Head of the Class
Encyclopedia
Head of the Class is an American sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...

 that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 television network. The series follows a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program (IHP) at the fictional Monroe High School (later Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...

 High School) in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

, and their history teacher Charlie Moore (Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman is an American actor best known for playing disc jockey Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and schoolteacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.-Early life:...

). The program was ostensibly a vehicle
Star vehicle
A star vehicle has historically been a movie, play, TV series, or other production whose primary purpose, besides turning a profit, is to enhance someone's career. Vehicles are most commonly produced when a young or inexperienced actor has signed a long-term contract with a major studio...

 for Hesseman, best known for his role as radio DJ Dr. Johnny Fever
Dr. Johnny Fever
Dr. Johnny Fever is an off-the-wall character and disc jockey on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. He was inspired by Atlanta DJ Skinny Bobby Harper...

 in the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...

(1978–1982). Hesseman left Head of the Class in 1990 and was replaced by Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...

 (in his first major American production) as teacher Billy MacGregor for the final season. After the series ended, Connolly appeared in a short-lived spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

 titled Billy.

The series was created and executive produced by Rich Eustis and Michael Elias. Rich Eustis had previously worked as a New York City substitute teacher while hoping to become an actor.

Characters

Head of the Class deals with an entire classroom of academically-gifted high school students. The IHP students comprised a diverse range of personalities, ethnicities, and academic specialities. In the first three years of the show, the IHP class had ten students. Arvid Engen (Dan Frischman
Dan Frischman
Dan Frischman is an American actor, noted for his many roles of playing socially inept "geeks" and "nerds". Frischman's birthdate is often listed as being 1964, as early in his career his acting agent had him practice age fabrication to seem five years younger which made him more eligible for...

) was a skinny, bespectacled nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...

, mathematics expert and budding scientist. Arvid's best friend was the overweight, wisecracking cynic Dennis Blunden (Dan Schneider
Dan Schneider (TV producer)
Daniel James "Dan" Schneider is an American songwriter, actor, writer, and producer of films and television. He is the co-president of his own production company called Schneider's Bakery....

), a computer whiz who more often than not had a knack for getting the socially-inept Arvid involved in various schemes. Alan Pinkard (Tony O'Dell
Tony O'Dell
Tony O’Dell is an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as preppy Alan Pinkard on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class from 1986 to 1991.-Early life and career:...

) was an ultra-conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...

 preppy
Preppy
Preppy, preppie, or prep refers to a modern, widespread United States clique, often considered a subculture...

 and egotist; his area of expertise was political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 and he was a devout fan of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

. Alan competed for the highest grades in the class with Darlene Merriman (Robin Givens
Robin Givens
Robin Simone Givens is an American model and film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for her role as Darlene Merriman on the television series Head of the Class.-Early life:...

), a spoiled rich girl who was probably even more self-centered than Alan. Both Alan and Darlene held the ambition of being named class valedictorian. Sarah Nevins (Kimberly Russell) did not have any one particular area of expertise; she was the most down-to-earth of the IHP class, and was once cited as having the lowest G.P.A. Maria Borges (Leslie Bega
Leslie Bega
Leslie R. Bega is an American theatre, film and television actress; known for performances in Head of the Class, David Lynch's Lost Highway, and a recurring cast member in CSI: NY and The Sopranos. Also featured as a dancer in the breakdancing films Breakin and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo...

) was very passionate about getting A's (going as far as grounding herself in the pilot episode for getting a 'B'), and Jawaharlal Choudhury (Jory Husain aka Joher Coleman) was an exchange student from India. Eleven-year-old Janice Lazarotto (Tannis Vallely), despite her young age, was in high school and the IHP class because of her advanced intellect. Arts student Simone Foster (Khrystyne Haje
Khrystyne Haje
Khrystyne Kamil Haje is an American television and film actress who is best known for her role as Simone Foster in the television series Head of the Class.-Biography:...

) was a quiet, sensitive redhead with a particular fondness for poetry. A notable development in the show was the relationship between Simone and Eric Mardian (Brian Robbins
Brian Robbins
Brian Robbins is an American actor and producer, director and screenwriter. He often collaborates with Mike Tollin.-Biography:...

), an aspiring writer and, outwardly, the most unlikely member of the IHP - Eric wore black leather, drove a motorcycle, acted tough and ostensibly disliked anything academic (to Dr. Samuels's delight, he was the only one in the class not on the academic team, although he would never leave the IHP). Eric hit constantly on Simone (on whom he had a crush) and the two eventually had an on-again-off-again romance.

