document_title: Mork & Mindy

question_text: who did mork talk to at the end of the show

text: Mork & Mindy

text: History[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Premise and initial success[edit]

text: The character of Mork was played by a then-unknown Robin Williams, who impressed producer Garry Marshall with his quirky comedic ability as soon as they met. When Williams was asked to take a seat at the audition, Williams immediately sat on his head on the chair and Marshall cast him on the spot, and later wryly commented that Williams was the only alien who auditioned for the role.[1]

text: Mork appears in the Happy Days season five episode, "My Favorite Orkan", which first aired in February 1978 and is a take on the 1960s sitcom My Favorite Martian. Williams' character, Mork, attempts to take Richie Cunningham back to his planet of Ork as a human specimen, but his plan is foiled by Fonzie. In the initial broadcast of this episode, it all turned out to be a dream that Richie had, but when Mork proved so popular, the ending was re-edited to show Mork erasing the experience from everyone's minds, thus meaning the event had actually happened and was not a dream.[citation needed]

text: Mork & Mindy, is set in Boulder, Colorado, in the then present-day late 1970s and early 1980s (as opposed to the Happy Days setting of Milwaukee in the late-1950s). Mork explains to Richie that he is from the "future" -- the 1970s.

text: Mork arrives on Earth in an egg-shaped spacecraft. He has been assigned to observe human behavior by Orson, his mostly unseen and long-suffering superior (voiced by Ralph James). Orson has sent Mork to get him off Ork, where humor is not permitted. Attempting to fit in, Mork dresses in an Earth suit, but wears it backward. Landing in Boulder, Colorado, he encounters 21-year-old Mindy (Pam Dawber), who is upset after an argument with her boyfriend, and offers assistance. Because of his odd garb, she mistakes him for a priest and is taken in by his willingness to listen (in fact, simply observing her behavior). When Mindy notices his backward suit and unconventional behavior, she asks who he really is, and he innocently tells her the truth. She promises to keep his identity a secret and allows him to move into her attic. Mindy's father Fred (Conrad Janis) objects to his daughter living with a man (particularly one as bizarre as Mork), but Fred's mother-in-law Cora (Elizabeth Kerr) approves of Mork and the living arrangement. Mindy and Cora work at Fred's music store, where Cora gives violin lessons to Eugene (Jeffrey Jacquet), a 10-year-old boy who becomes Mork's friend. Also seen occasionally are Mindy's snooty old high school friend Susan (Morgan Fairchild) and the possibly insane Exidor (Robert Donner).

text: Storylines usually center on Mork's attempts to understand human behavior and American culture as Mindy helps him to adjust to life on Earth. It usually ends up frustrating Mindy, as Mork can only do things according to Orkan customs. For example, lying to someone or not informing them it will rain, is considered a practical joke (called "splinking") on Ork. At the end of each episode, Mork reports back to Orson on what he has learned about Earth. These end-of-show summaries allow Mork to humorously comment on social norms.

text: Mork's greeting is "Na-Nu Na-Nu" (pronounced /ˈnɑːnuː ˈnɑːnuː/) along with a hand gesture similar to Mr. Spock's Vulcan salute from Star Trek combined with a handshake. It became a popular catchphrase at the time, as did "Shazbot" (/ˈʃæzbɒt/), an Orkan profanity that Mork uses. Mork says "KO" in place of "OK".

text: This series is Robin Williams' first major acting role and became famous for Williams' use of his manic improvisational comedic talent. Williams made up so many jokes during filming, eventually scripts had specific gaps where Williams was allowed to freely perform. Pam Dawber found him so funny that she had to bite her lip in many scenes to avoid breaking up in laughter and ruining the take, often a difficult task with Williams's talent.

text: The series was extremely popular in its first season. The Nielsen ratings were very high, ranking at 3, behind Laverne & Shirley (at 1) and Three's Company (at 2), both on ABC, which was the highest-rated network in the U.S. in 1978. The show gained higher ratings than the Happy Days series that had spawned it, at 4.[2][3] However, the network management sought to improve the show in several ways. This was done in conjunction with what is known in the industry as counterprogramming, a technique in which a successful show is moved opposite a ratings hit on another network. The show was moved from Thursdays, where it outrated CBS' The Waltons, to Sundays where it replaced the canceled sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica. The show then aired against two highly rated shows: NBC's anthology series titled The Sunday Big Event and CBS' revamped continuation of All in the Family titled Archie Bunker's Place.[2]

text: Second season[edit]

text: The second season saw an attempt to seek younger viewers and premiered a new disco arrangement of the gentle theme tune.

text: The characters of Fred and Cora were dropped from the regular cast. It was explained that Fred went on tour as a conductor with an orchestra, taking Cora with him. Fred and Cora made return appearances in later episodes. Recurring characters Susan and Eugene made no further appearances after season one and were never mentioned again.

text: New cast members were added. Among the new supporting characters were Remo and Jeanie DaVinci (Jay Thomas and Gina Hecht), a brother and sister from New York City who owned a new neighborhood deli where Mork and Mindy now spent a lot of time. Also added as regulars were their grumpy neighbor Mr. Bickley (who was seen occasionally in the first season and ironically worked as a verse writer for a greeting-card company), portrayed by Tom Poston, and Nelson Flavor (Jim Staahl), Mindy's snooty cousin who ran for city council.

text: The show's main focus was no longer on Mork's slapstick attempts to adjust to the new world he was in, but on the relationship between Mork and Mindy on a romantic level. Also, some of the focus was on Mork trying to find a steady-paying job.

text: Because of the abrupt changes to the show and time slot, ratings slipped dramatically (from 3 to 27). The show was quickly moved back to its previous timeslot and efforts were made to return to the core of the series; however, ratings did not recover.

text: Third season[edit]

text: For the third season, Jeanie, Remo, and Nelson were retained as regulars with Jeanie and Remo having opened a restaurant. Nelson was no longer into politics and wore more casual clothes.

text: Mindy's father and grandmother returned to the series. The show acknowledged this attempt to restore its original premise, with the third season's hour-long opener titled "Putting The Ork Back in Mork".

text: Several new supporting characters were added to the lineup. Joining were two children from the day-care center where Mork worked named Lola and Stephanie. Also added was Mindy's close friend Glenda Faye Comstock (Crissy Wilzak), a lovely young widow whom Nelson falls for. Wilzak lasted one season as a regular.

text: When these ideas failed to improve ratings, many wilder ideas were tried to attempt to capitalize on Williams' comedic talents. The season ended at number 49 in the ratings.

text: Fourth season[edit]

text: Despite the show's steady decline, ABC agreed to a fourth season of Mork & Mindy, but executives wanted changes. The show began to include special guest stars this year.

text: In the fourth season, Mork and Mindy were married. Jonathan Winters, one of Williams' idols, was brought in as their child, Mearth. Because of the different Orkan physiology, Mork laid an egg, which grew and hatched into the much older Winters.[4] Winters had previously appeared in a season 3 episode as Dave McConnell (Mindy's uncle and Fred's brother). It had been previously explained that Orkans aged "backwards", thus explaining Mearth's appearance and that of his teacher, Miss Geezba (portrayed by then-11-year-old actress Louanne Sirota). After four seasons and 95 episodes, Mork & Mindy was canceled in the summer of 1982. The show ended at 60th place at season's end.

text: Characters[edit]

text:
Mork (Robin Williams) — An alien from the planet Ork sent to observe human behavior. Mork mentions many times that Orkan scientists grew him in a test-tube.
Mindy McConnell (Pam Dawber) — A pretty female human who finds Mork and teaches him about human behavior. Eventually falls in love, marries Mork and raises an Orkan "child".
Fred McConnell (Conrad Janis) — Mindy's father, a widower with conservative values. In the first season, Fred owned a music shop with Cora. In the third season, Fred became the conductor of the Boulder Symphony Orchestra.
Grandma Cora Hudson[5] (Elizabeth Kerr) — Mindy's less-conservative, progressive grandmother and Fred's mother-in-law.
Franklin Delano Bickley (Tom Poston) — Mindy's downstairs neighbor. He has a job involving writing out greeting cards. At first, he is a total grump and always complains about noise. In time, however, he warms up and becomes a friend to Mork and Mindy and the gang.
Mearth (Jonathan Winters) — The "child" of Mork and Mindy and godson of Orson. Because of Orkan physiology, Orkans age backwards, starting with elderly adult bodies but with the mind of a child and regressing to feeble "old" kids.
Remo DaVinci (Jay Thomas) — The brother of Jeanie DaVinci co-owner of The New York Delicatessen in season 2 and DaVinci's Restaurant in season 3.
Jeanie DaVinci (Gina Hecht) — The sister of Remo DaVinci and co-owner of The New York Delicatessen in season 2 and DaVinci's Restaurant in season 3.
Nelson Flavor (Jim Staahl) — The strait-laced, driven, yet aloof cousin of Mindy with dreams of political power.
Orson (voiced by Ralph James) — Mork's mostly unseen and long-suffering superior who has sent Mork to Earth to get him off-world because humor is not permitted on Ork.

