HANGIN' WITH MR. COOPER: THE PRESENTATION {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The premiere of this comedy series about Mark Cooper, an ex-NBA player and substitute teacher, and his roommates Robin and Vanessa.
Robin gets Mark his first substitute teaching job after one of the faculty comes down with food poisoning. However, Mark is dismayed when he learns that he will be teaching a junior high school science class, something he feels he's not qualified to do. Vanessa has a date with a stockbroker named William, and is rather excited. Mark tries to listen in as Vanessa and Robin talk about William. Robin, a friend of Mark's since childhood, believes that Mark has a secret unrequited crush on Vanessa. Although Mark denies this, his behavior makes it obvious that he has some feelings for her. Mark reports for his substitute teaching job, trying his best to endear himself to the students. They seem to like him and coerce him into allowing them free rein, such as playing music and allowing one of them, Earvin, to skip class. The principal appears multiple times in order to curb the noise level of the class, and admonishes Mark for his behavior. When Mark tries to reestablish order, Earvin affixes him to his chair with superglue as a prank.
Mark returns home and talks about his day with Robin. She advises him that he must earn the respect of his students before befriending them, or else they will take advantage of him. William arrives to pick up Vanessa for their date. Mark takes the opportunity to ridicule him for his apparent rigidity and lack of personality. However, Vanessa still wants to go out with him and leaves. However, she returns home from the date early, and Mark suspects that it did not go well, despite Vanessa's claims otherwise. Robin tries to get Mark and Vanessa to cease their constant bickering, and they reconcile for the time being. In private, Vanessa admits to Robin that Mark was right about William being "boring." Mark returns to his teaching job and sits the students down, telling them that it is time for them to get actual work done. He recounts that he had a similar attitude as them when he was their age, and that he had dreams of playing for the NBA. However, he wasn't good enough and says that he wouldn't have gotten anywhere in life without his education. Earvin tries to leave once again, but Mark gets him to stay by using the same superglue prank that Earvin used on him. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: September 22, 1992 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:29:02
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:27378
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; African-American Collection - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1992-1997
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – "Kirby's Dream Land" video game
- TV – Commercials – Anacin headache medicine
- TV – Commercials – Arrid antiperspirant
- TV – Commercials – Camay soap
- TV – Commercials – Campbell soup
- TV – Commercials – Duracell batteries
- TV – Commercials – Lees for Life carpets
- TV – Commercials – Pizza Hut pizza
- TV – Commercials – Secret deodorant
- TV – Commercials – Vidal Sassoon hair products
- TV – Promos – "Doogie Howser, M.D."
- TV – Promos – "Going to Extremes"
- TV – Promos – "Roseanne"
- TV – Promos – "The Wonder Years"
CREDITS
- Jeff Franklin … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Joseph Scott … Producer
- Marcus King … Co-Producer
- Joel Zwick … Director
- Jesse Frederick … Music by
- Bennett Salvay … Music by
- Denzil Foster … Theme Music by
- Thomas McElroy … Theme Music by
- En Vogue … Theme Music by
- Mark Curry … Cast, Mark Cooper
- Dawnn Lewis … Cast, Robin Dumars
- Holly Robinson (See also: Holly Robinson Peete) … Cast, Vanessa Russell
- Omar Gooding … Cast, Earvin
- Bobby Hosea … Cast, William
- Al Fann … Cast, Mr. Rambis
- La Sondra Zarif … Cast, Shivaun