THE ADDAMS FAMLY/ABC/1965-66
*(John Astin) Gomez Addams, cigar-smoking eccentric millionaire who lives in a
spooky gothic mansion with his slender wife, Morticia. Gomez's heritage is
Spanish and his hot-blooded nature erupts when his wife speaks the French
language. As Gomez would say "Tish!, when you speak French, it drives me wild,
Cara Mia!" He would then grab her arm and plant a trail of kisses from her hand
up to her waiting lips. Morticia's French supposedly helped clear up a sinus
condition Gomez had for 22 years. Gomez keeps his Garcia y Vega cigars in a
cigar store Indian statue that rests in his museum-like living room. Besides
Gomez and Morticia, the Addams family included Ken Weatherwax as their portly
son Pugsley Addams; Lisa Loring as their somber little girl Wednesday Friday
Addams; Blossom Rock as Grandmama "the witch" Addams; Jackie Coogan as the bald
Uncle Fester Frump; Felix Sillas the hairy Cousin Itt; and Ted Cassidy as Lurch,
the family's towering zombie butler who answers the family gong with "You Rang?"
Gomez's family traces its roots back to the year 270 B.C. when his relative
Maumud Kali Pashi burned down the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. Years later,
during colonial times, Gomez's relatives changed their name from Adams to Addams
to avoid being embarrassed with any association with that "other" prominent
Adams family (who produced two presidents - John and John Quincy Adams). The
series is based on cartoons created by Charles Addams that appeared in The New
Yorker Magazine. In 1991 Raoul Julia played the role of Gomez in the theatrical
movie The Addams Family and the sequel Addams Family Values (1993).
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS/CBS/1985 (Mini-series)
*(Faye Dunaway/costar) Queen Isabella, the monarch of Spain in the 15th century
who financed the travels of Italian-born explorer, Christopher Columbus who
sought to find a new route to Asia. Other cast included Nicol Williamson as King
Ferdinand; Rosanno Brazzi as Diego Ortiz DeVilhegas; Virna Lisi as Dona Moniz
Perestrello; Oliver Reed as Martin Pinzon; and Raf Vallone as Jose Vizinho.
DON QUIXOTE/SYN/1965
*(Josef Meinrod) Don Quixote De La Mancha, a starry-eyed dreamer/country
gentleman who set out in search of adventure amidst the scenery of 17th century
Spain with his squire Sancho Panza. The series was based on the classic Spanish
novel Don Quixote De La Mancha written in 1605 by Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra
(1547-1616). A short lived (six episodes) British sci-fi satire, THE ADVENTURES
OF DON QUICK/LWT/1970, loosely based on the adventures of Don Quixote, starred
Ian Hendry as Captain Don Quick, a member of the Intergalactic Maintenance Squad
and his second-in-command Sgt. Sam Czopanser (Ronald Lacey). Rex Harrison later
played the role of Don Quixote in the 1972 BBC movie version The Adventures of
Don Quixote costarring with Frank Finlay as Sancho Panza. An animal adaptation
of the tale appeared in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon THE ADVENTURES OF DON COYOTE
AND SANCHO PANDA/SYN/1990-91 (voice of Frank Welker as Don Coyote and Don
Messick as Sancho Panda).
THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW/CBS/1949-70
**(Senor Wences) Senor Wences, internationally known ventriloquist (born Moreno
Wenceslao in Salamanca, Spain) who frequently appeared on television in the
1950-60s, especially on the CBS Sunday night variety program THE ED SULLIVAN
SHOW. His act consisted of throwing his voice into a number of objects including
a box, his own hand and animal hand puppets like Cecilia Chicken. The most
famous puppet in his gallery of characters was Johnny (Wences' hand decorated
with two eyes, a large mouth painted along the juncture of the thumb and index
fingers). Sometimes, Wences placed Johnny on top of a headless dummy to create
the illusion of a small person talking. Senor Wences' interest in ventriloquism
was inspired by his exposure to vaudeville acts seen in silent movie theaters
where his violinist father played with the orchestras. Wences honed his vocal
skills by throwing his voice in school sometimes answering "present" for
students not in attendance. It was one such time that the idea for his Johnny
character was conceived. Punished for causing a disturbance in class by throwing
his voice, Wences had to clean all the ink wells in the classroom. When he
finished, however, he noticed some ink stains on his hand that resembled a face.
