The post “What’s Happening” Legend “Dwayne” Is Aging Backwards & Shows Love To “Roger” On Their Birthday appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The post “Raj” Revealed Why Mabel King Abruptly Quit “What’s Happening” & The Tragic Life She Led Afterward appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Actor, Ernest Lee Thomas- or as we Old Schoolers like to call him- “Roger” (or “Raj'”) from “What’s Happening” recalled some very interesting facts about his years on the show that the public never knew. One of them included what drove actress, Mabel King (who played his Mom), to walk off the show during the height of it’s success…

For starters, we learned that Ernest is 72 years young! Can you believe that? It seems like just a few years ago he was the 19-year-old “Raj” getting ratted out to his Moms by his lil’ sister, “Dee.” Aside from that, he revealed some of the major tension that went down behind the scenes of “What’s Happening”.

Here’s Why Mabel King Quit “What’s Happening”

Prior to filming “What’s Happening,” when Ernest found out that the actress playing his mother (Mabel King) was none other than the “Wicked Witch of the West” from “The Wiz” movie, he was blown away:

“I went to see her on Broadway in The Wiz about 15 times,” says Thomas. “I loved that musical. Who knew that she’d end up playing my mother? I was in awe!” Source

Unfortunately their on-screen mother/son stint didn’t last very long. Ernest said that Mabel King was sick and tired of going at it with the show’s producers and writers over their refusal to take advantage of the show’s instant popularity to set better examples of strong Black families on television. She oftentimes instantaneously changed the script during filming and stated that the lack of positive Black roles was “one of the biggest tragedies on television.” She hated that her character remained a single Black mother who worked as a maid. Therefore, Mabel chose her personal integrity over money, by choosing to say ‘Peace out’ to the show and quit right after the first season was wrapped. “People have to do what they have to do at the moment,” said Ernest Thomas.

Mabel King Wanted To Remain Plus Sized For Her Career

The late Mabel King once said she always kept her weight up to 260 pounds and above during her stint on “What’s Happening,” to please the producers. She also once joked, in a late 70’s Jet Magazine interview, that if she was given a choice between food and sex, she’d choose food because she said “it would last longer and it would fill me up” she laughed.

Mabel King’s Tragic Life & Death

Throughout the 1980’s and ’90s, Ms. King suffered a stroke and had a long battle with diabetes, which eventually led to her having both legs and one arm amputated. After her long fought health battle, she passed away in November 1999.

Even though her health left her physically weak…mentally speaking, Mabel King was a very strong woman, who stood up for what she believed in. May she continue to rest peacefully.
Source

The post “Raj” Shared ‘Truth’ About Why Mabel King Got Fed Up & Suddenly Quit “What’s Happening” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Geesh! We never knew there was drama going on behind the scenes of the TV show, “What’s Happening.” Ernest Lee Thomas a.k.a. “Raj” said that to this very day, some people are still mad at him for attending “Rerun’s” funeral because back in the day “Rerun” caused their careers to take extreme blows.

The three main guys on the show were really great friends off the set. We’re talking about Thomas who played “Raj,” Haywood Nelson (“Dwayne”) and Berry (“Rerun”), but according to those behind the scenes, they, along with Daniel Spencer (“Dee”) and Mabel King (“Mama”),  had to deal with our beloved Rerun’s antics over and over again. Turns out things got kind of ugly. Scroll down to see why Raj said folks are mad that he went to Rerun’s funeral…

The Tension That Led To Anger Up Until Rerun’s Death

The 1976 TV show was an unexpected hit. That’s when Fred Berry felt it was time to hit the jackpot and renegotiate his salary. “He could be trouble,” director Alan Rafkin said in his book, “Cue the Bunny.” Berry somehow found out that the network paid him $5000 per episode, while paying the Caucasian actors on there $8000 per episode. The director recounts that fact as well.

“Rerun” convinced “Raj” to join him in a walkout in order to negotiate higher salaries. The network gave them a little raise and the guys became one big happy family again…but not for long. Some time around the third season, the guys pulled another stunt of demands and the network pulled their own stunt and cancelled the series. Here’s how it went down according to the director:

“Eventually, the producers simply had enough of the boys’ antics and they closed the series down.”

