What's Happening
What's Happening!! opening titles from the show's third season
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Eric Monte
Starring	Ernest Lee Thomas Haywood Nelson Fred Berry Danielle Spencer Mabel King (Season 1-2) Shirley Hemphill (Season 2+) David Hollander (Season 3) John Welsh (Season 3) and Earl Billings as Rob
Opening theme	Henry Mancini
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	65
Production
Executive producer(s)	Bernie Orenstein Saul Turteltaub Bud Yorkin
Running time	30 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	August 5, 1976 – April 28, 1979
External links
IMDb profile

What's Happening!! is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. Originally meant to be a summer series, it premiered in August, ran four episodes, and was brought back in 1977 as a weekly series. It was suggested by an American International Picture Cooley High written by Eric Monte. Whats Happening!! logo. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Eric Monte is a television writer who has written for some of the most successful shows in TV. Montes first big break was a script written for and accepted by All in the Family. ... Ernest Thomas, from Whats Happening Now!! Ernest Lee Thomas (born March 26, 1950) is an American actor. ... Haywood Nelson (born March 25, 1960 in New York City) is an actor best known for playing Dwayne Nelson on the television series Whats Happening!!. Nelson started acting at an early age and appeared in the motion picture, Mixed Company (1974) and performed on Broadway in Thieves (1974) opposite... Fred Rerun Berry (March 13, 1951 - October 21, 2003) was an American actor best known for the role of Fred Rerun Stubbs on the popular 1970s television show Whats Happening!!. He was born in St. ... Danielle Spencer (born June 24, 1965) was an American child actress best remembered for her role as the sarcastic teenager Dee Thomas on Whats Happening!! She played the role for 3 years (1976-1979) and then played it again for the sequel Whats Happening Now! in 1985. ... Mabel King (born Donnie Mabel Elizabeth Washington, December 25, 1932 - November 9, 1999) was an American actress. ... Shirley Hemphill Shirley Ann Hemphill (July 1, 1947 - December 10, 1999) was an American comedic actress best known for her role on the television sitcom Whats Happening!! playing Shirley Wilson, the waitress at Robs Place. ... David Hollander hails from Pittsburgh and is most notably known as the creator, screenwriter, and an executive producer of The Guardian, a Pittsburgh-based legal drama. ... There have been several well-known people named John Welsh. ... Earl Billings (born on July 4, 1945 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a character actor who may best be recognized for his participation in ads for Aflac. ... Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), was an Academy Award winning American composer, conductor and arranger. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Bud Yorkin (born in Washington, Pennsylvania on February 22, 1926) is an American producer/director/writer/actor. ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or of a poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... The early AIP logo. ... Cooley High is a 1975 feature film produced and released by American International Pictures and written by Eric Monte (creator of Good Times). ... Eric Monte is a television writer who has written for some of the most successful shows in TV. Montes first big break was a script written for and accepted by All in the Family. ...

