Jump to content

The Jeffersons

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Jeffersons" redirects here. For other uses, see Jefferson (disambiguation).
For the South Park episode, see The Jeffersons (South Park).
The Jeffersons
GenreSitcom
Created by
Developed byNorman Lear
Directed by
  • Jack Shea (seasons 1–5)
  • Various (seasons 4 & 10–11)
  • Bob Lally (seasons 5–9)
Starring
Theme music composerJeff Barry
Ja'net DuBois
Opening theme"Movin' On Up" performed by Ja'net DuBois
ComposerDon Great
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons11
No. of episodes253 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • David Duclon
  • Ron Leavitt
  • Michael G. Moye
  • Jerry Perzigian
  • Donald L. Seigel
  • Jack Shea
Production locations
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseJanuary 18, 1975 (1975-01-18) –
July 2, 1985 (1985-07-02)
Related

The Jeffersons is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes.[1] The Jeffersons is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history.

Premise

[edit]

The show focuses on George and Louise Jefferson, a prosperous black couple who have been able to move from Queens to Manhattan owing to the success of George's dry-cleaning chain, Jefferson Cleaners. The show was launched as the second (and longest running) spin-off of All in the Family (after Maude), on which the Jeffersons had been the neighbors of Archie and Edith Bunker.[2][3] The show was the creation of Norman Lear.[2][4] The Jeffersons eventually evolved into more of a traditional sitcom, but episodes occasionally focused on serious issues such as alcoholism, racism, suicide, gun control, being transgender, the KKK, and adult illiteracy. The epithets nigger and honky were used occasionally, especially during the earlier seasons.[5][6]

The Jeffersons had one spin-off, titled Checking In. The series was centered on the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence, who takes a job as cleaning management at a hotel.[7] Checking In lasted only four episodes, after which Florence returned to The Jeffersons with the story that the hotel had burned down in a fire.[8] The Jeffersons also shared continuity with the sitcom E/R, which featured Lynne Moody, who made a guest appearance in one episode of The Jeffersons.[9] Sherman Hemsley guest-starred as George in two episodes of the series, which lasted for one season.[10] The cancellation of The Jeffersons cleared the way for Marla Gibbs, who played Florence Johnston on the series, to move on to the NBC sitcom 227 in the fall of 1985, a year earlier than scheduled.

The Jeffersons ended in controversy after CBS abruptly canceled the series without allowing for a proper series finale. The cast was not informed until after the July 2, 1985, episode, "Red Robins"; actor Sherman Hemsley, who portrayed George Jefferson, said he learned that the show was canceled by reading it in the newspaper.[11] Isabel Sanford (Louise Jefferson), who heard about the cancellation through her cousin who read it in the tabloids, publicly stated that she found the cancellation with no proper finale to be disrespectful on the network's part.[12] Per an article in the May 8, 1985, Los Angeles Times, the series was cancelled by announcement at the CBS network "upfront" presentation the day before, nearly two months before the airing of the final episode. Actor Franklin Cover, who played Tom Willis, also heard about the cancellation while watching Entertainment Tonight.

The cast reunited in a stage play based on the sitcom.[13] In season 5 episode 17 of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, titled "Will Is from Mars" (1995), the Jeffersons made a guest appearance as a couple in therapy class. In the 1996 series finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the Jeffersons made a guest appearance as the buyers of the Banks family house.[1] In an episode of Tyler Perry's House of Payne in 2011, Sherman Hemsley and Marla Gibbs reprised their roles of George Jefferson and Florence Johnston.[14]

In 1985, Hemsley and Sanford made a special joint guest appearance in the Canale 5 comedy show Grand Hotel, starring the Italian actors Paolo Villaggio, the comic duo Franco & Ciccio, and Carmen Russo. They were guests in the fictional hotel and their voices were dubbed by Italian actors Enzo Garinei (George) and Isa di Marzio (Louise), who also dubbed their characters for the full series. As of 2023, the members still alive from the main cast include Marla Gibbs, Berlinda Tolbert, Damon Evans, and Jay Hammer.[15]

