Movin' On Up: The 50th Anniversary of The Jeffersons

Fifty years ago today, on January 18 1975, The Jeffersons debuted on CBS. While its ratings fluctuated during its run, The Jeffersons ultimately proved to be one of CBS's most successful shows from the 1970s, and ran for eleven seasons. It would also prove successful in syndication as a rerun. It can still be seen on such television outlets as Antenna TV and TV One.

The Jeffersons centred on George and Louise "Weezy' Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford), who move from a neighbourhood in Queens to a deluxe high-rise apartment complex on East 63rd Street in Manhattan. They had a grown son named Lionel (Michael Evans, Damon Evans), who was engaged and then married to Jenny Willis (Berlinda Tolbert). Jenny was the daughter of the Jeffersons' neighbours in the high-rise, Tom and Helen Willis (Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker), an interracial couple who also had a grown-up son, Alan (Jay Hammer). The Jeffersons had a housekeeper, Florence Johnston, who constantly bickers with and insults George, although the two have some fondness for each other. The Jeffersons' next door neighbour was Harry Bentley (Paul Benedict), an eccentric Englishman who works as a Russian language interpreter at the United Nations. Ralph was the apartment complex's doorman, who constantly insisted on being tipped. Charlie (Danny Wells) operated the bar in the Jeffersons' apartment complex.

The origins of The Jeffersons are complicated and go back to the very first episode of All in the Family, "Meet the Bunkers," in which Mike Evans appeared as Lionel Jefferson, a friend of Archie Bunker's daughter and son-in-law, Gloria and Michael. It was Mike Evans who asked his friend Eric Monte to write a script centred around Lionel Jefferson. While the script was never produced, according to Eric Monte it was in this script that the characters of Louise and George Jefferson originated. In 1977 Eric Monte filed a lawsuit against Norman Lear, CBS, Tandem Productions, and Harry Perenchio, alleging that they had stolen his ideas for The Jeffersons, Good Times, and What's Happening!!. He ultimately received a $1 million settlement and a percentage of the residuals from Good Times.

Regardless, Louise Jefferson first appeared in the eighth episode of All in the Family, "Lionel Moves into the Neighborhood." Her husband George, although referred to on the show, would not appear until the fourth season episode, "Henry's Farewell." Norman Lear had wanted Sherman Hemsley for the role of George as early as the first season, but at the time Sherman Hemsley was appearing on Broadway in Purlie and did not want to leave the production. Until Mr. Hemsley was available to play George, George's younger brother Henry (Mel Stewart). Mel Stewart as Henry left All in the Family once Sherman Hemsley was available to play George.

Lionel, Louise, and George Jefferson weren't the only characters on The Jeffersons to have originated on All in the Family. The Willises also first appeared on The Jeffersons, although played by different actors. They appeared in the episode "Lionel's Engagement." Mr. Willis was played by Charles Aidman. Mrs. Willis was played by Kim Hamilton. Lynne Moody played Jenny. The roles wold re-cast for The Jeffersons. It was also on All in the Family that it was established George Jefferson was a dry cleaner.

During the first five seasons of All in the Family Lionel and Louise were recurring characters on the show. George was a recurring character on All in the Family starting with its fourth season. The genesis for the Jeffersons receiving their own show came about due to three Black Panthers who visited Mr. Lear's office. They pointed out that even in his own productions, Black people were portrayed as being poor. With it having already been established that George Jefferson owned a dry cleaning business, it was then easy enough to spin the characters off into their own show. Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, and Bernie West were credited as having created The Jeffersons, while Norman Lear was credited as having developed the show.  George and Louise Jefferson's move to the high-rise apartment complex was portrayed in the All in the Family episode "The Jeffersons Move On Up," which aired a week before the debut of The Jeffersons.

