On Thursday evening, in My Class GLS 739 YA Lit, aka Not Just Book Y’all.
We watched an episode of Freaks and Geeks, a television show from the 1990’s depicting the different archetypes, in a mostly white high school, in suburbia, USA. The Geeks/nerds, and freaks/weirdoes, the cool kids and the uncool, the hip and the squares.
I was not familiar with this show, however I had extensive knowledge of this school experience via John Hughes’ movies.
During our post view the class then had a short discussion about the different high school experiences; I explained that I attended a high school in Harlem with mostly all Latino and Black students.
Professor Devious (DJ) asked was I familiar with any movie which depicted the “inner city” high school experience? I could not think of one movie or TV show closet to my high experience.
Two days later, I did remember a single movie, from 1975, Cooley High. Written by Eric Monte (Good Times, What’s Happening, oh there’s 2 shows).
Cooley High (1975) is one of the first movies in which I remember seeing a high school with mostly actually all black students, which took place in Chicago, in the late 1960’s and had an awesome Motown soundtrack
Again not exactly as my high school experience, however archetypes were present. The Internet Movie Database says,
In the mid-1960's, a group of high school friends who live on the Near North Side of Chicago enjoy life to the fullest...parties, hanging out, meeting new friends. Then life changes for two of the guys when they meet a pair of career criminals and get falsely arrested in connection with stealing a Cadillac. We follow their lives through the end of high school and the dramatic end to their school year
We watched an episode of Freaks and Geeks, a television show from the 1990’s depicting the different archetypes, in a mostly white high school, in suburbia, USA. The Geeks/nerds, and freaks/weirdoes, the cool kids and the uncool, the hip and the squares.
I was not familiar with this show, however I had extensive knowledge of this school experience via John Hughes’ movies.
During our post view the class then had a short discussion about the different high school experiences; I explained that I attended a high school in Harlem with mostly all Latino and Black students.
Professor Devious (DJ) asked was I familiar with any movie which depicted the “inner city” high school experience? I could not think of one movie or TV show closet to my high experience.
Two days later, I did remember a single movie, from 1975, Cooley High. Written by Eric Monte (Good Times, What’s Happening, oh there’s 2 shows).
Cooley High (1975) is one of the first movies in which I remember seeing a high school with mostly actually all black students, which took place in Chicago, in the late 1960’s and had an awesome Motown soundtrack
Again not exactly as my high school experience, however archetypes were present. The Internet Movie Database says,
In the mid-1960's, a group of high school friends who live on the Near North Side of Chicago enjoy life to the fullest...parties, hanging out, meeting new friends. Then life changes for two of the guys when they meet a pair of career criminals and get falsely arrested in connection with stealing a Cadillac. We follow their lives through the end of high school and the dramatic end to their school year
1 comment:
Aww, John Hughes...very white, suburbia. I've been trying to come up with a urban high school TV show/movie and can't think of anything except for ones where all the "poor minorities are saved by a white teacher." I guess Fame had a fairly diverse cast(?) but not every school has singing and dancing in the halls. I can only remember Leroy and Danny who's friend did cocaine and then her nose bled all over her sheet music and then she may have died.
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