I won’t give you any other: these are the best episodes of Chavo del 8

In The Chavo district the qualities did not abound starting with its protagonist , a poor child abandoned in dim lights, dizzy and constantly hungry. His friend and rival Quico was pretentious and spoiled while La Chilindrina, far smarter than his friends, lied.

Dysfunctional adults set bad examples. Widowed and unemployed, Don Ramón lived by escaping his obligations with a debt of 14 months’ rent, while Doña Florinda represented the careerism and frustration of the downgraded, through physical and verbal violence. In the neighborhood, beatings, assaults and crimes were daily occurrences. This is how they also joined and showed solidarity when necessary.

This nucleus orbiting around other secondary roles such as Doña Cleotilde, Professor Jirafales and Mr. Barriga, victims of constant jokes and attacks due to their physical characteristics, has made several generations laugh, accompany and cheer them up Latin American, difficult to identify with the motifs and awkwardness of the characters. , but with the dynamics and the setting of the series -in short the idiosyncrasy-, completely recognizable for the inhabitants of brown America. The neighborhood mirrored working-class neighborhoods on the southern tip of the continent, all the way to Rio Bravo on the Mexico-US border.

“I never wanted the public to think I was a child,” Gómez Bolaños confessed in his autobiography. Wanting without wanting (2006). “All I wanted was for him to accept that I was an adult playing the role of a child.” Hence the transversal success between adults and children.

Gómez Bolaños’ comedy style can be outdated and target of criticism in new generations of Mexican humor but time will not be able to ignore the extraordinary talent of the cast in the glory years of the series, all outstanding performers with unmistakable voices, and the extraordinary handling of language and situations from the pen of the late actor and screenwriter.

Premiered February 26, 1973 as a stand-alone series with the episode “Balloon Burst” El Chavo had a prequel when it was part of the Chespirito program between 1971 and 1972. In these early adventures of El Chavo del 8, people moved around the neighborhood, while Don Ramón and La Chilindrina lived in the house that Doña Florinda y Quico later occupied.

The characters contained different characteristics among other clothes -don Ramón wore a beret and a yellow shirt-, thicker make-up and different modulations. In front of the “pipipipi” Chavo cried with his mouth open, and Quico spoke with a much more spoiled and childish unintelligible tone. Between the two, there was a two-year gap in favor of Chavo.

The introductory musical curtain is the work of the Franco-German duo Perrey and Kingsley, pioneers of electronic music in the 1960s. “The Elephant Never Forgets” based on “The Turkish March” composed by Beethoven in 1812. Used without authorization and without the corresponding accreditation, it led to a lawsuit in 2010 against the production company of Gómez Bolaños and Televisa, among other channels. The arrangement was close to a million dollars.

Although the series ended in 1992, the peak is concentrated between 1973 and 1978, with the final cast featuring some of the best episodes summarized in this list.

“Boy, do you know what animal hits its children?”

An abrupt close to one of the series’ first chapters with Chilindrina crying inconsolably, after being beaten by a shaved Don Ramón.

In The weight a long-haired Chilindrina and an early version of Quico, beat Chavo through puzzles.

“Hey, Chavo,” Chilindrina asks, “by any chance, don’t you know the name of a little black animal that walks on the ground and has eight legs?”

It doesn’t matter what answer he gives. The blow falls the same.

“The repentant dog returns

With their eyes so tender

With the split muzzle

With his tail between his legs.”

Chavo’s original plan was to rehearse in neighborhood party 20 times the sad poetry “El Perro Arrepentido”, probably the only one that many learned in childhood thanks to the program.

As this is the first season, some characters are not fully portrayed or have other characteristics. For example, Doña Cleotilde had a career profile, while Doña Florinda (with Florinda Meza before a notorious rhinoplasty) was simply a curmudgeon.

Quico also contributes to a great (un)forgettable poem: “El Sapito Glo Glo Glo”.

The most psychedelic and terrifying episode , a classic among classics, with a simple argument. Don Ramón sends Chilindrina to leave the diary inside the house of Doña Cleotilde, the dreaded witch of 71. Ready as always, Chilindrina sends Quico, who in turn sends Chavo. In one of the dialogues, Carlos Villagrán barely holds back his laughter as he shouts at Chavo.

When the characters enter the house, they propose to imagine a dungeon with Mrs. Cléotilde, a witch version. The chroma effects – including a flying broom – are adorable.

This is one of many chapters with later versions, such as the one from 1979 when Quico no longer appeared. El Chavo breaks a light bulb at the entrance to the neighborhood that Don Ramón tries in vain to replace. Professor Jirafales appears and meets Doña Florinda with the orchestrated background “Opening Title”, by film composer Michael Reynolds.

