Jackée Harry on 227, Ladybugs, and why she wants to be the next Maggie Smith

[TMC]

http://www.avclub.com/article/jackee...-be-nex-232860

The actor: Jackée Harry—better-known to some as just Jackée—is an American entertainment legend. As sparkling, man-obsessed Sandra Clark, she brought pizzazz to 227; as adoptive mom Lisa Landry, she provided Sister, Sister with a necessary sense of wit and levity. She’s also held down regular TV roles on Another World and Everybody Hates Chris, and has appeared in a number of movies, from The Cotton Club to Ladybugs. More recently, she could be seen on both Girl Meets World and In The Cut, where she plays a beauty-salon owner.

227 (1985-89)—“Sandra Clark”

The A.V. Club: Logo is airing a 227 marathon this weekend starting on Saturday afternoon. Why do you think that show has endured for so long?

Jackée Harry: Because it was funny! It was about family, which I took for granted then and I didn’t even think about the family in the building or the building of a family. And, without sounding too egotistical, I was pretty funny.

AVC: You can sound as egotistical as you want. That’s fine.

JH: The writing was good. We were funny and the timing was right, you know? It was a time when there were a lot fewer black sitcoms on, so we were one of the several that was there, but we were also a hit show. We were in the top 10 for a long time—which would be a few weeks these days.

AVC: 227 always did show parodies or even real-life TV visits. The characters were on Family Feud and Wheel Of Fortune. Sandra had her own daytime talk show for an episode.

JH: We had a good time. We had 24 shows to do a season, which is a lot. At the end of the year, you’d be like, “Leave me alone! Don’t talk to me, don’t call me!” But it was a lot of fun, but it was a lot of hard work and my feet are bad because of it. Trust me, I wore high heels six years straight. Never wore flats. Never, never, and I insisted on keeping them on all day long. Can you believe that? Ridiculous. It was worth the pain, I guess.

AVC: That was your character, too. You were very dolled up.

JH: I didn’t plan on that, but it just kept evolving—more, more, more. I was like, “Are you sure? Don’t I look stupid?” Then they’re like, “Oh, more, more, more.”

[Alex Cooper]

She was funny and she was gorgeous. Like most any show with a breakout character, they did start to focus too much on Sandra, but she did make the series stand out.

[tlc38tlc38]

Saaaaaaandra Clark is a classic sitcom character---One of my favorites!
I also love Mary, Rose, and of course PEARL!