Series development

[edit]

Louise Jefferson, played by Isabel Sanford, first appeared in the All in the Family episode "Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood", which was broadcast on March 2, 1971. The episode, the eighth of the series, centers on Louise, her son Lionel, and her husband George moving next door to Archie and Edith Bunker in the working-class section of Queens.[5] Lionel, played by Mike Evans, first appeared in "Meet the Bunkers", the premiere episode of All in the Family.[5]

Norman Lear created the character of George Jefferson specifically for Hemsley. Lear originally intended for George to appear in the first season of the series, but Hemsley was starring in the Broadway musical Purlie at the time, and Lear decided to postpone introduction of the character until Hemsley was available. Lear created the character of Henry Jefferson, George's younger brother, who was portrayed by Mel Stewart which replaced George with Henry in the series's scripts until Purlie finished its run.[5][16] Henry played as George when Louise felt embarrassed that George did not want to be in Archie Bunker's house due to prejudice. George was introduced in the episode "Henry's Farewell", and Hemsley and Stewart share their only scene together in its final minutes. The episode marked the final appearance of Henry throughout the series.

The idea of the Jeffersons "moving on up" came after three members of the Black Panthers who were fans of Lear's productions visited Lear's CBS office, raising issues with the creator over the portrayal of Black people on television, including his Maude spin-off series Good Times. "Every time you see a Black man on the tube, he is dirt poor, wears shit clothes, can't afford nothing," Lear recalled in his autobiography.[17] Lear consulted with his associate Al Burton on the concept.

George, Louise, and Lionel continued to appear on All in the Family until 1975, when the spin-off The Jeffersons, also created by Lear, premiered.[7] The characters of Lionel's multiracial fiancée, Jenny, and her family, all of whom first appeared in the 1974 All in the Family episode "Lionel's Engagement", were also written into the new series.[18] However, the roles were all recast, with Berlinda Tolbert taking over the role of Jenny, veteran actor Franklin Cover playing her father, Tom Willis, whose first name was changed from Louis, as it was in their first All in the Family appearance, and Roxie Roker as her mother, Helen. Roker was asked during a casting interview if she would be comfortable with her character having a white husband. In response she showed a picture of her husband, Sy Kravitz, who was white.

Synopsis

[edit]
Cast of The Jeffersons, clockwise from top: Mike Evans, Sherman Hemsley, and Isabel Sanford (1975)

During the January 11, 1975 episode of All in the Family, titled "The Jeffersons Move Up", Edith Bunker gave a tearful good-bye to her neighbor Louise Jefferson as her husband George, their son Lionel, and she moved from a working-class section of Queens, New York, into the luxurious Colby East, a fictitious high-rise apartment complex on East 63rd Street in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan.[19] The Jeffersons premiered the following week, on January 18, 1975.[7]

George's career as a dry-cleaner began in the first season of All in the Family in the third episode "Oh, My Aching Back" (though the character himself did not appear on-camera). After his car was rear-ended by a bus, he filed a civil action and won $5000, enough to open his first store in Queens.[16] At the beginning of The Jeffersons, he was operating five stores throughout New York City, with another two opening during the following seasons.

Louise made friends with Tom and Helen Willis, an interracial couple with two adult children of their own[7] (whom George derided as "zebras"):[1][20] son Allan (played by Andrew Rubin in the first-season finale, and by Jay Hammer throughout season 5), a white-passing college drop-out; and daughter Jenny, an aspiring fashion designer. Jenny and Lionel became a couple, married on December 24, 1976, and later became the parents of a daughter, Jessica (played by Ebonie Smith).[7][21] Lionel and Jenny experienced marital issues as evidenced in a two-part season 8 episode "The Separation", and divorced in the final season two-parter "Sayonara".[7]

Marla Gibbs portrayed the role of Florence Johnston, the Jeffersons' back-talking, tough, wisecracking, and devoutly religious housekeeper. Florence often teased George, mostly about his short stature and receding hairline.[22] One episode featured George requesting Florence to insult him, in order to get to a prospective business partner who was fond of her wisecracks.

