Room 222
| Room 222 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | James L. Brooks |
| Starring | Lloyd Haynes Denise Nicholas Michael Constantine Karen Valentine |
| Theme music composer | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 113 (1 unaired) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Gene Reynolds |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Production companies | Gene Reynolds Productions 20th Century Fox Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 11, 1969 – January 11, 1974 |
Room 222 is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television that aired on ABC for 112 episodes, from September 17, 1969, until January 11, 1974. The show was broadcast on Wednesday evenings at 8:30 (ET) for its first two seasons, before settling into Friday evenings at 9:00, following The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family, and preceding The Odd Couple and Love, American Style.[1]
In 1970, Room 222 earned the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding New Series, while Michael Constantine and Karen Valentine won for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, respectively.
Plot
While the series primarily focuses on an American history class in Room 222 at the fictional Walt Whitman High School, in Los Angeles, California, it also depicts other events in and outside the school, such as the home lives of the racially diverse student body and faculty.
The history class is taught by Pete Dixon (Lloyd Haynes), an idealistic African-American teacher. Other characters featured in the show include the school's compassionate guidance counselor, Liz McIntyre (Denise Nicholas), who is also Pete's girlfriend; the dryly humorous school principal, Seymour Kaufman (Michael Constantine); the petite and enthusiastic Alice Johnson (Karen Valentine), who is initially a student teacher, later full-time teacher whom Pete mentors; and Principal Kaufman's secretary Miss Hogarth, played by Patsy Garrett. Additionally, many recurring students are featured from episode to episode.
Pete Dixon delivers gentle lessons in tolerance and understanding to his students and they admire his wisdom, insight, and easygoing manner. The themes of the episodes are sometimes topical, reflecting the contemporary political climate of the late 1960s and early-to-mid 1970s, such as the Vietnam War, women's rights, race relations, and Watergate. However, most plots are timeless and feature themes still common to modern-day teenagers. For example, the 1969 episode "Funny Boy" deals with a class clown who is self-conscious about being overweight. In the 1971 episode "What Is a Man?", a student is a mistaken victim of anti-gay harassment, while the 1974 episode "I Didn't Raise My Girl to Be a Soldier" delves into parent–teenage child issues.[2]
Cast
Main cast
- Lloyd Haynes as Mr. Pete Dixon, the protagonist, teaches 11th grade American History in room 222 of Walt Whitman High School
- Denise Nicholas as Miss Liz McIntyre, guidance counselor at Whitman, dating Pete
- Michael Constantine as Mr. Seymour Kaufman, the principal of Whitman, preoccupied with his duties but dryly humorous
- Karen Valentine as Miss Alice Johnson, a student teacher learning from Pete
Recurring cast
- Ramon Bieri as Mr. Gil Casey, vice principal
- Howard Rice as Richie Lane, the "brainy" kid in the class
- Heshimu Cumbuka as Jason Allen, the "tough guy" of the class
- Eve McVeagh as Madge Morano, Mrs Cates, PTA Member
- Eric Laneuville as Larry
- Ta-Tanisha as Pamela, the "popular girl" of the class
- Judy Strangis as Helen Loomis, the "quiet kid" of the class
- David Jolliffe as Bernie, the "class clown", quick with a smart remark
- Bruno Kirby as Herbie Constadine
- Patsy Garrett as Miss Hogarth
- Ivor Francis as Mr. Kenneth Dragen
- Helen Kleeb as Miss Tandy
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Rank | Rating | Tied with | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||||
| 1 | 26 | September 17, 1969 | March 18, 1970 | 35[3] | 19.4[3] | — | |
| 2 | 26 | September 23, 1970 | April 7, 1971 | — | — | — | |
| 3 | 23 | September 17, 1971 | March 3, 1972 | 28 | 19.8 | Cannon | |
| 4 | 23 | September 15, 1972 | March 9, 1973 | 42[4] | 18.4[4] | — | |
| 5 | 15[a] | September 14, 1973 | January 11, 1974 | 67[5] | 13.8[5] | — | |
- ^ The fifteenth produced episode of the fifth season never aired.
Production
The program was filmed at 20th Century Fox studios. Exterior shots of UCLA were shown in the opening credits, and exterior shots of Los Angeles High School for some outdoor scenes in the early seasons.[6]
The show draws some comparisons to a theatrical movie which premiered during the show's first season, Halls of Anger. In that movie, a new, black teacher joins a southern California high school; an attractive, sympathetic black female member of staff shows romantic interest; a militant black student is frequently involved in situations; issues of racism and integration are featured. The film and television show also share actors (Ta-Tanisha, Helen Kleeb, Rob Reiner). However, while Room 222 is a comedy drama, milder in tone, Halls of Anger is purposefully aggressive, using deliberately controversial language and some forceful violence to highlight the real and dangerous potential of unresolved racial conflict.
Reception
Room 222's initial episodes garnered weak ratings, and ABC was poised to cancel the program after one season. However, the show earned several nominations at the 1970 Emmy Awards, and ABC relented. In the spring of 1970, Room 222 won Emmy Awards for Best New Series; Best Supporting Actor (Michael Constantine); and Best Supporting Actress (Karen Valentine). The following year, Constantine and Valentine were again nominated in the supporting acting awards category. After the shaky first season, Room 222 nevertheless managed to receive respectable ratings during its next three years. Ratings peaked during the 1971–72 season, during which it held a #28 viewership ranking. By the start of the 1973–74 season, ratings had fallen drastically, and ABC canceled the show at mid-season. After the series ended, the program entered syndication and was rerun on several television stations throughout the United States.
Music
The theme song was written by composer Jerry Goldsmith, written in a 7/4 time signature. 7/4 is, itself, uncommon, but Goldsmith's theme subdivides the meter as 4+3/3+4, 3+4/4+3. His theme and two episode scores for the series ("Richie's Story" (the pilot) and "The Flu") were later issued by Film Score Monthly on an album with his score for the film Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies.
Books and comics
A series of novels based on characters and dialog of the series was written by William Johnston and published by Tempo Books in the early 1970s. Dell Comics published a comic book for four issues during 1970 and 1971.
Home media
Shout! Factory has released the first two seasons of Room 222 on DVD in Region 1. As of 2022, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print. It is unknown if the remaining three seasons will be released.
| DVD name | Ep # | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Season One | 26 | March 24, 2009 |
| Season Two | 26 | January 19, 2010 |
See also
References
- ^ Room 222 at IMDb[unreliable source?]
- ^ "ROOM 222: WHAT IS A MAN? (TV)". Paleycenter.org. 1971-12-03. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
- ^ a b "The TV Ratings Guide: 1969-70 Top 30 TV Ratings".
- ^ a b "The TV Ratings Guide: 1972-73 Ratings History".
- ^ a b "The TV Ratings Guide: 1973-74 TV Ratings History".
- ^ Closing credits of Room 222 (DVD)
External links
- 1969 American television series debuts
- 1974 American television series endings
- 1960s American comedy-drama television series
- 1970s American comedy-drama television series
- 1960s American high school television series
- 1970s American high school television series
- 1960s American workplace comedy television series
- 1970s American workplace comedy television series
- American Broadcasting Company original programming
- Fictional rooms
- American high school films
- Television series by 20th Century Fox Television
- Television shows set in Los Angeles
- English-language television shows
- Television series about educators
- Television series created by James L. Brooks