The School House Rock Correlation

One late night last week, I got sucked into a Lewis and Clark documentary on PBS.  Ken Burns makes any subject fascinating and this is already a compelling and often overlooked story in American history – I really had no choice.  We are or at least should be aware of the debt we as Americans owe these two but it doesn’t stick out in my memory as having been made important in most of my History classes.  That’s a narrative for another day I suppose.  What does stick out in my memory is where I first learned about Lewis and Clark and Sacajawea and a million other nuggets of knowledge – School House Rock. 

If you don’t remember this little jewel of the 1970s, let me be the first to offer you my condolences.  Few things left as dramatic a mark on my young psyche as these (3) minute vignettes sandwiched between Super Friends and Hong Kong Phooey, or Johnny Quest and Scooby-Doo every Saturday morning.  In fact, I can draw a nearly straight line between who I became as an adult and the lessons and values and simple knowledge I gained from these cartoons.  That’s probably a bit of an overstatement, but maybe not entirely.  To this day, I can recite The Preamble to the Constitution and will never forget that the 19^th Amendment gave women the right to vote.  It’s probably the first place I was ever exposed to other cultures and how important ethnic diversity was to the founding and vitality of this country.  It kick started my obsession with history, politics, gave me a life-long love of language, grammar and even informed my musical tastes.  I truly don’t think I would be who I am today if I had not been introduced to and so enamored with these short films at such a young age.  Whether or not that is true is debatable, but I sure have enjoyed this stroll down memory lane.

For your edification, and nearly certain amusement I’ve included my personal top ten favorites below.  

(10)  The Shot Heard 'Round The World

This is the first one I remember.  It presents an extremely complex reality – the American fight for independence in a way that a child can understand it.  This was fascinating beyond belief to six-year-old me.

(9) The Great American Melting Pot

This one is unabashedly idealistic, but isn't that exactly what the first Americans were?  I think too many of us could use a reminder of this fact. 

(8) No More Kings

The lesson here is that George III was a tool.  Again, extremely idealistic, but the colonists' defiance is refreshing and their disdain for the English is comical.

(7) Elbow Room

Absolute gold.  Dig that vocal!

(6) Three Is A Magic Number

This a version that Blind Melon recorded in the '90s – the images are the originals.  It is a permanent staple on my iPod. 

(5) Lolly, Lolly, Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here

If you've ever read anything I've ever written, you know that I clearly love adverbs.  I still whistle this tune, on the daily. 

(4) Verb! That’s What’s Happening

This is by far, the funkiest SHR episode.  I think even as a kid, I got how powerful (and unusual) it was that the African-American community was being painted as a positive in this piece.  

(3) Sufferin’ Till Suffrage

Essra Mohawk's vocal on this track is incredible.  (She would go on to work with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention.)  Great song.  Conservatives decried this short as liberal propaganda at the time – can you imagine?

(2) Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla

I believe this proves that almost everyone was in fact on drugs in the 1970s.  Love it.

(1) The Tale Of Mr. Morton

Far and away, my favorite.  "Hello cat, you look good."  Hilarious.  Sure it's educational, but it's really just a perfect wonderful love story.  

I don't know what children are watching these days, but I can only hope that it's half as entertaining and remarkable as School House Rock was and still is.  No, it wasn't always factually or historically accurate and their are huge swaths of American history and culture omitted (Native Americans, Civil Rights etc.) but it wasn't supposed to be or do anymore than it was or did.  It was intended to spark the imagination of young minds and for me it did exactly that.  That wonder and excitement of seeing and hearing new things is forever tattooed on my memory and I feel fortunate to have experienced it firsthand back in the day.