welcome back it was groundbreaking
television that broke all the rules TV's
first bilingual sitcom que pasa USA was
supposed to be educational programming
produced for public television but it
grew to become a monster pop culture
phenomenon that still entertaining
audiences all over the world or Louie
Aguirre sat down with three cast members
who are about to dive back into the rows
that they left behind 40 years ago but
not without some controversy it's a
reunion 40 years in the making this
random day in Little Havana in the
science of all places I'm hanging out
with Stephen Bauer Barbara Martin and
Connie Ramirez who are about to step
back into the roles that made them
famous the world over after starring in
a little local TV show produced for
Public Television and I Love Lucy for
Latin the groundbreaking get pasa USA
the first bilingual sitcom ever on
television it gave us the Pena's a
multi-generational Cuban family adapting
to exile life in Miami in the 1970s and
the crazy cast of characters that came
their way we were us and we went and and
and in a sense it felt like we would be
us forever for 39 episodes that first
ran from 1977 to 1980 we fell in love
with Pepe wanna avoid Oh abuela got a
meseta and of course joe miletto and
Sharon you Cubans are too loud the show
became a monster hit I love America and
the cast had no clue you guys are
blowing up and you had no idea
we would know was when we would walk on
the street and people would be honest
here the show was so popular it was soo
broadcast across the country later the
world and it never went off the air and
still on TV does that blow your mind two
cast members aren't laughing well Anna
MAHT ago will join Bauer Martin and
Ramirez at the Adrienne Arsht Center to
reprise their roles in a new stage play
get pasa USA 40 years later the actors
who played Juana and Pepe will not I'm
very grateful to Lea's country even
though Steven practically begged his TV
dad actor on Oh it'll be a better day to
reconsider I really talked to him about
doing the show yeah and he has his
reasons and I respect that
Maria Martinez and Luis Oquendo have
passed but both be aware they and Ana
margarita Martinez are still very angry
at WPB T for not paying the money they
feel they're owed royalties the entire
cast forfeited 40 years ago because the
show is being produced for public
television on a shoestring budget are
you at all reasonable I'm not resentful
at all I find it that I was given an
opportunity to grow as an actress people
come up to me and say yeah we love you
Anna Mae Mila I am grateful that I was
able to give that Steven is also
grateful starring in que pasa made him a
movie star when you serious in fact when
Hollywood came calling he abruptly left
the show in the third season who never
got the chance to say goodbye so you
never had a closure as Joe I know I
didn't say goodbye in the show Joe went
off to college but now the new play
tells us what happened next and why
these characters are still in each
other's lives we've just started
rehearsing recently and I told Connie
last night we're getting it you're
getting a teacher what is it like the
video later again it's Violetta 40 years
later she's a senior citizen come on so
yes they're older but then so are we who
grew up watching them and the cast is
vowing to give us the audience and
experience Pippa Pena would be proud of
I want them to walk oh and go that was
nice job Louie well WPTV
WP BT channel 2 did not wish to comment
on the actors claims that they weren't
paid residuals for the show but with
that being said que pase USA Today 40
years later opens at the age in our
centre Thursday May 17th do you want to
see it head to local telecom or a
Facebook page to enter for a chance to
win tickets to see the show at the Art
Center
I think Joe went on to think Godfather
how did she know that was pretty oh oh
that's awesome oh yeah Miami is always a
launching yeah absolutely you can see
other spin-offs from that show too as
well you know