There was some turnover in the cast in seasons four and five. Janice left for Harvard, Maria went to Performing Arts High School, and Jawarhalal moved to California. New students included Aristole McKenzie, described by Dennis as "this reject from Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American dramedy produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee, who is also a featured actor in the film. Other members of the cast include Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, and John Turturro. It is also notably the...

" for his dreadlocks
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...

, Vicky Amory, a new-ager interested in quantum physics and skin-revealing clothing, and Alex Torres, who had transferred from parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...

. T.J. Jones and Jasper Kwan, who had appeared as potential IHP members in earlier seasons, were eventually added to the program and the cast.

Appearing as regulars throughout all five seasons were school staff members Dr. Harold Samuels (William G. Schilling
William G. Schilling
William Garrison Schilling is a retired American actor of film and television who is best known for his role as Dr. Harold Samuels in Head of the Class between 1986 and 1991.- Acting career :...

) and Bernadette Meara (Jeanetta Arnette
Jeanetta Arnette
Jeannetta Arnette is an American actress known for her television role as Miss Meara on the situation comedy Head of the Class. She has also appeared in numerous films and guest-starring roles on television...

). Dr. Samuels was the blustery, overweight principal of the school. His attitude towards the IHP students was one of ambivalence: on the one hand, Dr. Samuels distrusted the kids (and had a particularly antagonistic relationship with Dennis, and tried to avoid Eric), but at the same time he was proud of their achievements and valued the prestige they brought to the school. Ms. Meara was Dr. Samuels’ level-headed administrative assistant (there was some romantic tension between her and Charlie, although this ultimately came to nothing).

In the series, the students often faced off against the rival Bronx High School of Science
Bronx High School of Science
The Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx...

. Also, in every season, the IHP students produced the school musical. Musicals staged by the students included Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...

, Little Shop of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors (musical)
Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...

, and Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...

.

Regular Characters

  • Charles P. "Charlie" Moore – Howard Hesseman
    Howard Hesseman
    Howard Hesseman is an American actor best known for playing disc jockey Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and schoolteacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.-Early life:...

     (1986–1990; Seasons 1–4)
  • Billy MacGregor – Billy Connolly
    Billy Connolly
    William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...

     (1990–1991; Season 5)
  • Dr. Harold Samuels – William G. Schilling
    William G. Schilling
    William Garrison Schilling is a retired American actor of film and television who is best known for his role as Dr. Harold Samuels in Head of the Class between 1986 and 1991.- Acting career :...

     (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
  • Bernadette Meara – Jeanetta Arnette
    Jeanetta Arnette
    Jeannetta Arnette is an American actress known for her television role as Miss Meara on the situation comedy Head of the Class. She has also appeared in numerous films and guest-starring roles on television...

     (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
  • Maria Borges – Leslie Bega
    Leslie Bega
    Leslie R. Bega is an American theatre, film and television actress; known for performances in Head of the Class, David Lynch's Lost Highway, and a recurring cast member in CSI: NY and The Sopranos. Also featured as a dancer in the breakdancing films Breakin and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo...

     (1986–1989; Seasons 1–3)
  • Arvid Engen – Dan Frischman
    Dan Frischman
    Dan Frischman is an American actor, noted for his many roles of playing socially inept "geeks" and "nerds". Frischman's birthdate is often listed as being 1964, as early in his career his acting agent had him practice age fabrication to seem five years younger which made him more eligible for...

     (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
  • Darlene Merriman – Robin Givens
    Robin Givens
    Robin Simone Givens is an American model and film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for her role as Darlene Merriman on the television series Head of the Class.-Early life:...

     (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
  • Simone Foster – Khrystyne Haje
    Khrystyne Haje
    Khrystyne Kamil Haje is an American television and film actress who is best known for her role as Simone Foster in the television series Head of the Class.-Biography:...

     (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
  • Jawaharlal Choudhury – Jory Husain aka Joher Coleman (1986–1989; Seasons 1–3)
  • Alan Pinkard – Tony O'Dell
    Tony O'Dell
    Tony O’Dell is an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as preppy Alan Pinkard on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class from 1986 to 1991.-Early life and career:...

     (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
  • Eric Mardian – Brian Robbins
    Brian Robbins
    Brian Robbins is an American actor and producer, director and screenwriter. He often collaborates with Mike Tollin.-Biography:...

     (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
  • Sarah Nevins – Kimberly Russell (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5, not featured in Pilot)
  • Dennis Blunden - Dan Schneider
    Dan Schneider (TV producer)
    Daniel James "Dan" Schneider is an American songwriter, actor, writer, and producer of films and television. He is the co-president of his own production company called Schneider's Bakery....