text: Recurring characters[edit]

text:
Susan Taylor (Morgan Fairchild) — Mindy's snooty ex-friend from high school who was only seen in Season 1. In the episode "Mork's First Christmas", a glimpse into why Susan is such a shallow person was shown.
Exidor (Robert Donner)—An odd man (with possible mental illness) who regards himself as a prophet. He often appears wearing a flowing white robe with a brown sash. He recognizes Mork as an alien, but nobody believes him. As the leader of a cult called "The Friends of Venus", of which he was the only member, he regularly engaged in conversations with imaginary members of his cult (such as "Pepe" and "Rocco"), but was the only person who could see them. Most times he is found yelling at his imaginary cult. He makes the comment, "Entourages can be the pits!" Later, since the Venusians had abandoned him, he began to worship O.J. Simpson when Mork encountered him at the Boulder Police Station. He also had a plan to become "Emperor of the Universe" by becoming a rock-star; his musical instrument of choice was the accordion. Exidor appears to be something of a squatter, as on at least two separate occasions he is present in homes not his own. Once Mork visited Exidor at a very nice apartment where he supposedly lived with his imaginary girlfriend and her twin sister. Another time, he is "on vacation" in Mindy's family home, where he apparently believed there was a beach in the living room closet. ("Everybody out of the water! Can't you see that fin?") He eventually got married, in a "forest" (Mindy's attic). Mindy thought his wife would be imaginary, but she turned out to be a real woman named Ambrosia. Exidor became highly popular with audiences and prompted wild applause from the studio audience when entering a scene.
Mr. Miles Sternhagen (Foster Brooks) — Mindy's boss when she gets a job at a local TV station. He is overbearing and demanding of Mindy when sober, but occasionally turns up drunk and cheerful (per Brooks' famous "drunk" act).
Glenda Faye Comstock (Crissy Wilzak) — Mindy's friend and recent widow who becomes the love interest of Nelson and was only seen in Season 3.
Todd Norman "TNT" Taylor (Bill Kirchenbauer) — An obnoxious and arrogant womanizer. He later teaches Mork to drive at the FastLane Driving School.
Cathy McConnell (Shelley Fabares) — Fred's new younger wife and Mindy's stepmother seen in Seasons 2-4.
Lola and Stephanie (Amy Tenowich and Stephanie Kayano) — Two children from the daycare center Mork works at later in the series during Season 3. Lola is a young philosopher and Stephanie is a chubby girl who loves to eat.
Billy (Corey Feldman) — A daycare-center child who appeared during Season 3. He wants to be like his namesake Billy the Kid. Mork introduces him to the Orkan hero Squellman the Yellow.
Bebo — Mork's ball-of-fur pet who spoke Orkan gibberish and was introduced and only seen in Season 3. He was occasionally seen around the house and stood by Mork during his reports to Orson.
Eugene (Jeffrey Jacquet) — A ten-year-old boy who takes violin lessons from Cora and befriends Mork during his appearances in Season 1.
Arnold Wanker (Logan Ramsey) — The landlord of Fred and Mindy's music store during Season 1.[6] He dies in Fred's music store, but Mork (misinterpreting the comments made to his wife) brings him back to life (a "one-in-a-billion" chance).

text: Connections to other shows[edit]

text: Actor-director Jerry Paris was inspired to create the character of Mork after directing an unusual and memorable episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show titled "It May Look Like a Walnut", in which Van Dyke's Rob Petrie has a dream wherein he believes the Earth has been surreptitiously invaded by walnut-eating aliens who steal humans' thumbs and imaginations.[7] Series creator Carl Reiner had written the episode, which was the 20th in the show's second season and the 50th episode produced. When he moved on to direct Happy Days, Paris introduced Mork in a similarly atypical season-five episode titled My Favorite Orkan.[7][8] In it, Richie tells everyone he has seen a flying saucer, but no one else believes him. Fonzie tells him that people make up stories about UFOs because their lives are "humdrum." Then while Richie is at home, Mork walks in. He freezes everyone with his finger except Richie and says he was sent to Earth to find a "humdrum" human to take back to Ork. Richie runs to Fonzie for help. When Mork catches up to him, he freezes everyone, but finds himself unable to freeze Fonzie because of The Fonz's famous and powerful thumbs. Mork challenges Fonzie to a duel: finger vs. thumb. After their duel, The Fonz admits defeat, and Mork decides to take Fonzie back to Ork instead of Richie. Then, Richie wakes up and realizes he was dreaming. There is a knock on the door and much to Richie's dismay, it is a man who looks exactly like Mork, except in regular clothes, asking for directions.

text: When production on Mork & Mindy began, an extra scene was filmed and added to this episode for subsequent reruns. In the scene, Mork contacts Orson and explains that he decided to let Fonzie go, and was going to travel to the year 1978 to continue his mission. In the pilot episode of Mork & Mindy, Orson tells Mork that he is assigning him to study the planet Earth. Mork remembers that he has been to Earth before to collect a specimen (Fonzie) but he "had to throw it back, though. Too small."

text: Fonzie and Laverne of Laverne & Shirley appeared in the first episode of the show. In this segment, Mork relays to Mindy his trip to 1950s Milwaukee where Fonzie sets Mork up on a date with Laverne.

text: Mork returned to Happy Days in the episode "Mork Returns" in which Mork tells Richie that he enjoys coming to the 1950s because life is simpler and more "humdrum" than in the 1970s. Fonzie sees Mork and immediately tries to run away, but Mork freezes him and makes him stay. He eventually lets him go, but not before Fonzie asks Mork to reveal two things about the future: "cars and girls". Mork's response is, "In 1979... both are faster." The episode is mostly a retrospective in which clips are shown as Richie and Fonzie try to explain the concepts of love and friendship to Mork.

text: Mork also appears in the first episode of Out of the Blue, "Random's Arrival", as a crossover stunt.

text: DVD releases[edit]

text: Paramount Home Entertainment has released the entire series of Mork & Mindy on DVD in Region 1 in both individual season sets and a complete series configuration,[9] while the first three seasons are available in Regions 2 and 4. The Region 1 DVD release of season 1 was from Paramount alone; subsequent releases in Region 1, as well as international season 1 releases, have been in conjunction with CBS DVD.

text:
DVD name
Episodes
Release dates

Region 1
Region 2
Region 4

The Complete First Season
25
September 7, 2004
October 29, 2007
September 19, 2007

The Second Season
26
April 17, 2007
April 7, 2008
March 6, 2008

The Third Season
22
November 27, 2007
September 1, 2008
September 4, 2008

The Fourth Season
22
December 9, 2014
TBA
TBA

The Complete Series
95
December 9, 2014
December 15, 2014[10]
TBA

text: Broadcast history and Nielsen ratings[edit]

text:
Season
Time slot (ET)
Rank
Rating[11]

1) 1978–1979
Thursday at 8:00-8:30 PM (Episodes 1, 3-25)
Thursday at 8:30-9:00 PM (Episode 2)
3
28.6 (Tied with Happy Days)

2) 1979–1980
Sunday at 8:00-8:30 PM (Episodes 1, 3-11, 13-16)
Sunday at 8:30-9:00 PM (Episodes 2, 12)
Thursday at 8:00-8:30 PM (Episodes 17-26)
27
20.2

3) 1980–1981
Thursday at 8:00-8:30 PM (Episode 1, 3-22)
Thursday at 8:30-9:00 PM (Episode 2)
N/A

4) 1981–1982
Thursday at 8:00-8:30 PM

text: Primetime Emmy Award nominations[edit]

text: For its first season, Mork & Mindy was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Robin Williams. The program lost to Taxi and Williams lost to Carroll O'Connor for All in the Family.

text: Syndication[edit]

text: Mork & Mindy was syndicated off network by Paramount beginning in the Fall of 1982, to low ratings. By 1983, most stations that owned the show rested it much of the year running it only in the summer, when weaker programming tended to air. Few stations renewed the show a few years later.[citation needed] By 1987, the show only aired in a handful of TV markets. With the expansion of cable channels available, the show began airing on cable. Nick at Nite reran the show from March 4, 1991 to November 27, 1995.[12] The show has also aired on FOX Family Channel in the late 1990s. From 2008 to 2011, the show aired in marathons on SyFy.[13] It has aired in subsequent years on Me-TV, the Hub Network and various other classic television stations airing on various digital subchannels. The show currently airs on Antenna TV

text: Filming locations[edit]

text: In an interview with Garry Marshall on June 30, 2006, Pat O'Brien mentioned that Mork & Mindy was filmed on Paramount stage 27, the former studio for his infotainment program The Insider.

text: The house from the show is located at 1619 Pine Street, just a few blocks away from the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. This was also used in the show as Mindy's actual address in Boulder, as shown in the episode "Mork Goes Public". The same house was later used for exterior shots on the series Perfect Strangers in Episode 21 of Season 5, "This Old House", where the show's main characters, cousins Larry and Balki, remodel a home for a fix-and-flip in hopes of huge profits. Often mistaken, it was not the house the cousins moved into with their wives during the final two seasons. In addition, it was used in three episodes of Family Matters as Myra's house.[14][unreliable source?][original research?] As of July 2016[update], the house was valued at $1.9 million, with a last sale date of 1974 for US $80,000 (equivalent to $385,000 in 2015).[15]

text: Spin-offs and adaptations[edit]

text:
In the United Kingdom, a long-running comic strip version was written by Angus P. Allan, illustrated by Bill Titcombe, and printed in children's television magazine, Look-In. Several British-produced annuals were also released that tied in with the series.
A subsequent Saturday morning cartoon titled Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour ran on ABC from 1982 to 1983. The Mork & Mindy segments were a prequel with Mindy as a student in high school. The character of Eugene returned in this spin-off voiced by Shavar Ross.
In 2005, a made-for-television movie titled Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork & Mindy aired on NBC. Chris Diamantopoulos portrayed Robin Williams, Erinn Hayes portrayed Pam Dawber and Daniel Roebuck portrayed producer Garry Marshall. The movie depicts Williams' instant stardom and behind the scenes turmoil that the cast and crew would have with the network.
In 1979, a short-lived Brazilian version of the series appeared as Superbronco. It was produced by Rede Globo and starred comedian Ronald Golias and actress Liza Vieira.


