Happy 50th Birthday Schoolhouse Rock

[Tami]

‘Schoolhouse Rock’ debuted 50 years ago — and shaped a generation

“Schoolhouse Rock” helped teach an entire generation of kids about civics with “I’m Just a Bill” and grammar with “Conjunction Junction,” among many other classics.

But the series of Saturday morning cartoon shorts, which debuted 50 years ago this month, started with more modest aims: A parent, frustrated that his boys knew the lines to rock songs but couldn’t multiply, asked a co-worker at his advertising agency if he could help by setting multiplication tables to music.

The agency happened to be a client of ABC, and when it came up with “Three Is a Magic Number,” the timing couldn’t have been better to pitch the idea for TV. The network, under pressure from the Federal Communications Commission and parents upset about violent cartoons and incessant ads for sugary cereals, had recently started leaning into more educational programming.

The head of children’s programming at ABC was a young executive named Michael Eisner. He greenlit “Schoolhouse Rock” after hearing “Three Is a Magic Number,” by jazz musician Bob Dorough, and seeing the storyboards for the educational cartoon that accompanied it. That episode would debut in January 1973.

What is your favorite Schoolhouse Rock?

[caj]

Conjunction Junction was my favorite but I loved so many of them.

[ed2962]

A lot of them were great, but I'll start with this one

[ed2962]

What's interesting that in the 90's they did a "Schoolhouse Rocks! Rocks" album with "alternative" bands of the day covering the songs...



In my humble opinion though, the originals out rock the rock versions

[Tien Long]

Ha, great to have this acknowledged on a Saturday morning. Always loved Schoolhouse Rock. Schoolhouse rock was on TV for nearly 20 years before I started to watch it as part of my Saturday morning. However, my memories of it are still vivid.

As a social studies teacher, I've a fondness for "Shot Heard Round The World," "The Preamble," and "I'm Just a Bill." However, being from the NY/NJ area, I'll always enjoy the "The Great American Melting Pot" :



Now, I'll be the first to admit that the history videos of Schoolhouse Rock are dated. They can be problematic. They touch on truths, but not the whole truth. Indeed, I've shown "The Great American Melting Pot" numerous times to my classes and we've questioned its message. Does everyone just fit in in America? However, I still like the idealistic aspects of it. Seeing the Statute of Liberty means a lot.

Honorable mentions also go to:
Lolly Lolly Lolly Get Your Adverbs
Interplanet Janet
My Hero Zero

[ed2962]

There's also a few pretty good parodies out there. This one is from the Simpsons, again early 90's...

[useridgoeshere]

The most ear-wormy for me, to the point that they’re back in my head just from this thread, are on the grammar side …
- Conjunction Junction
- Adverbs
- Interjections
- Verbs

[DrNewGod]

Found them on streaming. I was instantly 7 years old again and streamed then all in a sitting