Paul Benedict arrived as Harry Bentley, an amiable, kind, loyal yet eccentric British next-door neighbor,[7] who worked as an interpreter at the United Nations.[23] A frequent sight-gag of the show was George slamming the door in Bentley's face mid-conversation, usually during one of Bentley's stories which George invariably perceived as boring.[23] Bentley also had a bad back, and frequently needed George to walk on it.[24][25] He also became known for addressing the Jeffersons as "Mr. J" and "Mrs. J".[25]

Zara Cully played George's mother, Olivia "Mother" Jefferson, who constantly disparaged her daughter-in-law.[3][20][21] Cully, who had first appeared in the 1974 All in the Family episode "Lionel's Engagement", reprised her role.[26] She appeared regularly in the first two seasons, but made sporadic appearances over the next two years, much thinner due to a severe case of pneumonia. Cully was written out in season 4 due to her death in 1978, from lung cancer. No episode was centered on Mother Jefferson's death, but it was occasionally mentioned in future episodes that she had died.

Ned Wertimer played their tip-hungry doorman, Ralph Hart, throughout the series.[27] He was known for constantly stalling at the Jeffersons' door with his hand out waiting for a tip. Most of the cast usually didn't respond, but George almost always gave in. He also used it in a blackmail manner, usually requiring George to pay more in order to keep his mouth shut about something such as a stock tip. Ralph was also known for making up stories of him struggling to fulfill the Jeffersons' request to get more tips.

Danny Wells played Charlie, the owner and a bartender of a nearby bar to the Jeffersons apartment building. The cast commonly visited the bar for a drink or to attend a party. Charlie was also revealed to be an alcoholic in the season 11 episode "A Secret in the Back Room", in which Charlie is in denial, but the Jeffersons eventually get him to admit to his problem and advise him to get some help. His alcohol problem isn't referenced anymore throughout the series, but it is assumable Charlie overcame it.

Cast changes

[edit]
Berlinda Tolbert and Damon Evans as Jenny and Lionel (1976)

Mike Evans ("Lionel") left the show after the first season; his replacement was Damon Evans (no relation),[3] who took over the role until halfway through the fourth season.[7] Damon Evans's last episode was "Lionel Gets the Business".

Mike Evans and Tolbert returned in the 1979–1980 season, with Tolbert's character, Jenny, pregnant with a daughter named Jessica. However, Mike Evans appeared for only one more season, along with Tolbert.[7] The Jeffersons' sixth season peaked at No. 8 in the summer of 1980. The characters of Lionel and Jenny were written out by stating that they had marital problems, the result of which became a two-part episode storyline as the series' eighth-season premiere. The series' eighth season was the first African-American sitcom in years (since Sanford and Son) to peak in the top 5 (the series' eighth season debuted at No. 3).

Evans and Tolbert appeared in the two-part episode together; Evans made his final appearance in two episodes during the series' eleventh and final season. Tolbert became a regular guest star throughout the rest of the series. In the spring of 1981, Paul Benedict left the show for a season and a half, returning in the final two seasons of the series.[7] However, the ratings sank below the top 30, and The Jeffersons aired its last episode, "Red Robins", on July 2, 1985.[28]

Cast

[edit]

Main

[edit]
Performer Character Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Isabel Sanford Louise "Weezy" Jefferson Main
Sherman Hemsley George Jefferson Main
Mike Evans Lionel Jefferson Main Does not appear Main Recurring Does not appear Guest
Damon Evans Does not appear Main Does not appear
Roxie Roker Helen Willis Main
Franklin Cover Thomas "Tom" Willis Main
Zara Cully Olivia "Mother" Jefferson Main Does not appear
Berlinda Tolbert Jenny Willis-Jefferson Main Recurring
Paul Benedict Harry Bentley Main Does not appear Main
Marla Gibbs Florence Johnston Recurring Main
Jay Hammer Allan Willis Does not appear Main Does not appear

