879 --> 00:09:07,815 He looked great. 240 00:09:07,839 --> 00:09:10,234 - [Narrator] But not everyone shares this sentiment. 241 00:09:10,258 --> 00:09:14,071 - Before the show, the producer, Freddy de Cordova, 242 00:09:14,095 --> 00:09:16,615 had gone back to Freddy's dressing room 243 00:09:16,639 --> 00:09:20,953 and introduced himself and then came roaring onto stage. 244 00:09:20,977 --> 00:09:23,789 So everyone in the audience, the band, 245 00:09:23,813 --> 00:09:26,333 everyone else could hear him screaming at me, 246 00:09:26,357 --> 00:09:30,504 "Johnny is gonna hate that gawd damned Puerto Rican. 247 00:09:30,528 --> 00:09:32,089 "I'm not putting him on. 248 00:09:32,113 --> 00:09:35,676 "He's embarrassing. Your job is in jeopardy." 249 00:09:35,700 --> 00:09:37,053 (chuckling) 250 00:09:37,077 --> 00:09:38,679 - [Narrator] But Freddy has thrown a hail Mary pass 251 00:09:38,703 --> 00:09:40,890 when the wise cracking banter between Sammy 252 00:09:40,914 --> 00:09:43,082 and Johnny quickly runs out of steam. 253 00:09:44,417 --> 00:09:47,563 - The show is going live, as always. 254 00:09:47,587 --> 00:09:50,983 So there's not a lot of adjusting that can be done. 255 00:09:51,007 --> 00:09:56,012 Now, Mr. de Cordova has to go and put on Freddy. 256 00:09:56,304 --> 00:09:58,032 - We have a new young comedian with us tonight. 257 00:09:58,056 --> 00:09:59,950 This is his first appearance on The Tonight Show. 258 00:09:59,974 --> 00:10:01,035 So make him feel welcome. 259 00:10:01,059 --> 00:10:01,953 You sound like you're in a good mood. 260 00:10:01,977 --> 00:10:03,162 Would you welcome Freddy Prinze? 261 00:10:03,186 --> 00:10:04,039 - Yeah. - Freddy. 262 00:10:04,063 --> 00:10:05,081 (audience applauding) 263 00:10:05,105 --> 00:10:07,041 - And I'm standing behind the cameras going, 264 00:10:07,065 --> 00:10:09,627 this better work because if it doesn't, 265 00:10:09,651 --> 00:10:13,964 my ass is going to be yelled at for six months. 266 00:10:13,988 --> 00:10:16,884 - I come from two backgrounds, Hungarian and Puerto Rican. 267 00:10:16,908 --> 00:10:17,677 (audience member shouting) 268 00:10:17,701 --> 00:10:19,929 Mine ya', I'm a Hunga-rican. 269 00:10:19,953 --> 00:10:23,057 (audience laughing) 270 00:10:23,081 --> 00:10:25,100 It's like a very heavy title, 'cause I could never figure 271 00:10:25,124 --> 00:10:27,978 out how my parents met, a gypsy and a Puerto Rican. 272 00:10:28,002 --> 00:10:29,522 I asked my mother, she said they were on the subway, 273 00:10:29,546 --> 00:10:30,856 trying to pick each other's pocket. 274 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:32,608 (audience laughing) 275 00:10:32,632 --> 00:10:35,778 - It was the perfect storm. He was good looking. 276 00:10:35,802 --> 00:10:38,030 He was ethnic. He was charming. 277 00:10:38,054 --> 00:10:39,782 He was funny. 278 00:10:39,806 --> 00:10:41,099 - It's not my job, man. 279 00:10:42,767 --> 00:10:46,539 - Then Freddy gets finished doing his set, which killed. 280 00:10:46,563 --> 00:10:49,333 And that was the very first time that a comedian 281 00:10:49,357 --> 00:10:52,962 that was making their debut was invited to sit down 282 00:10:52,986 --> 00:10:56,114 and chat with Carson. First time ever. 283 00:10:57,782 --> 00:10:58,593 (audience applauding) 284 00:10:58,617 --> 00:11:00,302 - It became my immediate goal. 285 00:11:00,326 --> 00:11:02,972 I said, if I never do anything, if I could just do that, 286 00:11:02,996 --> 00:11:04,431 if I can go do stand up. 287 00:11:04,455 --> 00:11:07,059 And Johnny Carson invites me to sit next to him. 288 00:11:07,083 --> 00:11:09,395 Man, that, that's the Academy Awards. That's the Emmy. 289 00:11:09,419 --> 00:11:11,063 That's everything to me. 290 00:11:11,087 --> 00:11:12,857 - You know, there's no greater thrill for me personally, 291 00:11:12,881 --> 00:11:15,484 to have somebody come out here who's unknown 292 00:11:15,508 --> 00:11:18,362 and stand up in front of an audience and absolutely wipe 'em 293 00:11:18,386 --> 00:11:21,365 out the first appearance coast to coast. That's great. 294 00:11:21,389 --> 00:11:22,158 - Thank you. (audience applauding) 295 00:11:22,182 --> 00:11:23,450 - In a case like Freddie Prinze, 296 00:11:23,474 --> 00:11:26,412 it was the most important six minutes of his life. 297 00:11:26,436 --> 00:11:29,081 - Will you come back, do our show again? 298 00:11:29,105 --> 00:11:29,874 - Hey, I'd love to, love to. 299 00:11:29,898 --> 00:11:30,666 Will you get the same audience? 300 00:11:30,690 --> 00:11:31,458 - Same audience. 301 00:11:31,482 --> 00:11:32,252 (audience applauding) 302 00:11:32,276 --> 00:11:34,003 - When anybody on The Tonight Show scored, 303 00:11:34,027 --> 00:11:36,422 everybody in the business knew. 304 00:11:36,446 --> 00:11:38,465 And when everybody in a business knew, 305 00:11:38,489 --> 00:11:39,824 then word gets out. 306 00:11:40,992 --> 00:11:43,262 - Television producer, James Komack calls Freddy, 307 00:11:43,286 --> 00:11:46,432 asking him to star in a new show for NBC called, 308 00:11:46,456 --> 00:11:48,183 'Chico And The Man'. 309 00:11:48,207 --> 00:11:49,935 - I told you I don't want a job. 310 00:11:49,959 --> 00:11:51,312 - Good. - I wanna be part 311 00:11:51,336 --> 00:11:52,605 of something, I wanna belong. 312 00:11:52,629 --> 00:11:53,606 I want my place in the sun. 313 00:11:53,630 --> 00:11:54,732 - Go to the beach. 314 00:11:54,756 --> 00:11:56,817 (audience laughing) 315 00:11:56,841 --> 00:11:57,611 - Listen, old man. 316 00:11:57,635 --> 00:11:59,028 How about it, I'm serious. You and me. 317 00:11:59,052 --> 00:12:00,053 - Drop dead. 318 00:12:01,721 --> 00:12:03,908 (audience laughing) 319 00:12:03,932 --> 00:12:07,036 - I remember one day out on the road with Richard Pryor 320 00:12:07,060 --> 00:12:09,246 and I opened up Time Magazine and the title 321 00:12:09,270 --> 00:12:12,583 of the review, 'The Prinze of Prime Time'. 322 00:12:12,607 --> 00:12:14,501 Freddy became huge. 323 00:12:14,525 --> 00:12:17,880 - [Narrator] 'Chico And The Man' debuts in September, 1974, 324 00:12:17,904 --> 00:12:20,382 and it's an instant hit, rating third 325 00:12:20,406 --> 00:12:22,700 behind 'All In The Family' and 'Rhoda'. 326 00:12:24,035 --> 00:12:25,930 (guitar strumming) 327 00:12:25,954 --> 00:12:28,098 - Don't be discouraged. 328 00:12:28,122 --> 00:12:30,601 The beginning of the show on 'Chico And The Man', 329 00:12:30,625 --> 00:12:31,977 {\an8}it's my neighborhood. 330 00:12:32,001 --> 00:12:34,063 {\an8}The whole vibe of the show, man, 331 00:12:34,087 --> 00:12:35,439 {\an8}it makes me feel good. 332 00:12:35,463 --> 00:12:37,715 {\an8}I get the goosebumps. I get the chills. 333 00:12:38,633 --> 00:12:39,735 - [Narrator] Nine months after appearing 334 00:12:39,759 --> 00:12:43,197 on The Tonight Show, Freddy Prinze, all of 19, 335 00:12:43,221 --> 00:12:45,574 is a bonafide superstar. 336 00:12:45,598 --> 00:12:48,661 - There's a news stand up when Kawanga up here, 337 00:12:48,685 --> 00:12:52,122 which is like a block long. And it had in those days, 338 00:12:52,146 --> 00:12:55,000 all sorts of magazines and on the cover 339 00:12:55,024 --> 00:12:59,821 of all these magazines would be Freddy Prinze looking good. 340 00:13:01,072 --> 00:13:03,133 You know, Hunga-rican. 341 00:13:03,157 --> 00:13:05,469 Freddy would stand in front of it and people would walk 342 00:13:05,493 --> 00:13:09,723 by and go, hey, aren't you Freddy Prinze? 343 00:13:09,747 --> 00:13:11,725 By the end of it, there'd be, like, 20 people, 344 00:13:11,749 --> 00:13:15,145 oh my gawd, Freddy Prinze is here, he's signing autographs. 