The Jeffersons debuted on January 18 1975, following All in the Family. Some critics were not particularly impressed with the show's debut. Frank S. Swertlow of UPI commented, "The Jeffersons should have an option on their old house. Unless the show perks up, the Jeffersons may have to move back to Queens." Associated Press television writer Jay Sharbutt gave the show a mixed review, writing "It was a good finale for a talented cast saddle with a poor script." While some critics may not have been particularly impressed with the debut episode of The Jeffersons viewers seemed to love the show. It ranked no. 4 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1974-1975 season.

The theme song of The Jeffersons, "Movin' On Up," was written by Ja'net DuBois and Jeff Barry. Ja'net DuBois also sang the theme song, along with a gospel choir. Ja'Net DuBois also worked on another Norman Lear sitcom. She played Willona Woods on Good Times.

For the most part the cast of The Jeffersons was stable, although the show saw some changes over the years. Mike Evans left the show after its first season, so that from the second to fourth seasons, Lionel was played by Damon Evans (no relation). Mike Evans returned to play Lionel with the show's sixth season, although he would be absent for the show's ninth and tenth seasons. Despite Lionel being absent from the show for long stretches of time, Berlinda Tolbert remained with The Jeffersons for its most of its run.

Zara Cully was a regular on The Jeffersons for its first four seasons. She had first appeared in the role of George's mother in the All in the Family episode "Lionel's Engagement." She would not appear in the first 17 episodes of the third season due to a case of pneumonia, but returned to the show upon her recovery. She last appeared in the fourth season in the episode "The Last Leaf," which aired three months after her death. She was 86 years old when she died from lung cancer on February 28 1978. No episode was dedicated to the death of George's mother ever aired, although her passing was acknowledged on the show.

Paul Benedict left The Jeffersons in 1981. It was explained that Bentley had moved to the Soviet Union. He returned for the show's tenth season. Marla Gibbs's departure from The Jeffersons would be much briefer. The character of Florence was spun off into her own sitcom, Checking In, on which she was the head of housekeeping at a hotel. The Jeffersons' new housekeeper was Carmen, played by Roseanna Christiansen. As it turned out, Carmen would only appear in two episodes. Checking In received such low ratings that it only lasted four episodes. Marla Gibbs then returned as Florence to The Jeffersons.

Like many of Norman Lear's productions in the early to mid-Seventies, early in its run The Jeffersons dealt with various issues, including alcoholism, crime, gun control, illiteracy, and suicide. While it would still address various issues throughout its run, over time The Jeffersons evolved into a more traditional sitcom, with George Jefferson often coming up with schemes that Tom Willis would bet wrapped up in.

The Jeffersons was still receiving respectable ratings late in its run. For the 1983-1984 season it ranked no. 19 in the Nielsen ratings for the year. Unfortunately, for the 1984-1985 season The Jeffersons slipped completely out of the top thirty in the Nielsens. CBS abruptly cancelled the show without telling the cast, much less allowing the series to have a proper season finale. Isabel Sanford found out the show had been cancelled from one of the tabloids. Sherman Hemsley read about it in a newspaper. Marla Gibbs also read about it in a newspaper. Franklin Cover heard about it on Entertainment Tonight.

The Jeffersons would go onto a highly successful run in syndication. The Jeffersons would be released on VHS and later DVD. It can be watched on multiple streaming services. What is more, the characters would appear again from time to time. In 1993 much of the cast, including Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, and Marla Gibbs, reunited for a stage production called The Best of The Jeffersons. Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford appeared as George and Weezy in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode "Will is from Mars." They appeared again in the series finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, in which they bought the Banks's house. Sherman Hemsley and Marla Gibbs appeared as George and Florence i the House of Payne episode "Curtis Jefferson."

The Jeffersons would be one of the shows adapted for the series of specials Live in Front of a Studio Audience. Jamie Foxx played George, Wanda Sykes played Weezy, Kerry Washington played Helen, and Will Ferrell played Tom. Marla Gibbs reprised her role as Florence, making her the only one of the original cast to appear on the special. It aired on May 22 2019 on ABC.

The Jeffersons would be nominated for several Emmy Awards with regards to its cast. Isabel Sanford was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series six times and she won once. Marla Gibbs was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Seires five times. Sherman Hemsley was nominated for playing Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series once. The show also won the Emmy for Outstanding Video Tape Editing for a Series in 1983.

