Cynthia and Mimi secretly watch The Dick Cavett Show; Cynthia's triumphant arrival at the second day of school is marred by suspicion and the alphabetizing of home room situates her between the “Black Cloud of the Family" (beautiful cheerleader Betsey Satterfield) and blonde Adonis, Clay Seton.

Note: This is the complete version of Episode #5 which a technology glitch prevented from fully loading.

Bumper Music: "Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ uppbeat.io

Ending Music: “Good Lookin’” by All Good Folks @uppbeat.io

Brighton High's got some problems brewing, but Cynthia's popularity is not one of them.

This week, we dive into the 1971 mysteries surrounding Mrs. Watson's behavior, Victor Wronski's attack on Evan Whittaker, and Mrs. Schyler's devotion to her electric skillet.

Bumper Music: "Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ uppbeat.io

Ending Music "Levitation" by Floor Model @ uppbeat.io

Join novelist Laura Van Wormer as she introduces THE CLASS OF ’74, a serialized story inspired by her 50th high school reunion. The story begins in 1971 and follows the misadventures of teenagers in high school, ending with their graduation in 1974.

In this debut hello to listeners, Laura explains how seeing her baby-boomer classmates triggered the desire to entertain them with an ongoing story set in the time of their younger lives, and how she came to expand that idea to offer it to all baby boomers.

"Everybody needs more fun in their lives," Van Wormer says, "so let's have it together."

We're STILL on the first tumultuous day of school at Brighton High, September 8, 1971. It is another rock and roll episode of colliding good kids and bad kids, students, falculty, police, and mysterious neighbors.

Bumper Music Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ uppbeat.io

Ending Music "House on the Hill" by Weary Pines @ uppbeat.io

The halls of Brighton High quickly fill with mystery, intrigue, adventure, romance and chaos, to say nothing of baffling new acquaintances, bullies and a creepy vice principal.

Watch Cynthia navigate the labyrinth of social dynamics and school bureaucracy with great flair, wit and charm. Teenage rebellion has never been so funny and entertaining.

The Class of '74.

bumper music: “Bring The Energy” by Soundroll, from Uppbeat.io

end of episode music: “Hollowed Night” by Morning Mist, from Uppbeat.io

The premiere episode of a period dramedy, depicting the ups and downs of teenage life in a wealthy suburb of New York City, 1971-1974. The town of Brighton, CT is fictional, but emblematic of several charming Fairfield County towns that became too rich, too white and too bizarro for their resident children to fully cope with.

This episode paints a vivid portrait of how the town of Brighton came to be, from its rustic beginnings in the 17th century through its transformation into a thriving bedroom community for top-flight Manhattan business executives. Amidst this backdrop, we meet the Schyler family, and accompany their 15-year-old daughter, Cynthia, on her first day of high school, where the listener begins observing what teenage life was like before cell phones, the Internet and social media.

The adventures and misadventures of teenagers in this extraordinary town of privilege are alternately hilarious and subliminally frightening (as every baby boomer you know will attest) but the emotional complexities and social dynamics of teenage insecurities and relationship challenges still ring true today. Novelist Laura Van Wormer is writing this serial specifically for podcasting, to share an all-new story with listeners in a closer, more intimate way. AND TO HAVE SOME FUN!

Cynthia's collection of admirers is growing by leaps and bounds, but she can't stand two of them, one is being investigated by the cops, the gorgeous guy she scarcely knows is of course her favorite, while the guy who is supposed to be her boyfriend is all beat up.

What else is going on? A locker goes missing; the curse of the Vietnam War, Nixon's price controls, the 27 Club, Borgnine's Bar and Ashette's amazing closet adventure. ending music: "Epic Angel Choir Intro" by Tomas Herudek @ uppbeat.io bumper music: "Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ uppbeat.io