Mother Jefferson

[seventies_sitcoms]

We know Mother Jefferson was on the show so Louise could be her insult victim. When Zara Cully died did anybody think the show wasn't quite the same? It is too bad she couldn't have been on the entire run. Even if she was still alive I don't think she would've been in all of the seasons.

[jamesanthony]

Originally Posted by seventies_sitcoms

We know Mother Jefferson was on the show so Louise could be her insult victim. When Zara Cully died did anybody think the show wasn't quite the same? It is too bad she couldn't have been on the entire run. Even if she was still alive I don't think she would've been in all of the seasons.

I can only really appreciate her contribution to the series as an adult because I disliked her a lot when I watched the show as a child and a young teen. She was 82 when she died, so they took a risk in casting someone that old to be in the show, although the actress who played the grandmother on Family Matters was in her 80s and she survived the whole run of the series (I think she just died a couple years ago- she seemed much more spry than Zara Cully though, not just that she had black hair dye but she was more energetic)

BTW I just saw The First Store and without her wig Isabel Sanford looked her age (62) even though in the episode Louise and George would have been in their late 30s. Her hair was thin in front. Excellent episode by the way, one of the very best of the whole series. In it George is trying to tie his necktie and he considers calling his mother to ask her how and Louise comments while you're at it ask her to teach you how to untie the apron strings. I think this may have been the last reference to Mother Jefferson in the series. The comment sparks an OOOHHH response from the canned audience (there was no studio audience for the show at that point).

To answer the original question the show wasn't the same without her, nor was it the same without Mike Evans when he was gone. He left a HUGE void in the show. They had enough other characters though that with the exception of the year they had Alan Willis they never resorted to bringing in inferior replacement characters, they just expanded the parts of the people who were already there.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by seventies_sitcoms

We know Mother Jefferson was on the show so Louise could be her insult victim. When Zara Cully died did anybody think the show wasn't quite the same? It is too bad she couldn't have been on the entire run. Even if she was still alive I don't think she would've been in all of the seasons.

I felt the Mother Jefferson character was not needed so I didn't think the show changed at all.

[snl75]

i i can only take her in small doses myself

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by snl75

i i can only take her in small doses myself

Seeing her was the only thing i didn't like about the first season.

[Mr. Television]

I always liked Mother Jefferson. Her and Louise's scenes were classic.

[Brian Damage]

Originally Posted by Nighthawk

I always liked Mother Jefferson. Her and Louise's scenes were classic.

agreed

[lil_weezy]

The show was funny with her and it was funny without her. So it really didn't make a big change.