Schoolhouse Rock

Updated August 29, 2002

Originally airing on ABC from 1973 to 1986, ABC began its revival of the "Schoolhouse Rock" three-minute segments in September of 1992. Since that time, ABC has commissioned a couple of new Grammar Rock segments and eight new Money Rock segments. ABC ceased airing them around 1999 or so.

All of the segments are available on the "Schoolhouse Rock Special 30th Anniversary Edition" released by Walt Disney Home Video on DVD. Rhino also put out a box set of all the audio tracks, but quite frankly the DVD makes that package redundant and obsolete.

Multiplication Rock Episodes
Title	Year	Song Writers	Sung By	Animation
My Hero, Zero	1973	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough	Focus Design Design: Tom Yohe
Elementary, My Dear	1973	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough	Focus Design Design: Jack Sidebotham
Three Is A Magic Number	1973	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough	Focus Design Design: Tom Yohe
The Four Legged Zoo	1973	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Bob Eggers
Ready Or Not, Here I Come	1973	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
I Got Six	1973	Bob Dorough	Grady Tate	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
Lucky Seven Samson	1973	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Rowland B. Wilson
Figure Eight	1973	Bob Dorough	Blossom Dearie	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
Naughty Number Nine	1973	Bob Dorough	Grady Tate	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
Good Eleven	1973	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Jack Sidebotham
Little Twelvetoes	1973	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Rowland B. Wilson
*Dave Racks Up The Score On Multiplication Rock:* This is where it all began. Essentially the Bob Dorough show, but with thoughtful lyrics well carried out. In spite of the series being tagged as "rock" most of the musicians come from the jazz world.
Grammar Rock Episodes
Title	Year	Song Writers	Sung By	Animation
A Noun Is A Person, Place Or Thing	1973	Lynn Ahrens	Lynn Ahrens	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Jack Sidebotham
Verb: That's What's Happening	1974	Bob Dorough (a proposed song by Dave Frishberg was rejected)	Zachary Sanders	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
Conjunction Junction	1973	Bob Dorough	Terry Morel and Jack Sheldon	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe, Bill Peckmann
Interjections!	1974	Lynn Ahrens	Essra Mohawk	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
Unpack Your Adjectives	1975	George Newall	Blossom Dearie	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here	1974	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Jack Sidebotham
Rufus Xavier Sarsparilla	1977	Kathy Mandry and Bob Dorough	Jack Sheldon	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Paul Kim, Lew Gifford Animation: Al Eugster
Busy Prepositions	1993	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough and Jack Sheldon	J.J. Sedelmaier Productions Design: Bill Peckmann
The Tale Of Mr. Morton	1993	Lynn Ahrens	Jack Sheldon	J.J. Sedelmaier Productions Design: Tom Yohe Jr.
*Dave Carefully Chooses His Words About Grammar Rock:* This is where "Schoolhouse Rock" caught fire. These are perhaps the best known of all the tunes. We get Jack Sheldon (longtime associate of Merv Griffin) for the first time, and Lynn Ahrens too. (Lynn lives in my old hometown, so I have a soft spot for her music.) The tunes are hot and the animation smokin'. Of the two newer examples I would have to rank "The Tale Of Mr. Morton" way up there. When I first saw it my first reaction was "they're making new ones?" Not to say those "Busy Prepositions" are any less interesting.
America Rock Episodes
Title	Year	Song Writers	Sung By	Animation
No More Kings	1975	Lynn Ahrens	Lynn Ahrens	Kim & Gifford Production Design: Paul Kim, Lew Gifford
Fireworks	1977	Lynn Ahrens	Grady Tate	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
The Shot Heard Round The World	1976	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough	Phil Kimmelman & Associates and Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Jack Sidebotham Animation: Al Eugster
The Preamble	1976	Lynn Ahrens	Lynn Ahrens	Phil Kimmelman & Associates and Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Tom Yohe, George Cannata Animation: George Cannata, Sal Faillace
Sufferin' Till Suffrage	1976	Tom Yohe and Bob Dorough	Essra Mohawk	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Paul Kim, Lew Gifford Animation: Al Eugster
I'm Just A Bill	1975	Dave Frishberg	Jack Sheldon, John Sheldon	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
The Great American Melting Pot	1977	Lynn Ahrens	Lori Lieberman	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Tom Yohe Animation: Al Eugster
Elbow Room	1975	Lynn Ahrens	Sue Manchester	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Paul Kim, Lew Gifford Animation: Al Eugster
Mother Necessity	1977	Bob Dorough	Bob Dorough, Blossom Dearie, Essra Mohawk, and Jack Sheldon	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Jack Sidebotham Animation: Al Eugster