Premise

What's Happening!! dealt with the antics of three working class African-American teens living in the Watts area of Los Angeles. The show starred Ernest Thomas, who played Roger "Raj" Thomas, Haywood Nelson played Dwayne Nelson, and Fred Berry played Freddy "Rerun" Stubbs. Also featured were Danielle Spencer as Roger's younger sister, Dee; Mabel King as Roger and Dee's mother, Mabel; and Shirley Hemphill as Shirley Wilson, the waitress at "Rob's Place", the boys' favorite restaurant. Other recurring characters included Diane Harris (Debbi Morgan), an attractive girl whom the boys liked; Rob (Earl Billings), who was the owner of Rob's Place; and Miss Collins (Fritzi Burr), the boys' sarcastic history teacher and the sponsor of the school newspaper of which Roger was the editor. Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State California County Los Angeles County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... Ernest Thomas, from Whats Happening Now!! Ernest Lee Thomas (born March 26, 1950) is an American actor. ... Haywood Nelson (born March 25, 1960 in New York City) is an actor best known for playing Dwayne Nelson on the television series Whats Happening!!. Nelson started acting at an early age and appeared in the motion picture, Mixed Company (1974) and performed on Broadway in Thieves (1974) opposite... Fred Rerun Berry (March 13, 1951 - October 21, 2003) was an American actor best known for the role of Fred Rerun Stubbs on the popular 1970s television show Whats Happening!!. He was born in St. ... Danielle Spencer (born June 24, 1965) was an American child actress best remembered for her role as the sarcastic teenager Dee Thomas on Whats Happening!! She played the role for 3 years (1976-1979) and then played it again for the sequel Whats Happening Now! in 1985. ... Mabel King (born Donnie Mabel Elizabeth Washington, December 25, 1932 - November 9, 1999) was an American actress. ... Shirley Hemphill Shirley Ann Hemphill (July 1, 1947 - December 10, 1999) was an American comedic actress best known for her role on the television sitcom Whats Happening!! playing Shirley Wilson, the waitress at Robs Place. ... This article is about the actress. ... Earl Billings (born on July 4, 1945 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a character actor who may best be recognized for his participation in ads for Aflac. ...

Unlike Good Times, a contemporary show that also had African-American cast, What's Happening!! only rarely and mildly ventured into social commentary. TV Guide once famously referred to What's Happening!! as "a look at urban black life that manages to capture the offensiveness of Amos and Andy while avoiding that program's fun." Most of the episodes revolved around the travails of the three young men that most American youngsters of any race could relate to, such as the need to find a date for the dance. Other schemes involved getting back at Roger's sister Dee, who was a caustic, bratty busybody. This article contains a trivia section. ... TV Guide is the name of two North American weekly magazines about television programming, one in the United States and one in Canada. ... Amos & Andy (also rendered as Amos n Andy) was a United States from the 1920s through the 1950s. ...

Major characters

Roger "Raj" Thomas (Ernest Thomas), the show's protagonist, is a black teenager living in a house in Watts with his divorced mother Mabel and his younger sister Dee. Raj is an intelligent, well-mannered, young man who sports large, black horn-rimmed glasses and has aspirations of becoming a writer. Many episodes find Raj taking steps to pursue his dream, such as saving up for a screenwriting course or a typewriter. The show begins while he is still in high school; he later graduates as valedictorian, moves out of his house, and attends college. Ernest Thomas, from Whats Happening Now!! Ernest Lee Thomas (born March 26, 1950) is an American actor. ... In the United States and Canada, the title of valedictorian (an anglicized derivation from the Latin vale dicere, to say farewell) is given to the top graduate of the graduating class (the Australia/New Zealand equivalent being dux, although some Australian universities use the American term) of an educational institution. ...

Frederick (Freddie) "Rerun" Stubbs (Fred Berry) is an overweight, bumbling, comedic young man, commonly seen wearing a red beret and matching suspenders. He is often teased by his friends for being overweight and unintelligent. Rerun is a very skilled dancer and is commonly seen entering dance contests or trying to get on TV commercials. He is nicknamed "Rerun" because, due to his failures in school, "every summer he has to go to school to rerun the stuff he did all winter." (Ironically, the character of Rerun was originally intended to be a skinny white teenager.) Fred Rerun Berry (March 13, 1951 - October 21, 2003) was an American actor best known for the role of Fred Rerun Stubbs on the popular 1970s television show Whats Happening!!. He was born in St. ...

Dwayne Clemens Nelson (Haywood Nelson) is the youngest member of the group. He is well known for his greeting, "Hey, Hey, Hey". Dwayne has an unassuming, good-natured demeanor and suffers from debilitating shyness and acute Nyctophobia (fear of the dark). While Rerun attempts to enter dance contests and Roger aggressively pursues his dream of becoming a famous writer, Dwayne's plotlines often deal with his problems with girls and bullies. Haywood Nelson (born March 25, 1960 in New York City) is an actor best known for playing Dwayne Nelson on the television series Whats Happening!!. Nelson started acting at an early age and appeared in the motion picture, Mixed Company (1974) and performed on Broadway in Thieves (1974) opposite...

