What do movies, songs and television shows all have in common nowadays? It’s fair to say that most of them contain adult language and humor. It seems that this type of content is needed these days in order for a show to become a part of popular entertainment.
But what if I told you that this type of humor was not needed in order to create an impact in the industry? That clean humor could last a lifetime? Well this is precisely what the late Roberto Gomez Bolaños, more commonly known as Chespirito, achieved. Bolaños was a Mexican writer, producer, actor and comedian who transcended generational gaps and reach out to audiences of many different ages and cultures in a number of countries.
Bolaños’s early life did not include writing at all. In fact, he went to college to become an engineer and boxed during his teenage years. He slowly emerged into the television industry by writing plays and dialogues for films and TV shows in Mexico while studying. After a couple years of writing comedy shows and dialogues, he wrote, acted and produced what would become his two most famous shows, known as "El Chavo del Ocho" and "El Chapulin Colorado."
After the shows did amazingly well in Mexico, they found immense international success. But what was the real secret to success behind the works of Chespirito? It is something that is hardly heard of in the television and music business of today: clean humor — meaning no sexual references or adult language is used. Chespirito stuck with this ideal all throughout his writing, and it was the one clear objective he had since the beginning of his career in comedy. He wanted his shows, music and movies to be family-oriented, relatable, and understood by people of all ages, so he stayed away from adult humor and made jokes that both kids and adults could laugh about.
In his journey to become the great writer and comedian he is known as today, people attempted to persuade him to include racier content to recruit more viewers. Chespirito never swayed, however, and his commitment to the vision he had for his shows gained him the fame and incredible legacy he now has all over the world. The clean humor he incorporated into his many works is what made him transcend generational gaps and is what will keep people watching his shows for years and years to come. Bolaños alone proved that it is possible to maintain the innocence found in the little things in life and used it to bring laughter to millions of people around the globe. He will never be forgotten, and his humor will always live in the hearts of many.
Reach the columnist at tnunez1@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @TayNunz
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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