Three Ring Government	1979	Lynn Ahrens	Lynn Ahrens	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Arnold Roth
I'm Gonna Send Your Vote To College	2002	George Newall and Bob Dorough	Jack Sheldon	Kimmelman Studios Design: Tom Yohe, Jr.
*Dave Puts America Rock* In Historical Perspective:** What school kid didn't know the Preamble until Lynn Ahrens set it to music? I need to thank my friend Mark Mayerson for pointing out his friend and colleague Al Eugster's animation on most of these segments. Al was one of the greats from the Fleischer, Disney and Paramount cartoon studios and it just blew me away when I found out he was the guy who drew Interplanet Janet. Some of Al's stuff looks like late-60's Paramount. That's okay by me! And Dave Frishberg comes on board for one of the most loved SHR tunes, "I'm Just A Bill", with Jack Sheldon vocals. Doesn't get any better.
Science Rock Episodes
Title	Year	Song Writers	Sung By	Animation
A Victim Of Gravity	1978	Lynn Ahrens	The Tokens	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Tom Yohe Animation: Al Eugster and Mark Mayerson
Interplanet Janet	1978	Lynn Ahrens	Lynn Ahrens	Kim & Gifford Productions Designer: Jack Sidebotham Animation: Al Eugster
The Body Machine	1979	Lynn Ahrens	Bob Dorough and Jack Sheldon	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
Do The Circulation	1979	Lynn Ahrens	Joshie Armstead, Mary Sue Barry, and Maeretha Stewart	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
The Energy Blues	1978	George Newall	Jack Sheldon	Phil Kimmelman & Associates Design: Tom Yohe
Them Not So Dry Bones	1978	George Newall	Jack Sheldon	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Tom Yohe Animation: Al Eugster
Electricity, Electricity	1978	Bob Dorough	Zachary Sanders	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Paul Kim, Lew Gifford Animation: Al Eugster
Telegraph Line	1979	Lynn Ahrens	Jaime Aff, Christine Langner	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Tom Yohe Animation: Al Eugster
The Weather Show	1979	Lynn Ahrens	Bob Kaliban	Kim & Gifford Productions
*Dave Analyzes The Data On Science Rock:* Very interesting shorts. "The Weather Show" had been in some sort of legal tangle (the circus folk didn't much like that "greatest show on earth" reference).
Scooter Computer & Mr. Chips Episodes
Title	Year	Song Writers	Sung By	Animation
Introduction	1982	Lynn Ahrens, Tom Yohe and Bob Dorough	Jaime Aff and Bob Kaliban	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Tom Yohe
Software	1982	Lynn Ahrens	Jaime Aff and Bob Kaliban	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Tom Yohe Animation: Al Eugster
Hardware	1983	Dave Frishberg	Jaime Aff and Bob Kaliban	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Paul Kim, Lew Gifford Animation: Al Eugster
Number Cruncher	1984	Dave Frishberg	Jaime Aff and Bob Kaliban	Kim & Gifford Productions Design: Paul Kim, Lew Gifford Animation: Al Eugster
*Dave's Bits And Bytes About Scooter Computer:* Can't say that I've ever seen one of these. These were the last SHR's from Kim and Gifford, and also bringing Al Eugster's career to a close. (Mr. Eugster died in 1997.) Scooter and friends have now shown up DVD.
Money Rock Episodes
Title	Year	Song Writers	Sung By	Animation
Dollars And Sense	1994	Dave Frishberg	Val Hawk and Bob Dorough	J.J. Sedelmaier Production Design: Tom Yohe
Tax Man Max	1995	Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty	Patrick Quinn	Kimmelman Studios Design: Phil Kimmelman
$7.50 Once A Week	1995	Dave Frishberg	Dave Frishberg	Kimmelman Studios Designer: Jack Sidebotham
Where The Money Goes	1995	Rich Mendoza	Jack Sheldon	Kimmelman Studios Designer: Bill Peckmann
Tyrannosaurus Debt	1996	Tom Yohe	Bob Dorough and Bob Kaliban	Kimmelman Studios Designer: Tom Yohe
Walkin' On Wall Street	1996	Dave Frishberg	Dave Frishberg	Kimmelman Studios Designer: Bill Peckmann
This For That	1996	George Newall	Bob Dorough	Kimmelman Studios Design: Phil Kimmelman
The Check's In The Mail	1996	Bob Dorough	Luther Rix	Kimmelman Studios Design: Bill Peckmann
*Dave Gives Value To Money Rock:* These are nice tunes. Dave Frishberg got the series rolling with the country tune "Dollars And Sense" and finally gets some vocals on "Walkin' On Wall Street" and "$7.50 Once A Week" (I don't recall ever getting more than $1.25 for MY allowance when I was growing up!) The animation and graphics, mostly by Phil Kimmelman's group, are sharp and compatible with all previous. And it's good to see a lot of the old hands who kicked off the series in 1973 back for more segments in the mid-1990's, like Tom Yohe, Bob Dorough, and Lynn Ahrens (now joined by her Anastasia and Ragtime songwriting partner, Stephen Flaherty).

Recommended Related Site: http://users.aol.com/MRandino/SHRockWWW.html is keeping us updated on the SHR developments including the upcoming DVD to be released by Disney, which will include a new song about the electoral college, written by George Newall and Bob Dorough, designed by Tom Yohe Jr., and sung by Jack Sheldon.

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