Mabel Thomas (Mabel King) is Raj's 'large and in charge' mother. She is typically the voice of wisdom, and the parental authority over the main cast. Her role became less important in later episodes, until eventually she disappeared from the show (though her character was never written out and still mentioned off-screen). Mabel King (born Donnie Mabel Elizabeth Washington, December 25, 1932 - November 9, 1999) was an American actress. ...

Dee Thomas (Danielle Spencer) is Raj's younger sibling. She personifies the typical 'annoying little sister'. Dee is obsessed with making money, usually by blackmailing her brother and his friends a quarter at a time. She is also shrewd, and difficult to keep secrets from. As the series progressed and Dee grew older, her caustic personality mellowed into a sly sense of sarcasm. Her trademark phrase is "Ooh, I'm tellin' Mama!" Her favorite food is peanut butter. Danielle Spencer (born June 24, 1965) was an American child actress best remembered for her role as the sarcastic teenager Dee Thomas on Whats Happening!! She played the role for 3 years (1976-1979) and then played it again for the sequel Whats Happening Now! in 1985. ...

Shirley Wilson (Shirley Hemphill) is a portly waitress at the local restaurant, "Rob's Place", where the main cast is constantly eating. She is a brash person who likes to take shots at the boys, and most often clashes with Rerun (with whom she exchanges fat jokes, both characters being overweight). Shirley Hemphill Shirley Ann Hemphill (July 1, 1947 - December 10, 1999) was an American comedic actress best known for her role on the television sitcom Whats Happening!! playing Shirley Wilson, the waitress at Robs Place. ...

Minor characters

Bill Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala) is Mabel's ex-husband and the father of Roger and Dee. He divorced Mabel, ran out on his family, and became a shady sort of character. When he first appears he tries to con Mabel out of money. Later episodes in which he appears depict him in a more positive light and culminate with his remarriage. After his remarriage, Bill was not seen on the show although he is mentioned. Thalmus Rasulala (born Jack Crowder November 15, 1939-October 9, 1991) was an African-american actor who was an original castmember of ABCs soap opera One Life To Live since its inception in 1968 until he left the show in 1970. ... A confidence trick, confidence game, or con for short, (also known as a scam) is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ...

Big Earl Barnett is a detective who lives in the apartment building Raj and Rerun move into and was introduced in the third and final season.

Little Earl Barnett is the son of Big Earl. Little Earl has a huge crush on Dee (who is about five years older than he is).

Rob is the owner of Rob's Place.

The Snake was a basketball player whom Roger tutored. He eventually became a friend of Roger, Dwayne, and Rerun.

Miss Collins was a high school teacher. She admired Roger, while Rerun had trouble getting along with her.

Marvin was a schoolmate of Roger, Dwayne and Rerun at their high school. He was a reporter for the high school newspaper and was sometimes seen at Rob's Place.

Danny Cohn was an overweight little person who Dwayne and Rerun ran into at the Bus Stop in Season 3, Episode "Disco Dollar Disaster." He mentions in the episode that he is a temp worker, but nobody believes he has a job.

The third season

The third season marked changes for the show. Roger and Rerun moved into their own apartment. Mabel King left the show, but the character of Mabel Thomas was not written out. Instead it was said that Mama was working or not around. To take the place of an adult presence in the house for Dee, Shirley would move into the Thomas household as a boarder. Several new recurring characters were introduced. The first was a basketball player whom Roger tutored nicknamed "The Snake" (played by Leland Smith). The other characters were Caucasian detective "Big Earl" Barnett (played by John Welsh) and his son "Little Earl" Barnett (played by David Hollander) who were neighbors in the apartment building where Roger and Rerun lived. A boarder may be a person who: snowboards skateboards surfboards stays at a boarding house attends a Boarding school See also: board This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The 4th edition of Meyers Konversationslexikon (1885-1890) shows the Caucasian race (in blue) as comprising Aryans, Semites and Hamites. Aryans are further sub-divided into European Aryans and Indo-Aryans (the latter corresponding to the group now designated Indo-Iranians). ... There have been several well-known people named John Welsh. ... David Hollander hails from Pittsburgh and is most notably known as the creator, screenwriter, and an executive producer of The Guardian, a Pittsburgh-based legal drama. ...