345 00:13:15,169 --> 00:13:17,106 It's unbelievable. - Are you ready> 346 00:13:17,130 --> 00:13:19,650 for this kind of stardom thing? 347 00:13:19,674 --> 00:13:21,318 - I've been ready since birth. 348 00:13:21,342 --> 00:13:22,778 (laughing) 349 00:13:22,802 --> 00:13:23,988 - [Narrator] But in four short years, 350 00:13:24,012 --> 00:13:26,031 Freddy Prinze's burgeoning career 351 00:13:26,055 --> 00:13:27,724 will come to an abrupt end. 352 00:13:33,521 --> 00:13:36,524 (upbeat jazz music) 353 00:13:38,234 --> 00:13:40,879 Riding high off the success of 'Chico And The Man', 354 00:13:40,903 --> 00:13:43,632 Freddie Prinze is not only becoming a huge star, 355 00:13:43,656 --> 00:13:46,176 but also filling a void that many feel has been left empty 356 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:47,952 for far too long. 357 00:13:48,745 --> 00:13:50,055 {\an8}- In the early seventies, 358 00:13:50,079 --> 00:13:52,474 {\an8}there was no Latino representation 359 00:13:52,498 --> 00:13:55,811 {\an8}as far as Mexican American or Puerto Rican American, 360 00:13:55,835 --> 00:13:57,104 {\an8}Cuban American. 361 00:13:57,128 --> 00:13:59,940 You would have to go all the way back to Desi Arnaz 362 00:13:59,964 --> 00:14:01,817 or 'I love Lucy'. 363 00:14:01,841 --> 00:14:04,737 {\an8}- There are so many of us here and yet we're really 364 00:14:04,761 --> 00:14:06,613 {\an8}so few on television. 365 00:14:06,637 --> 00:14:08,407 If you look at American television, 366 00:14:08,431 --> 00:14:10,951 you wouldn't know that 55% of Los Angeles 367 00:14:10,975 --> 00:14:12,369 is Mexican American. 368 00:14:12,393 --> 00:14:14,997 We're the brown elephant in the room. 369 00:14:15,021 --> 00:14:16,957 If you don't see yourself on television, 370 00:14:16,981 --> 00:14:19,918 what happens is you have a low self-esteem. 371 00:14:19,942 --> 00:14:24,339 It is very, very important for us to have more represented. 372 00:14:24,363 --> 00:14:25,966 I'm not even saying equal. 373 00:14:25,990 --> 00:14:28,093 I'm saying a representation that makes sense. 374 00:14:28,117 --> 00:14:29,511 - Yeah, yeah, don't... 375 00:14:29,535 --> 00:14:30,763 - [Narrator] But in the decade following 376 00:14:30,787 --> 00:14:33,057 the Civil Rights Movement, 'All In The Family', 377 00:14:33,081 --> 00:14:35,934 'Sanford And Son', and 'Chico And The Man' 378 00:14:35,958 --> 00:14:38,062 are attempts to address the issues of race 379 00:14:38,086 --> 00:14:41,607 and representation of minorities on television. 380 00:14:41,631 --> 00:14:42,400 - Amigo. (audience laughing) 381 00:14:42,424 --> 00:14:43,525 - Don't call me amigo. 382 00:14:43,549 --> 00:14:44,444 - It means friend. 383 00:14:44,468 --> 00:14:46,153 - I don't care what it means. Talk English. 384 00:14:46,177 --> 00:14:48,113 - Very well, friend, I would like to be the first Chicano 385 00:14:48,137 --> 00:14:49,198 to be associated with this... 386 00:14:49,222 --> 00:14:50,991 (laughing drowns out speaking) 387 00:14:51,015 --> 00:14:54,161 - To have as the premise of a TV show, 388 00:14:54,185 --> 00:14:56,789 {\an8}a Latino character and Jack Albertson playing 389 00:14:56,813 --> 00:15:00,167 {\an8}this sort of skeptical, perhaps racist, shop owner 390 00:15:00,191 --> 00:15:02,836 who is won over by the charm of Chico. 391 00:15:02,860 --> 00:15:05,047 You know, it was sort of groundbreaking for its time 392 00:15:05,071 --> 00:15:09,802 and very much in the zeitgeist of the 1970s. 393 00:15:09,826 --> 00:15:10,595 (audience laughing) 394 00:15:10,619 --> 00:15:11,678 - Mr. Bojangles. 395 00:15:11,702 --> 00:15:12,471 (snapping) 396 00:15:12,495 --> 00:15:13,264 - 'Chico And The Man', how important 397 00:15:13,288 --> 00:15:14,973 was it to the Latino community? 398 00:15:14,997 --> 00:15:17,142 {\an8}They had never seen their very own type 399 00:15:17,166 --> 00:15:18,936 {\an8}of person on the air. 400 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:20,479 - Clean up the floor! 401 00:15:20,503 --> 00:15:21,313 Fix that engine! 402 00:15:21,337 --> 00:15:22,273 Make me my lunch! 403 00:15:22,297 --> 00:15:24,942 Get me some champagne. Ha ha ha ha. 404 00:15:24,966 --> 00:15:26,819 - I couldn't imagine the amount of pressure 405 00:15:26,843 --> 00:15:31,156 that that Latin person is being put up against, 406 00:15:31,180 --> 00:15:33,700 because he is not just carrying a show. 407 00:15:33,724 --> 00:15:36,036 He's carrying the weight of the whole world, 408 00:15:36,060 --> 00:15:40,040 because if he fails, that's it, no more Latino shows. 409 00:15:40,064 --> 00:15:41,941 And we only get one chance. 410 00:15:43,067 --> 00:15:45,504 - [Narrator] But in the weeks following Chico 411 00:15:45,528 --> 00:15:46,547 And The Man's debut, there's backlash 412 00:15:46,571 --> 00:15:49,007 from the Mexican American community who feel 413 00:15:49,031 --> 00:15:52,636 the humor in the show relies on racist stereotypes. 414 00:15:52,660 --> 00:15:55,264 - Oh, everybody knows you people are lazy. 415 00:15:55,288 --> 00:15:57,683 Even if I did give you a job, you wouldn't show up. 416 00:15:57,707 --> 00:15:59,476 You'd be too busy taking a siesta. 417 00:15:59,500 --> 00:16:01,270 - Not me, man. I'm all go, go. 418 00:16:01,294 --> 00:16:03,313 - The problem is the balance. 419 00:16:03,337 --> 00:16:05,023 {\an8}There doesn't seem to be enough 420 00:16:05,047 --> 00:16:09,069 {\an8}of the positive reinforcement for the negatives to be okay. 421 00:16:09,093 --> 00:16:10,195 {\an8}And that's a problem. 422 00:16:10,219 --> 00:16:10,989 (audience laughing) 423 00:16:11,013 --> 00:16:12,072 - Now get this pumpkin can outta here. 424 00:16:12,096 --> 00:16:13,615 - It's not my job, man. 425 00:16:13,639 --> 00:16:15,325 (audience laughing) 426 00:16:15,349 --> 00:16:18,704 - Don't give me your family motto. Just do as I say. 427 00:16:18,728 --> 00:16:20,956 - Working for white audiences, in hindsight, 428 00:16:20,980 --> 00:16:23,750 you would cringe, but you didn't know any better. 429 00:16:23,774 --> 00:16:25,085 - When you first start out, 430 00:16:25,109 --> 00:16:29,464 you don't have the power to do anything you want. 431 00:16:29,488 --> 00:16:32,426 You just have the power to say yes and be as funny 432 00:16:32,450 --> 00:16:33,677 as you humanly can. 433 00:16:33,701 --> 00:16:37,264 - I take care of my uncle's '64 Chevy, beautiful condition. 434 00:16:37,288 --> 00:16:39,433 Pom poms on all the antennas. 435 00:16:39,457 --> 00:16:40,601 (audience laughing) 436 00:16:40,625 --> 00:16:42,144 Set of fine seat covers, right? 437 00:16:42,168 --> 00:16:43,812 Little dog in the back window with the head 438 00:16:43,836 --> 00:16:45,063 keep going up like that. 439 00:16:45,087 --> 00:16:45,857 (audience laughing) 440 00:16:45,881 --> 00:16:47,065 - You were up there to get the laugh 441 00:16:47,089 --> 00:16:51,028 and you felt like a whore for selling out like that. 442 00:16:51,052 --> 00:16:54,072 But I'll tell this to any comic starting out. 443 00:16:54,096 --> 00:16:59,036 Your whole purpose in this business is to get laughs 444 00:16:59,060 --> 00:17:01,830 and you have to be able to live with the consequences 445 00:17:01,854 --> 00:17:02,854 of those words. 446 00:17:04,023 --> 00:17:05,167 - [Narrator] And the negative reaction 447 00:17:05,191 --> 00:17:07,794 to 'Chico And The Man' by many Mexican Americans 448 00:17:07,818 --> 00:17:10,005 soon shifts towards Freddy himself. 