     (1986–1991, Seasons 1–5)
  • Janice Lazarotto – Tannis Vallely (1986–1989; Seasons 1–3, guest in Season 5)
  • Alex Torres – Michael DeLorenzo
    Michael DeLorenzo
    Michael DeLorenzo is an American actor, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Eddie Torres on the Fox Thursday night television series New York Undercover which was aired from 1994-1998....

     (1989–1991; Seasons 4–5)
  • Viki Amory – Lara Piper (1989–1991; Seasons 4–5)
  • Theola June "T.J." Jones – Rain Pryor
    Rain Pryor
    -Personal life:Pryor was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Shelley R. Bonis and American comedian Richard Pryor. Rain Pryor's mother was a Jewish go-go dancer and Rain was largely raised with her Jewish grandparents who taught her about Jewish culture...

     (1988–1991; Seasons 3–5)
  • Jasper Kwong – Jonathan Ke Quan (1990–1991; Season 5)
  • Aristotle McKenzie – De'voreaux White
    De'voreaux White
    De'voreaux White is an American actor who performed in many films. He is probably best known for his role in Die Hard in which he plays a limousine driver named Argyle...

     (1989–1991; Seasons 4–5)

Recurring characters

  • Lori Applebaum – Marcia Christie
  • Jeremy Irizarry – Joshua Duty
  • Dr. Enric Engen – Bruce Gray
    Bruce Gray
    Bruce Gray is a Puerto Rican-born Canadian actor.-Early years:Gray was born Robert Bruce Gray in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Canadian parents...

  • Madeline Mardian – Patricia McCormack

Season 1 (1986–1987)

Out-of-work actor Charlie Moore began the first season as a substitute teacher, but warmed to the IHP class immediately, making it his mission to get them to think rather than merely to know. Although they are gifted academically, the IHP students had plenty of problems in their personal lives, and Mr. Moore not only is there to listen, he shows an unswerving ability to get the students to solve their own problems while making it seem like they came up with the answers on their own. By Episode Six, the class's original teacher (Roscoe Lee Browne
Roscoe Lee Browne
Roscoe Lee Browne was an American actor and director, known for his rich voice and dignified bearing.-Biography:Browne was the fourth son of a Baptist minister, Sylvanus S. Browne, and his wife Lovie...

) had quit, making Mr. Moore their full-time teacher. Throughout the first season, Mr. Moore attempted to get the class involved in more than just their studies, encouraging them to play volleyball and make a music video for the school's time capsule (this marks the first foray into the fondness of Head of the Class for musical production numbers). At the same time, the class brought Mr. Moore into the present, acclimating him to the importance of personal computers. Near the end of the season, the IHP faces their Russian counterparts in an academic tournament, foreshadowing their famous trip to Moscow in Season 3.

Season 2 (1987–1988)

Season 2 began involving the IHP in the school as a whole, with Mr. Moore involving the class in the school literary journal and encouraging a lampoon of the school newspaper.

"Mission to Moscow"

In 1988, Head of the Class broke new ground as it became the first American sitcom to be filmed in the Soviet Union. The episode was entirely filmed in Moscow. Although it originally aired without a laugh track
Laugh track
A laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...

, one was added for the syndicated version
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...

.

The IHP is invited to come to the country for a rematch of the academic meet that happened in Season 1, which ended in a tie. The class has a lot of experiences while in Moscow: Dennis and Arvid take interest in two beautiful women, until they realize they might be KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...

 spies; Eric meets up with his relatives in what is a very positive experience for him; capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...

 Alan has an argument with a die-hard socialist in a store (who is also on the opposing Russian academic team); Sarah and Darlene decide to record the sights and sounds of Moscow; Simone goes to put flowers on a poet's grave and meets up with a charming Russian musician; Dr. Samuels believe that his hotel room is bugged
Covert listening device
A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and in police investigations.A bug does not have to be a device...

, but he just ends up making a fool of himself; and Charlie has a brief romance with a schoolteacher.

The IHP eventually wins the meet and the respect of the Russian team. The episode concludes with both teams attending a concert in Gorky Park
Gorky Park (Moscow)
Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure is an amusement park in Moscow, named after Maxim Gorky.-History:...

 swaying to the song "Faraway Lands" (written and performed by American David Pomeranz
David Pomeranz
David Pomeranz is an American singer, composer, lyricist, and writer for musical theatre. He is also ambassador for Operation SmileBorn in Reno and raised on Long Island, Pomeranz expressed interest in music from an early age, singing in the synagogue choir, learning to play the piano, guitar, and...

 and Russian rock star Alexander Manilin).