document_title: Romeo + Juliet

question_text: who played paris in romeo and juliet with leonardo dicaprio

root

text: Romeo + Juliet

text: Plot[edit]

text: In Verona Beach, the Capulets and the Montagues are arch-rivals.[6] The animosity of the older generation—Fulgencio and Gloria Capulet and Ted and Caroline Montague—is felt by their younger relatives. A gunfight between the Montague boys led by Benvolio, Romeo's cousin, and the Capulet boys led by Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, creates chaos in the city. The Chief of Police, Captain Prince, reprimands the families, warning them that if such behavior continues, their lives "shall pay the forfeit of the peace".

tag: p

text: Benvolio meets Romeo on a beach. While playing a game of pool they learn of a party being held by the Capulets that evening which they decide to gate-crash. Romeo agrees to come after discovering that Rosaline, with whom he is in love, is attending. Later, the Montague boys meet their friend, Mercutio, who has tickets to the party. Romeo takes ecstasy Mercutio gave him and they proceed to the Capulet mansion. The effects of the drug and the party overwhelm Romeo, who goes to the restroom. While admiring an aquarium, he sees Juliet on the other side, and the two instantly fall in love. Tybalt spots Romeo and vows to kill him for invading his family's home, but Fulgencio stops him.

text: Romeo and Juliet sneak into an elevator and kiss. The nurse spots them when the doors open and drags Juliet away, telling her that Romeo is a Montague. At the same time, Romeo realizes that Juliet is a Capulet. Mercutio removes Romeo from the party, but he sneaks back to the mansion, hiding under Juliet’s balcony. Juliet emerges into the courtyard and proclaims her love for Romeo before he sneaks up behind her. Juliet warns him that he is risking his life, but Romeo tells her he doesn't care whether he is caught. Knowing her nurse is looking for her, Juliet tells him that, if he sends word by the following day, they will be betrothed. The next day, Romeo visits Father Laurence, telling him he wants to marry Juliet. He agrees to marry the pair in hopes that their marriage will end the violence between the families. Romeo passes the word on to Juliet’s nurse and the lovers are married.

text: Tybalt encounters Mercutio at the beach just as Romeo arrives. Romeo attempts to make peace, but Tybalt assaults him. Mercutio intervenes and batters Tybalt, and is about to finish him off when Romeo stops him. Tybalt then slashes Mercutio with a shard of glass in his stomach. Mercutio curses both the Montagues and the Capulets before dying in Romeo's arms. Enraged, Romeo chases after a fleeing Tybalt and guns him down.

text: Captain Prince banishes Romeo from the city. Romeo goes into hiding with Father Laurence, who treats his injuries and says that, after some time passes, he will help Romeo and Juliet return to the city and reconcile with their family and friends. The nurse arrives and tells Romeo that Juliet is waiting for him. When Romeo climbs over Juliet's balcony, she kisses him and they consummate their marriage. Meanwhile, Fulgencio decides Juliet will marry Dave Paris, the governor's son.

text: The next morning, Romeo narrowly escapes the Capulet mansion as Gloria tells Juliet that the family has promised she will marry Paris. She refuses, and Fulgencio threatens to disown her. Her mother and nurse insist it would be in her best interest to marry Paris. To get out of this, Juliet runs away and seeks out Father Laurence, imploring him to help her and threatening to commit suicide. Father Laurence proposes she fake her own death and be put in the Capulet vault to awaken 24 hours later. Romeo will be told of the plot, sneak into the vault, and once reunited the two can escape to Mantua. He gives her a potion which mimics death. After saying goodnight to her mother, Juliet drinks the potion and slips into a coma. She is found in the morning, declared dead, and placed in the vault. Balthasar, one of Romeo's cousins, learns that Juliet is dead and tells Romeo, who is not home when the messenger arrives with a letter from Father Laurence.

text: Romeo returns to Verona and buys a vial of poison. As he goes to the church, Captain Prince finds out he is back, and tries to capture him, without success. Father Laurence learns that Romeo never got his letter and has no idea Juliet is alive. Romeo enters the church where Juliet lies and bids her goodbye. She awakens just as Romeo takes the poison; the two thus see each other and share a final kiss before he dies. A distraught Juliet picks up Romeo's gun and shoots herself in the head, dying instantly. The two lovers are soon discovered in each other's arms. Prince condemns both families, whose feuding led to such tragedy, while coroners quickly transport the two bodies to the morgue.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
The House of Montague

Brian Dennehy as Ted Montague, Romeo's father[7]
Christina Pickles as Caroline Montague, Romeo's mother
Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo Montague
Dash Mihok as Benvolio Montague, Romeo's cousin
Jesse Bradford as Balthasar Montague, Romeo's cousin
Zak Orth as Gregory Montague, Romeo's cousin
Jamie Kennedy as Sampson Montague, Romeo's cousin

The House of Capulet

Paul Sorvino as Fulgencio Capulet, Juliet's father
Diane Venora as Gloria Capulet, Juliet's mother
Claire Danes as Juliet Capulet/Juliet Capulet-Montague
John Leguizamo as Tybalt Capulet, Juliet's cousin
Vincent Laresca as Abra Capulet, Juliet's cousin
Carlos Martín Manzo Otálora as Petruchio Capulet, Juliet's cousin
Miriam Margolyes as Nurse, Juliet's nanny

Others

Harold Perrineau as Mercutio, Romeo's best friend
Pete Postlethwaite as Father Laurence, the priest who marries Romeo and Juliet
Paul Rudd as Dave Paris, the governor's son and Juliet's fiance
Vondie Curtis-Hall as Captain Prince, the chief of police
M. Emmet Walsh as Apothecary
Quindon Tarver as Choir Boy, the singer at Romeo and Juliet's wedding
Edwina Moore as the Anchorwoman, who assumes the role of the Chorus

tag: table

text: Natalie Portman had been cast as Juliet but, during rehearsals, it was felt that the footage looked as though DiCaprio was "molesting" her.[8] Baz Luhrmann has also stated that Portman was too young at the time, and made DiCaprio look older than intended. He was 21 at the time of filming and Portman was only 14.[original research?]

text: After Sarah Michelle Gellar turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts, DiCaprio proclaimed that Danes should be cast, as he felt she was genuine in her line delivery and did not try to impress him by acting flirtatious.[9]

text: Production[edit]

text: After the success of Strictly Ballroom, Luhrmann took some time over deciding what his next project would be:

text: Our philosophy has always been that we think up what we need in our life, choose something creative that will make that life fulfilling, and then follow that road. With Romeo and Juliet what I wanted to do was to look at the way in which Shakespeare might make a movie of one of his plays if he was a director. How would he make it? We don't know a lot about Shakespeare, but we do know he would make a 'movie' movie. He was a player. We know about the Elizabethan stage and that he was playing for 3000 drunken punters, from the street sweeper to the Queen of England - and his competition was bear-baiting and prostitution. So he was a relentless entertainer and a user of incredible devices and theatrical tricks to ultimately create something of meaning and convey a story. That was what we wanted to do.[10]

text: Luhrmann obtained some funds from Fox to do a workshop and shoot some teaser footage in Sydney. Leonardo DiCaprio agreed to pay his own expenses to fly to Sydney and be part of it. Once Fox saw footage of the fight scene, they agreed to support it.[10]

text: All of the development was done in Australia, with pre-production in Australia and Canada and post-production in Australia. While some parts of the film were shot in Miami, most of the film was shot in Mexico City and Boca del Rio, Veracruz. For instance, the Capulet mansion was set at Chapultepec Castle while the ballroom was built on Stage One of Churubusco Studios; and the church is Immaculate Heart of Mary in the Del Valle neighborhood.[11]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The film premiered on November 1, 1996 in the United States and Canada, in 1,276 theaters, and grossed $11.1 million its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the box office. It went on to gross $46.3 million in the United States and Canada,[12] with a worldwide total of USD$147,554,998.[2]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes rated the film "Fresh", with 72% of 53 critics giving positive reviews with an average rating of 6.5/10 with the consensus that says, "Baz Luhrmann's visual aesthetic is as divisive as it is fresh and inventive".[13] James Berardinelli gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and wrote, "Ultimately, no matter how many innovative and unconventional flourishes it applies, the success of any adaptation of a Shakespeare play is determined by two factors: the competence of the director and the ability of the main cast members. Luhrmann, Danes, and DiCaprio place this Romeo and Juliet in capable hands."[14]

text: Leonardo DiCaprio won Favorite Actor and Claire Danes won Favorite Actress in a Romance at the 1997 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.[4] At the 1997 MTV Movie Awards, Danes won Best Female Performance. DiCaprio was nominated for Best Male Performance, and DiCaprio and Danes were both nominated for Best Kiss and Best On-Screen Duo.[4] At the 51st BAFTA Film Awards, director Baz Luhrmann won Best Direction, Luhrmann and Mary Haile won the Best Adapted Screenplay, Nellee Hooper won the Best Film Music, and Catherine Martin won the Best Production Design. The film was also nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Sound.[4]

text: The film won several awards.[4] At the 47th Berlin International Film Festival in 1997, DiCaprio won the Silver Bear for Best Actor and Luhrmann won the Alfred Bauer Prize.[3] Luhrmann was also nominated for the Golden Bear Award for Best Picture.[4] At the 69th Academy Awards, Catherine Martin and Brigitte Broch were nominated for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration.[4]

text: Conversely, Roger Ebert gave the film a mixed review of only 2 stars out of 4, saying, "I've seen “King Lear” as a samurai drama and “Macbeth” as a Mafia story, and two different “Romeo and Juliets” about ethnic difficulties in Manhattan (“West Side Story” and “China Girl”), but I have never seen anything remotely approaching the mess that the new punk version of “Romeo & Juliet” makes of Shakespeare's tragedy."[15]

text: The film was nominated to appear on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Passions list in 2002.[16]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The film was originally released on VHS and DVD in 1997. A 10th anniversary special edition DVD containing extra features and commentary was released on February 6, 2007, while a Blu-ray edition was released on October 19, 2010.

