Ebony Vol. XXXII, No. 8

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

The June 1978 issue of Ebony magazine featuring the cast of "What's Happening!!" owned by Danielle Spencer. The front cover has a red background with white text and a full-page color photograph of the cast of "What's Happening!!". Text at the top reads [JUNE 1978 $1.25 A JOHNSON PUBLICATION / EBONY]. Text at the bottom reads [‘WHAT’S HAPPENING!!’ / --Teen-age Comedy Is TV Success]. Clockwise from left, the cast photograph depicts Haywood Nelson (Dwayne), Shirley Hemphill (Shirley) Fred Berry (Rerun), Danielle Spencer (Dee), Mable King (Mama), and Ernest Thomas (Raj). The feature article, titled “What’s Happening!! ABC’s teen-age television show is a success in spite of itself,” is found on pages 74-82. The article disusses the show’s premise, race relations in television, and profiles the teenage actors. It includes color photographs from the show as well as black and white photographs from behind the scenes and the stars’ lives off set.

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