"What's Happening," Raj, Rerun, Dwayne & Dee
This was first published in June of 2011, but I updated and edited it, with some additions, May 2016.
A Favorite Television Show of the Past, "What's Happening"
Some of you may remember the television comedy "What's Happening," which ran from the mid until the late 1970s on ABC. It was a favorite of mine. Just a refresher for those who remember the show, or a basic overview for those who aren't familiar with "What's Happening." The sitcom was set in Los Angeles and involved three black teenage guys: Raj, played by Ernest Thomas; Rerun,* played by Fred Berry; and Dwayne, played by Haywood Nelson; plus Raj's sister, Dee, played by Danielle Spencer; and Raj's and Dee's mother, Mabel, played by actress Mabel King, who did not stay with the show for the final season. There was also Shirley, played by Shirley Hemphill, the outspoken and tough waitress at the local soda shop, where the guys liked to hang out.
During the first season, the show had what I think was the funniest episode of all. It involved a misunderstanding, as Raj, who was a very good student, was tutoring a girl who was having difficulties passing her classes. In exchange, if the girl passed, she would give Raj a valuable breed of puppy, as her dog was near to giving birth. The boys decided they would raise the dog and then sell its offspring, perhaps even making it into a business. There were only two things: first, Raj's mother had never allowed him to have a dog, so he didn't know how to bring up the subject; second, Dee overheard the boys talking about "a baby," and "pregnant," and she thought Raj had been teaching the girl more than math and American history, if you get my drift. It all set off an absolutely hysterically funny segment. One of the highlights of the series was in the second season when the Doobie Brothers appeared in a two part episode for a rock concert.
In the final season for the show, Raj and Rerun shared an apartment, both having graduated from high school. In one episode, Rerun got a credit card, which then brought him several more cards from other card companies. At first, the cards provided a way to help get some added furnishings for the guys' apartment, but Rerun, not always the sharpest tack on the bulletin board, went on a buying binge, purchasing all sorts of things that were not only unnecessary, but which also made his monthly payments soar beyond his ability to pay. Rerun became a victim of the plastic plague.
If you've never seen this show, please check it out, is was a really good show. If you haven't seen it for a while, watch it again, it will bring back good memories, especially since Mabel King, Shirley Hemphill and Fred Rerun Berry have all passed away. Fred Berry legally changed his name to Rerun years after the show. There was a "second" edition to the show in the mid 1980s, "What's Happening Now," but it was not shown on network television, but rather it aired on some independent stations around the country.
* Rerun's real name was Fredrick, and he was played by Fred Berry. He got the nickname "Rerun," because he had to "rerun" so many of the same classes in high school.
Photo is of the first season DVD release by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures, 2004.
WORD HISTORY:
Write-Some linguists trace this common word back to an Indo European root form of "wr" or "wer," with a notion of "cut/scratch," but I'm not sold on this, and most sources are uncertain about its ancient origins. It MAY be a Germanic creation, as Old Germanic had "writanan," with the idea of "scratch, tear apart," and the forms I found were all in Germanic languages and dialects, not in other languages. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "writan," with the same general meaning. Before what we consider to be modern writing, people "scratched" figures on wood, stone or metal. When modern writing developed in English, the word simply transferred to that new form. "Writan" later became "writen," before the modern form. The "tear," "tear apart," notion MAY come from the idea of scratching something until it tears. German has two forms of the word; "reissen," more commonly written "reißen," which generally means "to tear," and "ritzen," which means "to scratch, etch." Some Low German dialects have "riete," or a form of "rieten," both of which mean "to tear," as does Dutch "rijten." Norwegian and Icelandic both have "rita," with the meaning "write, sketch, inscribe," while Swedish "rita" means "draw." Old Frisian had a form of the word, but I did not find a modern descendant, although that does not mean there is not one. Further, I did not find a form in modern Danish, but again, there may be one.
A Favorite Television Show of the Past, "What's Happening"
Some of you may remember the television comedy "What's Happening," which ran from the mid until the late 1970s on ABC. It was a favorite of mine. Just a refresher for those who remember the show, or a basic overview for those who aren't familiar with "What's Happening." The sitcom was set in Los Angeles and involved three black teenage guys: Raj, played by Ernest Thomas; Rerun,* played by Fred Berry; and Dwayne, played by Haywood Nelson; plus Raj's sister, Dee, played by Danielle Spencer; and Raj's and Dee's mother, Mabel, played by actress Mabel King, who did not stay with the show for the final season. There was also Shirley, played by Shirley Hemphill, the outspoken and tough waitress at the local soda shop, where the guys liked to hang out.
