Here is a list of the most frequently asked questions about Larry and CHiPs. If you have some to add, please let us know!
1. How old is Larry?
Larry is 66 years old. He was born on August 8th, 1947.
2. Can I write to him?
Larry is happy to accept fan mail but can not guarantee everyone will get a personal reply.
3. Why did Jon wear a baton and tan gloves?
The character of Jon Baker was based on a real CHP officer named Robert Hayden. Robert bears an amazing resemblance to Larry and when on duty he always wore his baton and tan gloves, so Jon did the same. Officer Hayden served as a consultant on CHiPs during the first season. Larry still has the gloves and baton although he was not a big fan of the baton. It tended to get in the way and be hard to handle sometimes! Also the producers needed to differentiate one character from the other visually so this served that need.
4. Is Larry a veteran like Jon was?
Yes. Larry served in the United States Marine Corps from 1967 t0 1973 and spent 13 months in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Staff Sergeant.
5. Did Larry do his own stunts?
Larry did many of his own stunts, (riding horses, JetSkis, and the motorcycle among others) but for high speed pursuits and other dangerous things, he had a stunt double. He used Gary Davis in the beginning and later Scott Dockstetter.
6. Are Larry and Erik best friends like Jon and Ponch were?
Larry and Erik were and are very different people with very different agendas and interests. Larry has no ill feelings toward Erik, but they do not keep in touch. They both lead busy lives and move in different circles.
7. So the feud was real?
No. 99.9% of the time they got along. Very seldom did they not get along, but some rumor mongering extras and the tabloids preferred to write in drama about them. Larry is a professional and was only interested in making CHiPs the best it could be.
8. Why did Larry leave CHiPs?
Larry decided to leave CHiPs because he wanted to pursue other creative projects. He didn’t feel challenged on the show anymore and found the studio politics draining. Recently Larry found out that Erik had gone to the studio heads sometime during Season 5 and demanded that he be fired. Until then he had no idea there was that kind of animosity brewing and still doesn’t have any ill feelings toward Erik-in fact he wishes him well.
9. Will there ever be another CHiPs reunion movie?
It doesn’t seem likely. For some reason, Warner Brothers is holding on to CHiPs with an iron fist but not doing anything with it. The planned movie never happened, and with the cast getting older and having moved on in their lives, a second reunion movie probably won’t happen.
10. When will Seasons 3-6 be released? Can’t Larry pull some strings?
Warner Brothers has no plans to release the rest of series at this time. Larry has absolutely no pull with the studio. Whether they ever release the rest of the series is completely up to them. We suggest writing to them to let them know how much you’d like to see the rest of the series on DVD!
11. Can I have Larry’s phone number/email address?
Larry prefers to keep his personal info private. You can reach him through the fan mail address, or if you want to book him for a personal appearance, interview, or acting opportunity, send a proposal to sue@larrywilcox.net and it will be forwarded to him.
12. Does Larry keep in touch with any of his CHiPs cast mates?
Larry sees Robert Pine and Paul Linke from time to time but is not in touch with anyone else on a regular basis. He was overjoyed to see them all at the recent CHiPs reunion though and is still quite fond of them all. His fantasy is that he would create more TV productions and employ them all if they were so inclined.
13. What happened to Jon’s blue truck?
No one seems to know. We hope it found a good home with someone! The Mini Cooper Jon drove in the first season was purchased by Larry when they switched over to the pick up truck and enjoyed as his personal vehicle for many years before it was passed on to his son.
14. Is Larry anything like Jon?
Yes, very much so. Larry says Jon wasn’t much of a challenge because he was essentially playing himself. Both Larry and Jon are Vietnam vets from Wyoming who love horses and are athletic and active. They also have the same kind, warm personality and both tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves!
15. Where can I watch CHiPs online?
Seasons 1 & 2 CHiPs is available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon Video. As of now there are no places online where the series can be streamed for free legally.
16. Is that Larry posting on Facebook?
While Larry does read and post to the Facebook page when time allows, it is run by his personal assistant and close friend Sue and all the posts made by the page are from her. She signs her name to each post to avoid confusion. Larry enjoys the page but just doesn’t have the time to maintain it so Sue does it for him.
17. What’s this chat room I keep hearing about? How can I chat with Larry?
We have a chat room that we meet in every Friday and Saturday night. Sometimes we have chats on other days too. This past December we had a lovely holiday party there the Sunday before Christmas. Chats usually start around 9pm Eastern, and Larry does join us to chat whenever he can. Click the Chat link to join us!
18. Will there ever be another reunion movie?
Warner Brothers has no plans for one at this time. Write to them and tell them you’d like to see one!
19. How long does it take to get a response to an autograph request?
The length of time depends largely on Larry’s schedule. He is a very busy man and always has multiple projects and commitments to attend to. However, he does respond to every request! Your patience will pay off.
20. What can I send him?
Larry welcomes your cards and letters and you’re welcome to send him photos to sign. You can even send him photos of yourself, but PLEASE be respectful. Larry has been happily married for 27 years and is not interested in any female attention other than his beautiful’s wife’s!
