Mother Jefferson

[cp]

I just got the "Mother Jefferson" volume from the columbia house collectors edition seris and it got me to thinking...How come she only appeared in 2 episodes late in the 1976-77 season and a couple in the early 1977-78 season? i know she died in 1978(Zara Cully) who played her.
Was she ill or something during the majority of the 1976-77 season that she missed so many episodes,Later in the season she appeared in a wheelchair as it was explained she broke her ankle (the "Louse vs Jenny) episode.
If any one knows please reply. thanks,
chris

[ThomasE]

I think that it was great that although she had medical problems that shw played her character all the way up till the end. Like Bea Beanderat on Petticoat Junction.

[Pitooey]

Mother Jefferson was a riot. She was so funny with Louise Jefferson. They were perfect together.

[DeDe]

hi cp,
I had the honor of meeting mother jefferson in hollywood, a lady was walking
her into the hollywood branch, employment
office, I do not know why she was there, but
actor bernie casey was there the same day,
she was walking with a cane at that time,
she spoke to me, she was so beautiful.
de de

[Tracy-Prinze]

mother jefferson was great. she was soooo funny. she always had me laughing.i enjoy every episode she is in.

I'm sure that Zara Cully was a great person, and I deeply admire her acting and working, right on up until the end of her life. She sounds like she must have been very strong and very determined!

I mean no disrespect to her or to her memory when I say this, so please don't get upset anyone. I just want to be honest about my opinion regarding Mother Jefferson. Louise is my favorite character, and I hate to play favorites but I've got to admit that I don't like to see anyone being so mean to Louise! Heavens, George is bad enough! Like I said, I admire Zara Cully, but as for the character she played, she kind of got on my nerves. I'm sorry. I know that isn't what anybody wanted to hear. :-) (Maybe I should lie next post, huh??)

For the years she was on the show, she was great,

[Bluestone]

At first I hated the character, but I started liking the character later. I just hated the way she acted toward Louise.

I heard Zara Cully died during the run of the show, therefore Mother Jefferson was not there the whole time. It's a shame, she might have been able to expand her career.

[Wan66]

I'm a huge fan of The Jeffersons, yet I never cared for the character of Mother Jefferson. As noted in prior posts, she treated Louise terrible. I also think Zara Cully was too old for the role. She died in 1978 at the age of 86, which means she was cast at age 83 in 1975. George was playing a man in his mid-to-late 40s, and an actress in her 60s should have played his mother. This isn't a slam on Ms. Cully. I'm sure she was a fine person and actress in her day, but due to her advanced age, her acting came across as stiff and stilted. I used to love Kirk Douglas' movies, but that doesn't mean I want to see him act now. The truth is most people don't want to see very elderly people act. And yes, I'm fully aware that I'll be old someday (hopefully), so nobody has to point that out. I just know that whenever Mother Jefferson was on the show, I lost interest for two reasons--the actress was too old and her character was written too mean-spirited.

[MsLulu]

Oh, I enjoyed the Mother Jefferson character very much! Yes, she may have to old to be George's mother. But then again, my Great-Grandmother was 43 when she gave birth to my Grandmother. So it does happen. Her character was mean to Louise, but Louise seemed to know how to handle her. I think Ms. Cully played Mama to perfection. She reminds me of some of the elderly ladies I know.

[TV Guy]

Mother Jefferson is the best! She was a great foil for Louise, and I lost interest in the show after she was gone.

As far as her being too old to be George's mother, that's just ridiculous. People do have children in their late 30s and early 40s. TV always casts parents who are a little on the young side (Phylicia Rashad on "Cosby", Meredith Baxter on "Family Ties", etc.). When I was growing up, I always noticed that TV parents seemed so much younger than my own. It's nice to see the other end of the spectrum for a change.

[Janice]

Wan66 here--I have a new screen name. Of course I realize that it's possible for a woman to give birth in her 40s--I do live on this on planet. Let me phrase it another way for those who misunderstood. I think it was a bad idea casting an 83 year old woman to play that role. Again, I'm sure Ms. Cully was a fine woman, and a good actress in her day, but I would've like to have seen someone with a little more spring in her step. She was extremely elderly in appearance and in behavior. I take exception to my opinion being called *ridiculous*. I thought this message board was for expressing one's opinion. Silly me.
Let me reiterate--I KNOW IT'S POSSIBLE FOR A WOMAN TO HAVE A CHILD IN HER 40s, so please, no more examples of grandmothers, aunts, etc.

[MsLulu]

I didn't mean to imply that you didn't know older women have babies. Ofcourse you're entitled to your opinion. I just have a different opinion. I understand what you're saying about her seeming stiff and too elderly, it just never bothered me.

[zack]

With no disrespect to Zara Cully, the character was too mean and obnoxious. I think the show improved in the later years-especially after that awful fake Lionel.

[Jimbo]

Something interesting is happening with this discussion. A number of people have stated that the late Zara Cully was a sweet and charming person off-screen, but they thought that as "Mother Jefferson", she was too nasty and mean spirited (which is exactly what the character was supposed to be). If you think about it, the fact that such a pleasant and good natured person could play this role so successfully further illustrates just how talented an actress Zara Cully really was.