|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic American comedy, August 28, 2001
Freddie Prinze's "Looking Good" is a recording of a comedy monologue recorded before a live audience in Chicago in 1975. Freddie, who had earned national popularity as the star of the 70s sitcom "Chico and the Man," shows that he is a crowd-pleaser in more than one medium with this great performance.
A self-described "HungaRican" (half Hungarian, half Puerto Rican), Prinze was an expert commentator on ethnic and cultural identity in the United States. Freddie is wonderfully funny, and often talks about silly topics on this CD. But he also uses humor to comment on serious issues, such as poverty, crime, drugs, and representations of ethnic minorities in popular culture. His comments on political figures of the mid-1970s (like Gerald Ford) make this CD an interesting period piece, but the CD as a whole still has a freshness and immediate relevancy. There are many great bits, such as the story of Julio, the Puerto Rican cook on Noah's Ark.
Freddie's humor is never cruel or cheap. On the contrary; he seems to have a genuine affection for humanity--in all its ethnic permutations, and with all our quirks.
One interesting note: a partial transcription of the first several tracks on this CD can be found in the excellent anthology "Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings," edited by Roberto Santiago. Freddie's life ended young and tragically, but "Looking Good" preserves his bright and engaging voice.
Referring to ethnic difference, Freddie says on this recording, "We're all the same, right. We all have a heart. We all cry when certain things happen, we all laugh when certain things happen." Whatever your own ethnic background, expect to laugh when you hear "Looking Good."
|