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
"#1 Crush" – Garbage
"Local God" – Everclear
"Angel" – Gavin Friday
"Pretty Piece of Flesh" – One Inch Punch
"Kissing You (Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet)" – Des'ree
"Whatever (I Had a Dream)" – Butthole Surfers
"Lovefool" – The Cardigans
"Young Hearts Run Free" – Kym Mazelle
"Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" – Quindon Tarver
"To You I Bestow" – Mundy
"Talk Show Host" – Radiohead
"Little Star" – Stina Nordenstam
"You and Me Song" – The Wannadies
"Layers of Darkness" - Marching Show Concept's Recording
"Exit Music (For a Film)”- Radiohead

tag: ol


document_title: Hartford Whalers

question_text: where did the hartford whalers hockey team move to

text: Hartford Whalers

text: WHA history[edit]

text: Early seasons in Boston (1971–1974)[edit]

text: The Whalers franchise was created in November 1971 when the World Hockey Association (WHA) awarded a franchise to New England businessmen Howard Baldwin, John Coburn, W. Godfrey Wood and William Edward Barnes to begin play in Boston. The team began auspiciously, signing former Detroit Red Wings star Tom Webster, hard rock Boston Bruins' defenseman Ted Green (the team's inaugural captain), Toronto Maple Leafs' defensemen Rick Ley, Jim Dorey and Brad Selwood, and former Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltender Al Smith.

text: New England signed an unusually large number of American players, including Massachusetts natives and former U.S. Olympic hockey team members Larry Pleau (who had been a regular with the Montreal Canadiens the previous season), Kevin Ahearn, John Cunniff and Paul Hurley. Two other ex-U.S. Olympians on the Whalers' roster (Minnesotans Timothy Sheehy and Tommy Williams) had spent a significant part of their careers in Boston with Boston College and the Bruins, respectively.

text: The Whalers had the WHA's best regular-season record in the 1972–73 season. Webster led the team in scoring and through the playoffs. Behind legendary ex-Boston University Head Coach Jack Kelley, the team defeated the Winnipeg Jets to win the inaugural Avco World Trophy, the WHA championship.

text: Relocation to Hartford (1974)[edit]

text: The club played its first season's home games at Boston Garden and Boston Arena. However, the Garden was owned by the rival NHL Bruins, and the Whalers found themselves fourth in priority for dates behind the Bruins, Boston Celtics and even the American Hockey League's Boston Braves. Fed up with the situation, Baldwin decided to move elsewhere.

text: Hartford was about to open a new, modern downtown arena and convention center, the Hartford Civic Center. The city had hoped to get an American Basketball Association team as the main tenant, but when that fell through, city leaders got in touch with the Whalers. Aside from various minor league teams in New Haven, the area had been largely bereft of professional hockey until the Whalers' arrival. The Civic Center was still being finished when the 1974–75 season began, so the Whalers played the first part of the 1974–75 season at The Big E Coliseum in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

text: On January 11, 1975, the team played its first game at the Hartford Civic Center in front of a sellout crowd. The franchise remained in Hartford until it relocated to North Carolina for the 1997–98 season, save for a temporary relocation to the nearby Springfield Civic Center in the late 1970s while their Hartford arena was being rebuilt after heavy snow followed by heavy rain caused the roof to collapse, which suffered from several engineering and construction shortcomings.[1]

text: Though they never again won the WHA championship, the New England Whalers were a successful team, never missing the playoffs in league history, and finishing first in their division three times. They had a more stable roster than most WHA teams: Ley, Webster, Selwood, Pleau, and Tommy Earl played over 350 games each with the club. The team scored a major coup when it signed legend Gordie Howe and his sons Mark and Marty from the Houston Aeros in 1977.

text: While the first two full seasons in Hartford were not glittering (the Whalers recorded losing records both years), the final two WHA seasons saw more success. They went to the finals again in 1978, with a veteran team spearheaded by the Howes—50-year-old Gordie led the team in scoring—future NHL stars Gordie Roberts and Mike Rogers, All-Star defenseman Ron Plumb, and forwards John McKenzie, Dave Keon and Mike Antonovich, and possessed of the league's best defense. The next season was not so fine, however, but while age finally caught up with Gordie Howe, the slack was picked up by Andre Lacroix, the WHA's all-time leading scorer, acquired from the Aeros.

text: Admission to the NHL[edit]

text: As the Whalers were one of the most stable WHA teams, the club was one of the four franchises admitted to the NHL when the rival leagues merged in 1979. Following lobbying from the Boston Bruins, one of the conditions of the merger stipulated that the Whalers were to drop "New England" from their name. The Howes, Rogers, Ley, Keon, Smith, Roberts and Lacroix wore the uniform of the Hartford Whalers. The team also changed its colors to blue and green, a combination that was unused in the NHL at the time.

text: Unlike the other former WHA teams, the Whalers were not stripped of most of their players. Only Selwood, George Lyle and Warren Miller were reclaimed by their former NHL teams.

text: Career leaders (WHA, 1972–1979)[edit]

text:
Games: Rick Ley, 478
Goals: Tom Webster, 220
Assists: Larry Pleau, 215
Points: Webster, 425
Penalty Minutes: Ley, 716
Goaltending Wins: Al Smith, 141

tag: ul

text: NHL history[edit]

text: The Whalers were never as successful in the NHL as they had been in the WHA, yet they attracted a decent fan base over the years. They recorded three winning seasons in their 18 years in the NHL, made the Stanley Cup playoffs eight times and won one playoff series, earning the nickname "Forever .500s" in mocking jest of their winning percentage. Whenever they did make the playoffs, they faced the near-certainty of having to get past the Boston Bruins or Montreal Canadiens to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The team developed a heated rivalry with the Bruins, who were based just two hours northeast of Hartford, because of the fact that they used to play in the same building. These games usually attracted the Whalers' largest crowds, as many Bruins fans followed their team to Hartford. The Whalers had an all-time head-to-head record of 37–69–12 against Boston.

text: The Whalers were hampered by numerous off-ice factors. Hartford was the smallest American market in the NHL and was located on the traditional dividing line between the home territories for Boston and the two New York area teams, the Rangers and Islanders. This limited the team's marketability. Additionally, for most of the Whalers' tenure as an NHL team, the Hartford Civic Center was one of the smallest arenas in the league. At its maximum, it seated just 15,635 for hockey. The team averaged over 14,000 fans only twice in its 15 years at the Civic Center. They averaged only 13,867 from 1980 to 1997. Most of their sellouts came when the Bruins or New York Rangers played in Hartford, bringing thousands of their own fans with them.

text: Inaugural NHL season[edit]

text: The Whalers' first NHL season in 1979–80 looked somewhat promising. They were led by Mike Rogers, Blaine Stoughton, Dave Keon, Mark Howe, Rick Ley, NHL legend Gordie Howe and the all-time WHA leading scorer, Andre Lacroix, along with the franchise's first starting goaltender, Al Smith. The Whalers also acquired another NHL legend, Bobby Hull, near the NHL trade deadline in 1980. They finished the season with 73 points and a playoff berth and had the best record of the four former WHA franchises that entered the NHL in 1979–80. Along with the Edmonton Oilers, the Whalers are the most recent first year expansion franchise to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in the NHL. In the first round of the playoffs, the Whalers were swept by the Montreal Canadiens three games to none. Following this season, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull and Andre Lacroix all announced their retirements from professional hockey.

text: The early 1980s[edit]

text: Following the 1979–80 season, the Whalers had many aging veterans left over from their WHA days. To make matters worse, the Whalers reputation of making disastrous trades began to unfold, as the team began to trade away stars for mediocre players in an attempt to gain depth. For instance, they traded star defenseman Mark Howe and their first NHL scoring leader, Mike Rogers, in separate deals for players and draft picks which never panned out, and also swapped defensive-defenseman Gordie Roberts, who would go on to play 15 remaining professional seasons, for the remaining half-season of Mike Fidler's NHL career. The Whalers bottomed out in the 1982–83 season with a record of 19–54–7 (45 points), ranked 20th out of 21 teams in the NHL standings. On May 2, 1983, the Whalers hired Emile Francis as their new general manager to rebuild the team. About two months later, on July 7, Francis hired Jack Evans to be the Whalers' new head coach. By the end of the 1986–87 season, Francis had cut or traded away every player from the 1982–83 Whalers' roster save for Ron Francis, Paul MacDermid, and Greg Millen.

text: Success in the mid-1980s[edit]

text: The team had a brief moment of success in the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons. The Whalers began 1985–86 looking like a playoff contender. By the end of January, they had a record of 26–20–1 for 53 points after 47 games. At this time, however, the Whalers began to struggle when they lost their franchise player Ron Francis and star goal scorer Kevin Dineen to injuries. As a result, the Whalers struggled through February, winning just two games in the month and in danger of missing the playoffs for the sixth year in a row. In March, Francis and Dineen returned from their injuries and the Whalers put up a record of 12–4–2 in the months of March and April. The Whalers finished fourth in the Adams Division in the 1985–86 regular season, earning themselves a playoff berth for the first time since 1980. The Whalers went on to eliminate the first-place Quebec Nordiques in a three-game sweep in the first round, winning their first, and only, NHL playoff series in Hartford. The Whalers then pushed the division finals to seven games, losing the final game 2–1 in overtime to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens disposed of both the Rangers and Calgary Flames in five games in the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals, respectively.

