Freddie Prinze committed suicide after rising to stardom as Chico, forcing the producers to bring in new cast members to replace him. The replacements were not accepted and the series was cancelled soon after.
'José Feliciano' was asked to write a theme song. He was worried that the producers would reject his song, so he wrote two. The producers bought both of them and used one at the beginning and the other at the end.
During the first year, Chico used the catch phrase "That's not my job", which Freddie Prinze had used in his stand up act. Some people complained this perpetuated the image of the lazy Hispanic, so he switched to the catchphrase "Looking Good".
When the show returned the next season after Freddie Prinze's death, Chico's absence was explained by having him quit the garage to work for his father.
Chico served in the army before going to work for Ed.
José Feliciano, who composed the show's theme song, actually appeared on one episode. He played the role of Chico's cousin who, appropriately enough, was a world famous musician.
The title is based on the play "The Man Who Came to Dinner" written by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman and opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on October 16, 1939 and ran for 739 performances.
The name of the restaurant at which Chico and Ed treat Violette to lunch is Ramon's Rotisserie.
During lunch, Ed proposes a toast to three Hollywood legends - "Errol Flynn, Violette Baines, and Rin Tin Tin".
This was the first episode to air after the death of Freddie Prinze. Louie, worried that Chico might go back to Mexico to work with his father, comments to Ed, "We could lose him forever." In the original broadcast, the closing credits contained a trembling voice-over from Jack Albertson thanking everyone for their sympathy.
According to his biography, this was the last episode Prinze taped for the show. He committed suicide later that night.
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