During the first season, the show had what I think was the funniest episode of all. It involved a misunderstanding, as Raj, who was a very good student, was tutoring a girl who was having difficulties passing her classes. In exchange, if the girl passed, she would give Raj a valuable breed of puppy, as her dog was near to giving birth. The boys decided they would raise the dog and then sell its offspring, perhaps even making it into a business. There were only two things: first, Raj's mother had never allowed him to have a dog, so he didn't know how to bring up the subject; second, Dee overheard the boys talking about "a baby," and "pregnant," and she thought Raj had been teaching the girl more than math and American history, if you get my drift. It all set off an absolutely hysterically funny segment. One of the highlights of the series was in the second season when the Doobie Brothers appeared in a two part episode for a rock concert.
In the final season for the show, Raj and Rerun shared an apartment, both having graduated from high school. In one episode, Rerun got a credit card, which then brought him several more cards from other card companies. At first, the cards provided a way to help get some added furnishings for the guys' apartment, but Rerun, not always the sharpest tack on the bulletin board, went on a buying binge, purchasing all sorts of things that were not only unnecessary, but which also made his monthly payments soar beyond his ability to pay. Rerun became a victim of the plastic plague.
If you've never seen this show, please check it out, is was a really good show. If you haven't seen it for a while, watch it again, it will bring back good memories, especially since Mabel King, Shirley Hemphill and Fred Rerun Berry have all passed away. Fred Berry legally changed his name to Rerun years after the show. There was a "second" edition to the show in the mid 1980s, "What's Happening Now," but it was not shown on network television, but rather it aired on some independent stations around the country.
* Rerun's real name was Fredrick, and he was played by Fred Berry. He got the nickname "Rerun," because he had to "rerun" so many of the same classes in high school.
Photo is of the first season DVD release by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures, 2004.
Write-Some linguists trace this common word back to an Indo European root form of "wr" or "wer," with a notion of "cut/scratch," but I'm not sold on this, and most sources are uncertain about its ancient origins. It MAY be a Germanic creation, as Old Germanic had "writanan," with the idea of "scratch, tear apart," and the forms I found were all in Germanic languages and dialects, not in other languages. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "writan," with the same general meaning. Before what we consider to be modern writing, people "scratched" figures on wood, stone or metal. When modern writing developed in English, the word simply transferred to that new form. "Writan" later became "writen," before the modern form. The "tear," "tear apart," notion MAY come from the idea of scratching something until it tears. German has two forms of the word; "reissen," more commonly written "reißen," which generally means "to tear," and "ritzen," which means "to scratch, etch." Some Low German dialects have "riete," or a form of "rieten," both of which mean "to tear," as does Dutch "rijten." Norwegian and Icelandic both have "rita," with the meaning "write, sketch, inscribe," while Swedish "rita" means "draw." Old Frisian had a form of the word, but I did not find a modern descendant, although that does not mean there is not one. Further, I did not find a form in modern Danish, but again, there may be one.
Labels: classic television shows, comedy, credit cards, Danielle Spencer, English, Ernest Thomas, etymology, Fred Berry, Germanic languages, Haywood Nelson, Mabel King, Rerun, What's Happening
posted by Randy at 3:44 PM
4 Comments:
You always have interesting subjects and this is no exception. I've had financial problems too, mainly because of overextending myself. You are right, we quickly forget basics. I remember the TV show well. On ABC, right? Loved Mrs. Thomas, the mother of Roj and Dee. Was sorry to see her leave the show. Do you know why she left?
Never thought about 'write' and how it came to be used.I still scratch out the words.
From things I've read, Mabel King felt the kids' (see note) roles dominated the show too much. I too hated to see her leave, but I don't think she burned bridges when she left, as, if you recall, they never completely wrote her out of the show (as in "killed her off"), always saying she was working or visiting out of town relatives or some such thing. Presumably the producers hoped she might reconsider, but again, that is my presumption.
NOTE: The "kids" weren't really all kids. Fred Berry (Rerun) and Ernest Thomas (Raj) were both far older in real life than their television characters.
I remember the show, but did not watch it regularly. The name Rerun does connect. He was a big guy right?
yes, he was a big guy also known for wearing suspenders and a red beret. They frequently teased him about his weight.
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