text: The following season, 1986–87, the Whalers won their lone division championship, led by centers Ron Francis and Ray Ferraro, emerging winger Kevin Dineen, defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, superstar goaltender Mike Liut and troubled scorer Sylvain Turgeon. The 93 points earned that season were the most they would earn as an NHL team in Hartford; however, they were quickly eliminated in the first round by the Nordiques. The Whalers started the series strongly, winning the first two games at home, but, beginning in Game 3, the Nordiques were able to successfully take the Whalers off their game by playing a tough, chippy style of hockey. As a result, both teams broke NHL records in penalty minutes for an individual playoff game and a whole playoff series. The Nordiques won the next four games and thus the series, four games to two. While Hartford would make the playoffs for the next five seasons in a row, they never came close to duplicating their previous success, with one exception in the 1989–90 season.

text: The 1989–1990 season[edit]

text: In 1989–90, the Whalers finished seventh overall in the NHL standings and fourth overall in the Wales Conference, with 85 points. This was the franchise's second-highest point total in the NHL while located in Hartford. The regular season was highlighted by captain Ron Francis putting up career highs in goals (32), assists (69) and points (101). Later in his career, Francis was only able to exceed 101 points once (in 1995–96) and never again exceeded 32 goals in a single season. At the trade deadline, the Whalers first year General Manager Eddie Johnston made the first in a series of destructive trades by sending franchise goaltender Mike Liut to the Washington Capitals in exchange for center Yvon Corriveau. Liut was having a career year during the 1989–90 season and this trade left the Whalers with sophomore goaltender Peter Sidorkiewicz as their starter, with rookie Kay Whitmore as the backup.

text: The Whalers went on to face the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. In Game 4, the Whalers were in front of their home crowd with a two games to one series lead and a 5–2 lead in the game entering the third period. Bruins starting goaltender Reggie Lemelin was struggling throughout the series and was replaced by backup Andy Moog in the third period. At the same time, Peter Sidorkiewicz began struggling in goal for the Whalers, and the Bruins scored four unanswered goals in the third period, winning the game 6–5. Sidorkiewicz struggled for the rest of the series and Moog was spectacular for the Bruins. Without Liut, the Whalers had to either stick with Sidorkiewicz, which they did, or use the unproven rookie, Kay Whitmore, in goal. Goaltending turned out to be one of the big differences in this series and the Bruins won it in seven games. The Bruins went on to dispose of the Canadiens in five games, then sweep the Capitals in the Wales Conference Finals before losing in the Stanley Cup finals to the Edmonton Oilers.

text: The Ron Francis trade[edit]

text: On March 4, 1991, Francis was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings, in exchange for John Cullen, Zarley Zalapski and Jeff Parker. Francis was one of the most popular players on the team, and held nearly every significant offensive record in the franchise's history, both in the WHA and NHL. The trade was condemned by Whalers fans, most of whom were not willing to believe The Hockey News assessment that the Whalers had actually received the better end of the bargain. Less than two weeks after the trade, Parker suffered a career-ending knee injury. The Francis trade was made all the more painful when Francis and Samuelsson promptly helped lead the Penguins to two consecutive Stanley Cup titles. Coincidentally, Eddie Johnston, the Hartford general manager who had orchestrated the Francis trade, would follow him to Pittsburgh as the Penguins' head coach two years later.

text: The trades that Johnston made, particularly the Ron Francis trade, proved to be disastrous for the Whalers, since the players acquired did not meet the team's expectations, leaving the Whalers depleted of talent and costing them substantial goodwill in Hartford. The links below show all of the trades and transactions Ed Johnston made as the General Manager of the Whalers.

text:
1989-90 Hartford Whalers Transactions
1990-91 Hartford Whalers Transactions
1991-92 Hartford Whalers Transactions

text: The 1992 playoffs[edit]

text: The Whalers went to the playoffs for the final time in 1992 behind Jimmy Roberts' coaching, but faced the heavily-favored Montreal Canadiens in the Adams Division Semi-finals. The Whalers lost Game 1 by a score of 2–0 and Game 2 by a score of 5–2, creating the expectation that the Canadiens would sweep the Whalers out of the first round, as they did in the 1989 playoffs. However, the Whalers came back home to win Games 3 and 4 by scores of 5–2 and 3–1, respectively. The main turning point in the series came in the second period of Game 5 — the Whalers had a 3–1 lead midway through the second period, where the Canadiens began rushing the crease and getting in the face of Whalers goaltender Frank Pietrangelo to distract him. The strategy worked, as the Canadiens scored four unanswered goals in the final five minutes of the second period. These goals were not called back, since this was before the time when the NHL began strictly enforcing crease infractions on goals. The Whalers lost Game 5 by a score of 7–4. The Whalers came back to win Game 6 by a score of 2–1 just 24 seconds into overtime on a goal by Yvon Corriveau. The series went back to Montreal for game 7 and the Whalers lost a dramatic double overtime game by a score of 3–2, as Russ Courtnall scored on a turn-around shot against Pietrangelo. Corriveau had an excellent chance for a second consecutive overtime winner in the first overtime period on a breakaway, but his shot missed the net.

text: Roberts was fired thereafter, along with General Manager Eddie Johnston. At the end of the three-year Johnston era, only seven players remained from the Whalers' active roster prior to Johnston taking over as general manager. Those players were forwards Ed Kastelic and Terry Yake; defensemen Randy Ladouceur, Brad Shaw and Adam Burt; and goaltenders Peter Sidorkiewicz and Kay Whitmore. During the summer of 1992, following Johnston's departure, Shaw and Whitmore were traded away, Kastelic left via free agency and Sidorkiewicz was lost to the Ottawa Senators in the expansion draft.

text: The Brian Burke and Paul Holmgren years[edit]

text: In the summer of 1992, the Whalers hired Brian Burke to replace Eddie Johnston as general manager to rebuild the Whalers. Burke had worked for the Vancouver Canucks, helping them build the team that eventually went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994. Burke hired Paul Holmgren to be the Whalers' new head coach. Holmgren had been the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. Holmgren immediately named Pat Verbeek the new captain and he ended up playing on a line with young stars Andrew Cassels and Geoff Sanderson. The Whalers also acquired goaltender Sean Burke in exchange for former first-round draft pick Bobby Holik. Cassels, Sanderson and Sean Burke remained star players for the Whalers through their final season in Hartford. In addition, future NHL star Michael Nylander began his NHL career with the Whalers during the 1992–93 season. Since the 1992–93 season was a rebuilding year for the Whalers, they finished the season with only 58 points, the second-worst point total in franchise history, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1985.

text: The Whalers entered the 1993–94 season with high hopes from a core of young talented players. The Whalers were also able to draft defenseman Chris Pronger, who began his career with the Whalers, playing alongside veteran defenseman Brad McCrimmon, and later became an NHL star. However, problems began at the management level when General Manager Brian Burke announced he would resign when the season began to take an executive position with the NHL. In addition, Burke had some disagreements with Whalers Owner Richard Gordon. After Burke left, Holmgren took over as both the head coach and general manager. The Whalers started off the season poorly. Holmgren felt he was unable to handle the job of GM and head coach, so he made Pierre McGuire the new head coach. The coaching change did not help the Whalers, however, since McGuire was not popular with the players; the Whalers continued to struggle. The Whalers reached a low point in the season when six players and two assistant coaches were arrested in Buffalo, New York, after being involved in a bar room brawl. Pronger was one of the players arrested; he was 19 years of age at the time, two years below than the legal drinking age in the State of New York. Around this same time, Paul Holmgren checked himself into rehab for alcohol addiction after being arrested with a DUI in Simsbury. The Whalers finished the season with 63 points, only a five-point improvement from the previous season. One bright spot for the Whalers was the emergence of Sean Burke as their franchise and star goaltender. Another highlight of the 1993–94 season was when Brian Propp scored his 1,000th career NHL point with the Whalers. Propp announced his retirement after the season.

text: New ownership[edit]

text: In the summer of 1994, the Whalers were purchased, in a deal brokered by the Connecticut Development Authority, by Compuware CEO Peter Karmanos, along with partners Thomas Thewes and Jim Rutherford. Rutherford became the team's new general manager and Holmgren returned as the head coach. The new ownership wanted to turn the team into a winner for the 1994–95 season, so Rutherford went out to the free agent market and signed Jimmy Carson and Steven Rice. On draft day, the Whalers selected the highly rated Jeff O'Neill in the first round. Rutherford also acquired defenseman Glen Wesley from the Boston Bruins in exchange for three first-round draft picks (Kyle McLaren, Johnathan Aitken and Sergei Samsonov). Despite these acquisitions, the Whalers struggled at the beginning of the season, starting off with a record of 2–7–2. In mid-February, the Whalers began improving, led by their top line of Sanderson, Cassels and Verbeek, along with franchise goaltender Sean Burke. For the next 30 games, the Whalers put up a record of 16–11–3 and it appeared as if the Whalers were on their way to their first playoff berth since 1992. Unfortunately, the Whalers played poorly down the stretch, winning only one game in the last seven and missed the playoffs by four points.

