Los García
Encyclopedia
Los García was a Puerto Rican
television
comedy
sitcom from the 1970s. Shown weekly on Ricavision channel 7, it depicted the life of a fictional family called Los García. The family was based on a real life family. It was the best-rated television program in five out of the six years of the program's run.
, a famous producer from Puerto Rico
, met Juan Bautista García
, a Corsica
n immigrant who had his name changed, as a baby, into a Spanish
sounding name upon his arrival in Puerto Rico during 1906.
After many years, Tommy Muñiz
, Tomás Muñiz's son, met and befriended Bautista García. Rafo Muñiz
, Tommy Muñiz's son, befriended Bautista García's son, Rodofredo García. Long after Tomás Muñiz died and shortly after Bautista García himself had died, Tommy Muñiz, who had been inspired by a painting that Bautista García had done in a school where Muñiz's children attended, came with the idea of dedicating a television show to the Bautista García family. Tommy Muñiz did play Juan Bautista García, and Rafo Muñiz was Godofredo García.
The show began in 1975, quickly becoming a public favorite. Gladys Rodríguez
played Ms. García, while Otilio Warrington
also had appearances. Edgardo Rubio,(son of Medal of Honor recipient Euripides Rubio
) who would later on achieve fame in WAPA-TV
's El Barrio Cuatro Calles, made his television acitng debut as a member of Los García.
Los García is considered by many Puerto Rican television critics to be among the best comedy shows in Puerto Rican history. The show ran until the early 1980s. A strike by some of channel 7's actors, by then owned by Tommy Muñiz, affected the show. Increased competition in the show's 7 p.m. time slot from other channels that showed telenovela
s during the same hour also affected the show.
Tommy Muñiz made the phrase Sea mi vida!! (Damn be my life!!, which he said every time his character got mad for some reason in the show), a trademark of his during this show.
After the end of Los García's successful run, the members of the show went on to do other things: Rafo Muñiz almost quit acting at all, returning sporadically to the profession that first gave him popularity, but he became a successful show producer, representing many singers in Puerto Rico with his Promotores Latinos
company. In 1989, he produced a version of MTV
's Remote Control
, but the United States
network threatened to sue and the show was taken off the air. Edgardo Rubio had a productive career as an actor. Gladys Rodríguez, who left the show before it ended, went on to star in many telenovelas and some comedy shows, and, in 1989, she and Tommy Muñiz reunited to play another romantic couple, in Jacobo Morales
' film
, Lo que le Pasó a Santiago
, which was nominated for an Oscar
for best foreign film.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
sitcom from the 1970s. Shown weekly on Ricavision channel 7, it depicted the life of a fictional family called Los García. The family was based on a real life family. It was the best-rated television program in five out of the six years of the program's run.
Information
Tomás MuñizTomas Muñiz
Tomás Muñiz Souffront was a well known Puerto Rican radio and television producer. He is sometimes respectfully called by the general public in Puerto Rico as Don Tomás Muñiz, to differentiate him from his namesake and son, Tommy MuñizAs a young man, Tomás Muñiz worked as a real estate agent, and...
, a famous producer from Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, met Juan Bautista García
Juan Bautista Garcia
Juan Bautista Garcia , born Jean Baptiste Romanacce, was a Corsican immigrant to Puerto Rico whose life and family became the inspiration for one of Puerto Rico's most successful television shows in history, Los Garcia....
, a Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
n immigrant who had his name changed, as a baby, into a Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
sounding name upon his arrival in Puerto Rico during 1906.
After many years, Tommy Muñiz
Tommy Muñiz
Lucas Tomás Muñiz Ramírez , better known as Tommy Muñiz, was a Puerto Rican comedy and drama actor, media producer, businessman and network owner...
, Tomás Muñiz's son, met and befriended Bautista García. Rafo Muñiz
Rafo Muñiz
Rafo Muñiz is a Puerto Rican actor, comedian, director and, more notably, producer of television shows and concerts.The son of legendary comic actor and producer Tommy Muñiz and brother of Pedro Muñiz; who is also a producer and actor, Rafo began acting as the young neighbor of M\"Miguel" in ...
, Tommy Muñiz's son, befriended Bautista García's son, Rodofredo García. Long after Tomás Muñiz died and shortly after Bautista García himself had died, Tommy Muñiz, who had been inspired by a painting that Bautista García had done in a school where Muñiz's children attended, came with the idea of dedicating a television show to the Bautista García family. Tommy Muñiz did play Juan Bautista García, and Rafo Muñiz was Godofredo García.
The show began in 1975, quickly becoming a public favorite. Gladys Rodríguez
Gladys Rodríguez
Gladys Rodríguez born June 4, 1943 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, is an actress, comedian and television host.-Early years:Rodríguez was born in Santurce, a section of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. Her parents moved to New York City when she was still a child. In New York, she received her...
played Ms. García, while Otilio Warrington
Otilio Warrington
Otilio Warrington, known popularly as Bizcocho is a comedian, best known for his roles of "Bizcocho" and "Cuca Gómez".-Early years:...
also had appearances. Edgardo Rubio,(son of Medal of Honor recipient Euripides Rubio
Euripides Rubio
Captain Eurípides Rubio , born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was a United States Army officer and one of five Puerto Ricans who were posthumously awarded the United States' highest military decoration for valor — the Medal of Honor for actions on November 8, 1966 during the Vietnam War...
) who would later on achieve fame in WAPA-TV
WAPA-TV
WAPA-TV is an independent television station located in San Juan, Puerto Rico transmitting over digital channel 27, virtual channel 4. The station is owned by InterMedia Partners and is branded as WAPA Television....
's El Barrio Cuatro Calles, made his television acitng debut as a member of Los García.
Los García is considered by many Puerto Rican television critics to be among the best comedy shows in Puerto Rican history. The show ran until the early 1980s. A strike by some of channel 7's actors, by then owned by Tommy Muñiz, affected the show. Increased competition in the show's 7 p.m. time slot from other channels that showed telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
s during the same hour also affected the show.
Tommy Muñiz made the phrase Sea mi vida!! (Damn be my life!!, which he said every time his character got mad for some reason in the show), a trademark of his during this show.
After the end of Los García's successful run, the members of the show went on to do other things: Rafo Muñiz almost quit acting at all, returning sporadically to the profession that first gave him popularity, but he became a successful show producer, representing many singers in Puerto Rico with his Promotores Latinos
Promotores Latinos
Promotores Latinos Known now as "ProLat Entertainment" is one of Puerto Rico's top talent agencies, show producers and entertainment representants....
company. In 1989, he produced a version of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Remote Control
Remote Control (game show)
Remote Control is a TV game show that ran on MTV for three seasons from 1987 until 1990. It was MTV's first original non-musical program. New episodes were made for first-run syndication in 1989 which were distributed by Viacom...
, but the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
network threatened to sue and the show was taken off the air. Edgardo Rubio had a productive career as an actor. Gladys Rodríguez, who left the show before it ended, went on to star in many telenovelas and some comedy shows, and, in 1989, she and Tommy Muñiz reunited to play another romantic couple, in Jacobo Morales
Jacobo Morales
Jacobo Morales is an auteur, whom many consider to be the most influential film director in Puerto Rico's history.-Life and career:...
' film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Lo que le Pasó a Santiago
Lo que le Pasó a Santiago
Lo que le pasó a Santiago is a 1989 Puerto Rican film written and directed by Jacobo Morales.The movie tells the story of a recently retired widower who meets a mysterious young lady in his life, disrupting his daily routines.Lo que le pasó a Santiago was the first Puerto Rican production in...
, which was nominated for an Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for best foreign film.