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Long before Bill Cosby started wearing his friendly sweaters,
urban middle-class African Americans burst onto television in the form of Louise
(better known as "Weezy") and George Jefferson, portrayed by Isabel Sanford and
Sherman Hemsley. Spun off from All in the
Family, The Jeffersons ran from 1975 to 1985, and it's easy to
see what made the show so popular--Sanford and Hemsley were a knockout comic
duo, surrounded by a skilled supporting cast that included the interracial
couple Helen and Tom Willis (Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover), British expatriate
Harry Bentley (Paul Benedict), as well as George's cantankerous mother Olivia
(Zara Cully) and their snappy, cynical maid Florence (Marla Gibbs). Set in a high-rise apartment building in the heart of New York City, the show
spun around George, a classic character portrait of vanity, arrogance, and petty
prejudice. Balanced by the more level-headed but just as strong-willed Weezy,
George's self-serving abrasiveness struck comic gold. Additional seasons should
be available soon. |