text: Before the beginning of the 1995–96 season, the Whalers management became frustrated with the slow development of highly rated prospect Chris Pronger. As a result, Pronger was sent to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Brendan Shanahan. Shanahan was not happy with the trade even before playing a single game in Hartford. However, he was immediately made the team's new captain. The Whalers won their first four games of the season, but then struggled for the rest of the calendar year of 1995. As a result, Paul Maurice replaced Holmgren as head coach in November. On December 28, 1995, the Whalers received a morale boost when they reacquired one of their most popular players from the 1980s, Kevin Dineen. His skills and leadership had an immediate impact on the team, as the Whalers began playing significantly better in January. Despite the strong finish in the second half of the season, the Whalers were unable to recover from their poor start and they missed the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

text: Before the beginning of the 1996–97 season, Brendan Shanahan ended his silence about his displeasure about playing in Hartford. He demanded a trade out of Hartford because he claimed he did not want to play in a small market for a team with an uncertain future about its location. Whalers fans and local media condemned Shanahan for his comments and he was immediately stripped of his captaincy; Kevin Dineen took over the role. After the second game of the season, Shanahan was traded (along with Brian Glynn) to the Detroit Red Wings for Keith Primeau, Paul Coffey and a first-round draft pick. Despite these problems, the Whalers got off to a very good start, with a 14–7–6 record after the first 27 games, sitting in first in their division. They were led by a strong first line of Sanderson, Cassels and Dineen along with a solid second line of Primeau, O'Neill and Sami Kapanen. During the calendar year of 1996, the Whalers achieved a record of 41–30–10 in 81 games. In 1997, following the good start, the Whalers' season began to slip away. This included a nine-game losing streak in January and a six-game losing streak in March. Despite the poor performance down the stretch, the Whalers still had an opportunity to make the playoffs in the final week of the season. However, the Whalers lost two games on the road to Ottawa and the New York Islanders, which eliminated them from the playoffs before their final regular season game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

text: Departure from Hartford[edit]

text: Owner Peter Karmanos pledged to keep the Whalers in the city of Hartford for four years when he purchased the team in 1994. However, two years later, frustrated with lackluster attendance and little corporate support, he announced that if the Whalers were unable to sell at least 11,000 season tickets for the 1996–97 season, he would likely move the team.[2] Furthermore, ownership only made season tickets available in full-season (41-game) packages, eliminating the popular six-, 9-, 10- and 20-game mini-plans in a strategy largely designed to spur purchases from corporations and wealthier individuals. Sales were underwhelming at the beginning of the campaign, and at the end of the 1995–96 season, it was still unknown whether the Whalers would stay in Connecticut past 1998 or move elsewhere. However, thanks to an aggressive civic campaign and the efforts of many fans, the Whalers announced that they would stay in Connecticut through at least 1997. The "Save the Whale" campaign netted season ticket sales totaling 8,563 in less than a 45-day span, despite the Whalers raising ticket prices by an average of 20 percent, eliminating partial ticket plans and increasing the deposit amount for season tickets by 750 percent. This represented an expansion of over 3,500 tickets from the existing base.[3]

text: In early 1997, Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland stated that he did not want to spend Connecticut taxpayer dollars to fund a new arena in Hartford. Despite this, negotiations between the Whalers and Rowland to build a new $147.5 million arena seemed to be going well. Talks fell apart when Karmanos wanted an additional $45 million to cover losses during the three years the new arena was to be built. The Whalers ultimately announced that they would be leaving Hartford after the 1996–97 season. This marks one of the few times that a team announced it would leave its current city without having already announced an agreement with a new one. Karmanos had discussed relocating the Whalers to Norfolk, Virginia (which would have been the first major sports team for that market) as the Hampton Roads Rhinos, but the failure of a season-ticket drive in Norfolk, coupled with a lack of an adequate arena, led to those plans being canceled. Karmanos stated that Rowland had no intention making a serious offer to keep the Whalers in Connecticut since Rowland harbored hopes to bring a National Football League (NFL) franchise to the State. Rowland went on to negotiate a tentative deal that would bring the New England Patriots to Connecticut, but those talks also fell apart after the State and Patriots ownership failed to reach an agreement on a new stadium.[4][5]

text: Post-departure[edit]

text: On April 13, 1997, the Whalers played their last game in Hartford, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2–1. Team captain Kevin Dineen, who had returned to Hartford midway through the 1995–96 season after a brief stint with the Philadelphia Flyers, scored the final goal in Whalers history. On May 6, 1997, Karmanos announced the team would move to Raleigh, North Carolina, to become the Carolina Hurricanes, playing its first two seasons in North Carolina at the Greensboro Coliseum while awaiting arena construction in Raleigh, a year earlier than planned.

text: The following summer in 1997, the Binghamton Rangers, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the New York Rangers, relocated to the Hartford market to take the place of the Whalers, renaming themselves the Hartford Wolf Pack.[6] Former Whalers owner Howard Baldwin acquired the team in 2010 and announced that the Wolf Pack were changing their name to the Connecticut Whale in the middle of the 2010–11 season adopting the Whalers' old green-blue-white palette; The team changed back to the Wolfpack after Baldwin sold the team following the 2010–2011 season.[7]

text: Goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère was the final former Hartford Whalers player still playing in the NHL; he retired after the end of the 2013–14 season.[8] Robert Petrovicky was the last former Whaler active in professional hockey, playing in European leagues through the end of the 2016 season.

text: Glen Wesley was the last Whaler still active with the Hartford/Carolina franchise, upon his retirement on June 5, 2008, though his stint was not continuous, playing seven games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2003 after a deadline deal before re-signing in Carolina in the 2003 off-season.[9] Craig Adams was the last player drafted in Whalers' history. However, Adams did not become a member of the team until 2000, when the team had already moved to Carolina.[10]

text: The Hurricanes continued to use the old goal horn from the Hartford Civic Center when they moved to Greensboro, and it is still used at their current arena, PNC Arena.

text: Theme song[edit]

text: The Hartford Whalers' official theme song/goal song was "Brass Bonanza", a tune composed and arranged by Jacques Ysaye (under the pseudonym of Jack Say) and originally called "Evening Beat".[11] The song became a big hit after it was introduced in the mid-1970s. However, then-General Manager Brian Burke cancelled the use of the song in 1992 because he said "there were players who were embarrassed by it", and replaced the song with a goal horn and the song "Hot, Hot, Hot" by Buster Poindexter then following that, "Rock and Roll Part 2" by Gary Glitter. After Burke left, "Brass Bonanza" was quickly reintroduced.[12] The song is still very popular with Hartford crowds and continues to occasionally be played at XL Center events, including at Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale games until 2013 and at the University of Connecticut's XL Center basketball and men's hockey games. It was also previously used by the Danbury Whalers of the Federal Hockey League (FHL) and Quinnipiac University's men's and woman's ice hockey teams. It has also been played at Fenway Park in Boston during Boston Red Sox games in between innings for several years. It is currently the goal song for the University of Connecticut's XL Center hockey games since the 2015-16 season. On January 30, 2018, the song was played at the PNC Arena, the Hurricanes' home ice, during a time out, for the first time since moving to Raleigh. New Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has expressed interest in using Whaler colors and gear in a retro setting, and possibly even selling the gear online.[13]

text: Season-by-season record[edit]

text: Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals scored for, GA = Goals scored against, PIM = Penalty minutes

text: WHA – New England Whalers[edit]

text:
Season
GP
W
L
T
Pts
GF
GA
PIM
Finish
Playoffs

1972–73
78
46
30
2
94
318
263
858
first, Eastern
Won Quarter-final (Nationals)
Won Semi-final (Crusaders)
Won Final (Jets)

1973–74
78
43
31
4
90
291
260
875
first, Eastern
Lost Quarter-final (Cougars)

1974–75
78
43
30
5
91
274
279
867
first, Eastern
Lost Quarter-final (Fighting Saints)

1975–76
80
33
40
7
73
255
290
1012
third, Eastern
Won Preliminary (Crusaders)
Won Quarter-final (Racers)
Lost Semi-final (Aeros)

1976–77
81
35
40
6
76
275
290
1254
fourth, Eastern
Lost Quarter-final (Nordiques)

1977–78
80
44
31
5
93
335
269
1255
second, WHA
Won Quarter-final (Oilers)
Won Semi-final (Nordiques)
Lost Final (Jets)

1978–79
80
37
34
9
83
298
287
1090
fourth, WHA
Won Quarter-final (Stingers)
Lost Semi-final (Oilers)

WHA Totals
555
281
236
38
600
2,046
1,938
7,211

text: NHL – Hartford Whalers[edit]

text:
Season
GP
W
L
T
Pts
GF
GA
PIM
Finish
Playoffs

1979–80
80
27
34
19
73
303
312
875
fourth, Norris
Lost Preliminary (Canadiens)

1980–81
80
21
41
18
60
292
372
1584
fifth, Norris
Did not qualify

1981–82
80
21
41
18
60
264
351
1493
fifth, Adams
Did not qualify

1982–83
80
19
54
7
45
261
403
1392
fifth, Adams
Did not qualify

1983–84
80
28
42
10
66
288
320
1184
fifth, Adams
Did not qualify

1984–85
80
30
41
9
69
268
318
1606
fifth, Adams
Did not qualify

1985–86
80
40
36
4
84
332
302
1759
fourth, Adams
Won Adams Semifinal (Nordiques)
Lost Adams Final (Canadiens)

1986–87
80
43
30
7
93
287
270
1496
first, Adams
Lost Adams Semifinal (Nordiques)

1987–88
80
35
38
7
77
249
267
2046
fourth, Adams
Lost Adams Semifinal (Canadiens)

1988–89
80
37
38
5
79
299
290
1672
fourth, Adams
Lost Adams Semifinal (Canadiens)

