Quico and the last episode he recorded with El Chavo del 8. Photo: Televisa
He is one of the great characters of Latin American comedy of the second half of the 20th century. A kind of gentle villain, a warm and funny anti-hero. Puffed cheeks, gurgling cries, a sailor suit and hoses repeated over several generations. Quico, Doña Florinda's spoiled sonArchenemy of Chavo del 8, was the great creation of Carlos Villagran, his consecration, his source of income for half a century, his ticket to immortality and at the same time his golden prison. Villagrán lived and lives imprisoned in Quico (although he spells his name differently). All these decades he has been the debtor and hostage of this moody 8-year-old boy dressed as a sailor. Condemned, he is repeatedly condemned to discuss his arguments in every interview Roberto Gómez Bolaños and Florinda Meza. And he was the one who took advantage of its popularity and validity.
From infobae.com
Carlos Villagrán, who turns 80 todayHe wanted to be an actor from a young age. While he waited for his chance, he became a photographer like his father. During the 1968 Olympics, he not only photographed the world's best athletes; He also took the opportunity to enter the Televisa studios and make contacts. I wanted to get a chance in front of the cameras. So, thanks to his persistence and sympathy, he began appearing as an extra or with small appearances in various television shows. During the break of one of these recordings, he met the comedian Rubén Aguirre (later Professor Jirafales), who led him to work with him. They devised a number with great impact in which Aguirre was the ventriloquist and Villagrán, Pirolo, was the puppet who sat on his knees and spoke with prominent cheeks and a high-pitched voice. At a private party, fueled by a few drinks, they began performing in front of several Mexican entertainment stars. That night Roberto Gómez Bolaños discovered him. After a long laugh out loud, he offered him a spot on his television show “The Supergeniuses of the Square Table.” There, Villagrán played dozens of comic characters. He also accompanied Gómez Bolaños in his next project called Chespirito. In that show, a ten-minute segment had a huge hit: a sketch set in a neighborhood in which the main character was an eight-year-old orphan named El Chavo, played by Chespirito. The segment quickly gained its independence and developed into an unprecedented boom that, more than half a century later, continues to be relevant with its reruns and downloads on the Internet, entertaining children and adults all over the world.
There were others in this area besides Chavo Don Ramón (or Ron Damón), Doña Florinda, la Chilindrina, Ñoño, Señor Barriga, the witch of '71, Professor Jirafales who became unforgettable characters. However, there was one who stood out more: Quico.
Quico was actually named after his father Federico (Gómez Bolaños says that, in contrast to Chavo's poverty and orphanhood, he baptized him this way: Fede Rico), a sailor who had died at sea, presumably devoured by a shark. For this reason, Quico used to say that his father did it dead in the fish. The sailor suit therefore had a double meaning: a tribute to the absent father and an allusion to the social differences between the members of the neighborhood (or at least to their ambitions), since this clothing was worn by Mexican boys from higher social classes in the thirties.
A photomontage (which Villagrán has repeated on his networks) summarizes what these years were like for Chavo and his cast. In a line imitating the cover of the last album recorded by the Beatles, Chavo, Don Ramón, Chilindrina and Quico cross Abbey Road. They were the Beatles of children's comedy. Chavomania broke out across South America. Her shows broke ratings records in the country where they aired. The tours were a logical consequence. Crowds of people waited for them at the airports, every time it was announced that they would be appearing on a television channel, the crowd at the entrance had to be controlled by police and filled every stadium where they appeared. In Argentina, for example, they broke the record for consecutive performances at Luna Park. This mark was broken shortly afterwards: on the next visit of the Gómez Bolaños troupe.
There were not only television programs, live shows and films (El Chanfle and its sequel – Villagrán showed himself as a worthy football player – were very successful, although their quality was quite poor). There were records (Quico had his exclusive), T-shirts, pajamas, toys, magazines, posters, candy, figurines, and every conceivable merchandise a franchise could generate, although in those years it was unimaginable for a television program to do that could afford So. El Chavo (and Gómez Bolaños) were pioneers in this matter.
So much success caused problems. A deadly combination of burnout, conflicting egos and economic interests. Whose success was it? The applause and praise were divided, although recognition of the genius of Gómez Bolaños seemed unanimous. What wasn't evenly distributed was income. Although the performances of the main actors were excellent, they were convinced, as is often the case in these cases, that the distribution was not fair, that the leader would become a multimillionaire, while they received only excellent salaries. Everyone was convinced that this was the essential and indispensable part of the project. The truth is that in the following years, despite some downturns, Chavo He endured the departure of Don Ramón, Chilindrina and Quico and the deaths of several other actors who played minor characters.
Quico had gained a lot of autonomy. The boys repeated their sentences (Shut up, shut up, you're making me desperate; Rabble, rabble, rabble) And they cried with their faces leaning against an arm that, like him, was leaning against the wall. During live performances, the audience roared at his every intervention. This led Gómez Bolaños to view Quico's growth with skepticism. And to Villagrán, everything he earned seemed small.
The exact reasons for Quico's departure were never revealed. Versions vary depending on who you listen to. Roberto Gómez Bolaños says in his memoir “Sin Querer Queriendo” that Villagrán met him one day in late 1977 at a bar to talk. He told him that he thought it was time to headline his own show. Gómez Bolaños states that it seemed understandable to him, since the influence that Quico has had in recent tours, especially in Venezuela and Chile, has been very great, although he clarifies that this is a credit to the group. According to Chespirito, the conversation was friendly and calm. Villagrán would have asked for permission to continue with the character and this was granted. Before saying goodbye, he had asked his mentor for advice, and Gómez Bolaños said he had told him: “Quico is a character who can give you great satisfaction and the corresponding triumphs, but don't limit yourself to him.” With pompousness Talking cheeks is a lot of fun, but too much can be harmfully irritating. That's why you dose it; Combine it with other characters that you can create yourself.” Gómez Bolaños says Villagrán broke up because he received a Venezuelan offer that multiplied the salary he paid her tenfold.
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