What's Happening - The Complete First Season
by Dick Harwood, Lee Bernhardi, Tony Csiki, Bill Foster, Mary Hardwick
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DVD Cover Information
Director: Bill Foster, Dick Harwood, Lee Bernhardi, Mary Hardwick, Tony CsikiBrand: Sony
Producer: Bud Yorkin
Producer: Bernie Orenstein
Producer: Saul Turteltaub
Writer: Barbara Berkowitz
Writer: Marty Farrell
Writer: Eric Monte
Writer: Joseph Neustein
Writer: James R. Stein
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 520 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-02-03
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: The Program Exchange
Movie Reviews of What's Happening - The Complete First Season
Movie Review: "What's Happening!!" #1
Summary: 5 Stars
Before I purchased this release of the first season's worth of "What's Happening!!," I had originally rented the three component discs from Netflix. All of the episodes in this release (7 per disc) were extremely funny, considering that this was a '70's series. Sure, it might have been a little silly/dated, but to each his/her own-- if it makes you laugh, it must be pretty good. I wasn't born yet at the time of the original airing of the episodes in this first season, but I don't think that matters, as the first season's worth of "WH!!" is a whole lot funnier than a lot of the junk on today or in the '90's. I had originally been tentative about purchasing it, considering the decade in which it aired and the somewhat dated nature of the series, but, as I said earlier, Netflix helped me to make my decision in favor of purchase, as I truly enjoyed all of the episodes.
Sure, this release may not have had much in the way of bonuses, aside from some previews on Disc 1 for other Sony series, but as I've said, what matters is the season itself and how funny it was to me. I would never have said the same thing if this were "Friends" or "Seinfeld" or "Raymond," as I didn't think that any of those were funny.
In total, I am glad that I made this purchase, and I believe that anyone else who is a fan of the cleaner comedy of the past should do so too.
Summary of What's Happening - The Complete First Season
The funny funky late-70s comedy classic featuring pals raj dwayne & rerun rajs bratty little sister dee & sassy shirley has arrived on dvd. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 09/20/2005 Run time: 520 minutesCool out and return to the days of tight pants, afro picks, and... empty wallets. What's Happening was the African American answer to Happy Days and featured a theme almost as catchy as Quincy Jones's bouncy number for Sanford and Son (this time by the great Henry Mancini). The popular L.A.-based sitcom premiered in 1976 during the height of the disco craze and the action centers around bespectacled teenager Raj (Ernest Thomas, the show's Richie Cunningham) and fun-lovin' pals Dwayne (Haywood Nelson) and Rerun ("'cause every summer he gotta go back to school to repeat what he did all winter"; played by Fred Berry). The boys are kept in check by Raj's hardworking single mother, Mrs. Thomas (Mabel King), bratty kid sister Dee (Danielle Spencer), and sassy waitress Shirley (Shirley Hemphill). (Sadly, King and Hemphill passed away in 1999; Berry in 2003.)
When not in school--and the show takes place largely outside the halls of academia--the gang hangs out at the soda shop, "bumps" to the latest grooves, and trades quips with local cuties, like Debbi Morgan's Diane. That's about it. Of course, the trio does get into (minor) trouble each week and learns a valuable lesson before the end of each episode, but What's Happening mostly revolves around the fun they would conjure up out of the tiniest of budgets. Consequently, money--or the lack of it--figures prominently throughout the series. If What's Happening wasn't as groundbreaking as Good Times or as acerbic as The Jefffersons, it was directed at a slightly younger, more innocent audience. Kids throughout the nation came to rely on Raj, Dwayne, and especially the beret-and-suspender-sporting Rerun for all the latest catch phrases (like "Hey, hey, hey!") and funky moves. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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