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Recess (TV series)

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Recess
Created byPaul Germain
Joe Ansolabehere
StarringRoss Malinger
(1997-1998)
Andrew Lawrence
(1998-2001)
Rickey D'Shon Collins
Pamela Adlon
Ashley Johnson
Jason Davis
Courtland Mead
Allyce Beasley
April Winchell
(1997-1999)
Dabney Coleman
Ryan O'Donohue
Toran Caudell
Erik von Detten
Blake McIver Ewing
Anndi McAfee
Helen Slayton-Hughes
(1999-2001)
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes66 (Episode List)
Production
Running time20 minutes with commercials (mostly two 10-minute segments)
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 13, 1997 –
November 4, 2001

Recess is an American animated television series that was created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere, and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Recess focused on six elementary school students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers.

Premise

The center of every episode revolved around the interaction between the six main characters of the series. Typical plots involved the group banding together in order to unravel government conspiracies, or attempting to outwit their teacher chaperones. Almost all the characters of Recess attend Third Street Elementary School. Most of the series is centered around the time they spend playing outdoors during recess, which in the school's case lasts for forty minutes. The outdoor environment of Third Street Elementary School is littered with typical playground equipment, and obscure structures (most notably the Ashley Clubhouse). During this time, the children are governed by a pseudo-monarchy, and required to conduct themselves according to a clichéd set of unwritten laws.

Production

Recess premiered on ABC's One Saturday Morning programming block on September 13, 1997. Despite coexisting with big-name Disney shows like Pepper Ann and Doug, Recess established itself as one of the most popular and successful shows of its time. Recess 's success spawned two direct to video titles and one theatrical film, Recess: School's Out, which was released in 2001.

The series was cancelled in 2001, and Disney stopped airing new episodes after November 1, 2001, but still continued to show episodes on ABC's One Saturday Morning and UPN's Disney's One Too programming blocks until 2003 when both blocks were phased out. Re-runs also aired on ABC Kids until September 2005 (when the block turned into an all Disney Channel line-up). It also remained on the Disney Channel until 2003. So far, the episodes from Season 6 have not been shown again since their initial airing.[1] The cancellation led to Disney still releasing the unreleased episodes to video. In 2003, two direct-to-video movies were made of Recess. Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade, one of the films, was actually made up of three different Recess episodes that take place in what can only be called a previously unreleased and unfinished seventh season where all the characters are now in the fifth grade. The show has started again but no new episodes have been released. [2]

Characters

Main characters

File:Recesscast.png
The Six Main Stars Of Recess.

Along with the six main characters, Recess featured a plethora of other characters from various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

  • Theodore Jasper "T.J." Detweiler
T.J. is the ringleader of his five best friends. He usually spends time planning pranks against the teachers, at which he is quite talented. His siblings include an older sister named Becky who was seen in Recess: School's Out and was voiced by Melissa Joan Hart. T.J. has good leadership skills, and has a talent for speaking in public. He was voiced by Ross Malinger from 1997-1998, and Andrew Lawrence afterward.
  • Vincent Pierre "Vince" LaSalle
Known around 3rd Street as "the cool one", Vince is the most talented athlete in school. Vince is also a skilled chef. His biggest rival is Lawson, a fifth grader who regularly engages him in competitions. He was voiced by Rickey D'Shon Collins.
  • Ashley Funicello Spinelli
Spinelli is a tomboy. She hates her first name Ashley because of the other Ashley girls. Her parents often embarrass her in front of her friends. Thus, she does not tolerate much interaction between her parents and friends. Spinelli was voiced by Pamela Segall Adlon.
  • Gretchen Prunella Grundler
Gretchen is academically talented and extremely intelligent, and is known as "Smart Girl" on the playground. She has shown the ability to do grade six work and probably that of a higher level. She was voiced by Ashley Johnson.
  • Michael "Mikey" Blumberg
Mikey is overweight, likes to eat, and very philosophical. He writes poetry, performs classical dance, and believes in notions of peace that are often dismissed by the others. Mikey was voiced by Jason Davis; his singing voice was provided by Robert Goulet.
  • Gustav Patton "Gus" Griswald
The newest kid in Third Street, Gus is usually naive to the rules of the playground and its traditions. Gus comes from a very disciplined military family, which caused his family to move around frequently. He was voiced by Courtland Mead.

