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Country boy Larry Wilcox got first billing, but Erik Estrada was the breakaway star of
CHiPs, the popular late 1970s show about California highway patrolmen. With his blindingly white teeth, tight shirts, tighter pants, and exquisite '70s hair (which always emerged from under his helmet perfectly coifed), Estrada transformed his struggling career of playing hoodlums into becoming one of television's first Latino heroes--Frank "Ponch" Poncharello--and a skyrocketing sex symbol as well.
CHiPs is basically
Adam-12 on motorcycles. Ponch may have been a hothead, but there's not a hint that these cops are anything but perfectly upright and earnest in their duties--a far cry from
The Shield or
The Wire! Ponch and Jon Baker (Wilcox) cruise all over the southern California freeway system, grappling with car thieves, clearing away overturned trucks, and pulling beautiful girls out of car accidents. Every episode has at least one high-speed chase and just about every episode features Ponch hitting on a woman with gloriously feathered hair; watching episode after episode may feel a bit repetitive, but there's no denying that the stories are efficiently laid out and crisply executed. Foiling crime and rescuing lost dogs was the show's meat and potatoes, but the dessert was preposterousness like Ponch competing with a squad of middle-aged housewives on a game show or chasing after spilled chickens. The extras on
CHiPs: The Complete First Season are meager, but many episodes feature introductions by Estrada, who's gained some weight but lost none of his cocksure charm.
--Bret Fetzer
Product Description
Where the rubber meets the road and the bad guys meet the badge -- that's where you'll find California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers Jon (Larry Wilcox) and Ponch (Erik Estrada). Set in the sun-drenched sprawl of Los Angeles, CHiPs combines action, heroics and fun in 22 Season One episodes whose event-packed storylines range from freeway gridlock (let's use a circus elephant to tow that broken-axled truck!) to wild roadway pursuits (who's that beautiful woman lead-footing a Rolls Royce?), from spilled onions (crying time, fellas) to pure venom (an overturned van loaded with...sssnakes!). Attention all units: Report now for arresting entertainment!
DVD Features:
Introduction:Introduction and Trivai Tidbits with Erik Estrada on select episodes.
Introduction:Introduction and Trivia Facts on select episodes by Erik Estrada.
Introduction:Introduction and Trivia Facts on select episodes by Erik Estrada.
Introduction:Introduction and Trivia Facts on select episodes by Erik Estrada.
Introduction:Introduction and Trivia Facts on select episodes by Erik Estrada.
Featurette:The Ride Out of Spanish Harlem: A Retrospective Featurette with Erik Estrada
Introduction:Introduction and Trivia Facts on select episodes by Erik Estrada.
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