# Schoolhouse Rock "I'm Just a Bill" singer **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2000, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651 "2000-03-13T22:39:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651/21 "2002-09-11T22:57:31Z")
And although Jack didn’t do an ad for All, he did do one for Pepcid AC. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651/22 "2002-09-12T14:50:28Z")
You’re welcome. What’s strange is that I have no idea how I even got into this thread in the first place! Must have been some sort of weird kismet going on with the board yesterday morning. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651/23 "2002-09-12T18:43:44Z")
I **cannot believe** that we’ve gone this far for this long talking about Jack Sheldon without mentioning his masterpiece. Sure he’s more famous for _Bill_ and _Conjunction_ but his delivery was never greater than in the magnificent **Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla**. Absolutely hilarious (and he plays a black character in this pronoun short, which may be why the OP asked in the first place). By the way, BobT, does every short have a commentary? I have the CD box set so I wasn’t sure I’d bother with the DVDs, but if the extras are generous enough, I may reconsider… ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651/24 "2002-09-12T19:41:26Z")
Albert Andreas Armadillo (no relation to the Sasparillas) isn’t black. At least, his skin doesn’t look black. (Although I’m sure Jack Sheldon could play a black character if he wanted to-his voice always reminded me of Ray Charles when I was younger.) Regarding your question, **ArchiveGuy** , not all shorts have commentary. But Phil Kimmelman, George Newall, and Tom Yohe, Jr. (son of the late animation director of the shorts) have their say on 10 shorts. But the extras are very nice-besides the commentary, there are three shorts on computers that have never been released on video until now, a short about the weather that was up in limbo for years due to a lawsuit (slightly edited to remove the phrase that caused the problem in the first place), a look behind the scenes with the team as they record a new song, games, contemporary music videos, a Nike commercial, and an Emmy retrospective (they beat _Sesame Street_ on more than one occasion!). ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651/25 "2002-09-12T23:39:44Z")
Lynn Ahrens wrote a number of Schoolhouse Rock songs, and performed them, too (I think she wrote and sang _Interplanet Janet_). If I’m not mistaken, she had a show open on Broadway a season or two ago, no? ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651/26 "2002-09-12T23:42:45Z")
Dang. Forgot to mention that Sheldon did, indeed, do the Johnny Bravo parody. I’ve only seen it once, but it cracked me up so totally I made a point of paying extra close attention to the credits. It was he. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651/27 "2002-09-12T23:54:45Z")
Well, he certainly _looks_ black in the SR Grammar video I own (maybe he’s just sporting a deep tan). Thanks for the DVD lowdown. They have 4 songs from the computer segments on CD, all of which I found particularly clumsy and irritating. The money management ones are better (though I’m too old to have seen them when they first were aired). Given I’ve got all the music plus 1 video, sounds like an eventual rental. Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651/28 "2002-09-13T00:23:01Z")
> [@](#): > > If I’m not mistaken, she had a show open on Broadway a season or two ago, no? Yes, she wrote the lyrics for the musical **Ragtime** and, IIRC, won a Tony for her efforts. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651/29 "2002-09-13T00:41:07Z")
If Jack Sheldon was any whiter, he’d be Johnny Winter. You can also catch some of his acting on those old episodes of “Dragnet;” he was part of that Jack Webb Bad Actor Repertory Company. Still on TVLand, right? your humble TubaDiva PS So’s Bob Dorough. Don’t make 'em swing any less, though. ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651/30 "2002-09-13T20:35:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > \*\* > > Yes, she wrote the lyrics for the musical **Ragtime** and, IIRC, won a Tony for her efforts. \*\* As well as _Seussical_ more recently, and a [couple of earlier efforts](http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=7450). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schoolhouse-rock-im-just-a-bill-singer/8651.md?page=1)