But Ernest (“Raj”) had a different take:

“There’s a mystery over that… I remember distinctly that they had a meeting and wanted the entire cast to meet with all of the producers. And they said, ‘Fred Berry tells us that you think we’re racist. So we don’t want you working for racists and we’re going to cancel the show.’ That’s what I remember… Fred was very happy, even at that meeting. He didn’t take it back and say, ‘No, they really didn’t say it, I was the one who said it.’ He said, ‘No, you know you all said it!’ So they thought he really was telling the truth.”

The show’s final episode (in its original form) ran on April 28, 1979, but after the success of the Cosby Show in ’84, networks came a calling again for sitcom with Black stars and revived the show to call it What’s Happening Now and you guessed it, Fred Berry did it a third time.

Ernest On Rerun Apologizing Years Later…

“Fred did apologize for all of that stuff toward the end of his life. Even when he passed away, people didn’t want me to go to the funeral. There are people who are still upset with me for going to his funeral. But to me, there’s a thing called forgiveness. When someone asks you for forgiveness, there’s no reason to keep something going. I went to the funeral because he expressed that he was sorry.”

This is proof that mistakes, bad decisions and bitterness can last a lifetime and there is no time limit on forgiveness. That’s just the way it is.

Unfortunately, our beloved Rerun’s actions costs others’ their livelihood at the time, causing their careers to take extreme blows. So it’s understandable why it was so difficult for them to forgive him. On the flip side, the truth is that none of us are perfect, so it’s great that Rerun and Ernest were able to squash their beef before his untimely death. And maybe, just maybe, “Roger” kinda felt a little the same as “Rerun.” After all, he did go along with the walk-out on the other two occasions.

The post It Was Like That? “Raj” Says “Many Still Upset That I Went To Rerun’s Funeral” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Actor, Ernest Lee Thomas- or as we Old Schoolers like to call him- “Roger” (or “Raj'”) from “What’s Happening” recalled some very interesting facts about his years on the show that the public never knew. One of them included what drove actress, Mabel King (who played his Mom), to walk off the show during the height of it’s success…

For starters, we learned that Ernest is 72 years young! Can you believe that? It seems like just a few years ago he was the 19-year-old “Raj” getting ratted out to his Moms by his lil’ sister, “Dee.” Aside from that, he revealed some of the major tension that went down behind the scenes of “What’s Happening”.

Here’s Why Mabel King Quit “What’s Happening”

Prior to filming “What’s Happening,” when Ernest found out that the actress playing his mother (Mabel King) was none other than the “Wicked Witch of the West” from “The Wiz” movie, he was blown away:

“I went to see her on Broadway in The Wiz about 15 times,” says Thomas. “I loved that musical. Who knew that she’d end up playing my mother? I was in awe!” Source

Unfortunately their on-screen mother/son stint didn’t last very long. Ernest said that Mabel King was sick and tired of going at it with the show’s producers and writers over their refusal to take advantage of the show’s instant popularity to set better examples of strong Black families on television. She oftentimes instantaneously changed the script during filming and stated that the lack of positive Black roles was “one of the biggest tragedies on television.” She hated that her character remained a single Black mother who worked as a maid. Therefore, Mabel chose her personal integrity over money, by choosing to say ‘Peace out’ to the show and quit right after the first season was wrapped. “People have to do what they have to do at the moment,” said Ernest Thomas.

Mabel King Wanted To Remain Plus Sized For Her Career

The late Mabel King once said she always kept her weight up to 260 pounds and above during her stint on “What’s Happening,” to please the producers. She also once joked, in a late 70’s Jet Magazine interview, that if she was given a choice between food and sex, she’d choose food because she said “it would last longer and it would fill me up” she laughed.

Mabel King’s Tragic Life & Death

Throughout the 1980’s and ’90s, Ms. King suffered a stroke and had a long battle with diabetes, which eventually led to her having both legs and one arm amputated. After her long fought health battle, she passed away in November 1999.

Even though her health left her physically weak…mentally speaking, Mabel King was a very strong woman, who stood up for what she believed in. May she continue to rest peacefully.
Source

The post “Raj” Tells The Truth About Why Mabel King Got Fed Up & Suddenly Quit “What’s Happening” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Geesh! We never knew there was drama going on behind the scenes of the TV show, “What’s Happening.” Ernest Lee Thomas a.k.a. “Raj” said that to this very day, some people are still mad at him for attending “Rerun’s” funeral because back in the day “Rerun” caused their careers to take extreme blows.

