Cooley High (1975): National Film Registry 2021

December 15, 2021 by
December 14, 2021–The Library of Congress announced the latest annual additions to the National Film Registry, its compendium of pictures that were judged to be culturally, aesthetically or historically important and worthy of preservation for future generations.
In addition to Hollywood studio classics and box office hits, the Registry also protects independent films, documentaries, experimental works, cartoons, music videos, educational films, advertisements, and even amateur home movies, in what is the most democratic of all film lists.
Cooley High,
UNITED ARCHIVES VIA GETTY IMAGES

Inspired by the success of George Lucas’ “American Graffiti,” Michael Schultz’s “Cooley High” (written by Eric Monte, creator of the sitcom “Good Times”) follows the hijinks and low jinks of Black high school students from a Chicago housing project in 1964. Starring Corin Rogers, Joseph Carter Wilson, Glynn Turman and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, the coming-of-age comedy became a resounding commercial success, birthing a spin-off TV series (“What’s Happening!!”), and inspiring a generation of filmmakers, from John Singleton to Spike Lee.

Hilton-Jacobs went on to star in “Welcome Back, Kotter,” while Turman would star in “The Wire” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

The cast also included Garrett Morris (who would help launch “Saturday Night Live”) and Steven Williams (“21 Jump Street,” “The X Files”).

 

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