On View : Laughter From the Latino Ground Floor

By ANNE VILLASENOR

May 29, 1994 12 AM PT

Anne Villasenor is a Los Angeles-based free-lance writer

Amid the colorfully decorated backdrop at Downtown’s Mayan Theatre, comedian Luke Torres jokes about the significant lack of Latinos on television.

“If you think about it, there are no Latinos on TV. What are we supposed to do about that?” he questions his attentive audience. “I think we should handle this just like we handled them not letting us into the country--just (expletive) sneak on TV.” At that instant, the audience bursts into loud laughter and cheers while Torres, crouching over like a squirrel onstage, tiptoes as if no one can hear him.

There is definite excitement in the air as a high-energy crowd fills the seats clustered so close to the stage of this Los Angeles landmark theater-turned-nightclub. From a nationwide search that drew more than 200 comedians, 15 have been selected to appear on “Loco Slam,” the first national Latino comedy showcase, premiereing Friday on HBO.

In-between segments of hard-edged and light humor, the popular raunchy up-and-coming comic Carlos Mencia keeps the crowd laughing. “I look like the ghetto Barney,” the upbeat and easygoing Mencia chortles, calling attention to his very violet garb. He jabs good-naturedly not only at himself and the various Latino ethnic mixes in the audience but also at several audience members who bravely ventured close to the stage to sit.

Last September, comedian-turned-producer Paul Rodriguez hooked up with Cuban-born Nety Galan, host of the “E! Gossip Show” on E! Entertainment and a partner in Tropix, HBO’s Latino entertainment division. Their mission: give Latinos a small-screen venue. They hope that “Loco Slam” will do for Latinos what HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam” has done for African Americans--give them a showcase and help them build an audience.

The show’s initial run takes it through the next four Friday nights.

“We all felt growing up like there was nobody on TV that was like us,” Galan says. “We’re the lost generation and, as a result, a lot of performers haven’t gotten a chance to really work out their stuff, to really hone their craft. And it’s a shame.”

Mencia, who acts as creative consultant for the series, will host each half-hour show, which will feature such talents as Chris (Crazy Legs) Fonseca, 18-year-old Jeff Garcia (the Bad Boy from La Puente), Kenya Bennett and Mario & Daniel, culled from showcases in Chicago, Houston, Miami, Las Vegas, New York and Los Angeles.

“I think a lot of times in the past, Latinos would do things and people would say, ‘Oh, they’re really not good enough,’ ” Galan says. “Well, how could they be good enough? They never really had a place to work out their stuff? So, it’s very important and I think HBO as a company really has committed,” to Latinos.

Jellybean Benitez produced hip, pungent musical grooves with the help of deejays Humpty Vision and Malena.

Comedian-dancer Ludo Vika, who appears on the first show, is excited to be part of the package. “I really loved it because it was very well put together,” she says afterward. “I was a little nervous because I was a little late, but once I got in there, after that first applause break, I felt this was something I wanted to do very week.”

One thing “Loco Slam” makes clear is that Latinos are a diverse bunch, but share many universal experiences with one another and the population at large. “The important thing is the voices,” Galan says. “When you start hearing voices from a lot of these people, it’s universal. Those experiences cross over, and you are creating talent that’s usable in sitcoms and an awareness of the market. Hopefully, a lot of other shows will come from that, not just comedy shows.”

And, adds Rodriguez, “We’re on the ground floor, but we have a long way to go. We have to be able to reach a situation where we’re not a novelty, but we’re a staple, a staple consumption.”

“Loco Slam” airs Friday at midnight on HBO.

THE LINEUP

Friday

Herb Quinones

Ludo Vika

Jeff Garcia

Pablo Francisco

June 10

Luke Torres

Frank Manzano

Kenya Bennett

Carlos Alazraqui