"What's Happening!!" (1976) TV series 1976-1979

Directors:

Lee Bernhardi
Tony Csiki
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

5 August 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

What's Happening is loosely based on the 1975 movie Cooley High written by Eric Monte. Monte created What's Happening and was also a co-creator and writer for the TV series Good Times.

Plot Keywords:

Mother | High School | Coming Of Age | Teenager | Urban Setting

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Haywood Nelson	...	Dwayne Nelson (65 episodes, 1976-1979)
Ernest Thomas	...	Roger 'Raj' Thomas (64 episodes, 1976-1979)
Danielle Spencer	...	Dee Thomas (64 episodes, 1976-1979)
Fred Berry	...	Freddie 'Rerun' Stubbs (62 episodes, 1976-1979)
Shirley Hemphill	...	Shirley Wilson / ... (59 episodes, 1976-1979)
Mabel King	...	Mabel 'Mama' Thomas (38 episodes, 1976-1978)

Series Directed by
Mark Warren		(44 episodes, 1976-1979)
Lee Bernhardi		(5 episodes, 1977-1979)
Dick Harwood		(4 episodes, 1976-1977)
Hal Alexander		(2 episodes, 1976)
Tony Csiki		(1 episode, 1976)
Alan Rafkin		(1 episode, 1976)
Jack Shea		(1 episode, 1976)
Dennis Steinmetz		(1 episode, 1976)
Bud Yorkin		(1 episode, 1976)
Bill Foster		(1 episode, 1978)
Mary Hardwick		(1 episode, 1979)
Joseph L. Scanlan		(1 episode, 1979)
Danny Simon		(1 episode, 1979)

Series Writing credits
Eric Monte		(65 episodes, 1976-1979)
Alan Eisenstock		(8 episodes, 1976-1978)
Larry Mintz		(8 episodes, 1976-1978)
Sally Wade		(8 episodes, 1978-1979)
Bernie Orenstein		(5 episodes, 1976-1978)
Saul Turteltaub		(5 episodes, 1976-1978)
Rick Mittleman		(4 episodes, 1977)
Joanne Pagliaro		(4 episodes, 1979)
Tom Moore		(3 episodes, 1978-1979)
Jeremy Stevens		(3 episodes, 1978-1979)
Ted Bergmann		(3 episodes, 1978)
Bob Illes		(2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Gene Perret		(2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Bill Richmond		(2 episodes, 1976-1977)
James R. Stein		(2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Carol Gary		(2 episodes, 1977)
Bill Box		(2 episodes, 1978-1979)
Dick Westerschulte		(2 episodes, 1978-1979)
Thad Mumford		(2 episodes, 1978)

Series Produced by
Bernie Orenstein	....	executive producer (65 episodes, 1976-1979)
Saul Turteltaub	....	executive producer (65 episodes, 1976-1979)
Bud Yorkin	....	executive producer (65 episodes, 1976-1979)
Sue Nevens	....	associate producer (22 episodes, 1977-1978)
Norman C. Hopps	....	associate producer (16 episodes, 1976-1979)
William Bickley	....	producer (11 episodes, 1977)
Michael Warren	....	producer (11 episodes, 1977)
Dee Caruso	....	producer (3 episodes, 1978-1979)
Gerald Gardner	....	producer (3 episodes, 1978-1979)
Si Rose	....	producer (2 episodes, 1979)
Bob Illes	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Henry Mancini		(1 episode, 1978)

Series Film Editing by
Hal Collins		(65 episodes, 1976-1979)
Chip Brooks		(54 episodes, 1976-1979)
Danny White		(7 episodes, 1977-1978)
Mario Di Mambro		(3 episodes, 1978-1979)
Jim Rose		(2 episodes, 1977)

Series Casting by
Jane Murray		(65 episodes, 1976-1979)

Series Art Direction by
Edward Stephenson		(65 episodes, 1976-1979)

Series Costume Design by
Lee Smith		(65 episodes, 1976-1979)

Series Makeup Department
Lisa Pharren	....	makeup artist (28 episodes, 1977-1979)
Billie Jordan	....	hair stylist (9 episodes, 1976-1977)
Jim Kail	....	makeup artist (8 episodes, 1976-1977)

Series Production Management
Buddy Arnold	....	post-production supervisor (44 episodes, 1977-1979)
Steve McPeek	....	unit manager (15 episodes, 1976-1979)
Tom Bruehl	....	unit manager (14 episodes, 1977-1978)
Brett Crutcher	....	unit manager (5 episodes, 1978)
Jim Zrake	....	unit manager (2 episodes, 1978)
Cassius Weathersby	....	production manager (unknown episodes)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mary Hardwick	....	associate director (26 episodes, 1977-1979)
Elly Graf	....	associate director / assistant director (9 episodes, 1976-1977)
Rick Gough	....	assistant director / associate director (2 episodes, 1978-1979)