1989–90
80
38
33
9
85
275
268
2102
fourth, Adams
Lost Adams Semifinal (Bruins)

1990–91
80
31
38
11
73
238
276
2209
fourth, Adams
Lost Adams Semifinal (Bruins)

1991–92
80
26
41
13
65
247
283
1793
fourth, Adams
Lost Adams Semifinal (Canadiens)

1992–93
84
26
52
6
58
284
369
2354
fifth, Adams
Did not qualify

1993–94
84
27
48
9
63
227
288
1809
sixth, Northeast
Did not qualify

1994–951
48
19
24
5
43
127
141
915
fifth, Northeast
Did not qualify

1995–96
82
34
39
9
77
237
259
1834
fourth, Northeast
Did not qualify

1996–97
82
32
39
11
75
226
256
1513
fifth, Northeast
Did not qualify

NHL Totals
1,420
534
709
177
1,245
4,704
5,345
29,636

Grand Total
1,975
815
945
215
1,845
6,750
7,283
36,847

text: Notable players[edit]

text: Hall of Famers[edit]

text:
Hartford Whalers Hall of Famers

Players

Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted

Paul Coffey
D
1996
2004

Dave Keon
C
1976–1982
1986

Gordie Howe
RW
1977–1980
1972

Mark Howe
D
1977–1982
2011

Bobby Hull
LW
1980
1983

Ron Francis
C
1981–1991
2007

Brendan Shanahan
RW/LW
1995–1996
2013

Chris Pronger
D
1993–1995
2015

Builders

Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted

Emile Francis
General Manager
1983–1989
1982

text: Team captains[edit]

text: Note: includes both WHA Whalers and NHL Whalers

text:
Ted Green, 1972–1975
Rick Ley, 1975–1980
Mike Rogers, 1980–1981
Dave Keon, 1981–1982
Russ Anderson, 1982–1983
Mark Johnson, 1983–1985
Ron Francis, 1985–1990
Randy Ladouceur, 1991–1992
Pat Verbeek, 1992–1995
Brendan Shanahan, 1995–1996
Kevin Dineen, 1996–1997

text: Retired numbers[edit]

text:
Hartford Whalers retired numbers

No.
Player
Position
Tenure
No. Retirement

2
Rick Ley
D
1972–1981
December 26, 1982

9
Gordie Howe
RW
1977–1980
February 18, 1981

19
John McKenzie
RW
1977–1979
1979

text: The retirement of McKenzie's number was notable, in so far as it was one of the only three instances in NHL history (the others being the NHL Quebec Nordiques retiring J. C. Tremblay's number and the Ottawa Senators retiring Frank Finnigan's number) that a NHL franchise retired the number of a player who had never played for it while the franchise was in the NHL.

text: After the move to North Carolina, the Hurricanes returned number 2 and 19 to circulation; Glen Wesley was the only player to wear number 2 in Carolina before that number was re-retired in 2009 in his honor. Howe's number 9 remained officially retired by Carolina, and has never been issued since the relocation to North Carolina, but there is no banner to acknowledge it.[14]

text: First round draft picks[edit]

text: Note: This list does not include selections from the WHA.

text:
1979: Ray Allison (18th overall)
1980: Fred Arthur (eighth overall)
1981: Ron Francis (fourth overall)
1982: Paul Lawless (14th overall)
1983: Sylvain Turgeon (second overall)
1984: Sylvain Cote (11th overall)
1985: Dana Murzyn (fifth overall)
1986: Scott Young (11th overall)
1987: Jody Hull (18th overall)
1988: Chris Govedaris (11th overall)
1989: Bobby Holik (10th overall)
1990: Mark Greig (15th overall)
1991: Patrick Poulin (ninth overall)
1992: Robert Petrovicky (ninth overall)
1993: Chris Pronger (second overall)
1994: Jeff O'Neill (fifth overall)
1995: Jean-Sebastien Giguere (13th overall)
1996: none

text: Hartford Whalers individual records (NHL)[edit]

text:
Most goals in a season: Blaine Stoughton, 56 (1979–80)
Most assists in a season: Ron Francis, 69 (1989–90)
Most points in a season: Mike Rogers, 105 (1979–80/1980–81)
Most penalty minutes in a season: Torrie Robertson, 358 (1985–86)
Most points in a season, defenceman: Mark Howe, 80 (1979–80)
Most points in a season, rookie: Sylvain Turgeon, 72 (1983–84)
Most wins in a season: Mike Liut, 31 (1986–87)

text: Franchise scoring leaders in Hartford[edit]

text: These are the top-ten point-scorers in Hartford Whalers' history, combining NHL and WHA totals.

text: Legend: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

text:
Points

Player
Pos
GP
G
A
Pts
P/G

Ron Francis
C
714
264
557
821
1.14

Kevin Dineen
RW
587
235
268
503
0.85

Mike Rogers
C
434
182
285
467
1.08

Tom Webster
RW
352
220
205
425
1.21

Pat Verbeek
RW
433
192
211
403
0.93

Mark Howe
LW/D
360
123
273
396
1.10

Blaine Stoughton
RW
393
228
161
389
0.99

Larry Pleau
RW
468
157
215
372
.79

Geoff Sanderson
LW
439
189
163
352
.80

Ray Ferraro
C
442
157
194
351
.79

text: Career leaders (NHL, 1979–1997)[edit]

text:
Games: Ron Francis, 714
Goals: Ron Francis, 264
Assists: Ron Francis, 557
Points: Ron Francis, 821
Penalty minutes: Torrie Robertson, 1,368
Goaltender games: Sean Burke, 256
Goaltender wins: Mike Liut, 115
Shutouts: Mike Liut, 13


document_title: Head of the Class

question_text: who played eric on head of the class

question_tokens: who played eric on head of the class

text: Head of the Class

text: Characters[edit]

text: Head of the Class deals with an entire classroom of academically gifted high school students. The IHP students comprised a diverse range of personalities, ethnicities, and academic specialties.

text: For the first three years of the show, the IHP class had ten students. Arvid Engen (Dan Frischman) was a skinny, bespectacled nerd, mathematics expert and budding scientist. Arvid's best friend was the overweight, wisecracking cynic Dennis Blunden (Dan Schneider), a computer whiz whose fields were chemistry and physics and who more often than not had a knack for getting the socially-inept Arvid involved in various schemes. Alan Pinkard (Tony O'Dell) was an ultra-conservative preppy and egotist; his area of expertise was political science and he was a devout fan of Ronald Reagan. Alan competed for the highest grades in the class with Darlene Merriman (Robin Givens), a spoiled rich girl who was probably even more self-centered than Alan, and whose specialties were speech and debate. Both Alan and Darlene held the ambition of being named class valedictorian. Sarah Nevins (Kimberly Russell) did not have any one particular area of expertise; she was the most down-to-earth of the IHP class, and was once cited as having the lowest G.P.A. Maria Borges (Leslie Bega) was very passionate about getting A's (going as far as grounding herself in the pilot episode for getting a 'B'), and Jawaharlal Choudhury (Jory Husain aka Joher Coleman) was an exchange student from India whose expertise was natural science. Eleven-year-old Janice Lazarotto (Tannis Vallely), despite her young age, was in high school and the IHP class because of her advanced intellect. Arts student Simone Foster (Khrystyne Haje) was a quiet, sensitive redhead with a particular fondness for poetry. A notable development in the show was the relationship between Simone and Eric Mardian (Brian Robbins), an aspiring writer and, outwardly, the most unlikely member of the IHP - Eric wore black leather, drove a motorcycle, acted tough and ostensibly disliked anything academic (to Dr. Samuels's delight, he was the only one in the class not on the academic team, although he would never leave the IHP). Eric constantly hit on Simone (on whom he had a crush) and the two eventually had an on-again-off-again romance.

text: There was some turnover in the cast in seasons four and five. Janice left for Harvard, Maria went to Performing Arts High School, and Jawarhalal moved to California. New students included Aristotle McKenzie (De'voreaux White), described by Dennis as "this reject from Do the Right Thing" for his dreadlocks, Vicky Amory (Lara Piper), a new-ager interested in quantum physics and skin-revealing clothing, and Alex Torres (Michael DeLorenzo), who had transferred from parochial school. T.J. Jones (Rain Pryor) and Jasper Kwan (Jonathan Ke Quan), who had appeared as potential IHP members in earlier seasons, were eventually added to the program and the cast.

text: Appearing as regulars throughout all five seasons were school staff members Dr. Harold Samuels (William G. Schilling) and Bernadette Meara (Jeannetta Arnette). Dr. Samuels was the blustery, overweight principal of the school. His attitude towards the IHP students was one of ambivalence: on the one hand, Dr. Samuels distrusted the kids (and had a particularly antagonistic relationship with Dennis, and tried to avoid Eric), but at the same time he was proud of their achievements and valued the prestige they brought to the school. He also distrusted the teaching methods of the class's teacher, Charlie Moore (Howard Hesseman), concerned that Charlie's methods – which often involved helping the IHP students branch out of their comfort zones and help them deal with the typical problems of kids their age, as well as using unorthodox methods of teaching the class subject at hand – might distract them too much from their studies. Ms. Meara was the level-headed assistant principal. There was some romantic tension between her and Charlie, although this ultimately came to nothing, and later had a romantic 'friendship' with Billy.