The three main guys on the show were really great friends off the set. We’re talking about Thomas who played “Raj,” Haywood Nelson (“Dwayne”) and Berry (“Rerun”), but according to those behind the scenes, they, along with Daniel Spencer (“Dee”) and Mabel King (“Mama”),  had to deal with our beloved Rerun’s antics over and over again. Turns out things got kind of ugly. Scroll down to see why Raj said folks are mad that he went to Rerun’s funeral…

The Tension That Led To Anger Up Until Rerun’s Death

The 1976 TV show was an unexpected hit. That’s when Fred Berry felt it was time to hit the jackpot and renegotiate his salary. “He could be trouble,” director Alan Rafkin said in his book, “Cue the Bunny.” Berry somehow found out that the network paid him $5000 per episode, while paying the Caucasian actors on there $8000 per episode. The director recounts that fact as well.

“Rerun” convinced “Raj” to join him in a walkout in order to negotiate higher salaries. The network gave them a little raise and the guys became one big happy family again…but not for long. Some time around the third season, the guys pulled another stunt of demands and the network pulled their own stunt and cancelled the series. Here’s how it went down according to the director:

“Eventually, the producers simply had enough of the boys’ antics and they closed the series down.”

But Ernest (“Raj”) had a different take:

“There’s a mystery over that… I remember distinctly that they had a meeting and wanted the entire cast to meet with all of the producers. And they said, ‘Fred Berry tells us that you think we’re racist. So we don’t want you working for racists and we’re going to cancel the show.’ That’s what I remember… Fred was very happy, even at that meeting. He didn’t take it back and say, ‘No, they really didn’t say it, I was the one who said it.’ He said, ‘No, you know you all said it!’ So they thought he really was telling the truth.”

The show’s final episode (in its original form) ran on April 28, 1979, but after the success of the Cosby Show in ’84, networks came a calling again for sitcom with Black stars and revived the show to call it What’s Happening Now and you guessed it, Fred Berry did it a third time.

Ernest On Rerun Apologizing Years Later…

“Fred did apologize for all of that stuff toward the end of his life. Even when he passed away, people didn’t want me to go to the funeral. There are people who are still upset with me for going to his funeral. But to me, there’s a thing called forgiveness. When someone asks you for forgiveness, there’s no reason to keep something going. I went to the funeral because he expressed that he was sorry.”

This is proof that mistakes, bad decisions and bitterness can last a lifetime and there is no time limit on forgiveness. That’s just the way it is.

Unfortunately, our beloved Rerun’s actions costs others’ their livelihood at the time, causing their careers to take extreme blows. So it’s understandable why it was so difficult for them to forgive him. On the flip side, the truth is that none of us are perfect, so it’s great that Rerun and Ernest were able to squash their beef before his untimely death. And maybe, just maybe, “Roger” kinda felt a little the same as “Rerun.” After all, he did go along with the walk-out on the other two occasions.

The post It Was Like That? Raj Says “Many Still Upset That I Went To Rerun’s Funeral” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

For starters, we learned that Ernest is 72 years young! Can you believe that? It seems like just a few years ago he was the 19 year old “Raj” getting ratted out to his Moms by his lil’ sister, “Dee.” Aside from that, he revealed some of the major tension that went down behind the scenes of “What’s Happening”.

Here’s Why Mabel King Quit “What’s Happening”

Prior to filming “What’s Happening,” when Ernest found out that the actress playing his mother (Mabel King) was none other than the “Wicked Witch of the West” from “The Wiz” movie, he was blown away:

“I went to see her on Broadway in The Wiz about 15 times,” says Thomas. “I loved that musical. Who knew that she’d end up playing my mother? I was in awe!” Source

Unfortunately their on-screen mother/son stint didn’t last very long. Ernest said that Mabel King was sick and tired of going at it with the show’s producers and writers over their refusal to take advantage of the show’s instant popularity to set better examples of strong Black families on television. She oftentimes instantaneously changed the script during filming and stated that the lack of positive Black roles was “one of the biggest tragedies on television.” She hated that her character remained a single Black mother who worked as a maid. Therefore, Mabel chose her personal integrity over money, by choosing to say ‘Peace out’ to the show and quit right after the first season was wrapped. “People have to do what they have to do at the moment,” said Ernest Thomas.