During the 1978-79 season, which was the third and final season of the teen comedy program, Fred Berry caused problems on the show. Ernest Thomas and Haywood Nelson joined him in the strike, the executive producers of the show had enough of the conflicts (demands for more money and constantly walking out during rehearsals, for example) with the three co-stars and closed the show in April 1979. What's Happening!! aired its last episode on April 28, 1979. A year later, in 1980, Hemphill starred in her very own short-lived sitcom, One In a Millon, the short-lived program preimered in January 1980, and ended on July 23, 1980, after being on the ABC for a few months. Six years later, In 1985, a revival named What's Happening Now!! premiered in syndication. This was the television schedule on all three networks for the fall season beginning in September 1978. ... Fred Rerun Berry (March 13, 1951 - October 21, 2003) was an American actor best known for the role of Fred Rerun Stubbs on the popular 1970s television show Whats Happening!!. He was born in St. ... Categories: Stub | 1950 births | African Americans ... Haywood Nelson (born March 25, 1960 in New York City) is an actor best known for playing Dwayne Nelson on the television series Whats Happening!!. Nelson started acting at an early age and appeared in the motion picture, Mixed Company (1974) and performed on Broadway in Thieves (1974) opposite... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Shirley Hemphill Shirley Ann Hemphill (July 1, 1947 - December 10, 1999) was an American comedic actress best known for her role on the television sitcom Whats Happening!! playing Shirley Wilson, the waitress at Robs Place. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or of a poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Whats Happening Now!! was an American sitcom which ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988. ... In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ...

Success and What's Happening Now!!

The show was a modest success in its network run despite some serious production problems, and the repeats of the show's 65 episodes did considerably well in syndication. With this in mind, a revival of the show was produced entitled What's Happening Now!! It ran from 1985 to 1988 in first-run syndication. Whats Happening Now!! was an American sitcom which ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988. ... In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ...

In the sequel to "What's Happening!!", Raj was a struggling writer who became co-owner of the old hangout, Rob's Place (with partner, Shirley (played by Shirley Hemphill). He married a girl named Nadine Hudson (played by Anne-Marie Johnson). Raj and Nadine became foster parents to a 9-year old girl, Carolyn (played by Reina King, real-life sister of Regina), Rerun became a used car-salesman, Dwayne became a computer clerk, and Dee was off to College, although she still made appearances from time to time. Fred Berry caused problems in the new version of the series and was dropped from the show's cast and was written out, along with Reina King, who disappeared after the 1985-86 season. in the 1987-88 season, a young Martin Lawrence came onto the show as a brand-new character, teenager Maurice, who worked as an assistant in Rob's Place. Maurice's friend Darryl (Ken Sagoes) was another new character. The series ended in 1988. Shirley Hemphill Shirley Ann Hemphill (July 1, 1947 - December 10, 1999) was an American comedic actress best known for her role on the television sitcom Whats Happening!! playing Shirley Wilson, the waitress at Robs Place. ... Anne-Marie Johnson (b. ... Regina King (born January 15, 1971 in Los Angeles, California) is an American film and television actress. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... This was the television schedule on all three networks for the fall season beginning in September 1985. ... This was the television schedule on all four networks for the fall season beginning in September 1987. ... Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence (born April 16, 1965, in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany) is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. ... Ken Sagoes (b. ...

DVD Releases

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released all 3 Seasons of What's Happening!! on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video, DVD, and UMD distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. ...

