Was Isabel Sanford As Big A Bitch As They Maker Her Out To Be?

Sanford was almost 60 years old when she starred in The Jeffersons. Her career wasn't going to last long, bitch or no bitch

Didn't Jackee Harry and Marla Gibbs have a bit of a feud after Jackee became a breakout star of 227? It was meant to be Marla's show but she was outshone in a big way.

She always seemed really down to earth in interviews. I remember one in the 1990s where she said something like, "Thank God for all the courtroom dramas on TV, now older black women like me can always get work playing a judge."

It took her many nominations to win the Emmy.

This happened. The company that made it went broke as they were trying to sell this into first-run syndication.

[quote]It took her many nominations to win the Emmy.

That has nothing to do with her being black though

OP I did a thorough Internet search on Sanford and couldn't find a negative thing about her. You only wrote that idiotic headline to draw attention to your thread. Check your grammar too.

An old neighbor was her physical therapist and had nothing but wonderful things to say about her

I worked with Isabel a few times and I can say she was delightful. Completely grateful for all the good things that had happened to her. Very professional, motherly and funny. It was sort of a dry humor and she could give you a look that would just have you collapsing in laughter.

I loved down-to-earth Weezie on All of the Family and hated that they turned her into a lazy snooty housefrau on The Jeffersons. Isabel the actress was also quite hammy on the latter show.

What was known and commented on was that she and Sherman Hemsley (RIP Kaween!) despised each other. The bad vibes can be detected on each episode of "The Jeffersons" as Weezy can be very withering in her comebacks to George. I think that may be why she comes off bitchy. But I am sure that Sherman could be just as much if not more of a diva than her. Did he have a bad reputation?

[quote]I worked with Isabel a few times and I can say she was delightful.

Really, I didn't realize Isabel's, mother was still alive

[quote]I loved down-to-earth Weezie on All of the Family and hated that they turned her into a lazy snooty housefrau on The Jeffersons.

To be fair, Weezie was like that the first couple of years on "The Jeffersons" too, till she coiffed her hair and worked at the "Hef Center" and forgot she met Sammy Davis Jr, years before at Archie's house.

Sanford was 68 when The Jeffersons ended in 1985. In 1991 she had quadruple bypass surgery. She was 20 years older than Sherman Hemsley. She was at least a decade older than everyone on the show, except for Zara Cully (Mother Jefferson) and Ned Wertimer (Ralph). Hemsley and Gibbs were the only two cast members who were luck enough to strike sitcom gold twice.

[quote]What was known and commented on was that she and Sherman Hemsley (RIP Kaween!) despised each other. The bad vibes can be detected on each episode of "The Jeffersons" as Weezy can be very withering in her comebacks to George. I think that may be why she comes off bitchy. But I am sure that Sherman could be just as much if not more of a diva than her. Did he have a bad reputation?

This is all bullshit.

That show was hilarious it's first season because of Zara Cully. It was never as funny after she died, but Marla became the best thing in it. As a kid, I thought Sherman Helmsley was funny. Watching an episode years later as an adult, I couldn't believe how obviously queeny he was. Gave Paul Lynde in Bewitched a run for his money. But I believe the entire cast got along very well. Most of them were extremely grateful the show turned into a huge hit.

Wasn't she porking the British neighbor?

They did, R16. Helmsley was devasted when she died.

Wasn't there some tension at first because Sanford, much like Streep after her, liked to 'method' act with her leading men?

R19 No. They knew what they signed up for. Primetime fluff. Ratings. Salary boosts. Most had previous experience and had opportunities to successfully demonstrate their acting abiities. They just got paid no money for it. Now they could walk onto the set, say their lines, and collect handsome paychecks. They were thrilled.

I was devasted, too.

This is the same OP who wrote a bunch of stuff on the Bea Arthur thread.

I can tell by the poster's tenuous grasp on the English language.

OP = Mother Jefferson

R22 Dorothy Zbornak

I'm an elder gay like the thread starter, and while I never heard that Isabel was a big bitch, I do recall hearing many stories about how the two of them didn't get along. Now, it might have been b.s. back then, to generate buzz, but that show didn't need it. It was very popular.

I had no idea that Isabel was 20 years older than Sherman. Crazy! She looked younger than him!

RIP to both of them.

