Room 222 was a high school classroom drama with a touch of comedy that was deeply rooted in ideals that emerged in the late ’60s. The television viewing population first stepped into Room 222 in the fall of 1969, which was a turbulent year. The war in Vietnam was still raging, and the generation gap was widening. The times they were a-changing and Room 222 was a reflection of the new era.
The series focused on a hip, bright and black history teacher, Pete Dixon, and his colleagues and students at Walt Whitman High. The school’s counselor, Liz McIntyre was his girlfriend, and together they were one of televisions first realistically portrayed black lead characters. The show would run in prime time on ABC through January of 1974, and won several awards and critical kudos during its tenure for its superb handling of relevant subject matter.
Many of the plotlines were based on the politics of the day, while most of the episodes were timeless tales of teenage angst. Even though Room 222 was grounded in the era of peace and love, it wasn’t all hippy-dippy jive. Sure, one week the plot was about radical and square students facing off, but the next week the show was about a fat kid hiding his pain by acting as the class clown; pretty timeless stuff. A lot of fundraising and authority-questioning went on at the fictional Southern California campus, but there was always a lesson learned with little or no preaching attached. The show was very well received by viewers and critics alike, and was awarded with the Emmy for Outstanding New Series in its freshman season (1969-’70).
There was a cast of regular players in the multi-racial student body; frizzy-haired Bernie, jive-talking Jason, girl-next-door Helen and several others that were residents of Pete Dixon’s homeroom over Room 222’s 4 1/2 seasons. Guest students and staffers would join on a one-off basis to add to the drama and keep the storylines fresh. Some of TV Land’s favorite faces passed through the hallowed halls of Walt Whitman High as students; Cindy Williams, Teri Garr, Jamie Farr, Rob Reiner, Richard Dreyfus, Chuck Norris, Kurt Russell, and Mark Hamill to name a few.
Mini-skirts and big-hair aside, Room 222 is as poignant today as it was when it originally aired. Many of the problems the show attempted to tackle are current concerns. Drugs, bigotry and simply coming of age are a few of the universal themes that Room 222 handled with an early ’70s sensibility, but still holds lessons for the new millennia.
production details
USA | ABC – Twentieth Century Fox | 113×25 minutes | Broadcast 17 September 1969 – 11 January 1974
Creator: James Brooks, Gene Reynolds
Producer: Gene Reynolds
cast
Denise Nicholas as Miss Liz McIntyre
Michael Constantine as Mr. Seymour Kaufman
Lloyd Haynes as Mr. Pete Dixon
Karen Valentine as Alice Johnson
