3/7/1994: The cast of The Jeffersons reunites for a photo shoot!! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

catlover79 · 09-17-2011, 12:45 AM

http://www.people.com/people/article...107633,00.html

THE JEFFERSONS

"We're movin' on up to the East Side/ We finally got a piece of the pie-ie-ie...." The theme song said it perfectly. In 1975, almost a decade before The Cosby Show introduced the Huxtables, The Jeffersons was the first sitcom to showcase an upscale black family. Irascible dry cleaning entrepreneur George Jefferson, his exasperated wife, Louise, and their college-educated son, Lionel, had been Archie Bunker's neighbors on All in the Family. On their own, in what turned out to be TV's longest-running spinoff (1975-85), the Jeffersons moved into a posh Manhattan high-rise, where George, loud and proud, flaunted his nouveau riche status.

Today, though, it's Louise who's sounding off. "CBS pulled the rug out from under us," protests Isabel Sanford, 76, who became the only cast member to win an Emmy, in 1981. "We deserved a closing episode, and they didn't let us have it." Her TV spouse agrees. "We just got a gold clock," says Sherman Hemsley, 56, who went on to star on NBC's Amen. But they couldn't let their old show fade away. So last spring the two turned three episodes into a stage play, signing on Maria Gibbs, 62 (tart-tongued maid Florence), Franklin Cover, 65, and Roxie Roker, 64 (neighbors Tom and Helen Willis), and Ned Wertimer (Ralph the Doorman)—and The Jeffersons drew standing ovations at Detroit's Fox Theater. What audiences liked was "the parents being respected by the younger people," believes Roker, whose own son is rocker Lenny Kravitz. Gibbs agrees: "People want to get back to The Jeffersons' family values."

Yet at least one cast member wanted to flee the family. Damon Evans, 43, who succeeded Mike Evans (now a real estate developer in Palm Springs, Calif., and no relation to Damon) as Lionel in the second season, quit in 1978 to pursue an opera career that led him to England. "My development as a musician had to take place outside my country," says Damon, a 1992 Olivier Award nominee for his performance in Carmen Jones. But with time, even he has mellowed. "I had no idea I was walking into one of the biggest hits of the '70s," Evans says. "The public's memory of the show follows me worldwide."

TVFactFan · 09-17-2011, 04:23 PM

i didn't see a photo

catlover79 · 09-17-2011, 06:29 PM

Hmmm, I posted both pages and I can see them. Are they coming out to everyone else looking like the little white boxes with red "x"s in them?

Mr. Television · 09-17-2011, 06:34 PM

I can see the photo.

catlover79 · 09-17-2011, 06:55 PM

I posted the photos on your FB page, Sol.

Big3sCompanyFan · 09-17-2011, 08:21 PM

So we FINALLY found out what happened to the Jeffersons on stage!

But why didn't they tour the nation and WHY didn't they make a SERIES FINALE for the stage??

Big3sCompanyFan · 09-17-2011, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

Hmmm, I posted both pages and I can see them. Are they coming out to everyone else looking like the little white boxes with red "x"s in them?

I can see the photo. Thanks for posting!

Is the photo from 94 too? I thought they said Damon didn't want to participate but he's there. Was that photo shot just for The Jeffersons on Stage?

Didn't Roxie die just a year later? Wow, so she must have gone from diagnosis to death very quickly.

The Jeffersons is the greatest sitcom EVER with 3's Company a close 2nd!

catlover79 · 09-17-2011, 09:21 PM

Yup, the photo is from the March 7, 1994 issue of People, so I'm guessing it was taken in late '93/early '94. It's also too bad that they didn't record the stage show so people unable to see the play could enjoy it! Oh well.

Big3sCompanyFan · 09-17-2011, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

Yup, the photo is from the March 7, 1994 issue of People, so I'm guessing it was taken in late '93/early '94. It's also too bad that they didn't record the stage show so people unable to see the play could enjoy it! Oh well.

But did they actually make a SERIES finale for the stage play or just repeat old shows?? What's the point if they just repeat old shows??

We already have those and already know what happens!

catlover79 · 09-17-2011, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big3sCompanyFan

But did they actually make a SERIES finale for the stage play or just repeat old shows?? What's the point if they just repeat old shows??

We already have those and already know what happens!

Your guess is as good as mine.

Big3sCompanyFan · 09-17-2011, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

Your guess is as good as mine.

You would think someone on this entire #*$@*% planet could find that out before we DIE you know?

09-17-2011, 12:45 AM	#1
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	3/7/1994: The cast of The Jeffersons reunites for a photo shoot!! http://www.people.com/people/article...107633,00.html THE JEFFERSONS "We're movin' on up to the East Side/ We finally got a piece of the pie-ie-ie...." The theme song said it perfectly. In 1975, almost a decade before The Cosby Show introduced the Huxtables, The Jeffersons was the first sitcom to showcase an upscale black family. Irascible dry cleaning entrepreneur George Jefferson, his exasperated wife, Louise, and their college-educated son, Lionel, had been Archie Bunker's neighbors on All in the Family. On their own, in what turned out to be TV's longest-running spinoff (1975-85), the Jeffersons moved into a posh Manhattan high-rise, where George, loud and proud, flaunted his nouveau riche status. Today, though, it's Louise who's sounding off. "CBS pulled the rug out from under us," protests Isabel Sanford, 76, who became the only cast member to win an Emmy, in 1981. "We deserved a closing episode, and they didn't let us have it." Her TV spouse agrees. "We just got a gold clock," says Sherman Hemsley, 56, who went on to star on NBC's Amen. But they couldn't let their old show fade away. So last spring the two turned three episodes into a stage play, signing on Maria Gibbs, 62 (tart-tongued maid Florence), Franklin Cover, 65, and Roxie Roker, 64 (neighbors Tom and Helen Willis), and Ned Wertimer (Ralph the Doorman)—and The Jeffersons drew standing ovations at Detroit's Fox Theater. What audiences liked was "the parents being respected by the younger people," believes Roker, whose own son is rocker Lenny Kravitz. Gibbs agrees: "People want to get back to The Jeffersons' family values." Yet at least one cast member wanted to flee the family. Damon Evans, 43, who succeeded Mike Evans (now a real estate developer in Palm Springs, Calif., and no relation to Damon) as Lionel in the second season, quit in 1978 to pursue an opera career that led him to England. "My development as a musician had to take place outside my country," says Damon, a 1992 Olivier Award nominee for his performance in Carmen Jones. But with time, even he has mellowed. "I had no idea I was walking into one of the biggest hits of the '70s," Evans says. "The public's memory of the show follows me worldwide." Attached Images
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09-17-2011, 06:34 PM	#4
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,133	I can see the photo.
	__________________ Sonny

09-17-2011, 04:23 PM	#2
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,062	i didn't see a photo

09-17-2011, 06:29 PM	#3
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	Hmmm, I posted both pages and I can see them. Are they coming out to everyone else looking like the little white boxes with red "x"s in them?

09-17-2011, 06:55 PM	#5
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	I posted the photos on your FB page, Sol.

09-17-2011, 08:21 PM	#6
Big3sCompanyFan Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 16, 2003 Posts: 2,493	So we FINALLY found out what happened to the Jeffersons on stage! But why didn't they tour the nation and WHY didn't they make a SERIES FINALE for the stage??

09-17-2011, 09:21 PM	#8
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	Yup, the photo is from the March 7, 1994 issue of People, so I'm guessing it was taken in late '93/early '94. It's also too bad that they didn't record the stage show so people unable to see the play could enjoy it! Oh well.