449 00:17:10,029 --> 00:17:11,048 (suspenseful music) 450 00:17:11,072 --> 00:17:13,133 - Yeah, there was backlash because he was Puerto Rican 451 00:17:13,157 --> 00:17:16,386 and he wasn't Mexican. 452 00:17:16,410 --> 00:17:19,389 - He was portraying the part of a Mexican American 453 00:17:19,413 --> 00:17:22,935 being a half Puerto Rican, so he felt like a fraud. 454 00:17:22,959 --> 00:17:24,061 I'm sure he did. 455 00:17:24,085 --> 00:17:27,564 - It did bother him. He said, "I'm still Hispanic. 456 00:17:27,588 --> 00:17:29,233 "I'm still Hispanic." 457 00:17:29,257 --> 00:17:31,026 {\an8}You know, what differences it make? 458 00:17:31,050 --> 00:17:33,028 {\an8}It's Mexican or Puerto Rican. 459 00:17:33,052 --> 00:17:35,072 {\an8}We are one. 460 00:17:35,096 --> 00:17:38,033 - My people, the Mexican Americans here, 461 00:17:38,057 --> 00:17:40,869 we were so few on television, 462 00:17:40,893 --> 00:17:43,705 there was nobody else to pick on but him. 463 00:17:43,729 --> 00:17:45,207 He became a target. 464 00:17:45,231 --> 00:17:48,025 It's easy to be attacked when you're at the top. 465 00:17:48,859 --> 00:17:49,962 - Freddy felt that he 466 00:17:49,986 --> 00:17:51,964 {\an8}was being unjustly criticized 467 00:17:51,988 --> 00:17:55,300 {\an8}and not being taken for his talent. 468 00:17:55,324 --> 00:17:57,678 {\an8}- He did seem like a different person. 469 00:17:57,702 --> 00:18:01,014 He didn't have that casual confidence. 470 00:18:01,038 --> 00:18:03,082 He seemed like he was a bit shaky. 471 00:18:04,792 --> 00:18:05,936 - [Narrator] Even as the fervor dies 472 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:07,646 down and 'Chico And The Man' is renewed 473 00:18:07,670 --> 00:18:10,816 for a second season, after what he sees as rejection 474 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:12,234 from his very own people, 475 00:18:12,258 --> 00:18:15,261 Freddy starts to question his meteoric rise to fame. 476 00:18:16,721 --> 00:18:17,972 - Was in Sahara, Tahoe. 477 00:18:19,390 --> 00:18:22,786 After he got off stage, he said to me, 478 00:18:22,810 --> 00:18:24,997 "I couldn't hear them laugh. 479 00:18:25,021 --> 00:18:27,708 "Were they laughing? Am I losing it?" 480 00:18:27,732 --> 00:18:29,626 And I said, "are you crazy? 481 00:18:29,650 --> 00:18:31,211 "They were roaring." 482 00:18:31,235 --> 00:18:33,195 {\an8}And they were, they were. 483 00:18:34,822 --> 00:18:37,384 {\an8}- A lot of Freddy's insecurity came from the fact 484 00:18:37,408 --> 00:18:41,513 {\an8}that he hung out with a lot of comics who hadn't made it. 485 00:18:41,537 --> 00:18:45,851 Success was coming to them very, very slowly or not at all. 486 00:18:45,875 --> 00:18:47,811 And being around a group of people like that, 487 00:18:47,835 --> 00:18:50,147 he was constantly reminded that quote, 488 00:18:50,171 --> 00:18:52,607 "he did not pay his dues." 489 00:18:52,631 --> 00:18:54,985 He did not serve the time and grade. 490 00:18:55,009 --> 00:18:59,639 He got lucky and many of them never let him forget that. 491 00:19:01,182 --> 00:19:03,118 - At the same studio where 'Chico And The Man' 492 00:19:03,142 --> 00:19:05,829 is being filmed, the show's producer, James Komack. 493 00:19:05,853 --> 00:19:08,624 Is also working on 'Welcome Back, Kotter', 494 00:19:08,648 --> 00:19:10,983 with rising star, John Travolta. 495 00:19:11,984 --> 00:19:15,005 - It created a little bit of tension with both artists 496 00:19:15,029 --> 00:19:18,050 as they felt that one was getting more attention 497 00:19:18,074 --> 00:19:20,719 and better writing staffs than the other. 498 00:19:20,743 --> 00:19:22,054 - Travolta had a movie of the week, 499 00:19:22,078 --> 00:19:23,930 'The Boy In The Plastic Bubble', it was a big hit, 500 00:19:23,954 --> 00:19:25,807 critically acclaimed. 501 00:19:25,831 --> 00:19:26,892 Freddy had a movie the week. 502 00:19:26,916 --> 00:19:28,185 - If you don't get to Lil before she hits 503 00:19:28,209 --> 00:19:29,644 the Madison street station at 11:15, 504 00:19:29,668 --> 00:19:32,105 she'll tip off every cop in Chicago. 505 00:19:32,129 --> 00:19:33,565 - It was a disaster. 506 00:19:33,589 --> 00:19:38,487 {\an8}So Freddy was really upset about that. 507 00:19:38,511 --> 00:19:41,031 - I think the thing that got Freddy down 508 00:19:41,055 --> 00:19:43,116 was the white performers that were being set up 509 00:19:43,140 --> 00:19:46,828 for bigger and better things like a David Cassidy, 510 00:19:46,852 --> 00:19:49,414 like a Barry Williams, like a leaf Garrett. 511 00:19:49,438 --> 00:19:52,542 They had teeny boppers crying and screaming. 512 00:19:52,566 --> 00:19:54,503 They would be running into a limo and girls 513 00:19:54,527 --> 00:19:57,130 would be, "ahhh, it's David Cassidy!", 514 00:19:57,154 --> 00:19:59,674 "Lief Garrett, wow!" 515 00:19:59,698 --> 00:20:01,927 Freddy didn't have that because we were nightclub guys. 516 00:20:01,951 --> 00:20:05,430 We were hardcore at The Improv, banging around, 517 00:20:05,454 --> 00:20:07,766 that kind of stuff like that. 518 00:20:07,790 --> 00:20:10,310 - Sometimes he would get sad thinking that, 519 00:20:10,334 --> 00:20:13,313 can he maintain this? Can he keep it up? 520 00:20:13,337 --> 00:20:16,274 And will the show just all of a sudden go away 521 00:20:16,298 --> 00:20:19,194 and then he'd be a nobody all over again. 522 00:20:19,218 --> 00:20:22,114 How many actors do we know that had hit shows 523 00:20:22,138 --> 00:20:25,367 and they were super famous and then all of a sudden 524 00:20:25,391 --> 00:20:26,785 the show is off the air 525 00:20:26,809 --> 00:20:28,912 and we don't hear about them anymore. 526 00:20:28,936 --> 00:20:31,331 Well, he had that fear as well. 527 00:20:31,355 --> 00:20:33,667 - And a young impressionable Freddy, 528 00:20:33,691 --> 00:20:35,419 insecure with his newfound fame, 529 00:20:35,443 --> 00:20:37,045 finds himself in the inner circle 530 00:20:37,069 --> 00:20:40,948 of Hollywood's more established celebrities and their vices. 531 00:20:41,949 --> 00:20:45,137 - I did see signs. He was taking coke. 532 00:20:45,161 --> 00:20:47,931 Here's this young kid, all of a sudden star, 533 00:20:47,955 --> 00:20:50,975 afraid that he's gonna lose it and insecure, 534 00:20:50,999 --> 00:20:52,978 and suddenly they're telling him 535 00:20:53,002 --> 00:20:54,938 that this will make you high 536 00:20:54,962 --> 00:20:57,256 and you'll feel strong and secure. 537 00:20:58,174 --> 00:21:00,485 - Anytime you went to a party in LA, 538 00:21:00,509 --> 00:21:01,903 there was coke available. 539 00:21:01,927 --> 00:21:06,074 It was either in a bathroom or was on a coffee table. 540 00:21:06,098 --> 00:21:10,162 - Cocaine was accepted. In some cases, 541 00:21:10,186 --> 00:21:12,622 cocaine was included in the film budget. 542 00:21:12,646 --> 00:21:14,124 - They would write it in the contract, you know, 543 00:21:14,148 --> 00:21:15,917 under transportation, you know. 544 00:21:15,941 --> 00:21:17,252 There was a budget for that. 545 00:21:17,276 --> 00:21:19,796 I know people don't understand that today, but there was. 546 00:21:19,820 --> 00:21:22,257 - The studios enabled Freddy. 547 00:21:22,281 --> 00:21:25,302 They brought in the drugs for Freddy, 548 00:21:25,326 --> 00:21:27,721 just to try to make Freddy happy. 549 00:21:27,745 --> 00:21:29,222 - I think he's probably one of the funniest new guys 550 00:21:29,246 --> 00:21:31,057 around today. Would you welcome my good friend 551 00:21:31,081 --> 00:21:32,559 and roommate, Alan Bursky! 552 00:21:32,583 --> 00:21:33,894 (applauding) 553 00:21:33,918 --> 00:21:36,921 (upbeat jazz music) 554 00:21:38,714 --> 00:21:39,567 (chuckling) 555 00:21:39,591 --> 00:21:41,026 - He's making me laugh. 