When he moved his thumb, it appeared to be talking. Synchronizing his
ventriloquist talents with the movements of the cartoon like face, Johnny was
born. Originally, Johnny smoked a cigarette, but with the changing social
values, Wences eliminated the smoking from his act. The Johnny character
appeared in the vaudeville film Mother Wore Tights (1947) starring Betty Grable
& Dan Dailey. Senor Wences usually dressed in tuxedo and tails, as he
entertained in supper clubs and vaudeville halls throughout Spain and South
America. When he translated his act into English, Senor Wences took his act to
North America, England and Europe. During World War II he entertained troops at
military bases and hospitals. His contacts with then newspaper columnist Ed
Sullivan later garnered him some 48 guest appearances on THE TOAST OF THE TOWN
which later became THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW/CBS/1948-71. Another of Wences' popular
puppet characters was Pedro, the face in the box. Throwing his voice into a
small black box, Wences carried on a conversation with the bodiless entity. At
the conclusion of each encounter, Senor Wences inquired about Pedro's feelings
by saying "Sall right?" Pedro quickly replied "S-all right!" Senor Wences also
appeared on THE PERRY COMO SHOW; at a command performance at the London Paladium
with King George VI, Queen Elizabeth; and with the US Presidents Roosevelt,
Truman, Eisenhower and Nixon. His admirers included Walt Disney, Danny Kaye and
Edgar Bergen. Senor Wences was the mystery guest on the October 23, 1969
installment of the syndicated quiz/panel program WHAT'S MY LINE/CBS/1950-67/SYN/1968-75.
FAWLTY TOWERS/BBC/1975 & 1979
**(Andrew Sachs) Manuel, a bumbling, Spanish bellhop/waiter from Barcelona,
Spain who had a difficult time speaking the English language and communicating
with his employer, Basil Fawlty the incompetent owner of the British hotel known
as Fawlty Towers. Once upset with Manuel, Basil cried "Please try to understand
before one of us dies!"
HAMISH MACBETH/BBC/1995-97
**Ferdinand and his two sons, Jesus and Manuel, a.k.a. The Clan MacLopez. They
live in the Highland town of Lochdubh, Scotland and are often under
investigation by local police constable Hamish Macbeth for manufacturing illegal
sherry stills. The Clan MacLopez are the descendants of sailors wrecked on the
shores of Scotland during the rout of the Spanish Armada in 1582.
LONG JOHN SILVER (THE ADVENTURES OF)/SYN/1955-56
**(Lloyd Berrell) Mendoza, a Spanish sailor who interacted with Long John
Silver, a British buccaneer who battled the Spanish naval fleets roaming the
West Indies of the 1700s.
THE LOVE BOAT/ABC/1977-86
**(Charo) April Lopez, a beautiful, often jiggling Spanish singer-guitarist who
performed (in a recurring role) on the Pacific Princess, an ocean-going cruise
ship traveling to exotic ports worldwide. Charo (who spoke in a thick Castillian
accent) also appeared in the role of Aunt Charo on the sitcom CHICO AND THE
MAN/NBC/1974-78 (during 1977-78); made guest appearances on THE WACKY WORLD OF
JONATHAN WINTERS/SYN/1972-74; and costarred in the ABC comedy pilot CHARO & THE
SERGEANT (aired 8/24/76) about a beautiful Spanish entertainer who married a
U.S. Marine sergeant. Charo's catchphrase is a very animated "Coochi, Coochi."
QUEEN OF SWORDS/SYN/2000-01
*(Tessie Santiago) Maria Theresa "Tessa" Alvarado, a Spanish aristocrat who
returns to California in 1817 after many years of living in Spain to claim her
family's birthright and learns that the land is being ruled by an iron-fisted
military dictator, since her father's suspicious death from a fall from a
horse.. In the tradition of Zorro, Tessa dons a black fencing clothes and mask
made from a piece of her mother's lace shawl to become The Queen of Swords, an
avenger for the downtrodden who uses her sword and whip to battle the local
tyrants. Other cast featured were Paulina Gálvez as Marta, Tessa's gypsy
governess and confidante with mystical powers; Tacho González as Don Gaspar
Hidalgo; Anthony Lemke as Captain Marcus Grisham; Elsa Pataky as Senora Vera
Hidalgo; Valentine Pelka as Colonel Luís Montoya; Grant Russell as Tessa's Uncle
Alejandro and .Oliver Haden as Marta's long-lost love, Leonardo. About her role
in the series, Santiago once said in an interview, "I'm really proud of this
part. I play not just a strong, intelligent woman, but a strong, intelligent
Latin woman." The series was produced by Fireworks Entertainment.
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE (THE ADVENTURES OF)/ATV/1962
**(Roger Delgado) Ambassador Mendoza, Spanish official representing the Royal
court of Spain who interacted with 16th century seaman, explorer Sir Francis
Drake. Drake of course was plundering the Spanish fleet on orders from Queen
Elizabeth I.
