Saturday, March 18, 2006
Rare 1970's PBS Sitcom "¿Qué Pasa, U.S.A.?" Available on DVD
¿Qué Pasa, USA? was America's first bilingual situation comedy. The program explored the trials and tribulations faced by the Peña family of Miami as they struggled to cope with a new country and a new language. The series focused on the identity crisis of the members of the family as they were pulled in one direction by their elders - who wanted to maintain Cuban values and traditions - and pulled in other directions by the pressures of living in a predominantly Anglo society.
The series was bilingual, reflecting the mix of language often heard in Cuban-American neighborhoods - from Spanish in the home and English at the supermarket to the inevitable combining of both into "Spanglish."
¿Qué Pasa, USA? aired on PBS nationwide from approximately 1977-1981. A total of 39 episodes were produced over 3 seasons. The show was produced and taped live before a studio audience at PBS affiliate WPBT in Miami, Florida. In recent years, the series has been shown on Galavisión.
The cast included Manolo Villaverde as Pepe, Ana Margarita Martin-Casado as Juana, Luis Oquendo as Antonio, Velia Martinez as Adela, Rocky Echevarria (now known as Steven Bauer) as Joe, and Ana Margarita Menéndez as Carmen.
¿Qué Pasa, U.S.A.? La Completa Collection is available to purchase on the official site via their store. The 5-Disc Collector's Edition includes all 39 episodios of the ground-breaking comedy series. It will set you back mucho dinero: $99.95 plus $6 shipping and handling. This seems like an internet-only offer. You won't be able to order it on Amazon.com or buy it in stores.
The site, owned and operated by WPBT Channel 2, includes a number of other goodies including a photo album, desktop wallpapers, video clips, and an addicting Qué Pasa Concentration Game.
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, September 2
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 31)
Wednesday, September 2
- Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Watch Tom on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Eric André (Man Seeking Woman/2 Broke Girls/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Eric is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Harland Williams (The Geena Davis Show/Simon) - Harland appears on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Ana Gasteyer (American Auto/People of Earth/Lady Dynamite/Suburgatory) - Ana is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Asif Ali (Deli Boys/Wrecked/Mr. Robinson), Saagar Shaikh (Deli Boys) and Poorna Jagannathan (Deli Boys) - Asif, Saagar and Poorna talk about Deli Boys on a repeat of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Halle Berry (Living Dolls) - NBC's Today catches up with Halle in the 10am hour.
- Julie Bowen (Modern Family/Ed) - NBC's Today has Mom Code with Julie in the 10am hour.
- Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/The Louie Show) - Bryan discusses his Dos Hombres line on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
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