556 00:21:41,050 --> 00:21:44,112 - When Freddy is in town to co-host 'The Mike Douglas Show', 557 00:21:44,136 --> 00:21:47,115 the cocaine fueled antics continued. 558 00:21:47,139 --> 00:21:48,700 - Me, Freddie and Jimmy Komack, 559 00:21:48,724 --> 00:21:52,120 we were all in Philadelphia and one night after the show, 560 00:21:52,144 --> 00:21:54,647 we're doing coke and drinking and smoking dope. 561 00:21:55,439 --> 00:21:56,500 And you know, we were young. 562 00:21:56,524 --> 00:21:59,944 We had money and pretty much running wild, 563 00:22:00,778 --> 00:22:03,465 and in those days, and still pretty much today, 564 00:22:03,489 --> 00:22:06,051 nobody says no in this town to a celebrity. 565 00:22:06,075 --> 00:22:07,618 - He went overboard. 566 00:22:08,619 --> 00:22:11,973 - Think about it. This guy is 18, 19, 20. 567 00:22:11,997 --> 00:22:13,433 He's still a kid. 568 00:22:13,457 --> 00:22:15,810 You can't have them fending for themselves, 569 00:22:15,834 --> 00:22:18,313 but it seems like he sort of was. 570 00:22:18,337 --> 00:22:21,757 (somber rhythmic music) 571 00:22:26,845 --> 00:22:28,990 (somber rhythmic music) 572 00:22:29,014 --> 00:22:29,951 - [Narrator] With 'Chico And The Man' renewed 573 00:22:29,975 --> 00:22:31,451 for a second season, 574 00:22:31,475 --> 00:22:32,953 Freddy uses the break from filming 575 00:22:32,977 --> 00:22:34,979 to play shows across the country. 576 00:22:37,064 --> 00:22:39,042 - Freddy calls me, he says, " I was walking 577 00:22:39,066 --> 00:22:42,087 {\an8}"through the casino and this woman comes up to me 578 00:22:42,111 --> 00:22:44,923 {\an8}"and she says, you're Freddy Prinze. I go, yeah. 579 00:22:44,947 --> 00:22:47,259 "She says, 'I think you're great. I think you're handsome. 580 00:22:47,283 --> 00:22:48,927 "I think you're beautiful. I think you're just 581 00:22:48,951 --> 00:22:50,428 "the greatest guy in the world." 582 00:22:50,452 --> 00:22:53,038 He say, "I'm gonna marry that girl." 583 00:22:53,998 --> 00:22:57,686 {\an8}- When he met Kathy, I mean, he fell in love, boom. 584 00:22:57,710 --> 00:23:00,438 {\an8}It was like one of those thunder bolts, you know? 585 00:23:00,462 --> 00:23:01,190 {\an8}(chuckling) 586 00:23:01,214 --> 00:23:04,025 And they went home together in the hotel room 587 00:23:04,049 --> 00:23:06,969 and then that was it, they never partied after that. 588 00:23:07,970 --> 00:23:10,115 - [Narrator] In October of 1975, 589 00:23:10,139 --> 00:23:12,909 Freddy marries Kathy Cochran. 590 00:23:12,933 --> 00:23:14,828 - That made him very happy. 591 00:23:14,852 --> 00:23:16,997 He wanted to do everything he could for her. 592 00:23:17,021 --> 00:23:21,167 Then when she was expecting, oh, he was delirious. 593 00:23:21,191 --> 00:23:24,671 And then also the show was successful. 594 00:23:24,695 --> 00:23:26,614 He had everything he wanted. 595 00:23:27,698 --> 00:23:29,259 - [Narrator] Yet, Freddy is blind to everything 596 00:23:29,283 --> 00:23:31,035 by his growing addiction. 597 00:23:32,202 --> 00:23:34,097 {\an8}- He was doing two to three grams a day. 598 00:23:34,121 --> 00:23:35,265 {\an8}You know, he was just like, 599 00:23:35,289 --> 00:23:36,058 {\an8}(snorting) 600 00:23:36,082 --> 00:23:37,975 {\an8}you know, Freddy used to do lines like, you know, 601 00:23:37,999 --> 00:23:39,811 {\an8}boom, boom! 602 00:23:39,835 --> 00:23:41,438 I would go over to the studio and he 603 00:23:41,462 --> 00:23:45,191 would at gunpoint make me strip down to my underwear 604 00:23:45,215 --> 00:23:47,068 to see if I had coke on me, and I'd go, "Freddy, 605 00:23:47,092 --> 00:23:49,112 "I don't have coke, I don't have coke." 606 00:23:49,136 --> 00:23:51,740 Yeah, I'd get undressed and he'd go through my pockets. 607 00:23:51,764 --> 00:23:52,991 I was sitting there in my underwear, 608 00:23:53,015 --> 00:23:56,036 my socks off in his dressing room. "I don't have coke. 609 00:23:56,060 --> 00:23:57,102 "What's matter with you?" 610 00:23:58,354 --> 00:24:01,458 - When you're an addict and you become successful, 611 00:24:01,482 --> 00:24:05,128 what happens to you depends on who's around you. 612 00:24:05,152 --> 00:24:09,090 {\an8}If people around you are enabling you, 613 00:24:09,114 --> 00:24:12,802 {\an8}the addiction just continues to exacerbate 614 00:24:12,826 --> 00:24:15,579 and you eventually spiral out of control. 615 00:24:16,455 --> 00:24:18,808 - You know, we'd open the mail and there'd be joints 616 00:24:18,832 --> 00:24:21,394 and cocaine. People were bringing it to him, 617 00:24:21,418 --> 00:24:23,605 especially women, you know, who wanted to meet him 618 00:24:23,629 --> 00:24:25,982 or guys who wanted to hang out with him 619 00:24:26,006 --> 00:24:28,634 and that's where I guess trouble started. 620 00:24:30,010 --> 00:24:32,822 - [Narrator] Along with the $2,000 a month coke habit, 621 00:24:32,846 --> 00:24:35,951 Freddy starts to experiment with a drug popularly known 622 00:24:35,975 --> 00:24:37,559 as the Disco Biscuit. 623 00:24:38,477 --> 00:24:40,789 - He started taking Quaaludes, 624 00:24:40,813 --> 00:24:43,857 which was the big thing in those days. 625 00:24:45,150 --> 00:24:46,920 {\an8}- It's a pill and it's a downer. 626 00:24:46,944 --> 00:24:49,947 The doctors prescribed it in those days as a sleeping pill, 627 00:24:50,989 --> 00:24:53,992 but then it started circulating as a drug. 628 00:24:55,119 --> 00:24:57,013 So he would do that and then they would do coke. 629 00:24:57,037 --> 00:25:00,016 And so they would have the two contrasts. 630 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,269 The minute we left the studio, he would start. 631 00:25:03,293 --> 00:25:06,189 But then I guess he wanted to make up for a lost time 632 00:25:06,213 --> 00:25:07,213 or something. 633 00:25:08,090 --> 00:25:11,069 - Carol and Freddy's wife, Kathy, and I talked 634 00:25:11,093 --> 00:25:13,613 {\an8}about it and we knew that this was a problem 635 00:25:13,637 --> 00:25:14,906 {\an8}and we needed help. 636 00:25:14,930 --> 00:25:16,616 - There were no rehabs in those days. 637 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:18,118 There was no Betty Ford. 638 00:25:18,142 --> 00:25:20,370 There was no, or none of this stuff. 639 00:25:20,394 --> 00:25:25,166 Freddy was seeing Dr. Kroger, he was Kathy's obstetrician. 640 00:25:25,190 --> 00:25:28,795 - The guy was actually a hypnotist therapist. 641 00:25:28,819 --> 00:25:31,089 She was going to him during her pregnancy 642 00:25:31,113 --> 00:25:33,842 and that's how she thought maybe he could help. 643 00:25:33,866 --> 00:25:35,260 - Well, I'm sure that she's gonna have the baby. 644 00:25:35,284 --> 00:25:37,429 - Oh. - I'm sure it's mine, too. 645 00:25:37,453 --> 00:25:38,221 - Well, you're married. 646 00:25:38,245 --> 00:25:39,014 - For me, it's great. 647 00:25:39,038 --> 00:25:40,265 You know, Puerto Ricans usually have 40 kids 648 00:25:40,289 --> 00:25:41,725 in three months, you know. 649 00:25:41,749 --> 00:25:42,517 (laughing) 650 00:25:42,541 --> 00:25:43,310 - [Narrator] With a baby on the way, 651 00:25:43,334 --> 00:25:45,562 Freddy helps himself for his family, 652 00:25:45,586 --> 00:25:48,172 but troubling news comes from his former manager. 653 00:25:49,256 --> 00:25:52,152 - Dave Jonas was suing Freddy for full commission 654 00:25:52,176 --> 00:25:55,405 because he believed that he was fired illegally 655 00:25:55,429 --> 00:25:57,449 and that he was entitled to all the commissions 656 00:25:57,473 --> 00:26:00,326 that Freddy received for 'Chico And The Man'. 