21. I’m an autograph dealer, will Larry sign some stuff for me?
Please contact Sue sue@larrywilcox.net if you are interested in arranging a signing or having bulk items signed. Larry will evaluate such opportunities on a case by case basis.
22. Will Larry ever do more acting?
He would like to and has been looking for opportunities. He knows he is not leading man material anymore but thinks he still has a lot to offer as a character actor.
23. Will there be another cast reunion like the one last fall?
If there is interest from fans and cast by the time the 40th rolls around, you never know!
24. Does Larry have his own Facebook account? Can I get on his friends list?
Yes, he does have his own Facebook account but prefers to keep it private. He is careful about what friend requests he accepts due to past problems and tends to restrict his friends list to people he knows. You are welcome to follow him on Twitter though!
25. Where can I buy CHiPs photos to have Larry sign?
Right now Ebay is your best bet, but stay tuned. Larry is planning to start offering some for sale in the near future!
Hi Larry understand you are busy but as a Long Haul. Truck Driver. I listen to. Satellite. Radio do you ever get time to listen . If. You do what is your favorite. Channel. Mine is old time. Radio . It. Takes. You back to the early days of Radio thanks for reading. This long msg..,…
I’ve been trying too follow not stalk Larry for sometime now, well since I was young anyways. I’m one of the shows biggest fans. Truly I’m happy to have met at least Eric while visiting here in Michigan and that was just a few weeks ago’. I do feel it would only be right to meet Larry in person before leave this earth to be able to tell him what an inspiration both of them where for who I am today” please Facebook or twitter to get in touch. Thanks friends forever’ jm-
I ment Erik’
Huge respect and love to Larry xxx Love and Prayers to our cousins across the pond in America during this devastating week, keep faith that justice will prevail.xxx
My husband recently bought me the 1st season of”Chips” which my children are watching on a daily basis. My husband and I enjoy the classics. I just want to thank you for making a great show for them to watch. I would love an autograph picture to hang in my livingroom.
Was a big fan of CHiPs and eventually rode plice bikes for my current agency (King County Sheriff’s Office, WA) for a little over 9 years. Just finished my 35th year on the Department and am currently a Major commanding one of our Precincts. Wanting a personalized license plate for my bike (2012 BMW R1200RT) and just added 7MARY3 as a shout out to law enforcement motors. My first police bike was a 1978 (similar to the show bikes), then a 1981, 1986 and ended up riding a 1988. Take care, and as one Vet to another, thanks for your servcie. (Retired CWO4 from Army Reserves CID).
While sitting at home on my day off I decided to watch Chips 99 and I was curious about something. In the original Chips Jon and Ponch was 7M3 and 7M4. But if Chips 99 Jon and Ponch are now 79-Charles and 79-Mary 4.
Was there any particular reason for the change or was it always this way but they chose to leave out the “9” on their call number?
“In the original Chips Jon and Ponch were 7M3 and 7M4. But in CHiPs ’99 Jon and Ponch are now 79-Charles and 79-Mary 4.”
The CHP radio designators on the original show related to the office (LA) and radio frequency (15) used, and then the unit designators (7 M 3). Note that M or Mary meant Motorcycle.
By the time CHiPs ’99 came around, much had changed, mainly Jon was now advanced to Captain, so his designator was no longer a “Mary” since Captains are not assigned to motorcycle patrol. I’d speculate Charles was an abbreviation for Captain, since Getrear as Sergeant was S4 or phonetically Sierra 4- other Sergeants were heard to be S1, S2, etc.
The designator 15 was and remains the designator for Central LA, while 79 is for West LA. It appears in CHiPs ’99 they were dispatched out of West LA not Central.
Unlike the car crashes in later seasons, the original show was very accurate insofar as radio designators. The pilot episode even used the correct FCC identifier KRB 412.
This site has a lot of CHP radio info.
http://www.freqofnature.com/frequencies/ca/chp.html
Im a like a forever fan of the CHIPS series. Im living in Sout Africa and they are showing the first and second season at the moment. Larry and Erik are the reason why i love riding my motorbike. I still got my chips uniform from my young days. Thx for all the good memories guys.
Hi Larry im a fan since i was a liitle boy and always be . Currently they are showing the first 3 seasons in sout africa and loving it because it is bringing back alot of memories. I still got my Chips uniform from my kids days. Must say you and Mr erik is the reason why i love bikes and became a biker myself. I will write to your fan mail soon and it will be a long life dream to have a autograph picture of my most loved tv series chips hero Larry Wilcox.
Hi y’all. Just wanted to say a quick hello from the great state of Minnesota. Or soon to be Minne -snow-ta. I came across your site by pure chance and found it quite interesting. I was a huge CHiPs fan and as my sister gravitated toward Eric I leaned more to Larrys layed back calm coolness. I LOVED the truck but cannot remember if it was a 1973 GMC shortbed or something else. Always said I was going to get one when I grew up….I ended up with a 2000 Buick LaSabre..lol long way frpm my dreams…lol.
Its good to see you’ve done great things with your life after CHiPs. Keep it up and blessings to u and your family. B-)
hello im a big fan of larry i want to say i want to be a police officer when im older and larry(jon baker) gave me this hope of being a police officer ,i love chips best police tv series i have ever seen and im ony 14