Hi I'm new to the boards.

At first I was reflecting on how innocent this show was. These three guys had their little adventures and all, but then it dawned on me that they were too innocent. Why didn't they have girlfriends? Did any of them drive? It seems like the producers were afraid to show young black males really being and becoming men. By the end of the show Raj was finishing his first year of college. I'm assuming Rerun was maybe two years older, so he would have been a 21 year old man. Dwayne was about to finish high school. Yet to me they were still portrayed as being interested in little boy games and incapable of forming romantic relationships with young ladies. Truthfully Rerun and Dwayne still seemed that way in the spinoff series in the 80s. I know some of us are late bloomers and aren't really into dating and such until after high school, but compare this show to Happy Days which was on at the same time and set in a different more "innocent" era. Richie and his buddies were always interested in going steady, necking, frenching and getting to first base.

I think that these characters were portrayed this way for the same reason you don't see too many films with either Sidney Poitier or Denzel Washington getting the girl- they're black males.

Originally posted by jamesanthony
Hi I'm new to the boards.

At first I was reflecting on how innocent this show was. These three guys had their little adventures and all, but then it dawned on me that they were too innocent. Why didn't they have girlfriends? Did any of them drive? It seems like the producers were afraid to show young black males really being and becoming men. By the end of the show Raj was finishing his first year of college. I'm assuming Rerun was maybe two years older, so he would have been a 21 year old man. Dwayne was about to finish high school. Yet to me they were still portrayed as being interested in little boy games and incapable of forming romantic relationships with young ladies. Truthfully Rerun and Dwayne still seemed that way in the spinoff series in the 80s. I know some of us are late bloomers and aren't really into dating and such until after high school, but compare this show to Happy Days which was on at the same time and set in a different more "innocent" era. Richie and his buddies were always interested in going steady, necking, frenching and getting to first base.

I think that these characters were portrayed this way for the same reason you don't see too many films with either Sidney Poitier or Denzel Washington getting the girl- they're black males.




They were playing the role of teenagers. But I don't recall any of them having girlfriends.

They had dates and were interested in girls.

Originally posted by Brian Damage
They had dates and were interested in girls.


He was saying that they didn't have steady girlfriends

I didn't mean that they were gay. I meant that they seemed like 12 year olds instead of the ages that they were supposed to be on the show and that in other shows from that era like Happy Days and Kotter the young males were more mature. If this show had had a 4th season I would have dumped all the silly new characters- the Earls, Snake and introduced some females in the guys' age range to be romantic interests for them. It would have been funny to see them fumble around, particularly Dwayne.

In the spinoff there is an episode where he and Dwayne shared a romantic kiss and the studio audience went wild when they did it.

Originally posted by jamesanthony
I didn't mean that they were gay. I meant that they seemed like 12 year olds instead of the ages that they were supposed to be on the show and that in other shows from that era like Happy Days and Kotter the young males were more mature. If this show had had a 4th season I would have dumped all the silly new characters- the Earls, Snake and introduced some females in the guys' age range to be romantic interests for them. It would have been funny to see them fumble around, particularly Dwayne.

In the spinoff there is an episode where he and Dwayne shared a romantic kiss and the studio audience went wild when they did it.



I think acted more like 12 year old than Raj and Rerun. I hated the Dwayne character. TOO NERDY

Dwayne was ok. One thing: of the three he was the only one playing a character that was more or less his age. I believe Ernest Thomas and Fred Berry were already in their 20s.

In the spinoff they were in their 20s and still acting immature. They had to bring in a young Martin Lawrence and a chubby guy to be teenagers because it just didn't look right for these guys to still be so silly. Martin behaved a bit like Dwayne did in the old show and the chubby guy was like a new version of Rerun. Martin behaved in a much calmer, more sane manner in this show. He seemed to be pretty tame in Do the Right Thing too, but by the time he got his own show he was acting crazy and a bit psychotic and he has acted that way in almost everything I have seen him in since except Life with Eddie Murphy where he was more like his old mild mannered persona.

In What's Happening Now, I thought that chubby guy was Rerun son or something! Is it me or did Martin's ears stick out more then or am I just used to them now?

We may have just gotten used to his looks. He plays the short black man part in most of his roles, which leads me to believe he must be very much like this in real life. He seems unstable to me.

i meant to say short ANGRY black man.

I really didn't have a problem with the boys acting so childish. After all, they were kids. Having said that, I would have liked to have seen at least one of them have a steady girlfriend, but I don't think that took away from the show. Dewayne was the shy type, so I can understand why he wouldn't have a steady girlfriend. Rerun was too much of a clown to have a steady girl, IMO. I think it would have been good to see Raj with a steady girlfriend. His character was the best "equipped" if you will, for something like that.

In the new show they gave Raj a wife and even a foster daughter for a while, but Dwayne and Rerun were still acting silly. Dee wasn't in the new show much because I guess the actress was in college or something at the time. She had a very flat, bored presence in terms of her acting ability.

I briefly remember Dwayne and Dee sharing a kiss on What's Happening Now.

I really never had a problem with the guys acting silly because they were supposed to be teenagers. The show never really had a continuation consistency, but then again not many shows in the 70's did.

I posted once before concerning Raj. Why was he the one playing the tricks on Ms. Collins. Didn't it seem sorta out of character for him to be doing it. I know it sounds silly, but rerun shoulda been playing the jokes. he's the clown, the one who supposedly stayed back a few times. Anyway, raj was smart on the show, wanting to be a writer, staying up all night writing Rerun's report. I loved the tricks on Dee, pretending to be sick. I hated it when she would discover what was happening (no pun intended). Also, didn't she have anything else to do but to pry open his dresserdrawer, with knives at that.

Hi Nerrad:

I can't comment on much of what you asked, but Dee being in Raj's business all the time is not at all unrealistic. The mom worked and dad wasn't around and Raj was stuck taking care of her so she was always in his hair.

Hi Nerrad:

I can't comment on much of what you asked, but Dee being in Raj's business all the time is not at all unrealistic. The mom worked and dad wasn't around and Raj was stuck taking care of her so she was always in his hair.

You have a point there. You're talking to someone who never had any sisters. All boys. And we used to sit around thinking about what it be like to have a Dee for our sister.:D

They all either went with girls or tried too. rerun almost got married in one ep. Plus, it was just a show, dont expect it to be too realistic, everything is made out of storylines and sugar cubes, not reality.

I am not too sure about the girlfriend thing, but Dwayne had two girls he was "going with" in one if the episodes of Season 2. Raj tried to impress the "older woman". Someone already mentioned Rerun getting married. Didn't Dwayne have something going on (a kiss maybe) in the on where he ran for school office or his Dad's election (can't remember). Raj and Rerun had girls over in the one where they got the apartment. Raj falls for the same girl as Dwayne when Dwayne wants Raj to talk to her for him. In "Making Out" Raj and Rerun make a bet to see who can go the furthest with a girl.

Would the show have been that funny if the guy had the same steady girlfriends? Seeing them in almost every episode. I think the show's lack of the same old same old worked well.