657 00:26:00,350 --> 00:26:01,995 He was stressed by it. 658 00:26:02,019 --> 00:26:06,207 - And it wasn't the money so much as his pride, you know? 659 00:26:06,231 --> 00:26:10,128 And he got so angry and he just went and just punched 660 00:26:10,152 --> 00:26:11,945 the wall and broke his hand. 661 00:26:13,739 --> 00:26:17,469 - This is a kid, didn't have a lot of experience in life. 662 00:26:17,493 --> 00:26:19,596 Didn't have a lot of experience in business. 663 00:26:19,620 --> 00:26:21,931 He took it as somebody cheating him, 664 00:26:21,955 --> 00:26:23,600 which was quite not the case, 665 00:26:23,624 --> 00:26:26,543 but he didn't understand how business was running. 666 00:26:27,461 --> 00:26:29,856 - [Narrator] The one thing Freddy is sure of is that fame 667 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:31,090 can get him anything. 668 00:26:32,341 --> 00:26:33,359 - We were in Chicago, 669 00:26:33,383 --> 00:26:36,529 he was doing a movie and this was in the evening. 670 00:26:36,553 --> 00:26:38,865 He ran out of his Quaaludes. 671 00:26:38,889 --> 00:26:41,451 He called the bellman and said to him, 672 00:26:41,475 --> 00:26:42,535 "take me to the hospital." 673 00:26:42,559 --> 00:26:45,872 So they went and he just told them, "hey, 674 00:26:45,896 --> 00:26:49,959 I need some Quaaludes," and because of who he was, 675 00:26:49,983 --> 00:26:51,527 they handed them to him. 676 00:26:52,736 --> 00:26:56,114 Anytime he wanted something, it was given to him. 677 00:26:57,866 --> 00:27:00,011 - There were doctors in this industry 678 00:27:00,035 --> 00:27:02,972 that were prescribing Quaaludes to many star patients 679 00:27:02,996 --> 00:27:06,083 because they wanted to hold onto the artist as a patient. 680 00:27:07,668 --> 00:27:10,104 - [Narrator] Popular in the 1970s to treat insomnia 681 00:27:10,128 --> 00:27:12,607 and anxiety, one Quaalude could last 682 00:27:12,631 --> 00:27:14,466 between five to eight hours. 683 00:27:15,592 --> 00:27:18,071 But between his family doctor and his therapist, 684 00:27:18,095 --> 00:27:20,156 Freddy was prescribed 200 Quaaludes 685 00:27:20,180 --> 00:27:22,975 over the first six months alone, without question. 686 00:27:24,059 --> 00:27:26,788 - It was the doctors. Jeeze, Freddy would go to Las Vegas, 687 00:27:26,812 --> 00:27:29,874 come back with a, with a jar, prescribed jar this big, 688 00:27:29,898 --> 00:27:30,917 filled with Quaaludes. 689 00:27:30,941 --> 00:27:32,919 - Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Fred Prinze. 690 00:27:32,943 --> 00:27:33,920 (audience applauding) 691 00:27:33,944 --> 00:27:36,756 - [Narrator] But the company Freddy keeps also helps fuel 692 00:27:36,780 --> 00:27:38,740 his further descent into drugs. 693 00:27:39,575 --> 00:27:41,344 {\an8}- There were small countries being supported 694 00:27:41,368 --> 00:27:45,014 {\an8}by Richard Pryor because he was doing tons of drugs. 695 00:27:45,038 --> 00:27:47,100 - He would go over to his house 696 00:27:47,124 --> 00:27:50,061 and they would get all stoned, you know, together. 697 00:27:50,085 --> 00:27:53,189 {\an8}- He made, the consumption of cocaine, he made that cool. 698 00:27:53,213 --> 00:27:54,858 {\an8}We all wanted to be him 699 00:27:54,882 --> 00:27:56,484 and if that's the magic substance 700 00:27:56,508 --> 00:27:58,069 that could make us like Richard Pryor, 701 00:27:58,093 --> 00:27:59,821 we're gonna do that, you know. 702 00:27:59,845 --> 00:28:01,614 - He loved Richard Pryor, 703 00:28:01,638 --> 00:28:04,742 but Richard Pryor couldn't take care of himself. 704 00:28:04,766 --> 00:28:07,871 - He's already addicted to cocaine, which takes you up. 705 00:28:07,895 --> 00:28:10,456 Then he is taking Quaaludes, which bring you back down. 706 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:12,667 {\an8}It's like an elastic band on your nervous system. 707 00:28:12,691 --> 00:28:14,669 {\an8}One part's up, one part's down. 708 00:28:14,693 --> 00:28:16,653 {\an8}You're just kind of all over the place. 709 00:28:17,946 --> 00:28:18,965 - [Narrator] And this concoction of uppers 710 00:28:18,989 --> 00:28:21,825 and downers culminates in a wake up call. 711 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:26,055 - Kathy was over at my house and he called me 712 00:28:26,079 --> 00:28:29,767 and Kathy answered my phone, which he did not expect. 713 00:28:29,791 --> 00:28:32,145 He was like, uh oh, and Kathy says, 714 00:28:32,169 --> 00:28:35,064 "I'm not coming to get you. Carol will, but I won't." 715 00:28:35,088 --> 00:28:35,858 (chuckling) 716 00:28:35,882 --> 00:28:37,191 She was so mad at him. 717 00:28:37,215 --> 00:28:38,359 (whooshing) 718 00:28:38,383 --> 00:28:40,278 So he tried to drive back from Richard Pryor's 719 00:28:40,302 --> 00:28:43,031 and he got stopped and he was arrested. 720 00:28:43,055 --> 00:28:44,073 (whooshing) 721 00:28:44,097 --> 00:28:46,850 (somber music) 722 00:28:49,853 --> 00:28:51,539 (somber music) 723 00:28:51,563 --> 00:28:53,917 (audience cheering) 724 00:28:53,941 --> 00:28:55,752 - [Ring Announcer] This place is going crazy. 725 00:28:55,776 --> 00:28:57,962 There he is, Chico Rodriguez. 726 00:28:57,986 --> 00:28:59,631 - [Narrator] Four years into his career, 727 00:28:59,655 --> 00:29:03,051 and Freddy's popularity shows no signs of slowing down. 728 00:29:03,075 --> 00:29:06,429 (audience shouting) (ring announcer shouting) 729 00:29:06,453 --> 00:29:10,850 {\an8}- We had a contract with NBC studios for movies of the week. 730 00:29:10,874 --> 00:29:13,519 He had Sahara Tahoe in Vegas. 731 00:29:13,543 --> 00:29:16,189 He had contracts with them for several years. 732 00:29:16,213 --> 00:29:17,690 - Why don't you let somebody else make a buck? 733 00:29:17,714 --> 00:29:19,067 You're doing everything. You're on the road. 734 00:29:19,091 --> 00:29:20,151 You're doing concerts. You got a movie. 735 00:29:20,175 --> 00:29:21,569 You got a television show. 736 00:29:21,593 --> 00:29:22,820 - Yeah, working hard. 737 00:29:22,844 --> 00:29:24,906 Working hard is, I feel strong. 738 00:29:24,930 --> 00:29:27,158 I got a, like, it's like a resurgence. 739 00:29:27,182 --> 00:29:29,369 - A successful career, a wife, 740 00:29:29,393 --> 00:29:32,729 a son, that was plenty for him to be happy about. 741 00:29:33,772 --> 00:29:35,917 - [Narrator] Yet with a trial for his DUI charge looming 742 00:29:35,941 --> 00:29:38,044 and his persistent drug habit, 743 00:29:38,068 --> 00:29:40,278 things at home quickly start to unravel. 744 00:29:41,822 --> 00:29:44,759 - He had complete control of the networks and studios. 745 00:29:44,783 --> 00:29:47,136 {\an8}Everybody was backing down to him. 746 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:50,789 {\an8}The only person that really didn't back down was Kathy. 747 00:29:52,124 --> 00:29:53,309 - She threatened him, actually told him, 748 00:29:53,333 --> 00:29:55,603 "we need to separate. 749 00:29:55,627 --> 00:29:58,398 "I don't want you doing this around our son." 750 00:29:58,422 --> 00:30:01,025 He was miserable over that. He loved his wife. 751 00:30:01,049 --> 00:30:02,235 He wanted to be with his wife. 752 00:30:02,259 --> 00:30:04,988 So he was very unhappy during that period. 753 00:30:05,012 --> 00:30:08,908 And so, and instead of wising up and stopping, 754 00:30:08,932 --> 00:30:10,994 he got a little worse. 755 00:30:11,018 --> 00:30:12,412 {\an8}- You know, he was separated from Kathy 756 00:30:12,436 --> 00:30:14,122 {\an8}and getting divorced. 