Mother Jefferson, you may not be a queen, but you certainly are a mutha!

Sanford has said they were going to recast Louise when they decided to spin off the Jeffersons. She was reluctant to leave such a massive hit as AITF . So she had no choice but to go along with it. Thankfully the show was a hit. The best years were 75-80. The show had an edge to it then even in the sitcom realm. The Jeffersons trying to become acclimated to,their wealth truly created some hilarious episodes. Plus George had an antagonistic relationship with the Willises. Plus characters like Mother Jefferson, Jenny, early Florence and Bentley only added to the fun. After 1980 Lionel , Jenny and Mother Jefferson are gone and the Willises are turned into fools.

"All you ever did was give him a pain in the neck and you're giving me a pain someplace else." One of the most popular lines in the show as it was the only time Weezy really put Mother Jefferson in her place.

Mother Jefferson IS the human embodiment of the DL

[quote]I was devasted, too.

I was devasted AND molested.

Her Maker mader that way.

My sister and her fat friend were HUGE fans of The Jeffersons, and they were only in their teens at the time. Anything that was corny and romantic was what they called "niblety"

So during an episode about Valentine's Day (the fatty friend was the type to call it ValenTIME's Day) or their wedding anniversary or Louise's birthday, and George sings a little song that includes the line "Weezie it ain't easy..." The two of them gushed and squealed "NIBLETY!"

Who knows how many men and women Isabel Sanford had to fuck to claw her way to the top of the Nielsen ratings?

I love the episode where Florence almost marries that fanaticall religious guy. She wanted to drink some booze and he cautioned "lips that touch wine will never touch mine."To this day that line is the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions The Jeffersons.

I always wanted a crossover episode where George & Florence go on a road trip with Mel & Flo

Isabel wasn't a bitch, but she made no bones about the fact that she deserved an Emmy much sooner than when she was finally given one. She got her first nomination for the fifth season of Jeffersons, and she was never nominated for All in the Family.

George Jefferson is one of the great comedic characters, expertly played by Helmsley.

There's an interview of he and Isabel years after the show ended that is well worth watching. Maybe by the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences? Not sure I got the name right. They have dozens of lengthy interviews of tv legends.

Am I the only elderqueen who fondly remembers and loved the Florence spinoff Checking In? It lasted like four episodes. I thought it was very watchable.

I saw Marla Gibbs interviewed a few years ago, on "Today" I think, and she said Isabel made sure everyone knew that she was the star of the show. I think this was her saying "see you next Tuesday" to Isabel.

What did Marla say about Sherman?

I believe Marla's exact quote was that Sherman was so gay that only dogs could hear it.

[quote]Sanford was 68 when The Jeffersons ended in 1985.

Why are you trying to use her age to justify her being a bitch. Lots of young people are bitches and lots of old people are nice people

I remember hearing that the difficult one was Mike Evans as Lionel. He felt his part should have been a bigger part of the show, but he was just co-star to stars Helmsley and Sanford. None of the other characters would play against him like Helmsley and Sanford played off each other. This happens with a lot of sitcoms where one of the characters originally planned just never become integral to the show and get eventually written off, like the older brother Chuck on "Happy Days" and Barbara Barrie's role on "Barney Miller."

Werq

Izz Sanford was a constellation. She deserved that Emmy more than anyone who has ever won one. She always said I should have gotten an Emmy for EIGHT. I think she and Daddy Dick might have had a thing. I used to see her scamper around the set pantyless giggling all the while with Daddy Dick.

It lives!

[quote]Mother Jefferson IS the human embodiment of the DL

I say the prayer of Mother Jefferson every morning, with a Bloody Mary!

I thought Marla Gibbs was the worst thing about the "The Jeffersons." Her sassy, lazy black maid seemed like an awful stereotype. I always wondered why George didn't just fire the bitch, but for him to have hired a competent maid would have lessened the opportunity for the "comedy" that resulted when he and Florence clashed, I suppose. I always hated the "darky" voice Gibbs used when playing the character of Florence; again it seemed like an awful stereotype.

I also hated the second Lionel, Damon Evans. He was charmless and unlikeable and for some reason always reminded me of Stepin Fetchit.