“Another 15 or 16 cups of coffee,” Quico said knowingly looking at the camera, “and I’ll crack open my new daddy.”

Then, two memorable sequences: Don Ramón and Quico put on a drunken dance when they are dizzy because of a chase between Chavo and Chilindrina. Afterwards, the whole neighborhood is electrocuted when Don Ramón tries to change the light.

During the days, several empty plates appear in the barrel of Chavo . Everyone wonders the reason for this strange occurrence, until Mrs. Cleotilde finds the answer. The bachelor forever in love with Don Ramón has no doubt that they are “shocking spirits” – “mischievous souls” if you will – prone to trickery.

Previously, The Witch of 71 considered other possibilities to solve the mystery.

“By any chance, aren’t you a sleepwalker?” he asks Don Ramón.

“What does religion have to do with it?” Monchito replies.

Divided into four episodes, this plot reveals the devastation caused among the men of the neighborhood by the new tenants Gloria and her niece Patty . Initially, Don Ramón hatches an ingenious plan to woo the neighbor of his house and, at the same time, avoid Doña Cleotilde’s insinuations and Doña Florinda’s blows. The strategy remains in the hands of Chavo and Chilindrina. As a result, anything that could go wrong turns out worse.

Among the curiosities, it is repeatedly mentioned that 1975 is International Women’s Year, and Chavo is about to reveal her name after being consulted by Paty, until Quico interrupts him.

This chapter traumatized and made thousands of people cry, while inventing the worst expression of the whole series against El Chavo -ratero!-, accused of a series of robberies in the neighborhood. His departure with the patio in the shadows as he gathers his few belongings in a dishcloth, counting a slingshot and an emboque made with a jar, embodies the saddest sequence of the entire saga.

The responsible is Mr. Hurtado, a neighbor who probably announces his departure from the neighborhood. In the 1974 version (there is another one from 1976), Mr. Hurtado looked like a member of AC/DC.

The sequences of Don Ramón and Professor Jirafales trying to teach guitar Chavo and Quico respectively, are invaluable. Elsewhere, Mrs. Florinda and the teacher are just inches away from kissing, whereupon “el maistro Longaniza” as the kids call him, stares into the camera and utters the immortal phrase “I’m killing her.” .

Don Ramón goes looking for a job and, to his bad luck, he finds it after 20 years. Turned into junk clothes , is victim of the beatings of Quico and El Chavo, frightened by the legend of the old man with the bag who steals children, instilled by Doña Florinda. The story has three episodes.

Fleeing Doña Florinda, Don Ramón takes refuge in the Benito Juárez 8 school and He enters the children’s class . Professor Jirafales praises Don Ramón’s decision to educate himself, to the point of asking him to take charge of the class while he is away. Don Ramón interrogates Popis and Ñoño without success. Then it stops in Godínez.

“Which is worth more between a run and a third?”, consult.

“Open or closed?” Cross-examined the above-mentioned, demonstrating the maneuverability of a poker champion.

Then, very histrionic and funny, in one of the best Ramón Valdés sequences of the entire series, Don Ramón instructs the class on poisons. Later, he teaches fractions using the figure of Quico split by a train.

Overcome by the poor progress of the class, Don Ramón sympathizes with Professor Jirafales and asks him why he continues in pedagogy.

“Because despite everything, Don Ramón,” he replies, “I have faith in children.”

This episode is a class of misunderstandings . Doña Florinda and Doña Clotilde separately plan to treat Professor Jirafales and Don Ramón to cakes respectively. A classic confusion ensues which convinces don Ramón that doña Florinda secretly loves him. When the professor and Mrs. Florinda leave the neighborhood, Mr. Ramón – cigarette in hand – attracts the attention of the couple leaning on the lintel. Much to the professor’s horror, he shamelessly flirts with the bewildered neighbor. Confused, Mrs. Florinda accuses Mr. Ramón of drunkenness.

“Yes”, he agrees, “but drunk with love”.

Eventually, Mrs. Florinda reacts and slaps Mr. Ramón as usual, to chase after Professor Jirafales.

Don Ramón looks at the camera and proclaims:

“There’s no doubt that’s how they all are. First love, love, love, then Zacazonapan.”

While the storyline isn’t particularly solid, boiling down to the idea of ​​moving the characters around the famed Mexican spa, letting the physical comedy run wild, just seeing The neighborhood of El Chavo outside it was amazing. It is mistakenly believed to be the last episode where Carlos Villagrán participates as Quico. Strictly speaking, the last chapter with his presence It’s not school time yet aired on December 11, 1978, is also the only one where all of Chavo’s children’s characters appear.