757 00:30:14,146 --> 00:30:17,125 I'd go over. We'd get high all night. 758 00:30:17,149 --> 00:30:17,960 I thought we were gonna watch movies 759 00:30:17,984 --> 00:30:19,460 and all we were doing was watching 760 00:30:19,484 --> 00:30:21,838 that damn Zapruder film he had on tape. 761 00:30:21,862 --> 00:30:23,923 And he go look, look, and he would slow it down. 762 00:30:23,947 --> 00:30:25,341 "I think there was brains, those are his brains." 763 00:30:25,365 --> 00:30:28,886 Yo, Freddy, don't you have something like 'The Godfather' 764 00:30:28,910 --> 00:30:29,910 or something? 765 00:30:31,163 --> 00:30:33,057 - He was looking for a reach out. 766 00:30:33,081 --> 00:30:34,350 {\an8}He was scared. 767 00:30:34,374 --> 00:30:38,003 {\an8}He just wanted to share his intensity. 768 00:30:38,962 --> 00:30:41,733 The therapy for him did open him up a little bit, 769 00:30:41,757 --> 00:30:44,819 things that bothered him, he started to convey 770 00:30:44,843 --> 00:30:45,862 a little bit more. 771 00:30:45,886 --> 00:30:48,489 He became somewhat looser. 772 00:30:48,513 --> 00:30:50,533 - Whoo... Puerto Rican fighter just come out, 773 00:30:50,557 --> 00:30:51,326 (imitating metal sliding) 774 00:30:51,350 --> 00:30:53,745 Okay, man. (audience laughing) 775 00:30:53,769 --> 00:30:55,496 - I was in Las Vegas with Freddy. 776 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:57,749 He was doing the Dean Martin Roast. 777 00:30:57,773 --> 00:30:59,542 We're in the suite at Caesars Palace. 778 00:30:59,566 --> 00:31:01,252 Freddy would call, you know, he had a, 779 00:31:01,276 --> 00:31:03,713 had a list of people he would call all night long. 780 00:31:03,737 --> 00:31:06,883 Five in the morning, he's calling Muhammad Ali, 781 00:31:06,907 --> 00:31:08,426 you know, high, Quaaluded out. 782 00:31:08,450 --> 00:31:11,679 "You know, you know, I can't take any more of this. 783 00:31:11,703 --> 00:31:13,473 "This is bullshit. They're sucking me dry. 784 00:31:13,497 --> 00:31:14,640 "They're using me. 785 00:31:14,664 --> 00:31:17,935 "It's over," you know, "I'm gonna show them." 786 00:31:17,959 --> 00:31:20,063 You know, people slept with their phones off the hook. 787 00:31:20,087 --> 00:31:21,773 People had to sleep. 788 00:31:21,797 --> 00:31:24,692 You know, calling Jimmy Komack at four in the morning. 789 00:31:24,716 --> 00:31:26,110 - He wanted things to change. 790 00:31:26,134 --> 00:31:29,906 But you know, all of a sudden with the drugs in him, 791 00:31:29,930 --> 00:31:32,658 everything was exaggerated in his brain. 792 00:31:32,682 --> 00:31:34,309 Everything was to the extreme. 793 00:31:35,852 --> 00:31:39,147 - Freddy is increasingly pushing the boundaries of danger. 794 00:31:39,940 --> 00:31:42,210 - We'd go over and he would be with the gun, complaining 795 00:31:42,234 --> 00:31:43,878 and we'd get high. 796 00:31:43,902 --> 00:31:47,131 And Freddy and I did these stupid... in' things. 797 00:31:47,155 --> 00:31:49,050 You know, I'd go out in the middle of the night 798 00:31:49,074 --> 00:31:50,384 and he would have a gun 799 00:31:50,408 --> 00:31:51,969 and he would shoot out a street light, 800 00:31:51,993 --> 00:31:54,138 you know, or, or, you know, crazy shit. 801 00:31:54,162 --> 00:31:56,998 There was, a third personality emerged. 802 00:31:58,250 --> 00:32:01,062 - It was when they were stoned out of their minds. 803 00:32:01,086 --> 00:32:04,524 They weren't thinking straight. They weren't thinking right. 804 00:32:04,548 --> 00:32:07,026 - When it came to guns, he would just challenge people. 805 00:32:07,050 --> 00:32:09,695 He'd say, "yeah, you don't have any guts." 806 00:32:09,719 --> 00:32:11,531 And he did it all the time. 807 00:32:11,555 --> 00:32:14,784 He would always, "click, click, click." 808 00:32:14,808 --> 00:32:16,577 - He would grab his gun and say, 809 00:32:16,601 --> 00:32:19,288 "I'm gonna shoot myself," and put the gun up to his head 810 00:32:19,312 --> 00:32:21,999 and click it and nothing would happen 811 00:32:22,023 --> 00:32:24,067 because the chamber was blank. 812 00:32:25,110 --> 00:32:26,295 - [Narrator] The acceleration of drugs 813 00:32:26,319 --> 00:32:28,005 and reckless gun brandishing have friends 814 00:32:28,029 --> 00:32:30,091 not only on edge, 815 00:32:30,115 --> 00:32:32,826 but coming ever so close to danger themselves. 816 00:32:34,035 --> 00:32:35,930 - One time he was very high. 817 00:32:35,954 --> 00:32:37,932 He was doing his usual, you know, 818 00:32:37,956 --> 00:32:41,602 coke, Quaalude, brandy. 819 00:32:41,626 --> 00:32:46,816 Then he goes to the bathroom and I hear a shot. 820 00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:48,109 (gunfire blasting) 821 00:32:48,133 --> 00:32:53,096 Boom! He dropped and I screamed and I ran to him 822 00:32:54,055 --> 00:32:56,951 and I'm screaming, "Freddy, Freddy!" 823 00:32:56,975 --> 00:32:59,912 And it was a prank, he played a prank on me. 824 00:32:59,936 --> 00:33:02,039 He says, "ah ha ha, I fooled you." 825 00:33:02,063 --> 00:33:04,000 Well, I beat his chest and I said, 826 00:33:04,024 --> 00:33:07,003 "don't ever do that to me again." 827 00:33:07,027 --> 00:33:09,297 I said, "you scared the daylights out of me," you know, 828 00:33:09,321 --> 00:33:10,048 and he knew, and he, 829 00:33:10,072 --> 00:33:13,533 and then he apologized because he knew I was crying, too. 830 00:33:14,618 --> 00:33:18,931 - Freddy had these moods, really up and really low. 831 00:33:18,955 --> 00:33:20,766 And you add cocaine to that, 832 00:33:20,790 --> 00:33:23,769 might as well put gasoline in a fire extinguisher. 833 00:33:23,793 --> 00:33:27,023 You put celebrity-ness and fame and fortune into that, 834 00:33:27,047 --> 00:33:30,318 you know, and you know, you got a ticking time bomb. 835 00:33:30,342 --> 00:33:33,011 (somber music) 836 00:33:35,055 --> 00:33:38,475 (somber rhythmic music) 837 00:33:39,559 --> 00:33:41,061 - Okay, I'm ready! 838 00:33:42,145 --> 00:33:44,499 - [Narrator] Despite Freddy's increasingly erratic behavior, 839 00:33:44,523 --> 00:33:47,043 he's managing to get through filming of his third season 840 00:33:47,067 --> 00:33:50,671 on 'Chico And The Man'. (audience laughing) 841 00:33:50,695 --> 00:33:52,965 - I pulled up to NBC with Marty Klein 842 00:33:52,989 --> 00:33:56,344 {\an8}and as we pull up, Freddy's pulling out and he's ranting 843 00:33:56,368 --> 00:33:57,929 {\an8}about something, and you know, 844 00:33:57,953 --> 00:33:59,096 obviously he was coked up 845 00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:01,766 {\an8}and I said, "well, I'm gonna see Steve 846 00:34:01,790 --> 00:34:02,601 "and then we're going to dinner." 847 00:34:02,625 --> 00:34:04,685 He goes, "okay, call me when you get home." 848 00:34:04,709 --> 00:34:05,937 - [Narrator] With 'Chico And The Man' renewed 849 00:34:05,961 --> 00:34:07,897 for a fourth season and having signed 850 00:34:07,921 --> 00:34:10,650 a multimillion dollar contract with NBC, 851 00:34:10,674 --> 00:34:13,009 Freddy Prinze is at the height of his career. 852 00:34:14,135 --> 00:34:17,031 {\an8}- Last time I spoke to Freddy was a telephone conversation. 853 00:34:17,055 --> 00:34:19,700 {\an8}It was the night before the taping 854 00:34:19,724 --> 00:34:22,495 of the last episode of 'Chico And The Man'. 