Recurring

[edit]

Notable guest appearances

[edit]

Source[30]

Episodes

[edit]
Main article: List of The Jeffersons episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRankRating
First airedLast aired
113January 18, 1975 (1975-01-18)April 12, 1975 (1975-04-12)427.6
224September 13, 1975 (1975-09-13)March 6, 1976 (1976-03-06)2121.5
324September 25, 1976 (1976-09-25)April 11, 1977 (1977-04-11)2421.0
426September 24, 1977 (1977-09-24)March 4, 1978 (1978-03-04)52[31]17.6[31]
524September 20, 1978 (1978-09-20)April 18, 1979 (1979-04-18)49[32]17.4[32]
624September 23, 1979 (1979-09-23)April 13, 1980 (1980-04-13)824.3
720November 2, 1980 (1980-11-02)March 29, 1981 (1981-03-29)623.5
825October 4, 1981 (1981-10-04)May 16, 1982 (1982-05-16)323.4
927September 26, 1982 (1982-09-26)May 1, 1983 (1983-05-01)1220.0[a]
1022October 2, 1983 (1983-10-02)May 6, 1984 (1984-05-06)1916.6
1124October 14, 1984 (1984-10-14)July 2, 1985 (1985-07-02)5013.2

The Jeffersons had many two-part episodes, either over two consecutive weeks, or aired as an hour-long episode.

George and Louise with Mother Jefferson (1975)

Theme song

[edit]

Ja'Net DuBois and Jeff Barry co-wrote The Jeffersons theme song, "Movin' On Up", which was sung by DuBois with a gospel choir.[33]

The song's creation comes from DuBois asking Norman Lear if she could do something other than her short appearances as a supporting player on Good Times, such as something in music. Lear responded to that by suggesting that she create a theme song about an upcoming series about a dry cleaner. DuBois initially struggled in composing until her mother suggested that she base the lyrics on her dream of giving her mother a comfortable retirement. With that inspiration, DuBois created the song and upon hearing it, Lear was stunned that it matched The Jeffersons' premise perfectly even though he did not describe it to DuBois in detail. With the song in hand, Lear created a full arrangement for it as the theme song.[34]

Broadcast history and Nielsen ratings

[edit]

The Jeffersons changed time slots at least 15 different times during its 11-year run, unusual for a popular long running series.[35] The most common time slot was on Sunday night.[4]

In its first season (1974–75), the show ranked at number four, surpassed by its parent series All in the Family (which landed at number one for the fifth year in a row).[36] The show's ratings for the following two seasons placed it in the Top 30, but during the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons (the show's fourth and fifth seasons), it fell out of the top 30, ranking 52nd in Season 4 and 49th in Season 5.[21]

It returned to the Top 10 in 1979–80, and at the end of the 1981–82 season, The Jeffersons finished third overall, only surpassed by fellow CBS series Dallas and 60 Minutes. As a result, the series remained among the Top 20 for the next two seasons.[21]

Daytime Reruns

[edit]

The series was rebroadcast on CBS from February 4, 1980 to September 25, 1981.

Home media

[edit]

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first six seasons of The Jeffersons on DVD in Region 1 between 2002 and 2007.[37]

On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including The Jeffersons.[38] They subsequently re-released the first two seasons on DVD on May 20, 2014.[39]

On August 8, 2014, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment; they subsequently released the complete series on DVD in a 33-disc collection on December 9, 2014.[40][41]

On April 28, 2015, Shout! released season 7 on DVD in Region 1.[42] Season 8 was released on August 11, 2015.[43]

DVD Name Ep. #s Release Date
The Complete First Season 13 August 6, 2002
May 20, 2014 (re-release)
The Complete Second Season 24 May 13, 2003
May 20, 2014 (re-release)
The Complete Third Season 24 April 12, 2005
The Complete Fourth Season 26 October 11, 2005
The Complete Fifth Season 24 August 15, 2006
The Complete Sixth Season 24 March 27, 2007
The Complete Seventh Season 20 April 28, 2015
The Complete Eighth Season 25 August 11, 2015
The Complete Series 253 December 9, 2014