The Willis family was completely changed for the series. In their first appearance on "All In The Family" they were played by Charles Aidman, a fine character actor with a distinctive voice, Kim Hamilton and Lynn Moody. All three were much more attractive and talented than the actors who played them in the series. Louis Willis was especially changed; in the series he's a big, overweight, buffoonish white man, nothing at all like the wise, tactful Mr. Willis in the AITF episode. And for some reason his name was changed to "Tom" in the series. I guess the actors chosen to portray the Willis family in the series were chosen because they were "funnier" than the originals.

The character of Mr. Bentley stuck out like sore thumb. What was a Brit doing in a show like this? He always seemed so out of place.

The Brit was inserted as a tired notion that you haven't truly 'moved on up' until you interact with a stuffy Englishman

[quote]I also hated the second Lionel, Damon Evans. He was charmless and unlikeable and for some reason always reminded me of Stepin Fetchit.

Damon is gay. That makes you a homophobe.

[quote]The character of Mr. Bentley stuck out like sore thumb. What was a Brit doing in a show like this? He always seemed so out of place.

That was the idea. HE WAS out of place. As were the Jeffersons. Bentley was a Russian interpreter at the UN. And he wouldn't have been out of place in NY at that time. As George, a social climber, was out of place, so was Bentley, driving home the point, being an outside has nothing to do with color.

"Damon is gay. That makes you a homophobe."

No, it doesn't. I just don't like untalented actors, straight OR gay.

Which one was Damon Evans? Afro Lionel or clean cut Lionel?

A scene that would never happen today.

[quote] Why are you trying to use her age to justify her being a bitch. Lots of young people are bitches and lots of old people are nice people

I'm not.

[quote] Of course Sherman Hemsley and Marla Gibbs went on to star in other hit TV shows, while Roxie Roker spent time launching her son into rock stardom, while Isabell faded out a bitter old fat woman.

At almost 70 Sanford it would have been unusual for her to go on to have a big career after the series ended. Even if she weren't 70 most successful sitcom stars don't star in multiple hit shows.

Here is the 2 hour interview with Isabel for the Archive of American Television. Isabel sacrificed a lot to make it in Hollywood while raising her son, she was a tough lady.

Katherine Hepburn was shocked to find out Isabel was taking a bus to work while they filmed "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and sent her a car service.

[quote]Isabel sacrificed a lot to make it in Hollywood while raising her son, she was a tough lady.

Wow, I bet Isabel was the only person in the world to ever have a hard time financially, while raising a child.

The only big bitch in this thread is OP and his cunty post.

Mother Jefferson again @ r56.

She was a big bitch at the Emmys when she won she went on and on about why did a white person give her the award and how racist that was and she should've had a black star give her the award. Because having a white person giving it to her was like saying the white race now "approves" of a black person and it's OK.

And she did have a point.

Right, r59. They first looked at who had the most votes, then they decided who would present the Emmy based on that.

The cast of Trapper John presented her the Emmy (3 white people) so that REALLY must have been a slap in the face.

Why should she she have gotten the Emmy years before? She wasn't that good on The Jeffersons. It was kind of a shitfest. I would agree to give it to her as a supporting actress on All in the Family. But she was just a black frau on the Jeffersons.

I agree. Sherman Hemsley and Marla Gibbs made the show. Maybe she got the award for her work at the Help Centah?

I loved it the few times they would let Helen be black. I hate how they recast Tom. Let's give Helen this fat, pasty white guy so you won't imagine him mounting Helen. I wish they had kept the original Tom and paired him with Roxie. By casting Tom they took away all that Helen could have been. The best episodes were the two the Mother Jefferson completely carried. When she was faking an injury and when she was dating the old white guy.

Oh Mother Jefferson

Oh boy.

Does anyone know how big her areolas were?

Weezy was so stinking stuck up. When she moved on up to the East Side she never invited Edith Bunker to lunch. Edith was so welcoming when a black family moved in next door that you think Weezy would repay the kindness. But nooooooo. Weezy cut Edith out like a cancerous organ.

Mike Evans was the original Lionel, the one with the afro. He was cute, charming, funny. The second Lionel, Damon Evans (no relation the Mike Evans) was the "clean cut" Lionel. He was, in my opinion, unbearable, totally unappealing.