855 00:34:22,519 --> 00:34:24,497 We had already planned to go right to work 856 00:34:24,521 --> 00:34:27,065 on his new special, and everything seemed fine. 857 00:34:28,817 --> 00:34:32,129 - That day, I came home with him from the studio 858 00:34:32,153 --> 00:34:36,926 and he's drinking the brandy, he's doing Quaaludes, 859 00:34:36,950 --> 00:34:41,955 {\an8}he's doing coke and he's doing more than he normally did. 860 00:34:43,206 --> 00:34:45,851 - [Narrator] With the steady stream of booze and drugs, 861 00:34:45,875 --> 00:34:48,938 Freddy's behavior is growing increasingly unpredictable 862 00:34:48,962 --> 00:34:50,130 and agitated. 863 00:34:51,464 --> 00:34:53,901 - I got home at 11:35, called Freddy. 864 00:34:53,925 --> 00:34:56,737 He was ranting back and forth, back and forth, 865 00:34:56,761 --> 00:34:58,030 and I said, "you know, Freddy, 866 00:34:58,054 --> 00:34:59,699 "what's missing from your life? 867 00:34:59,723 --> 00:35:02,910 "You have everything that me, Jay Leno, 868 00:35:02,934 --> 00:35:06,622 "Elaine Boozer are busting our ass to have. 869 00:35:06,646 --> 00:35:08,874 "What, what's missing from your life?" 870 00:35:08,898 --> 00:35:11,460 He goes, "I don't know. I love you like a brother. 871 00:35:11,484 --> 00:35:13,296 "It's been short, but sweet." 872 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:14,547 And I said, "oh gawd, now look. 873 00:35:14,571 --> 00:35:19,135 "If you're gonna do it, do it in the bathroom 874 00:35:19,159 --> 00:35:20,785 "and do it neatly." 875 00:35:22,495 --> 00:35:24,122 Those are my last word to him. 876 00:35:25,957 --> 00:35:29,061 - I got a telephone call from Carol who said that, "Freddy 877 00:35:29,085 --> 00:35:33,441 "was not happy. I'm concerned that something might happen 878 00:35:33,465 --> 00:35:37,486 "and I think you should talk to him." 879 00:35:37,510 --> 00:35:41,073 I said, "okay, put him on." 880 00:35:41,097 --> 00:35:43,075 And he told me that he felt that everybody 881 00:35:43,099 --> 00:35:45,077 was charging against him. 882 00:35:45,101 --> 00:35:47,788 The court case, The New Yorker with Jonas 883 00:35:47,812 --> 00:35:50,124 also had been served with a notice 884 00:35:50,148 --> 00:35:52,335 of a restraining order from Kathy. 885 00:35:52,359 --> 00:35:54,086 "I can't see my son." 886 00:35:54,110 --> 00:35:56,922 Then he started to bring up all the conversations 887 00:35:56,946 --> 00:36:00,968 of all of the other comics was saying things about him, 888 00:36:00,992 --> 00:36:03,995 bad things about him and was snapping at him. 889 00:36:06,122 --> 00:36:10,102 - Freddy had a therapist who he relied on. 890 00:36:10,126 --> 00:36:13,314 So I called him and I said, "he's in bad shape. 891 00:36:13,338 --> 00:36:16,067 "So you need to come over here." "All right," he says. 892 00:36:16,091 --> 00:36:20,029 So he came over and they were talking and Freddy seemed 893 00:36:20,053 --> 00:36:22,782 to be a little calmer. And so finally I said, 894 00:36:22,806 --> 00:36:26,118 ' cause I had daughters waiting for me at home, you know, 895 00:36:26,142 --> 00:36:29,270 so I needed to get home to them. So I leave. 896 00:36:30,397 --> 00:36:34,377 I no sooner get home and Freddy calls me, well, he says, 897 00:36:34,401 --> 00:36:35,920 "I'm lonely." I said, "what do you mean you're lonely? 898 00:36:35,944 --> 00:36:36,962 "The doctor's there." 899 00:36:36,986 --> 00:36:40,758 "Oh no, the doc left right after you did." 900 00:36:40,782 --> 00:36:41,967 I was furious. 901 00:36:41,991 --> 00:36:44,970 I was furious that the doctor left him alone. 902 00:36:44,994 --> 00:36:48,224 And so I said, "okay, I'll, I'll be right over." 903 00:36:48,248 --> 00:36:51,602 So then I get a phone call and it was Dusty, 904 00:36:51,626 --> 00:36:54,855 his business manager, who said, "Carol, 905 00:36:54,879 --> 00:36:59,318 "I just got a call from Freddy and he sounds really bad. 906 00:36:59,342 --> 00:37:00,820 "Should I go over?" 907 00:37:00,844 --> 00:37:02,947 And he was a little closer than I was. 908 00:37:02,971 --> 00:37:06,015 I said, "please, yes, yes, Dusty, go over." 909 00:37:07,058 --> 00:37:08,035 - [Narrator] As Dusty arrives, 910 00:37:08,059 --> 00:37:11,914 Freddy calls his ex-wife Kathy telling her he loves her 911 00:37:11,938 --> 00:37:13,148 and the baby. 912 00:37:13,940 --> 00:37:17,336 - It was pretty late and the telephone rings 913 00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:21,006 and it was Dusty and the opening words to me 914 00:37:21,030 --> 00:37:24,009 were, "Ron, he did it. 915 00:37:24,033 --> 00:37:26,786 "He did it. He did it. He went ahead and he did it." 916 00:37:27,912 --> 00:37:30,373 (somber music) 917 00:37:34,085 --> 00:37:36,981 (somber music) 918 00:37:37,005 --> 00:37:38,149 - Actor Fred Prinze 919 00:37:38,173 --> 00:37:42,194 was brought to the UCLA Medical Center at 4:06 AM. 920 00:37:42,218 --> 00:37:44,363 Mr. Prinze remains in critical condition 921 00:37:44,387 --> 00:37:46,014 in the intensive care unit. 922 00:37:47,223 --> 00:37:51,704 - Freddy's head was all wrapped in white gauze 923 00:37:51,728 --> 00:37:53,938 and that's all you could see, really, you know. 924 00:37:55,023 --> 00:37:57,668 Kathy was even saying, "I don't care what happens. 925 00:37:57,692 --> 00:38:00,129 "I'll take care of him, even if he's paralyzed. 926 00:38:00,153 --> 00:38:03,406 "Whatever, I don't care. Just so he comes home." 927 00:38:04,449 --> 00:38:05,551 - The doctor had said to me 928 00:38:05,575 --> 00:38:08,971 that this is not going to be good. 929 00:38:08,995 --> 00:38:12,207 "I'm not sure we can do much for him at this stage." 930 00:38:13,374 --> 00:38:15,060 - [Narrator] 24 Hours later, 931 00:38:15,084 --> 00:38:17,104 Freddy's family makes the most difficult decision 932 00:38:17,128 --> 00:38:18,898 of their lives. 933 00:38:18,922 --> 00:38:20,900 - Kathy and then his mother agreed, you know, 934 00:38:20,924 --> 00:38:23,152 to take him off life support. 935 00:38:23,176 --> 00:38:26,071 (somber music) 936 00:38:26,095 --> 00:38:28,616 - I mean, just couldn't believe that would happen 937 00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:32,018 and that did happen. It was like losing a younger brother. 938 00:38:33,061 --> 00:38:34,455 {\an8}- [Jack Albertson] In the years to come 939 00:38:34,479 --> 00:38:36,147 {\an8}and in the day and the years, 940 00:38:37,982 --> 00:38:41,736 this moment will have passed and we'll see Freddy again. 941 00:38:42,987 --> 00:38:46,133 - My heart was breaking and I just kept talking to him 942 00:38:46,157 --> 00:38:48,135 and saying, you know, "you're gonna go rest. 943 00:38:48,159 --> 00:38:51,263 "You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be fine. 944 00:38:51,287 --> 00:38:52,997 "You're gonna be peaceful now." 945 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:55,309 - He left a note. 946 00:38:55,333 --> 00:38:58,687 "I can't take it anymore. I just want peace." 947 00:38:58,711 --> 00:38:59,897 {\an8}- [Man Off Camera] Why were you getting emotional 948 00:38:59,921 --> 00:39:01,273 {\an8}there, Alan? 949 00:39:01,297 --> 00:39:04,193 - Because it's, you know, I loved him and you know, 950 00:39:04,217 --> 00:39:06,195 that was the first death I ever knew 951 00:39:06,219 --> 00:39:07,655 and the way he died, 952 00:39:07,679 --> 00:39:12,284 and, and he had everything and could have had much more 953 00:39:12,308 --> 00:39:15,913 and he had a beautiful wife, you know, and a, 954 00:39:15,937 --> 00:39:19,875 a gorgeous little baby and you know, fame and fortune. 955 00:39:19,899 --> 00:39:21,401 And he put a bullet in his head. 956 00:39:23,987 --> 00:39:26,799 - This one is one of my favorites, 957 00:39:26,823 --> 00:39:31,011 Freddy Prinze's first album. 'Thanks for giving me my break. 