Room 222 (1969–1974)

Black teacher Pete Dixon tries to teach the students at Walt Whitman High to be tolerant. He is assisted by girlfriend and school counselor Liz and student teacher (later teacher) Alice. ... See full summary »

Creator:

James L. Brooks

Stars:

Lloyd Haynes, Denise Nicholas, Michael Constantine

Nominated for 7 Golden Globes. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Lloyd Haynes	...	Pete Dixon (113 episodes, 1969-1974)
Denise Nicholas	...	Liz McIntyre (113 episodes, 1969-1974)
Michael Constantine	...	Principal Seymour Kaufman (113 episodes, 1969-1974)
Karen Valentine	...	Alice Johnson (113 episodes, 1969-1974)
David Jolliffe	...	Bernie (62 episodes, 1969-1973)
Judy Strangis	...	Helen Loomis (53 episodes, 1969-1973)

Storyline

Black teacher Pete Dixon tries to teach the students at Walt Whitman High to be tolerant. He is assisted by girlfriend and school counselor Liz and student teacher (later teacher) Alice. The students love him.

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Plot Keywords:

teacher | school | african american | popular teacher | no laugh track | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Huone 222

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The show takes place at the fictional Walt Whitman High School. The old building at Los Angeles High School, which was used for the exterior of Walt Whitman High, collapsed in the 1971 earthquake.

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Connections

Featured in TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004)

User Reviews

Commentary

It may have been socially relevant for its time,but this was one of the shows that dealt with the cutting-edge issues of its day. This show came on the heels of several issues of its time including the Apollo 13 moon mission,the struggle of the civil rights movement and the overall fighting and the anti-war demonstrations of the Vietnam War.

However,it was the 'Boston Public' of its time.

Room 222 simply deals with the everyday happenings of a black English teacher(played by Lloyd Haynes)who is struggling against bureaucratic pressures which is exemplified by the school principal(played by Michael Constantine) who would always help his students make something of themselves by staying in school and not getting into trouble. However,it was absolutely routine even by today's standards--but it was frank and very controversial went it premiered in 1969 on ABC-TV.

The show dealt with a lot of racial issues here which goes to show that just seeing an African-American in a position of authority and helping out the students and bringing them together made this show stand out. There were other issues as well including pregnancy,drug abuse and school violence,and interracial dating(something that was explored but never dealt with and the first to do so). One episode in particular dealt with a student who wanted the faculty have a black festival and out of the blue---the queen of soul herself---Aretha Franklin lends her support and even sings here(that episode is a rarity if it is seen).

There were excellent secondary performances from not only Haynes,but from Karen Valentine and Denise Nicholas and from the students too including Glynn Turman and Eric Laneuville. The series ran on ABC-TV from 1969-1974 and it came out during the "bubble gum" era of shows like The Brady Bunch. This was a fine show that was very "realistic" and to learn what it was like to just get along with each other.

NOTE: The shows' creator was James L. Brooks who went on to produced "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and countless others. The producers were Larry Gelbert and Gene Reynolds who would also produced the M*A*S*H TV show the following year as well as writer D'Angelo Brooks.