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by The Jeffersons
Harry Bentley and Mother Jefferson (1975)

The Jeffersons received 14 Emmy Award nominations during its time on the air. Marla Gibbs was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series each year from 1981 to 1985. Sherman Hemsley was nominated for Best Actor in 1984. Larry M. Harris won the Emmy for Outstanding Video Tape Editing for a Series in 1983.[44]

Isabel Sanford was nominated for 7 consecutive Best Actress Emmys, from 1979-85.[44] Her win in 1981 made her the first African-American actress to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series,[1][21][45] and the second to win any Emmy Award; Gail Fisher, who played Peggy on the TV show Mannix, preceded her in 1970. Sanford was also the recipient of five of the eight Golden Globe Awards nominations the program received.[46]

Criticism

[edit]

Gregory Kane, journalist for The Baltimore Sun, called the series "demeaning" in 1999, criticizing Hemsley's "pimp roll walk", bigotry, loud mouth and low intelligence. "I hereby declare The Jeffersons stereotypical fare that depicts blacks in a buffoonish manner."[47]

2019 special

[edit]
Main article: Live in Front of a Studio Audience

On May 22, 2019, ABC broadcast Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons, produced by Lear and Jimmy Kimmel and starring Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Foxx, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz, Kerry Washington, Ellie Kemper.[48] Marla Gibbs reprised her role as Florence Johnston.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Tied with Newhart.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Fearn-Banks, Kathleen; Burford-Johnson, Anne (October 3, 2014). Historical Dictionary of African American Television. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0810879171.
  2. ^ a b Adams, Val (January 18, 1975). "'The Jeffersons' premiere on CBS in 1975". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Robinson, Louie (January 1976). "The Jeffersons: A look at life on black America's new 'Striver's Row'". Ebony. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Deane, Pam. "The Jeffersons". Encyclopedia of Television. The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d Leonard, David J.; Guerrero, Lisa (April 23, 2013). African Americans on Television: Race-ing for Ratings. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0275995157. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  6. ^ Cadet, Danielle (July 25, 2012). "'The Jeffersons': How Sherman Hemsley And The Sitcom Changed The Landscape Of American Television". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0307483201. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d e Bogle, Donald (March 1, 1988). Blacks in American films and television: An encyclopedia. Garland Publishing. ISBN 978-0824087159. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  9. ^ "Lynne Moody: Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  10. ^ Day, Patrick Kevin (July 24, 2012). "Sherman Hemsley dies: Watch George Jefferson at his finest". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  11. ^ "The Jeffersons and Happy Days and Valerie Bertinelli Bio". Biography. 9 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-11-07. Retrieved January 24, 2017 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "Isabel Sanford interview". Archive of American Television. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  13. ^ Fretts, Bruce; Carter, Alan (April 16, 1993). "The Jeffersons take the stage". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  14. ^ Kimball, Trevor (August 10, 2012). "Tyler Perry's House of Payne: Paying Homage to Sherman Hemsley". TV Series Finale. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  15. ^ Kapusta, Michelle (2021-10-09). "Are Any of 'The Jeffersons' Cast Members Still Alive Today?". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  16. ^ a b Kovalchik, Kara (December 10, 2015). "11 Deluxe Facts About 'The Jeffersons'". Mental Floss. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  17. ^ Gray, Tim (2021-01-12). "How 'All in the Family' Spawned the Most Spinoffs of Any Sitcom". Variety. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  18. ^ McCann, Bob (December 8, 2009). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786458042.