In some ways The Jeffersons was a groundbreaking sitcom. It was one of the earliest situation comedies to centre on a middle class Black family, an upper middle class one at that. It was the first sitcom to feature an couple in which a white person was married to a Black person (Tom and Helen Willis) as regulars. It was the first Black sitcom to rank in the top five since Sanford and Son and the second longest running Black sitcom (House of Payne beat it by one episode). Some have perceived The Jeffersons as lapsing into stereotypes, particularly in its early days. In the end, The Jeffersons changed the narrative for African Americans on television. It paved the way for the portrayal of Black families who were successful and even affluent. Of course, The Jeffersons remains a popular sitcom as well as a pioneering one. It can still be found on TV outlets to this day.

The Late Great David Lynch

David Lynch, the legendary director of such films as The Elephant Man (1980) and Blue Velvet (1986), and the creator of the TV series Twin Peaks with Mark Frost, died today at the age of 78. In August 2024 he revealed he was suffering from emphysema.

David Lynch was born on January 20 1946 in Missoula, Montana. His father worked for the Department of Agriculture as a research scientist. His mother was a teacher. Because of his father's work, David Lynch's family moved frequently. He was only two months old when the family moved to Sandpoint, Idaho. During David Lynch's childhood, the family moved to Spokane, Washington, Durham, North Carolina, Boise, Idaho, and Alexandra, Virginia. Having decided he wanted to study painting, David Lynch attended the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington, DC and then the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

In 1966 David Lynch was working as a printmaker and an artist when he made his first film, the short "Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times)." In the coming years he directed several more shorts, including "Absurd Encounter with Fear" (1967), "Fictitious Anacin Commercial" (1967), "Sailing with Bushnell Keeler" (1967), and "The Alphabet" (1969). He received a grant for his next short, "The Grandmother" (1970), from the newly formed American Film Institute (AFI). It was in 1970 that he began studying at the AFI Conservatory.

It would take several years for David Lynch to complete his first feature film, Eraserhead (1977). Upon its initial release Eraserhead proved divisive with critics, but proved to be popular as a midnight movie with a cult following. Producer Stuart Cornfield saw Eraserhead and was impressed by it. It would lead to Stuart Cornfield and David Lynch working together on The Elephant Man (1980). The Elephant Man (1980) was critically acclaimed and was nominated for eight Academy Awards.

In the Eighties David Lynch directed Dune (1984), an adaptation of the sci-fi novel of the same name, Blue Velvet (1986), and Wild at Heart (1990). It was at the end of the decade that the television series Twin Peaks debuted.  Created by Mark Frost and David Lynch, the show initially received a positive response from critics and proved to be something of a cultural phenomenon. Unfortunately, its ratings would soon falter.

In the Nineties David Lynch created two more television shows, On the Air with Mark Frost and Hotel Room with Monty Montgomery. He also directed the films Lost Highway (1997) and The Straight Story (1999). In the Naughts he directed Mulholland Drive (2001) and Inland Empire (2006).

Over the years David Lynch also directed several shorts, including "The Amputee" (1974), "The Cowboy and the Frenchman" (1988), "Premonition Following an Evil Deed" (1995), "Darkened Room" (2002), "Absurda" (2005), "Boat" (2007), "Bug Crawls" (2007). "Lady Blue Shanghai" (2010), "What Did Jack Do?" (2017), and yet others. He also directed several music videos, including "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak, "Shot in the Back of the Head" by Moby, "Came Back Haunted" by Nine Inch Nails, and "I Am the Shaman," among others.

David Lynch was also a composer and  released three studio albums in addition to soundtrack albums related to his work. Having initially trained as a painter, David Lynch continued to paint even after his film career had begun. He also wrote the book  Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity.

