El Chavo del Ocho
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El Chavo del Ocho was a famous Mexican television show that also became a popular hit all over Latin America and Spain.
The show started in 1970, after the show's main character, Chavo (kid in Mexico), had appeared alongside another character, Chilindrina, in a sketch of another popular Mexican television show. At first intended for a mature audience, it proved extremely popular with Mexican children, and it was then decided to direct the show to children. El Chavo del Ocho was named like that because the show was transmitted by Canal 8 (canal ocho).
Chespirito was the show's main creator and star. He called Florinda Meza to act in the show first; Chespirito and Meza later married and continue, as of 2004, together. Edgar Vivar was the second actor chosen for the show. Chespirito recruited Ramón Valdés because he had known Valdés for years; Valdés, brother of Loco Valdés and uncle of Cristian Castro, had made multiple movies Chespirito had seen. Then, Rubén Aguirre was cast as the show's professor. Aguirre and Chespirito had been working on scripts together for years. Carlos Villagrán just happened to be a friend of Aguirre who was a newspaper reporter, and he went to a party hosted by Aguirre. Villagrán did a comedy step where he blew his cheeks out of proportion, and Aguirre told Chespirito about his friend's hidden talent. Villagrán was promptly hired for the show. María Antonieta de las Nieves was a voice-over only actress who used to go to Televisa to do announcements. Upon hearing her voice, Chespirito thought she was perfect for the show. The last ones to be added to the show were Angelines Fernández, a former telenovela actress and Horacio Gómez Bolaños, Chespirito's brother and who had never considered acting before; he was originally to oversee the show's marketing.
El Chavo del Ocho was the story of a Mexican boy, Chavo, who lives inside a beer barrel in a Mexico City community, commonly known as vecindad. The show explores, in a comical way, the problems many homeless children face on a daily basis, such as hunger, sadness, and not having someone responsible who watches over them.
The show was so popular in other parts of Latin America and among the Spanish speaking community of the United States that in Peru, for example, other shows involving the main actors of El Chavo del Ocho began to be televised, in Argentina, Ruben Aguirre has been able to enjoy wild success playing his character at a circus, and in Puerto Rico, many of the phrases Chavo and his friends used have become normal part of their every day dialogue. In the United States, the show is still shown, on Galavision.
The show stopped being produced shortly after Villagrán and Valdés left it, in 1978.
Chespirito has established legal battles with former Chavo del Ocho actors, to prevent them from using the show's characters in Mexico without paying him. That is one of the reasons why Aguirre moved to Argentina, where he can use his character's name on his shows, as Chespirito has no copyrights in Argentina.
In 2003, El Chavo del Ocho DVD's were released on the market, and the gossip magazine, TV y Novelas, began offering them as part of their subscription packages.
Cast and characters
- Rubén Aguirre (Profesor Jirafales)
- Chespirito (El Chavo)
- María Antonieta de las Nieves (Chilindrina)
- Angelines Fernández (La Bruja del 71)
- Florinda Meza (Doña Florinda and Popis)
- Horacio Gómez Bolaños (Godínez)
- Raúl Chato Padilla (Jaimito, el cartero)
- Ramón Valdés (Don Ramón)
- Carlos Villagrán (Kiko also spelled Quico)
- Edgar Vivar (Señor Barriga and Ñoño)
Running gags
The show is mostly built on Running gags, or things that are repeated in every episode. Some examples include:
El Chavo breaks Kiko’s toy airplane and he screams, "Mama!" Don Ramón, who happens to be nearby comes over, picks up the broken toy, walks over to el Chavo and begins to tell him off. Meanwhile, Kiko tells his mom (Doña Florinda) "He broke my toy!" and points over to el Chavo. Doña Florinda mistakes the direction he's pointing and thinks its Don Ramón (which were standing one next to the other) walks over and asks him, "Is that so?" and before Don Ramón can half explain that it was el Chavo who broke it, she slaps him. Don Ramón looks surprised at the camera while Doña Florinda says to Kiko, "Let's go, sweatheart. Don't get together with this riff-raff." To which Kiko always replies "Yes, Mommy. Riff-raff, riff-raff!" and pushes Don Ramón. Before leaving, Doña Florinda tells Don Ramón, "And next time, go break your grandmother’s toys!" Don Ramón, angered, throws his hat to the ground and stomps it. El Chavo walks over to him and says, "Don Ramón, don't break your grandmother's toys, why don't you better give them to me?" to which Don Ramón hits el Chavo on the head, producing a bell sound effect, making el Chavo cry "pee pee pee pee pee pee!" and go hide in his barel. Don Ramón follows him saying "pee pee pee pee pee pee. And I don't hit you again just because my grandmother worked in a toy factory." and marches towards his house.
Professor Girafales enters, and Doña Florinda stops whatever she's doing to go over to him as if spell bound sighing "Professor Girafales" to which he replies "Doña Florinda."
"What miracle makes you come here?"
"I came to bring you these humble roses."
"Oh, thank you. They're lovely. But wouldn't you like to come on in and have a cup of coffee?"
"If it wouldn't be too much to ask..."
"No, not at all. Come on in."
"After you."
sighs...
This usually is interrupted or followed by something said by the character involved in whatever Doña Florinda was doing before Professor Girafales arrived, to which they pay no attention.
Other running gags don't have a specific dialogue attatched to them like the ones above, but include Señor Barriga coming to ask Don Ramón to pay the rent and he escapes out the window before he sees him; and the fact that every time that Señor Barriga enters, el Chavo hits him one way or another, to the point that Señor Barriga started congratulating el Chavo when he didn't hit him, to which el Chavo would turn around, or drop whatever he was holding (ironically hitting Señor Barriga) saying "You hear that, Kiko? This is the first time that Señor Barriga comes and I–" which is usually interrupted by Señor Barriga.