  19. ^ "All in the Family Season 5, Episode 16 The Jeffersons Move Up". TV Guide. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  20. ^ a b Brooks, Marla (March 30, 2005). The American Family on Television: A Chronology of 121 Shows, 1948–2004. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476606903. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  21. ^ a b c d e Fearn-Banks, Kathleen (August 4, 2009). The A to Z of African-American Television. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810863484. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  22. ^ "Two Sisters Star On TV". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. December 10, 1984. pp. 60–61. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  23. ^ a b Neil, Dan (December 17, 2016). "'All In The Family,' 'The Jeffersons,' 'Good Times' and More Classic Sitcoms' Reboot in Talks; to Be Made as Miniseries by Sony Pictures". iTechPost. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  24. ^ "Paul Benedict". Playbill. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  25. ^ a b Martin, Lauren (December 4, 2008). "Actor Paul Benedict, 70, Leaves the Stage". Vineyard Gazette. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  26. ^ Jones, Jae (November 17, 2016). "Zara Cully: Known for Role as 'Mother Jefferson' on the Jeffersons". Black then. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  27. ^ Barnes, Mike (January 9, 2013). "Ned Wertimer, character actor known as 'The Jeffersons' doorman, dies at 89". Today. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  28. ^ "The Jeffersons Episodes Season 11". TV Guide. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  29. ^ "The Jeffersons Season 10 Episode 16: My Guy, George". TV Guide. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  30. ^ "The Jeffersons Cast and Characters". TV Guide. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  31. ^ a b A season's worth of program standings American Radio History
  32. ^ a b Rounding up the ratings for `the season' American Radio History
  33. ^ "Movin' On Up (Theme to The Jeffersons)". Songfacts. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  34. ^ DuBois, Ja'Net (19 February 2020). "Ja'Net Dubois Jefferson's theme How the song was written". YouTube. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  35. ^ "The Jeffersons come (back) to the neighborhood". Entertainment Weekly. April 2, 1999. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  36. ^ Wojciechowski, Michele "Wojo" (July 28, 2015). "The Norman Lear Experience: His Shows, His Honesty and One Thing He Wanted to Do". Parade. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  37. ^ "Sony Pictures – Catalog". Sony Pictures. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  38. ^ Lacey, Gord (August 27, 2013). "Mill Creek Entertainment Signs Deals With Sony Pictures Home Entertainment To Expand Their Distribution Partnership". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  39. ^ Lambert, David (April 15, 2014). "Mill Creek's Re-Releases for Next Month Get Great DVD Package Art". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  40. ^ Lambert, David (August 8, 2014). "The Jeffersons – CORRECT DATE, Packaging for 'The Complete Series: The Deee-luxe Edition'". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  41. ^ Lambert, David (September 15, 2014). "Great Extras Revealed for 'The Complete Series: The Deee-luxe Edition'". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on September 20, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  42. ^ Lambert, David (January 1, 2015). "The Jeffersons – Shout! is Movin' On Up to a 'Season 7' Separate Release!". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  43. ^ Lambert, David (May 5, 2015). "The Jeffersons – 'The Complete 8th Season' Getting a DVD Release this Summer". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  44. ^ a b "The Jeffersons". Emmys. Television Academy. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  45. ^ Jones, Kenneth (July 12, 2004). "Isabel Sanford, Emmy-Winning Actress Who Created "Weezie" Jefferson on TV and Stage, Dead at 86". Playbill. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  46. ^ "The Jeffersons". Golden Globe Awards. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  47. ^ Kane, Gregory (January 23, 1999). "The demeaning 'Jeffersons' justifies joining whiners". The Baltimore Sun.
  48. ^ Lenker, Maureen Lee. "See the star-studded 'All in the Family/The Jeffersons' live cast get into character". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2019-05-20.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Moriarty, Jay (2020). "HONKY IN THE HOUSE – Writing & Producing The Jeffersons," Antler Publishing, LA, CA ISBN 978-1-7330795-8-7.
  • Newcomb, Horace (Ed.). (1997). Encyclopedia of Television. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers: Chicago, IL; ISBN 1-884964-26-5.
  • Mitchell, Gordon Whitey. (2008). Hackensack to Hollywood-My Two Show Business Careers. BearManor Media: Albany, NY; ISBN 1-59393-121-2.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Jeffersons.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Jeffersons&oldid=1254608556#Theme_song"