Series Sound Department
Dick Sarter	....	audio (19 episodes, 1977-1978)
Ken Turner	....	audio (8 episodes, 1976-1977)
Jerry Pattison	....	audio (4 episodes, 1978-1979)
Dick Burns	....	audio (2 episodes, 1977)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Walter Glover	....	lighting director / lighting (33 episodes, 1976-1979)
Reg Leffler	....	lighting director (25 episodes, 1977-1979)
Tom Weber	....	video (16 episodes, 1977-1979)
Richard Hissong	....	video (5 episodes, 1977)
Chuck Lofthouse	....	lighting consultant (4 episodes, 1977)
David Andress	....	lighting (3 episodes, 1977)
Larry Brotzler	....	video (3 episodes, 1977)
Don McCuaig	....	camera operator (2 episodes, 1977)
Roy White	....	video (2 episodes, 1978)

Series Music Department
Henry Mancini	....	composer: theme music (65 episodes, 1976-1979)

Series Other crew
Alan Eisenstock	....	executive story consultant / story consultant (32 episodes, 1976-1978)
Larry Mintz	....	executive story consultant / story consultant (32 episodes, 1976-1978)
Mattie Caruthers	....	script supervisor (29 episodes, 1976-1979)
Rob Oberbillig	....	technical director (27 episodes, 1977-1979)
Tom Moore	....	story editor / script supervisor (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
Keith Hopkins	....	stage manager (20 episodes, 1977-1978)
Thad Mumford	....	story editor (15 episodes, 1977-1978)
Adrienne Pettijohn	....	assistant to producer / assistant to the producers (13 episodes, 1977-1978)
Joan Boyer	....	assistant to producers (9 episodes, 1976-1977)
Katy Dowdalls	....	script supervisor (9 episodes, 1976-1977)
Sue Nevens	....	production coordinator (9 episodes, 1976-1977)
Arlando Smith	....	stage manager (9 episodes, 1976-1977)
Milt Hoffman	....	production coordinator (8 episodes, 1977)
Dick Jacobsen	....	technical director (7 episodes, 1976-1977)
Sharyn E. Burg	....	assistant to producer (7 episodes, 1977)
Rick Mittleman	....	script consultant (7 episodes, 1977)
Tony Singletary	....	stage manager (6 episodes, 1977)
Craig Factor	....	stage manager (6 episodes, 1978-1979)
Joanne Pagliaro	....	program consultant (6 episodes, 1978-1979)
Jeremy Stevens	....	script supervisor / story editor (5 episodes, 1978-1979)
Marty Farrell	....	creative consultant (4 episodes, 1976-1977)
William Bickley	....	script supervisor (4 episodes, 1977)
Michael Warren	....	script supervisor (4 episodes, 1977)
Bill Box	....	story editor (4 episodes, 1978-1979)
Dick Westerschulte	....	story editor (4 episodes, 1978-1979)
Cathy Clark Wortman	....	assistant to producer / assistant to the producer (4 episodes, 1978-1979)
Bob Illes	....	story editor (3 episodes, 1976-1977)
Emmitt-Leon O'Neill	....	stage manager (3 episodes, 1976-1977)
James R. Stein	....	story editor (3 episodes, 1976-1977)
Vicki Sherer	....	assistant to producer / assistant to producers (2 episodes, 1977)
Len Uslaner	....	technical director (2 episodes, 1977)
Ted Bergmann	....	executive story consultant / script supervisor (2 episodes, 1978-1979)
Mitch Markowitz	....	program consultant (2 episodes, 1978-1979)

Production Companies

• Bud Yorkin Productions
• Turteltaub-Orenstein-Yorkin Productions (TOY)

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1976-1979) (USA) (TV)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1979) (USA) (TV)
• Columbia Pictures Television
• Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001)
• Columbia TriStar Television
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD) (complete first season)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD) (complete second season)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (complete third season)
• Sony Pictures Television (2002-)
• The Program Exchange (2005-) (USA) (TV)

Other Companies

• ABC Television Center  taping location
• ShowBiz Enterprises  draperies

Runtime:

30 min (79 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Glendale Studios - 1239 S. Glendale Avenue, Glendale, California, USA

Company:

Bud Yorkin Productions

Trivia:

Fred Berry had his middle name legally changed to "Rerun."

Quotes:

Dwayne Nelson:Hey HEY, hey!
Fred 'Rerun' Stubbs:What's Happening!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Neil Patrick Harris/Taylor Swift (#34.12)" (2009)

An American Classic.

This is one of my favorite shows of all time, if not my favorite show of all time. From Raj mumbling under his breath, to Rerun worshiping a head of lettuce, to Dwayne just being along for the ride, What's Happening was as much a slice of Americana as such shows as "I Love Lucy" and "Friends". I loved seeing them get into one mess after another. For instance, the episode when the guys apparently broke a brand new TV set that was used for a church raffle when they dropped it at Raj's house. They counted on Rerun to win the set, since he purchased about 80 tickets. How ironic that the one ticket he used to pay off his lunch tab to Shirley the waitress was the winning ticket for the TV? So Shirley wound up with the TV.

In any event, I heard that there will be a What's Happening marathon sometime in November on TVLand. If this is true, please let me know! Thanks for reading my post. Peace!