Mabel King Wanted To Remain Plus Sized For Her Career

The late Mabel King once said she always kept her weight up to 260 pounds and above during her stint on “What’s Happening,” to please the producers. She also once joked, in a late 70’s Jet Magazine interview, that if she was given a choice between food and sex, she’d choose food because she said “it would last longer and it would fill me up” she laughed.

Mabel King’s Tragic Life & Death

Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, Ms. King suffered a stroke and had a long battle with diabetes, which eventually led to her having both legs and one arm amputated. After her long fought health battle, she passed away in November 1999.

Even though her health left her physically weak…mentally speaking, Mabel King was a very strong woman, who stood up for what she believed in. May she continue to rest peacefully.
Source

The post “Raj” Tells Truth About Why Mabel King Got Fed Up & Suddenly Quit “What’s Happening” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Geesh! We never knew there was drama going on behind the scenes of the TV show, “What’s Happening.” Ernest Lee Thomas a.k.a. “Raj” said that to this very day, some people are still mad at him for attending “Rerun’s” funeral because back in the day “Rerun” caused their careers to take extreme blows.

The three main guys on the show were really great friends off the set. We’re talking about Thomas who played “Raj,” Haywood Nelson (“Dwayne”) and Berry (“Rerun”), but according to those behind the scenes, they, along with Daniel Spencer (“Dee”) and Mabel King (“Mama”),  had to deal with our beloved Rerun’s antics over and over again. Turns out things got kind of ugly. Scroll down to see why Raj said folks are mad that he went to Rerun’s funeral…

The Tension That Led To Anger Up Until Rerun’s Death

The 1976 TV show was an unexpected hit. That’s when Fred Berry felt it was time to hit the jackpot and renegotiate his salary. “He could be trouble,” director Alan Rafkin said in his book, “Cue the Bunny.” Berry somehow found out that the network paid him $5000 per episode, while paying the Caucasian actors on there $8000 per episode. The director recounts that fact as well.

“Rerun” convinced “Raj” to join him in a walkout in order to negotiate higher salaries. The network gave them a little raise and the guys became one big happy family again…but not for long. Some time around the third season, the guys pulled another stunt of demands and the network pulled their own stunt and cancelled the series. Here’s how it went down according to the director:

“Eventually, the producers simply had enough of the boys’ antics and they closed the series down.”

But Ernest (“Raj”) had a different take:

“There’s a mystery over that… I remember distinctly that they had a meeting and wanted the entire cast to meet with all of the producers. And they said, ‘Fred Berry tells us that you think we’re racist. So we don’t want you working for racists and we’re going to cancel the show.’ That’s what I remember… Fred was very happy, even at that meeting. He didn’t take it back and say, ‘No, they really didn’t say it, I was the one who said it.’ He said, ‘No, you know you all said it!’ So they thought he really was telling the truth.”

The show’s final episode (in its original form) ran on April 28, 1979, but after the success of the Cosby Show in ’84, networks came a calling again for sitcom with Black stars and revived the show to call it What’s Happening Now and you guessed it, Fred Berry did it a third time.

Ernest On Rerun Apologizing Years Later…

“Fred did apologize for all of that stuff toward the end of his life. Even when he passed away, people didn’t want me to go to the funeral. There are people who are still upset with me for going to his funeral. But to me, there’s a thing called forgiveness. When someone asks you for forgiveness, there’s no reason to keep something going. I went to the funeral because he expressed that he was sorry.”

This is proof that mistakes, bad decisions and bitterness can last a lifetime and there is no time limit on forgiveness. That’s just the way it is.

Unfortunately, our beloved Rerun’s actions costs others’ their livelihood at the time, causing their careers to take extreme blows. So it’s understandable why it was so difficult for them to forgive him. On the flip side, the truth is that none of us are perfect, so it’s great that Rerun and Ernest were able to squash their beef before his untimely death. And maybe, just maybe, “Roger” kinda felt a little the same as “Rerun.” After all, he did go along with the walk-out on the other two occasions.