958 00:39:31,035 --> 00:39:34,205 'Please do not call again. Freddy Prinze' 959 00:39:35,456 --> 00:39:38,185 Freddy Prinze went from total obscurity 960 00:39:38,209 --> 00:39:41,647 to national fame in six minutes. 961 00:39:41,671 --> 00:39:43,566 That's a very difficult thing 962 00:39:43,590 --> 00:39:46,652 for the most emotionally stable human beings 963 00:39:46,676 --> 00:39:49,947 and you find me someone who does stand up comedy, 964 00:39:49,971 --> 00:39:54,368 who's emotionally stable, then they're not funny. 965 00:39:54,392 --> 00:39:56,829 - This was not an open time. 966 00:39:56,853 --> 00:39:59,415 People were not expressing themselves. 967 00:39:59,439 --> 00:40:03,002 People were not doing psychological evaluations 968 00:40:03,026 --> 00:40:04,920 and work on their psyche. 969 00:40:04,944 --> 00:40:05,963 I don't think we 970 00:40:05,987 --> 00:40:10,241 were aware just how chronic Freddy's case was. 971 00:40:11,618 --> 00:40:13,012 - [Narrator] It isn't until Freddy's death, 972 00:40:13,036 --> 00:40:14,972 that his family gets proof of the possibility 973 00:40:14,996 --> 00:40:15,997 of his illness. 974 00:40:17,290 --> 00:40:20,227 Freddy's therapist had kept secret a psychiatric evaluation 975 00:40:20,251 --> 00:40:22,521 of Freddy that reported he was unstable 976 00:40:22,545 --> 00:40:25,340 and may have had a major emotional disorder. 977 00:40:27,091 --> 00:40:29,069 - It's not surprising that Freddy Prinze 978 00:40:29,093 --> 00:40:31,113 may have had bipolar disorder 979 00:40:31,137 --> 00:40:34,908 and the substance abuse doesn't stabilize it. 980 00:40:34,932 --> 00:40:38,412 It suppresses it and can throw you into either a manic phase 981 00:40:38,436 --> 00:40:40,873 or a depressed phase. 982 00:40:40,897 --> 00:40:44,293 Freddy Prinze was 22 when he killed himself. 983 00:40:44,317 --> 00:40:47,588 That's around the time that chronic mental health conditions 984 00:40:47,612 --> 00:40:49,089 like bipolar disorder come out. 985 00:40:49,113 --> 00:40:51,634 And so that might have been coming out and nobody 986 00:40:51,658 --> 00:40:54,327 was recognizing it, 'cause this was the '70s. 987 00:40:55,995 --> 00:40:57,431 - Freddy's family is appalled 988 00:40:57,455 --> 00:40:59,957 by the gross negligence committed by his doctor. 989 00:41:00,833 --> 00:41:05,731 - Freddy relied on him and he failed Freddy. 990 00:41:05,755 --> 00:41:08,442 Kathy and Mary actually went to court 991 00:41:08,466 --> 00:41:11,695 and of course they did find accident. 992 00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:14,323 - In this country, the family of actor and television star, 993 00:41:14,347 --> 00:41:18,118 Freddy Prinze, whose death in 1977 was ruled a suicide, 994 00:41:18,142 --> 00:41:22,498 will receive a total of $950,000 from two doctors 995 00:41:22,522 --> 00:41:24,399 to settle charges of malpractice. 996 00:41:25,358 --> 00:41:27,961 - Neither doctor admitted to any wrongdoing 997 00:41:27,985 --> 00:41:29,654 and disputed they were liable. 998 00:41:30,571 --> 00:41:33,133 Many also point fingers towards NBC, 999 00:41:33,157 --> 00:41:35,302 the studio behind 'Chico And The Man', 1000 00:41:35,326 --> 00:41:37,429 - Chico! - And questioned 1001 00:41:37,453 --> 00:41:39,723 if it also willfully turned a blind eye 1002 00:41:39,747 --> 00:41:41,642 to Freddy's struggles. 1003 00:41:41,666 --> 00:41:43,894 - I think the network responsibility for somebody 1004 00:41:43,918 --> 00:41:46,146 like a Freddy Prinze who's getting outta control 1005 00:41:46,170 --> 00:41:48,857 should be not to empower him. 1006 00:41:48,881 --> 00:41:51,509 If anything, they should sober him up. 1007 00:41:52,385 --> 00:41:54,738 - Does the director have to stop the show? 1008 00:41:54,762 --> 00:41:57,032 Does the network need to stop? 1009 00:41:57,056 --> 00:41:59,225 Put a pause on things, go on hiatus? 1010 00:42:00,268 --> 00:42:02,996 - Unfortunately, your star is doing drugs, 1011 00:42:03,020 --> 00:42:06,959 but it's hard to stop a show that's in production 1012 00:42:06,983 --> 00:42:10,027 that's a hit. Too much money involved. 1013 00:42:11,112 --> 00:42:14,157 - Maybe they were planning on just doing exactly 1014 00:42:15,158 --> 00:42:16,635 what happened, which is plugged through until he dies. 1015 00:42:16,659 --> 00:42:17,659 Who knows? 1016 00:42:18,411 --> 00:42:19,179 (audience laughing) 1017 00:42:19,203 --> 00:42:19,931 - No, I've been, 1018 00:42:19,955 --> 00:42:21,682 I've been busier than a set of jumper cables 1019 00:42:21,706 --> 00:42:22,975 at a Puerto Rican funeral. 1020 00:42:22,999 --> 00:42:24,768 (audience laughing) 1021 00:42:24,792 --> 00:42:27,646 - [Narrator] A nexus of internal and external forces 1022 00:42:27,670 --> 00:42:31,275 brought Freddie Prinze's bright future to an untimely end, 1023 00:42:31,299 --> 00:42:34,945 but his memory and talents still live on. 1024 00:42:34,969 --> 00:42:38,407 - The legacy of Fred Prinze should be celebrated 1025 00:42:38,431 --> 00:42:41,034 and should be recognized more than it has. 1026 00:42:41,058 --> 00:42:45,289 He was the first Latino comic who made an impact. 1027 00:42:45,313 --> 00:42:48,041 - Looking good. (audience laughing) 1028 00:42:48,065 --> 00:42:51,378 - He inspired an entire generation and I've always 1029 00:42:51,402 --> 00:42:54,339 given him all the credit for me even to consider doing standup, 1030 00:42:54,363 --> 00:42:57,593 you know. He was the first soldier on the front lines. 1031 00:42:57,617 --> 00:43:01,180 And, for that, everybody's gotta give him credit, you know. 1032 00:43:01,204 --> 00:43:05,559 - I wish that he was around because he went 1033 00:43:05,583 --> 00:43:07,978 through that and he would've been able to say to me 1034 00:43:08,002 --> 00:43:09,938 what I say to young comics. 1035 00:43:09,962 --> 00:43:12,274 "Hey, look, you're getting success. 1036 00:43:12,298 --> 00:43:14,777 "Watch out. These are the pitfalls. 1037 00:43:14,801 --> 00:43:16,320 "This is gonna happen." 1038 00:43:16,344 --> 00:43:17,321 (audience cheering) 1039 00:43:17,345 --> 00:43:20,866 - How I wish he were alive today. I would've loved 1040 00:43:20,890 --> 00:43:23,619 to have been his writer, his friend, his second banana, 1041 00:43:23,643 --> 00:43:24,496 if you will. 1042 00:43:24,520 --> 00:43:25,497 (audience cheering) 1043 00:43:25,521 --> 00:43:28,582 - Freddy was 22 years old when he died 1044 00:43:28,606 --> 00:43:31,418 and the entertainment field never got to see him 1045 00:43:31,442 --> 00:43:32,920 come to fruition. 1046 00:43:32,944 --> 00:43:35,923 - You're gonna be like the next, I don't know who. 1047 00:43:35,947 --> 00:43:37,090 Lenny Bruce, I guess. 1048 00:43:37,114 --> 00:43:38,425 - I don't wanted people to say I'm the next Lenny Bruce, 1049 00:43:38,449 --> 00:43:39,676 next Richard Pryor, next Bill Cosby. 1050 00:43:39,700 --> 00:43:40,969 I want them to say, "Freddy Prinze, the voice 1051 00:43:40,993 --> 00:43:42,012 "of the Puerto Ricans." 1052 00:43:42,036 --> 00:43:44,139 {\an8}I'm not a social commentator. 1053 00:43:44,163 --> 00:43:46,642 {\an8}I'm a comedian and an entertainer. 1054 00:43:46,666 --> 00:43:48,811 {\an8}And if I said something of relevance, 1055 00:43:48,835 --> 00:43:51,271 {\an8}that's icing on the cake for me. I'm glad, I'm happy. 1056 00:43:51,295 --> 00:43:52,898 {\an8}(audience applauding) 1057 00:43:52,922 --> 00:43:56,175 {\an8}(big band music playing) 1058 00:43:58,010 --> 00:44:01,115 {\an8}- Thank you very much, people. Looking good 1059 00:44:01,139 --> 00:44:03,140 {\an8}(audience laughing)