May 16, 2024
Provided image/Disney/Gilles Mingasson
Jeanine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) enjoy the giant wooden slide at Smith Memorial Playground in the newest episode of 'Abbott Elementary.'
First, there was Gritty. Then, Mural Arts and the Franklin Institute. Now, another Philly treasure has made it onto "Abbott Elementary."
Smith Memorial Playground featured heavily in the ABC sitcom's newest episode, which aired Wednesday night. (The episode was even called "Smith Playground.") The story found the principal and teachers of the fictional Philadelphia school chaperoning a field trip to the playground, but viewers weren't seeing the real East Fairmount Park destination. The set was an impressive fake, created on the soundstages of Los Angeles.
"Last night's episode, although it featured Smith Memorial Playground, was shot in L.A.," Frances Hoover, the executive director of Smith Memorial Playground, said Thursday.
As Hoover explained, the "Abbott Elementary" production team used a West Coast playground as a stand-in for the Philadelphia site and recreated Smith Memorial's iconic wooden slide with her help. The collaboration started in February, when a crew member walked into Philadelphia facilities asking for the original architectural drawings of the slide and its paint color. The Smith Memorial Playground staff continued exchanging information with the crew and reviewed a script before the episode was filmed, but the cast never set foot on the grounds. At least one member, however, is a fan: the show's star and creator Quinta Brunson.
"Quinta actually has memories of playing at Smith Playground," Hoover said. "So it's my understanding that it was an idea that she put forth as a place that meant a lot to her growing up."
Abbott Elementary teacher Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter, right) and a teacher from another Philadelphia school (Michaela Watkins, left) try to squash a disagreement between their students.
The wooden slide played a key role in the ongoing will-they-won't-they romance between Jeanine (Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams). As the other teachers squabble with another school group, the pair shares a private moment careening down the slide on burlap sacks. When they reach the bottom, Gregory nearly confesses his lingering feelings for Jeanine, before Principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James) and another teacher, Mr. Morton (Jerry Minor), interrupt them with a reality check.
"Never date someone you work with," Mr. Morton sighs, launching into a screed about his ex-wife. "We were both teachers. Our classes were right next to each other. We eventually got together. ...(HR) warned us, but we ignored it. And at first everything was wonderful, a dream. But then things got rocky. We fought, and there was no escape from it.
"She was just there."
Though Gregory's confession is ultimately thwarted, the real Smith Memorial Playground is no stranger to romantic encounters. The historic site hosts "a handful" of weddings each year on its 6 and 1/2-acre grounds, though Hoover said they're careful not to overcommit, since event rentals close the playground to kids.
"It's such a beautiful setting because our main building is just this beautiful Victorian mansion," Hoover said. "But also it's fun to have the slide incorporated into the wedding. We have lots of beautiful photos of the bride and groom sliding down."
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