The post It Was Like That Raj? “Many Still Upset That I Went To Rerun’s Funeral” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Actor, Ernest Lee Thomas- or as we Old Schoolers like to call him- “Roger” (or “Raj'”) from “What’s Happening” recalled some very interesting facts about his years on the show that the public never knew. One of them included what drove actress, Mabel King (who played his Mom), to walk off the show during the height of it’s success…

For starters, we learned that Ernest is 71 years young! Can you believe that? It seems like just a few years ago he was the 19 year old “Raj” getting ratted out to his Moms by his lil’ sister, “Dee.” Aside from that, he revealed some of the major tension that went down behind the scenes of “What’s Happening”.

Here’s Why Mabel King Quit “What’s Happening”

Prior to filming “What’s Happening,” when Ernest found out that the actress playing his mother (Mabel King) was none other than the “Wicked Witch of the West” from “The Wiz” movie, he was blown away:

“I went to see her on Broadway in The Wiz about 15 times,” says Thomas. “I loved that musical. Who knew that she’d end up playing my mother? I was in awe!” Source

Unfortunately their on-screen mother/son stint didn’t last very long. Ernest said that Mabel King was sick and tired of going at it with the show’s producers and writers over their refusal to take advantage of the show’s instant popularity to set better examples of strong Black families on television. She oftentimes instantaneously changed the script during filming and stated that the lack of positive Black roles was “one of the biggest tragedies on television.” She hated that her character remained a single Black mother who worked as a maid. Therefore, Mabel chose her personal integrity over money, by choosing to say ‘Peace out’ to the show and quit right after the first season was wrapped. “People have to do what they have to do at the moment,” said Ernest Thomas.

Mabel King Wanted To Remain Plus Sized For Her Career

The late Mabel King once said she always kept her weight up to 260 pounds and above during her stint on “What’s Happening,” to please the producers. She also once joked, in a late 70’s Jet Magazine interview, that if she was given a choice between food and sex, she’d choose food because she said “it would last longer and it would fill me up” she laughed.

Mabel King’s Tragic Life & Death

Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, Ms. King suffered a stroke and had a long battle with diabetes, which eventually led to her having both legs and one arm amputated. After her long fought health battle, she passed away in November 1999.

Even though her health left her physically weak…mentally speaking, Mabel King was a very strong woman, who stood up for what she believed in. May she continue to rest peacefully.
Source

The post “Raj” Tells The Truth Behind Why Mabel King Got Fed Up & Suddenly Quit “What’s Happening” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Embed from Getty Images

For starters, we learned that Ernest is 69 years young! Can you believe that? It seems like just a few years ago he was the 19 year old “Raj” getting ratted out to his Moms by his lil’ sister, “Dee.” Aside from that, he revealed some of the major tension that went down behind the scenes of “What’s Happening”.

Here’s Why Mabel King Quit “What’s Happening”

Embed from Getty Images

Prior to filming “What’s Happening,” when Ernest found out that the actress playing his mother (Mabel King) was none other than the “Wicked Witch of the West” from “The Wiz” movie, he was blown away:

“I went to see her on Broadway in The Wiz about 15 times,” says Thomas. “I loved that musical. Who knew that she’d end up playing my mother? I was in awe!” Source

Unfortunately their on-screen mother/son stint didn’t last very long. Ernest said that Mabel King was sick and tired of going at it with the show’s producers and writers over their refusal to take advantage of the show’s instant popularity to set better examples of strong Black families on television. She oftentimes instantaneously changed the script during filming and stated that the lack of positive Black roles was “one of the biggest tragedies on television.” She hated that her character remained a single Black mother who worked as a maid. Therefore, Mabel chose her personal integrity over money, by choosing to say ‘Peace out’ to the show and quit right after the first season was wrapped.

Mabel King Wanted To Remain Plus Sized For Her Career

The late Mable King once said she always kept her weight up to 260 pounds and above during her stint on “What’s Happening,” to please the producers. She also once joked, in a late 70’s Jet Magazine interview, that if she was given a choice between food and sex, she’d choose food because she said “it would last longer and it would fill me up” she laughed.

Mabel King’s Tragic Life & Death

Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, Ms. King suffered a stroke and had a long battle with diabetes, which eventually led to her having both legs and one arm amputated. After her long fought health battle, she passed away in November 1999.

Even though her health left her physically weak…mentally speaking, Mabel King was a very strong woman, who stood up for what she believed in. May she continue to rest peacefully.

The post The Real Truth Of Why Mabel King Got Fed Up & Suddenly Quit “What’s Happening” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.