I can safely say that many of my fellow film buffs regard David Lynch as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. He not only possessed considerable talent with regards to directing, but he was truly one of a kind. In many ways David Lynch was the cinematic equivalent of Franz Kafka, which should come as no surprise as David Lynch had expressed admiration for the author his entire life. At the same time David Lynch's movie demonstrate the influence of Billy Wilder (Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, and The Apartment numbered among his favourite films). David Lynch's movies often blended film noir, surrealism, and horror in setting where an Arcadian veneer hides something much darker. His films were often dreamlike and often hard to decipher.

This is not to say that there was not variety in David Lynch's work. The Elephant Man was a biopic. Dune was a science fiction epic. Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Drive were neo-noir. The Straight Story was a G-rated biographical movie. And often David Lynch's movies could be many things at once, blending comedy, film noir, romance, and horror all in once package. In the hands of any other director, this might result in wildly uneven work. In the hands of David Lynch, his resulted in works that were sublime.

Beyond being a visionary artist, David Lynch was also an extraordinary human being. I have friends who had the honour to meet Mr. Lynch and all of them have said the same thing, that he was one of the nicest people one could hope to meet. He was well-loved by many, and there are tributes to Mr.Lynch from everyone from Kyle MacLachlan to Steven Spielberg. In 2005 David Lynch began doing daily weather reports and continued to do them until 2010. He brought them back in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they continued until 2022. It was through these weather reports that many around the world grew to love him. For all that his work is known for being dark, in his weather reports David Lynch stood revealed as a polite, mild-mannered Midwesterner who truly cares about people. David Lynch was remarkable well beyond being a talented artist.

Godspeed Cinematographer Roger Pratt

Roger Pratt, the cinematographer on such films as Brazil (1985) and Batman (1989), died on December 31 2024 at the age of 77.

Roger Pratt was born in Leicester on February 27 1947. He attended Loughborough Grammar School  and then served with Voluntary Services Overseas. He graduated from Durham University before attending the London Film School.

He began his career as a cameraman on such films as Bleak Moments (1971), My Childhood (1972), and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). His first credit as cinematography was on The Sender in 1982. During the Eighties he served as the cinematographer on the films The Meaning of Life (1983), Brazil (1985), Mona Lisa (1986), Consuming Passions (1988), High Hopes (1988), Paris by Night (1988), and Batman (1989). On television he worked on such TV movies as Dutch Girls and the mini-series The Planets.

In the Nineties Roger Pratt was the cinematographer on the movies The Fisher King (1991), Year of the Comet (1992), Shadowlands (1993), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), 12 Monkeys (1995). In Love and War (1996), The Avengers (1998),. Grey Owl (1999), The End of the Affair (1999),. 102 Dalmatians (20000), and Chocolat (2000). On television he worked on the TV shows The Storyteller: Greek Myths and Performance.

In the Naughts he served as the director of photography in the movies Iris (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Troy (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Closing the Ring (2007) Ink heart (2008), Dorian Gray (2009), and The Karate Kid (2010). In the Teens he worked on the films Jadoo (2013) and Keeping Rosy (2014). 

Roger Pratt was a master when it came to light and shadows, with his cinematography often resembling that of German expressionism and American film noir. This can be see in Brazil, which he lit as if it was a black-and-white movie even though it was shot in colour. He used a similar technique on Batman, sometimes using only one tone in a shot so that characters such as The Joker would stand out even more. Roger Pratt's talent for visual dissonance would come to good use in the movie 12 Monkeys, where warm and cold light were often used in the same scene. Of course, here it must be point out that Roger Pratt was nothing if not versatile. While Brazil and Batman were very dark, Chocolat was a brighter movie, although Mr. Pratt still offered up contrasts in light and colour. Roger Pratt was an extremely talented cinematographer who worked on some of the best and most popular movies of the late 20th Century.

The 60th Anniversary of Hullabaloo

Sixty years ago today, on January 12 1965, the rock and pop musical variety show called Hullabaloo debuted on NBC. Hullabaloo featured some of the top rock and R&B acts of the day, including The Animals, The Beatles, Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas, The Byrds, Del Shannon, The Four Tops, The Hollies, The Lovin' Spoonful The Moody Blues, The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, and many others, The show's first thirteen episodes featured segments featuring British acts filmed in London  and hosted by The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein.

