The Jeffersons-The Little Things We Loved

Last week’s passing of Sherman Hemsley – the actor whobrilliantly played the old bigoted yet lovable curmudgeon “George Jefferson” onCBS’s hit sitcom “The Jeffersons” (1975-1985)-has left quite a hole in my retrotv loving heart.  Although The Jeffersonsaired its last show almost thirty years ago, it made such a mark on pop culturethat it is still amongst the most beloved in television history. Like anygreat show, there are a multitude of factors that make it classictelevision-the cast of colorful characters, funny one liners, its infectioustheme song (see my post “Death of the Theme Song"). And no doubt Hemsley’sportrayal of George Jefferson was one very important contribution to the showssuccess. But what had me tuning in every week as a child- and now spending hoursscrambling Youtube for episodes-are the little things.

The original cast of CBSs "The Jeffersons"

The Doorbell- That familiar melody was theaudience’s cue that whoever was behind that door was someone guaranteed to sayor do something to get under George’s hair line. Which brings us to...

George’s hair line- George Jefferson had one of the mostrecognizable receding hair lines ever. His kinky salt and pepper ‘fro puffs werecupped around a shiny bald patch that seemed to pulsate whenever he was onthe verge of flipping his lid, which was often.

Wizzie’s voice- You can’t have some high pitched, lilly soft voice to go face to face with a loudmouth like George. Louise Jefferson’s raspyintonations of “Oh George!", mixed with a tinge of Harlem twang was just what he needed to be brought down to size.

The original Lionel-How Lionel ended up taller thanboth of his short parents is a genetic mystery. But how Jenny fell in love withhim is not-he was socially conscious, handsome, and his ‘fro was tight.  Little known Black TV history fact: MikeEvans, the actor who played Lionel, went on to co-create another beloved retro television gem, “Good Times”.

Mother Jefferson- the quintessential monster in law. Hersnobby insults and contrary objections to anything poor Wizzie said created classic conflict. And she was sogosh darn cute with her silver wig, ostentatious accessories, and convenient amnesia of Harlem ‘hood life.

Bentley’s turtleneck-Bentley was the Jefferson’s Britishneighbor who always needed to borrow something or another. He was, however, wellstocked with turtlenecks, as it was very rare was it to see him not rocking oneunderneath his sports coat. 

The best line of the series- There were gangloadsof memorable lines throughout the entire eleven years that The Jeffersons ran. But perhaps the best, most poignant and era defining line delivered on theshow was by Florence, the Jefferson's wise cracking maid. On the very first episode,Florence, having just been hired by George, and upon realizing that Helen was alsoan Upper Eastside penthouse dweller, innocently asked, “How come we overcame andnobody told me?”

"The Jeffersons" premiere episode

This line set the tone for this show, a maverick amongst black television sitcoms at the time. It was one of the first television sitcoms to feature African-Americans in leading roles since "Amos n Andy" in the 1950s, as well as the first to feature an interracial couple. The Jeffersons was also the first to portray a materially successful African-American family, and eventually became the longest running show with a predominately African-American cast in television history.

References


Dean, P. D. (n.d.). The Jeffersons. Retrieved from http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=jeffersonst

Southern, N. S. (n.d.). Mike evans, biography. Retrieved from http://www.aoltv.com/celebs/mike-evans/1958518/biography

Old Familiar Faces Part 2-That Type of Girl

As promised, this week’s post examines television character clichés. I mentioned that I would focus on one that I like to call The Man Hungry Floosie-you know the voluptuous chick who oozes sensuality, always seeming to have more than enough willing courters, yet can never just snag the right one?? Usually she’s privy to the sexiest costumes, most perfect hair, the best one liners, and highest cleavage. She saunters in and out of scenes. She rarely works. She speaks through a perpetual pout, and most likely serves as the bane of some prudish female main character’s existence.  And when done well, the hot tamale can even garner the actress who plays her an Emmy. Case in point: Jackee Harry from the 80s NBC sitcom “227”.  

For five seasons on NBC, Ms. Harry expertly played “Sandra”, the Coke bottle figured tenant of Building 227, with a nasally voice and sultry pout. She sashayed around the building causing a stir and getting on the last nerves of her neighbor Mary, played by Marla Gibbs. She received an Emmy for this role in 1987, becoming the first African American woman to take home the gold for Outstanding Supporting Actress.  

 

’87 was apparently a good year for vamps, as the late great Rue McClanahan won an Emmy that same night for Outstanding Lead Actress in the NBC hit “Golden Girls”.  She played the southern sex-pot “Blanche”, who proved that just because a lady is post menopausal doesn’t mean she has to stop gettin’ busy. And that she did.

I remember watching these jazzy jezebels when their shows were at their peaks. As a socially awkward 7^th grader, they were most definitely intriguing to watch, seeming to get anything they wanted from a man with just a come hither gaze and six inch stilettos (let’s not forget shoulder pads…this was the 80s). The characters fit well in the dynamics of their fake television societies because they were such obvious caricatures. The ladies were not presented as necessarily role models, but as the woman to love and hate. Most of all they were hilarious, thanks to talented writing and delivery.

