Search - Freddie Prinze :: Looking Good

Classic American comedy

Michael J. Mazza | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 08/29/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."



"

Looking Good!

Michael J. Mazza | 01/28/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A great comedy album by someone who died way too soon. Freddie Prinze uses his experiences of growing up in ethnic New York to put humor into not so humorous everyday occurences."

5 STARS AIN'T ENOUGH!

Dave Fruge | Metairie, La. United States | 09/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"WHAT A RARE GEM!I WAS A FAN OF "CHICO AND THE MAN" WHEN FREDDIE WAS STILL ALIVE. (I WAS 7 1/2 WHEN HE DIED, AND KEPT ASKING MY PARENTS WHY HE SHOT HIMSELF, AND WHY HE DIDN'T CALL THE DOCTOR.) RECENTLY, T.V. LAND RERAN THE SHOW. I DIDN'T KNOW THIS ALBUM EXISTED, BUT WHEN I LOOKED PRINZE SR. UP ON THE INTERNET AND DISCOVERED IT, I ORDERED IT IMMEDIATELY! I'M SO GLAD I DID! FREDDIE PRINZE WAS A COMIC GENIUS AND A NATIONAL DISCOVERY! THIS ALBUM SHOWCASES HIS HUMOR AND TALENT AS A PERFORMER! HIS HUMOR ISN'T CREUL OR INSULTING TO ANYONE EITHER. IT'S JUST HIS OBSERVATIONS AND STORIES ABOUT HIS AND OTHER CULTURES. THERE'S ALSO NOT A SINGLE CURSE WORD ON HERE, EITHER, AND THAT'S RARE! I LOVE PEOPLE SUCH AS RICHARD PRYOR AND GEORGE CARLIN, BUT SINCE THEIR GROUND-BREAKING HUMOR CAUGHT ON, HARDLY ANY COMEDIANS ARE "CLEAN", EXCEPT MAYBE BILL COSBY. WELL, WITH "LOOKING GOOD", YOU CAN PLAY IT EVEN IN FRONT OF KIDS AND REST ASSURED THEY WON'T HEAR ANYTHING INAPPROPRIATE! FOR ANY FANS OF FREDDIE PRINZE, OR ANYONE WANTING TO DISCOVER HIM, CHECK OUT THIS ALBUM! IT'LL GIVE YOU AN INSIGHT TO WHERE HIS SON GOT HIS GREAT TALENT!
ONE MORE THING INTERESTING, PRINZE IS NOT FREDDIE'S GIVEN NAME. ACCORDING TO DAVID BRENNER, HE WANTED TO BE THE KING OF COMEDY. ALAN KING TOOK KING, SO HE SAID HE'D BE THE PRINCE OF COMEDY. PRINCE WASN'T QUITE HIP ENOUGH, SO HE CHANGED THE C TO A Z - FREDDIE PRINZE."