text: In the series, the students often faced off against the rival Bronx High School of Science. Also, in every season, the IHP students produced the school musical. Musicals staged by the students included Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, and Hair. A number of someday-famous actors made appearances on the show, including Brad Pitt.[3]

text: Cast[edit]

text: Regular characters[edit]

text:
Charles P. "Charlie" Moore – Howard Hesseman (1986–1990; Seasons 1–4)
Billy MacGregor – Billy Connolly (1990–1991; Season 5)
Harold Samuels – William G. Schilling (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
Bernadette Meara – Jeannetta Arnette (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
Maria Borges – Leslie Bega (1986–1989; Seasons 1–3)
Arvid Engen – Dan Frischman (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
Darlene Merriman – Robin Givens (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
Simone Foster – Khrystyne Haje (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
Jawaharlal Choudhury – Jory Husain (aka Joher Coleman) (1986–1989; Seasons 1–3)
Alan Pinkard – Tony O'Dell (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
Eric Mardian – Brian Robbins (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
Sarah Nevins – Kimberly Russell (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
Dennis Blunden - Dan Schneider (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
Janice Lazarotto – Tannis Vallely (1986–1989; Seasons 1–3, guest in Season 5)
Alex Torres – Michael DeLorenzo (1989–1991; Seasons 4–5)
Viki Amory – Lara Piper (1989–1991; Seasons 4–5)
Theola June "T.J." Jones – Rain Pryor (1988–1991; Seasons 3–5)
Jasper Kwong – Jonathan Ke Quan (1990–1991; Season 5)
Aristotle McKenzie – De'voreaux White (1989–1991; Seasons 4–5)

text: Recurring characters[edit]

text:
Lori Applebaum – Marcia Christie
Jeremy Irizarry – Joshua Duty
Dr. Enric Engen – Bruce Gray
Madeline Mardian – Patricia McCormack

text: Season synopses[edit]

text: Season one (1986–1987)[edit]

text: Out-of-work actor Charlie Moore began the first season as a substitute teacher, but warmed to the IHP class immediately, making it his mission to get them to think rather than merely to know. Although they are gifted academically, the IHP students had plenty of problems in their personal lives, and Mr. Moore not only is there to listen, he shows an unswerving ability to get the students to solve their own problems while making it seem like they came up with the answers on their own. By Episode 6 ("Teacher's Teacher"), the class's original teacher Mr. Thomas (Roscoe Lee Browne) had returned to Monroe High, announcing his return to the IHP class once Mr. Moore's tenure ended. After observing Mr. Moore's unorthodox teaching methods for most of the episode (much to Charlie's chagrin, as it also made apparent how much he would miss the IHP students), Mr. Thomas ultimately decides to retire from teaching, allowing Mr. Moore to become their full-time teacher. Throughout the first season, Mr. Moore attempted to get the class involved in more than just their studies, encouraging them to play volleyball and make a music video for the school's time capsule (this marks the first foray into the fondness of Head of the Class for musical production numbers). At the same time, the class brought Mr. Moore into the present, acclimating him to the importance of personal computers. Near the end of the season, the IHP faces their Russian counterparts in an academic tournament, foreshadowing their famous trip to Moscow in season three.

text: Season two (1987–1988)[edit]

text: Season two began involving the IHP in the school as a whole, with Mr. Moore involving the class in the school literary journal and encouraging a lampoon of the school newspaper.

text: Season three (1988–1989)[edit]

text: "Mission to Moscow"[edit]

text: In 1988, Head of the Class broke new ground as it became the first American sitcom to be filmed in the Soviet Union and was entirely filmed in Moscow.[1]

text: The IHP is invited to come to the country for a rematch of the academic meet that happened in season one, which ended in a tie. The class has a lot of experiences while in Moscow: Dennis and Arvid take an interest in two beautiful women, until they realize they might be KGB spies; Eric meets up with his relatives in what is a very positive experience for him; capitalist Alan has an argument with a die-hard socialist in a store (who is also on the opposing Russian academic team); Sarah and Darlene decide to record the sights and sounds of Moscow; Simone goes to put flowers on a poet's grave and meets up with a charming Russian musician; Dr. Samuels believes that his hotel room is bugged, but ends up making a fool of himself; and Charlie has a brief romance with a schoolteacher.

text: The IHP eventually wins the meet and the respect of the Russian team. The episode concludes with both teams attending a concert in Gorky Park swaying to the song "Far Away Lands" (written and performed by American David Pomeranz and Russian rock star Sasha Malinin).

text: Season four (1989–1990)[edit]

text: The fourth season saw some significant changes to the cast of characters- Maria, Jawaharlal and Janice left (Maria went to a performing arts school, Jawarhalal moved to California, and Janice went to college). Several new characters took their place: Alex Torres (Michael DeLorenzo) was a Hispanic athletics student, somewhat stereotypically portrayed as having an eye for the ladies. Although Alex seemed attracted to Darlene particularly, both he and Eric competed for the affections of another new IHP student, the blonde hippie Viki Amory (Lara Piper). Another new character was aspiring filmmaker Aristotle McKenzie (De'voreaux White). T.J. Jones (Rain Pryor), a recurring character since the third season, joined the IHP in the fourth season (a remedial student with a streetwise attitude, T.J. was found to be smart enough to join the IHP). The students' final year of high school was split over seasons four and five. Howard Hesseman left the show after the fourth season.

text: Season five (1990–1991)[edit]

text: In the first episode of season five, Scottish teacher Billy MacGregor (Billy Connolly) arrived to replace the departed Charlie Moore (in the first episode of the season, it is explained to the dismayed IHP students that Mr. Moore's acting career finally took off). Despite initial uncertainty and some hostility from the students, Billy proved to be a successful replacement for Charlie. He insisted that the students refer to him by his first name, and although he was more rousing and less laid-back than his predecessor, he proved to be just as wise and caring (Billy also had a habit of boisterously greeting his class every morning with the phrase, "good morning, geniuses", and facetiously barking to his students to, "get out of here", when the bell rang at the end of the class. He also taught his class in a manner more akin to a stand-up comedian than a teacher). Many episodes from this season focused on Billy having to adapt to living in America, and his attempts to romance Ms. Meara. Other aspects of Billy were his dislike of an outdated French textbook, which actually prompted one student to take a spur-of-the-moment jaunt to Paris, and his encouragement to the male students that the best way to get girls was to be themselves. Also, the character of Jasper Quong (Jonathan Ke Quan) was added to the IHP class. The season (and the program itself) concluded with the IHP students graduating from high school. Janice Lazarotto (from seasons one–three) returned for a guest appearance in the finale, in which T.J. is named class valedictorian and the school is closed down and demolished.

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
Originally aired
Nielsen ratings[4]

First aired
Last aired
Rank
Rating

1
22
September 17, 1986 (1986-09-17)
May 6, 1987 (1987-05-06)
30
16.4

2
22
September 23, 1987 (1987-09-23)
May 11, 1988 (1988-05-11)
23
16.7
(Tied with The NBC Sunday Night Movie)

3
22
October 19, 1988 (1988-10-19)
May 10, 1989 (1989-05-10)
20
17.1

4
26
September 27, 1989 (1989-09-27)
May 2, 1990 (1990-05-02)
26
14.8

5
22
September 11, 1990 (1990-09-11)
June 25, 1991 (1991-06-25)
26
14.5

text: Broadcast history[edit]

text:
Schedule
Time slot (ET)

1986–87
Wednesday at 8:30 PM

1987–88

1988–89
Wednesday at 8:30 PM (Episodes 1-3, 5-22)
Wednesday at 9:00 PM (Episode 4)

1989–90
Wednesday at 8:30 PM

1990–91
Tuesday at 8:30 PM

text: Novel tie-in[edit]

text: One major novelization was released, with the plotlines based on 6 episodes of the show.[citation needed] The book makes all the chapters flow together as one story, even though they didn't happen one right after the other on the show. It was written by Susan Beth Pfeffer and released in December 1989 by Bantam Books. The book is 120 pages long, with six chapters and each chapter is based on an episode.[citation needed]

text:
Chapter 1 - "First Day", based on the 1986 episode "First Day", written by Lisa Rosenthal (otherwise known as the pilot)
Chapter 2- "A Problem Like Maria" is based on the 1986 episode "A Problem Like Maria" written by Cynthia Thompson
Chapter 3- "Crimes of the Heart" is based on the 1987 episode "Crimes of the Heart" written by Valri Bromfield
Chapter 4- "Cello Fever" is based on the 1987 episode "Cello Fever" written by show creators Rich Eustis and Michael Elias
Chapter 5- "Trouble in Perfectville" is based on the 1987 episode "Trouble in Perfectville" written by George Beckerman
Chapter 6- "Parents Day" is based on the 1987 episode "Parents Day" written by Ellis Bufton and Scott Glaze

text: All copyrights belong to Warner Bros. The novelization erroneously credits "First Day" as having been made in 1988 rather than 1986.

text: Spin-off[edit]

text: A year after Head of the Class left the air, Billy Connolly reprised the role of Billy MacGregor for a short-lived spin-off series, Billy.

text: Home video and syndication[edit]

text: Head of the Class has never been released on DVD.[5][6] No official reason has been forthcoming from Warner Home Video, although the show had multiple musical episodes, and licensing music rights for home video is often a sticking point for many series, including WKRP in Cincinnati, which also featured Hesseman.[7][8]

text: The show also seems to appear infrequently in syndicated reruns, airing on local stations and then briefly on TBS during the 1990s, and on Nick at Nite in the early 2000s. Antenna TV began airing it in January 2018.

text: International broadcasts[edit]

text: In Canada, the series was simulcast on the Global Television Network throughout its original run. In Australia, the series aired on the Nine Network. In the UK the show aired on BBC Two and in Ireland on RTÉ One.[9] In Indonesia, it was aired by RCTI. In Italy the series arrived in 1989 and first season was aired by Telemontecarlo. Then it was aired by Italia 1, from 1992 to 1993.