Fast forward 25 years later, socially awkward 7^th grade girls have another version of that same clichéd woman, but through the reality television format. Yikes.

 The Man-Hungry Floosie seems to have melded into a 21^st century character cliché that, according to Jennifer Pozner, author and founder of “Women in Media & News”, is nothing more than “…gold diggers, bimbos and bitches.” 

Reality T.V. a Threat to Women

This leads me to ponder on the heaviness of these particular character clichés and what it says about the roles of women through out television history. Laughing along with the T.V. audience as Blanche and Sandra purred sexy one-liners has a much different effect than watching the train wreck of Real Housewives or Basketball Wives. Or does it??

Tell me what you think. And check in next week as I continue my reflections on T.V. character cliches.

Stay tuned!

Old Familiar Faces Part 3-In Search of the Gooch

Lakisha Prestone. The name sends chills down my spine, legs,upper arms, chin, ankles, rib cage, neck, and all the other body parts she was known to bruise when someone dared to challenge her. This menace to 3^rdgrade society pounded the school-yard like a jheri curled Gestapo, kicking butt and taking lunch money. And she didn’t just bully innocent kids who were her age yet half her size. Lakisha,  a.k.a. “Grizzly”, was known to punk out a few yellow belly teachers. That’s pretty much how she financed her college education. By the way, it’s Dr. Grizzly now.

According to Maria Lamia, Ph.D's article in Psychology Today, Why Bullies Are on Top,  bullies can come in all shapes, sizes, and psychological dimensions. 

But in the world of classic television, this character cliché is much easier to nab. Just look for the one with ratty clothes, bad hair, a snarly voice, and some physical inferiority. The Bully shows up in practically every show featuring kids or happy people. Their penchant for impeding on everyone’s happiness is the fact that they live a hardknock life.  They are prone to manipulative tactics for setting  their victims up for failure in order to publicly humiliate them. It's like how "Lucy" from the Peanuts never failed to dupe Charlie Brown, with the old Football trick.

Dr. Lamia states in her article that real life bullies are "notorious for misusing power".  She no doubt studied the antics of "Louie DePalma" from NBCs Emmy Award winning sitcom "Taxi". The quintessential bully, Louie was a pint sized, power hungry terror whose greatest joy was making life miserable for his subordinates. 

Danny DeVito as "Louie" in "Taxi"circa 1978

Napoleon complex, much?

SomeT.V. bullies are so horrific that you never even have to see them…you just feel their ominous presence. For eight seasons of  NBCs “DifferentStrokes”, “The Gooch” terrorized poor Arnold, played by the late Gary Coleman, without ever once showing up on the show. 

"Different Strokes" circa 1979

The Gooch is on the prowl...

What makes this character type so prevalent in the television formula is its relationship to the main character, the "hero"of the story. Every hero has to have something to overcome, and what better way to demonstrate this by having him taunted every few episodes by a mean, fear-sniffing psychopath? Occasionally, we witness The Bully get his comeuppance by the hands of his latest victim, usually portrayed in another classic t.v. character cliche, The Underdog.

We'll take a look at The Underdog and its variants, The Dingbat or The Dork in my next post.

Stay tuned!

  

Old Familiar Faces~T.V. Character Cliches

Nosey neighbors who never leave; maintenance men who never fix anything; snarky housekeepers who never work; and waitresses who never get the order right...Geez! How did anything get done in classic T.V. land? Every era of television has offered its share of cliches like the above mentioned character types. This generation of shows is no exception. There's the Intriguing Mental Challenge character. Asperger's Syndrome is getting a lot of network love in shows like "Parenthood" and "Bones". Then there is the Black Know It All Sidekick, which has practically become a television staple ("True Blood", "Glee"). And let's not forget the Gay/Goofy Incompetent Assistant With a Heart of Gold, perfectly epitomized and impeccably dressed as Kenneth from "30 Rock".

Jack McBreyer as "Kenneth Parcell" on NBCs "30 Rock"

He's goofy, organized, and light on his feet!
 

The use of character cliches stems from a common tactic in television writing to present flawed characters with idiosyncrasies that are relatable and familiar. I mean, there's a gay Black personal assistant with Asperger's Syndrome in every family, right?

Well, relatable or not, the T.V. sitcom would be remiss without that element added to its formula. The intent is to keep us viewers coming back each week, and I say it works. One of the main reasons I tuned in to the 70s hit "One Day At A Time" was to see if Schnieder the maintenance man would ever fix any thing (he didn't). I watched the '90s classic "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" to see if Geoffrey the Butler would ever stop complaining (not at all). Apparently, viewers like me want to wait in futile hope for those wacky people to rise above their foilbles, and perhaps inspire us to come to terms with our own (no chance).

Joseph Marcell as Geoffrey from "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air"

Good help is hard to find in T.V. land.

Whatever the reason, character cliches are here to stay, and even entire television genres offer cliches with cliches! Cop-Show Cliche

I'm going to stick to characters types right now, though. For the next few posts, I will take a look at some that have stood the test of time. First up: the Man Hungry Floosie. She's always fun.

Stay tuned!