October 2, 2007

Reading Rainbow Rap, &c.

BoingBoing linked to video of an appearance by Run DMC on a mid-1980's episode of Reading Rainbow. Well, I'll see your book-rapping Run DMC, Xeni, and raise you one circa 1992 hip-hopping Levar Burton, dressed in an apparent homage to Rerun from What's Happening:

levar_hiphop_readrain.jpg

On our PBS stations, at least, Reading Rainbow comes on after Mister Rogers. Which makes it the TV we sometimes need when kid wants to keep her sweet, make-believe high going. It's like the methadone of children's television.

The last time we watched it, it was a 1989 episode called "Barn Dance!", where Levar & Friends went to visit a clogging group in Kentucky. A whitey-whiter bunch could not be found, though, and the dance-along closing credits look less like rainbow sherbet and more like chocolate chip. It's on DVD, but not YouTube. yet.

3 Comments

RIP Jay
RIP Overalls
--------------
4EVA

[RIP Roots ever being considered cool in the US -ed.]

my dad was the medical director of a community mental health center for many years. it served a lot of street people, a lot of profoundly schizophrenic folks. sometimes things would get a little crazy (sic) and wild in the day room, and the staff discovered the most reliable way to restore calm: put on a mr rogers video.

the methadone of children's television, indeed.

sweet! both of those videos have been in heavy rotation here for awhile, but this one, too (especially):

and don't forget mr. rogers breakin'.

[I throw to the master. the first one looks like the Breakdancing Justice League of America. what is UP with those outfits? -ed.]

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