SURFSIDE SIX/ABC/1960-62
**(Margarita Sierra) Cha Cha O'Brien, a Latin dancer in the "Boom Boom Room" at
the swank Fountainbleau Hotel in Miami Beach. She interacted with private
investigators Ken Madison, Sandy Winfield II, and Dave Thorne. The character
"Cha Cha" was born in Madrid and had been dancing since she was four-years-old.
Her body language was typically animated, a la the hot-blooded Latin stereotype.
Her character inspired a record called the "Cha Cha Twist".
T.H.E. CAT/NBC/1966-67
**(Robert Carricart) Pepe, a Spanish gypsy who owned a San Francisco nightspot
called Casa Del Gato (translated "House of the Cat") where professional
bodyguard Thomas Hewett Edward Cat met potential clients to size up whether he
would take up their cause.
THE XAVIER CUGAT SHOW/NBC/1957
*(Xavier Cugat) Latin bandleader, affectionately known as "Cugie" hosted this
15-minute musical variety program. Singer Abbe Lane (his wife at the time)
co-starred. Cugat also appeared on the musical programs THE VOICE OF
FIRESTONE/NBC/ABC/1949-1963 and AMERICA'S GREATEST BANDS/CBS/1955. Born in
Girona, Girona Catalina, Spain, on January 1, 1900, Xavier Cugat's family moved
to Havana, Cuba, when he was three. He died of heart failure in.Barcelona,
Catalina, Spain on October 27, 1990. In the '30s and '40s Cugat was nicknamed
"The Rumba King" because of his popularization of that Latin dance. His full
name was Francisco de Asís Javier Cugat Mingall de Bru y Deulofeu.
ZORRO/ABC/1957-59
*(Guy Williams) Don Diego de la Vega, son of an aristocrat Don Alejandro (George
J. Lewis) living in Spanish occupied California of 1820 whose alter ego was that
of Zorro (Spanish for "Fox"), a masked swashbuckling hero who battled the
tyrannical local authorities. Zorro's secret identity was known only to his
faithful mute servant, Bernardo (Gene Sheldon). Other regulars included Britt
Lomond as the evil magistrate, Captain Monastario; Henry Calvin as the plump,
inept Sgt. Garcia; and Jolene Brand as Diego's love interest, Anna Maria Verdugo.
The character of "Zorro" was created by Johnston McCulley in the story "The
Curse of Capistrano," later retitled "The Mark of Zorro".
ZORRO/CBS/1981
*(Cartoon Character) Don Diego De La Vega, a.k.a. Zorro (voice of Henry Darrow),
a swashbuckling masked hero of the Old Spanish West. Other cast were Christine
Avila as the voice of Maria; East Carlo as the voice of Gaspar; Don Diamond as
the voice of Sgt. Gonzalez; Eric Mason as the voice of Capt. Ramon; Julio Medina
as the voice of Miguel; Carlos Rivas as the voice of Don Alejandro; and Socorro
Valdez as the voice of Lucia. Another animated ZORRO cartoon resurfaced in a 28
episode syndicated series that ran from 1997-1998. This series later ran on the
Nickelodeon Channel in December of 2002. The cartoon character voices were
provided by Michael Gough as the voice of Don Diego/Zorro; Earl Boen as the
voice of Capt. Montecero; Jeannie Elias as the voice of Isabela; Patrick Fraley
as the voice of Don Alejandro; and Tony Pope as the voice of Sgt. Garcia.
ZORRO/FAM/1990-92
*(Duncan Regehr) Don Diego de la Vega alias Zorro, a swashbuckling masked hero
of the Old Spanish West. Also included were Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Zorro's
father, Don Alejandrode la Vega; Patrice Camhi as Victoria Escalante; Michael
Tylo as Alcalde Luis Ramone; James Victor as Sgt. Jaime Mendoza; Henry Darrow as
Don Alejandro De La Vega (9-14-90); Garman Hertzler as Alcalde Ignacio De Soto
(9-1-91).
ZORRO AND SON/CBS/1983
*(Henry Darrow/costar) Don Diego de la Vega, Spanish aristocrat living in
California of 1840s. This series featured both the original Zorro and his son,
Don Carlos del la Vega (Paul Regina) who teamed with his aging father to battle
the tyranny of the local authorities. Whereas Zorro, Sr's main weapon was his
sword, his son was more progressive using bombs, guns, etc. Bill Dana costarred
as Zorro's faithful mute servant, Bernardo. Other regulars included Gregory
Sierra as military Commandante Paco Pico; Richard Beauchamp as Sgt. Sepulveda;
John Moschitta as Corporal Cassette; Barney Martin as Brothers Napa and Sonoma;
and Catherine Parks as Senorita Anita.
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