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Trivia

• The character of Roger Thomas was specifically written as wearing glasses. However, Ernest Thomas, the actor who portrayed the character, has 20/20 vision. In the series' early episodes, it's clear that the "glasses" he is wearing are actually just empty frames with no lenses in them. Eventually, the show moved to using actual glass lenses that had no prescription, so the light reflection can be seen from the lenses.

• The show's theme song was composed by Henry Mancini.

• Tim Pelt, the stepfather of Danielle Spencer, appeared in the first season episode "My Three Tons". In 1977, he was killed in a car accident that also seriously injured Spencer.

• In the 5th season episode of Family Guy, Stewie Loves Lois, Peter is featured doing the "Rerun Dance". Also, in the episode, "The Courtship of Stewie's Father", Peter asks Stewie (who is trapped on Disneyland's "It's A Tiny World" ride), "Why are you dressed like Rerun?"

• On the new series Big Day, a couple plans to get married to the theme of What's Happening!!.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

What's Happening!!

• Each of the main characters incorporates either their real first or last name into the respective character names (i.e. Earnest Thomas- Roger Thomas; Mabel King- Mabel Thomas; Haywood Nelson- Dwayne Nelson,etc).

Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), was an Academy Award winning American composer, conductor and arranger. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Family Guy is an Emmy award winning American animated television series about a nuclear family in the fictional town of Quahog (IPA or ), Rhode Island. ... “Stewie Loves Lois” is the season five premiere episode of Family Guy, which first aired on September 10, 2006. ... Big Day (originally titled A Day In The Life) is an American situation comedy that began airing on ABC on November 28, 2006. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ...

Cultural References

• The 2004 song Biscuits by Ghostface Killa references What's Happening, when Ghostface refers to his pistol as "Big Shirley"

Don't move, turn around!

Act like James Brown

And get down!

Get slapped with the put down

Wasn't you the same clown

Uptown, yappin'?

I keep big Shirley on my side,

So What's Happenin'?

• In the Friends episode The one with all the poker, Chandler asks Ross (who is staring at Rachel) "Could you want her more?". Ross says "Who?" to which Chandler replies "Dee, the sarcastic sister from What's Happening."
• In the Scrubs episode "My Drama Queen", Amy Smart and Sarah Chalke's characters dance with Rerun under his guidance. Later in the episode, J.D. and Turk dance with Rerun in a fantasy of J.D.'s.
• The Bloodhound Gang song 'Mope', includes the lyrics 'Reruns of Rerun, so What's Happening!! Dee's knocked up and Raj on crack again'

The Pretty Toney Album is the fourth solo album by American hip hop artist Ghostface Killah, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. ... Ghostface Killah (born Dennis Coles, aka Tony Starks) is an American rapper and member of the Wu-Tang Clan. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The One with all the Poker is the eighteenth episode of season one of the television situation comedy Friends. ... Scrubs is an Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning American situation comedy/dramedy that premiered on October 2, 2001 on NBC. It was created by Bill Lawrence, who also co-created Spin City. ... My Drama Queen is the 45th episode of the American sitcom Scrubs. ... Amy L. Smart (born March 26, 1976) is an American actress and former fashion model. ... Sarah Cassandra Chalke (born August 27, 1976 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian television and movie actress best known for portraying Dr. Elliot Reid on the NBC sitcom Scrubs and also for portraying the second Becky Conner-Healy on ABCs Roseanne. ... The Bloodhound Gang is an American alternative band with a post-punk-influenced sound. ...

External links

• What's Happening!! and What's Happening Now!! Page
• What's Happening!! at the Internet Movie Database
• What happened to What's Happening!!?
• What's Happening!! soars to the top, then a deadly car crash, walkouts, drugs and death...
• The show is revived, Rerun quits (again) and three cast members die...
• What's Happening!! on tvland.com
• Full episodes of What's Happening!! on AOL Video