Season 4 (1989–1990)

The fourth season saw some significant changes to the cast of characters- Maria, Jawaharlal and Janice left (Maria went to a performing arts school, Jawarhalal moved to California, and Janice went to college). Several new characters took their place: Alex Torres (Michael DeLorenzo
Michael DeLorenzo
Michael DeLorenzo is an American actor, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Eddie Torres on the Fox Thursday night television series New York Undercover which was aired from 1994-1998....

) was a Hispanic athletics student, somewhat stereotypically portrayed as having an eye for the ladies. Although Alex seemed attracted to Darlene particularly, both he and Eric competed for the affections of another new IHP student, the blonde hippie Viki Amory (Lara Piper). Another new character was aspiring filmmaker Aristotle McKenzie (De'voreaux White
De'voreaux White
De'voreaux White is an American actor who performed in many films. He is probably best known for his role in Die Hard in which he plays a limousine driver named Argyle...

). T.J. Jones (Rain Pryor
Rain Pryor
-Personal life:Pryor was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Shelley R. Bonis and American comedian Richard Pryor. Rain Pryor's mother was a Jewish go-go dancer and Rain was largely raised with her Jewish grandparents who taught her about Jewish culture...

), a recurring character since the third season, joined the IHP in the fourth season (a remedial student with a streetwise attitude, T.J. was found to be smart enough to join the IHP). The students' final year of high school was split over seasons four and five. Howard Hesseman left the show after the fourth season.

Season 5 (1990–1991)

In the first episode of Season 5, Scottish teacher Billy MacGregor (Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...

) arrived to replace the departed Charlie Moore (in the first episode of the season, it is explained to the dismayed IHP students that Mr. Moore's acting career finally took off). Despite initial uncertainty and some hostility from the students, Billy proved to be a successful replacement for Charlie. He insisted that the students refer to him by his first name, and although he was more rousing and less laid-back than his predecessor, he proved to be just as wise and caring (Billy also had a habit of boisterously greeting his class every morning with the phrase, "Good morning, geniuses!" and conducting his class in a manner more akin to a stand-up comedian than a teacher). Many episodes from this season focused on Billy having to adapt to living in America, and his attempts to romance Ms. Meara. Other aspects to Billy were his dislike of an outdated French textbook, which actually prompted one student to take a spur-of-the-moment jaunt to Paris, or his encouragement to the male students that the best way to get girls was to be themselves. Also, the character of Jasper Quong (Jonathan Ke Quan) was added to the IHP class. The season (and the program itself) concluded with the IHP students graduating from high school. Janice Lazarotto (from seasons 1–3) returned for a guest appearance in the finale, in which T.J. is named Class Valedictorian and the school is closed down and demolished.

Nielsen ratings

  • 1986-1987 Season: #30
  • 1987-1988 Season: #23
  • 1988-1989 Season: #20
  • 1989-1990 Season: #26
  • 1990-1991 Season: #26

Novel tie-in

One major novelization was released, with the plotlines based on 6 episodes of the show. The book makes all the chapters flow together as one story, even though they didn't happen one right after the other on the show. It was written by Susan Beth Pfeffer and released in December 1989 by Bantam Books. The book is 120 pages long, with six chapters and each chapter is based on an episode.
  • Chapter 1 - "First Day", based on the 1986 episode "First Day", written by Lisa Rosenthal (otherwise known as the pilot)
  • Chapter 2- "A Problem Like Maria" is based on the 1986 episode "A Problem Like Maria" written by Cynthia Thompson
  • Chapter 3- "Crimes of the Heart" is based on the 1987 episode "Crimes of the Heart" written by Valri Bromfield
  • Chapter 4- "Cello Fever" is based on the 1987 episode "Cello Fever" written by show creators Rich Eustis and Michael Elias
  • Chapter 5- "Trouble in Perfectville" is based on the 1987 episode "Trouble in Perfectville" written by George Beckerman
  • Chapter 6- "Parents Day" is based on the 1987 episode "Parents Day" written by Ellis Bufton and Scott Glaze


All copyrights belong to Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...

, the novelization erroneously credits "First Day" as having been made in 1988 rather than 1986.

International broadcasts

In Australia, the series has previously aired on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...

 and is currently airing on 7Two
7Two
7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....

. In Ireland the show was aired originally on RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...

.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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