Other characters

  • Muriel P. Finster
Miss Finster is the aging but harsh assistant principal who reminisces of her days in Guam and is the children's constant nemesis on the playground. She is feared by all and is always closely followed by her teacher's pet, the equally nefarious Randall C. Weems, who is largely disliked by the other students.
  • Principal Peter Prickly
Principal Prickly is the irritable head of Third Street School, though his personality may have been influenced by his older, nastier brother who is also an elementary school principal.
  • Randall C. Weems
Randall is the resident snitch of the playground. He is at the beck and call of Mrs. Finster, who rewards him with various confiscated items. He pesters T.J. and his pals and seems to enjoy his position on the playground. He is hunched and almost always seen with a notepad or recording device, waiting to report trouble makers. He bears a strong resemblance to Moe from The Simpsons.
  • Menlo
Menlo is Miss Lemons' filing assistant, a very organized boy who wears a shirt and tie to school and spends most of his time outside Principal Prickly's office, rarely going outside to Recess.
  • King Bob
King Bob is the unibrowed current ruler of the Third Street playground and the former prankster prince, whose throne sits atop the jungle gym. He is one of the school's older students. Bob is regularly depicted with a number '8' hockey jersey, and carries a hockey stick as a scepter.

He rules fairly in the hopes of being remembered when he has left the school, though does occassionally take things too far.

  • Erwin Lawson
Lawson, as he is always known, is the fifth-grader archenemy of T.J. and his gang. Like T.J. he usually wears a baseball cap, but unlike him, Lawson's visor sticks out in front and he is tall and lanky. He bullies Gus and athletically competes with Vince. When against Vince he always loses but still thinks he is better than him.
  • Alordayne Grotke
Miss Grotke is the somewhat mystical, hippie-like fourth-graders' teacher. She is adored by her pupils and performs magic tricks at clubs as a hobby.
  • Miss Lemon
Principal Prickly's old and miserable secretary.

She is always seen at her typewriter and co-ordinates Menlo's schedule.

  • The Ashleys
The Ashleys are a secretive group of the students named Ashley A., B., Q., and T., four gossiping girls who are known to shout "Scandalous!" in unison and maintain a secret clubhouse inside the playground's tirestack. In the playground, their club house on the outside is a pile of tires, with a lavish interior.

As an in-joke by Disney, Ashley A. once referred to the creators of the show by expressing her horror at the thought of dating boys named "Paul" or "Joe".

Making up their own unique group among the students, the kindergarteners live as uncivilized and even dangerous little urchins that wear face paint, carry tribal weapons, and harass the older children.
  • Gelman
Gelman is one of the many bullies in school.
  • Brandon the Singer
Brandon is the boy in a red sweater and slicked back hair. He is the prized vocal performer in school. He often sings instead of speaking, much to the annoyance of his fellow students.
  • Sam and Dave the Diggers
Two boys, looking like twins but are not, who enjoy digging holes. They are close friends with TJ's gang and often have fairly large roles in episodes.
  • Swinger Girl
A girl who likes to play on the swings every recess. She wears her trademark pilot's costume.

Her ultimate goal is to swing so high that she loops the swingset bar, but has never yet achieved it.

  • Phil the Woodchuck Scout
A woodchuck scout, who is known for his trademark Scout like costume.
  • Upside Down Girl
A girl who hangs upside down on the monkey bars every recess.
  • The Hustler Kid
Francis, the Hustler Kid is a kid that hustles people and sells little things.

Cast

Major cast

Minor cast

Episodes

Main article: List of Recess episodes
Season Ep # First Airdate Last Airdate
Season 1 13 September 3, 1997 January 10, 1998
Season 2 12 September 9, 1998 April 10, 1999
Season 3 7 September 11, 1999 January 22, 2000
Season 4 21 September 12, 2000 January 1, 2001
Season 5 5 September 9, 2001 October 6, 2001
Season 6 3 November 21, 2001 November 21, 2001

References

  1. ^ Recess Season 6
  2. ^ http://www.tv.com/recess/taking-the-5th-grade/episode/320506/summary.html Taking the 5th Grade on TV.com
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