Hullabaloo owed its existence to another rock and pop music show, Shindig!, which had debuted on September 16 1964 on ABC. Seeing the success that ABC had with Shindig!, NBC developed their own rock and pop musical show called Hullabaloo. It is to NBC's credit that Hullabaloo differed a bit from Shindig!. While Shindig! had a regular host (deejay Jimmy O'Neill), Hullabaloo featured a different guest host each week. Among the guest hosts on Hullabaloo were Paul, Anka, Frankie Avalon, Petula Clark, Sammy Davis Jr., George Hamilton, Michael Landon, David McCallum, George Maharis, Robert Vaughn, and others.

The typical edition of Hullabaloo began with an opening number, after which the guests would be introduced. There would be a "Top of the Pops" segment featuring a medley of the top hits of the time performed by one of the guests of the week. Towards the end of the show there would be the "Hullabaloo A-Go-Go" segment, which featured a go-go dancer in a cage (Lada St. Edmund). In addition to their go-go dancer in a cage, Hullabaloo had an entire group of Hullabaloo Dancers consisting of six women and four men. Among the Hullabaloo Dancers was Donna McKechnie, who later appeared on the soap opera Dark Shadows and won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a musical for playing Cassie in A Chorus Line on Broadway.

Hullabaloo was produced by Gary Smith who had been an associate producer on The Judy Garland Show and went on to produce The Kraft Music Hall and several specials (including Bing Crosby's final Christmas special, Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas. It was directed by Bill Davis, Who would go onto direct The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,. The Julie Andrews Hour, and Solid Gold, and Steve Binder, who would go onto direct Petula Clark's famous TV special Petula  Elvis Presley's "comeback special."  Sid Bernstein, famous for bringing The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to the United States, booked acts for Hullabaloo. Peter Matz, who was later the musical director on The Carol Burnett Show, served as the orchestra leader on Hullabaloo.

Much of Hullabaloo would be filmed at Studio 8H in the RCA Building in New York City, which would later be the home of Saturday Night Live. Much of the show would also be filmed at at NBC's Midwood Studios in Brooklyn, where the TV special Peter Pan with Mary Martin and Kraft Music Hall had been filmed and later The Cosby Show and the soap opera Another World. Some segments would be filmed at NBC Studios in Burbank, California. The segments with The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein were filmed at Shepperton Film Studios in Shepperton, Surrey.

When Hullabaloo debuted on January 12 1965 it was an hour long show that aired on Tuesday night. For its second season, which started in September 1965, it was cut back to a half-hour and aired on Monday night. Ultimately, Hullabaloo was cancelled by NBC after one-and-a-half seasons and 48 episodes. Curiously, it would be replaced on Monday night by the youth-oriented sitcom The Monkees.

Sadly, while Hullabaloo was shot in colour, not much of the show survives in colour. In 1973 NBC was clearing out its archives and asked the show's production company if they would take ownership of the original colour masters. When they turned NBC down, NBC wiped the colour masters. Only three half-hour colour episodes would survive. Fortunately, much of Hullabaloo was copied in black-and-white to cinescope on film. In the end only one Hullabaloo episode appears to be completely lost and only three are incomplete.

Although Hullabaloo did not have a long run, it would have a lasting impact. It is referenced in The Ramones' song "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll?" along with fellow shows Shindig! and Upbeat. Even though Frankie Lymon never appeared on Hullabaloo, the biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love? (1998) portrayed a fictional appearance of the singer on the show. In Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood (2019) fictional actor Rick Dalton was a guest host on Hullabaloo. In mini-series The Queen's Gambit at one point characters in the film watch Hullabaloo. What survives of the show has been released on DVD by MPI Home Video.

Hullabaloo would be fondly remembered by those old enough to have seen it when it first aired. Those who were either too young at the time to remember the show or weren't even born yet have found themselves fascinated by clips from the show. While the entirety of the show does not survive, it remains well remembered.