In one of the later episodes Mike Evans played Lionel again. It was a pretty dumb episode; they all think Lionel and Jenny are back together again and are going tot have another baby. Anyway, I was struck by how bad Mike Evan's acting had become; it was like he just didn't care anymore.

She was an actively terrible actress, but of course she "deserved" an Emmy and was only deprived of one all those years bc racism.

[quote]Mother Jefferson IS the human embodiment of the DL

They should add Mother Jefferson's picture to the DL logo.

Zara Cully was known as "one of the world's greatest elocutionists." I always thought her delivery was slow and uninteresting, sort of an elder Danielle Spencer from "What's Happening."

Loved this episode with the snooty Mr. and Mrs. Van Morris.

A young Zara Cully, playing, what else, a maid. She was really something as a young lady.

They did have a bit of a dark edge to the show. In one of the early seasons, Florence is worried because they are tearing down the building that she lives in. So she comes to work and tells Louise she is going to go home and commit suicide. That was pretty dark for a sitcom.

But in later seasons, Florence suffered from "Alice on the Brady Bunch" syndrome. It's like she had a room in the apartment and when off duty she was banished to that room. There was no personal space or privacy.

And I think Mike Evans left the show to concentrate on Good Times. The character Ralph Carter played was based on him. Don't know if he intended himself to be as gay as Carter played him.

Not as dark as the child abuse inflicted on my daughter, Penny, r74!

Why in the world was "Penny" brought on as a regular character on "Good Times." It was definitely a jump the shark move, brining in a "cute" child character. And Penny was not appealing in any way; she wanted to be a "star" and wanted to sleep with J.J. She was really fucked up, but she was supposed to be adorable.

I remember when I found out that Florence from The Jeffersons was getting her own sitcom, I thought she was terrific on The Jeffersons and was looking forward to watching 227...well, imagine my surprise to see her on 227 as a hyper-moralistic shrew. Mary was such an unlike-able character, why would she think anyone would think there was any part of that character that was funny? She was like Weezy Jefferson, but at least Weezy was sweet, Mary was just a nag. Thank goodness for Jackee and Helen Martin, otherwise that show would've been a dumpster fire!

[quote] I remember when I found out that Florence from The Jeffersons was getting her own sitcom, I thought she was terrific on The Jeffersons and was looking forward to watching 227...well, imagine my surprise to see her on 227 as a hyper-moralistic shrew. Mary was such an unlike-able character, why would she think anyone would think there was any part of that character that was funny? She was like Weezy Jefferson, but at least Weezy was sweet, Mary was just a nag.

Hmm, kind of like DL fav Bea Arthur on The Golden Girls, yes?

They spun Marla Gibbs as Florence off onto her own sitcom. It didn't do very well because they didn't know what to do with her once she was free from George Jefferson. Had they had a better show runner, Marla may have made it on her own.

Marla Gibbs is a cunt.

Can you imagine how smelly Isabel's snatch must have been? Dead fish.

No love for Tom and Helen's "zebra" son Allan? I remember eyeing his package as a gayling!

I always thought Belinda Tolbert (Jenny) chewed up the scenery. But she way got better as the series went on she really helped make the 2nd Lionel bearable to watch.

Is that John Turturro?

[quote]Mary was such an unlike-able character, why would she think anyone would think there was any part of that character that was funny?

Yeah this is true. Just like the cliche sassy housekeeper Nell Carter character on "Gimme a Break". The character is such a nasty bitch, thoroughly unpleasant.... and we're supposed to find it funny?

I remember when The Jeffersons was first on; I was fairly young and read, with my mother, Rona Barrett and the like (!!!) I remember reading about Sherman Helmsley and the article said something like, he was actually much younger than he was playing on the show, that he had been a dancer, and that he lived now with two roommates, a man and a woman. I remember thinking, "that's nice" , and thought nothing about it.

Where was my gayling gaydar?????

I had no clue Sherman Hemsley was gay until I was an adult. But George Jefferson's character was definitely a huge influence on me as little kid. I knew when I grew up I had to be just like him, take shit from no one and be your own boss!

Nobody slammed a door on unwelcome guests like George Jefferson! That man must have been bad news for the set carpenters. My Gaydar went off every time George went on a tirade.

Indeed, R29! But she was black, so she will never end up memorialized on DL's photo/Web links like Dunaway/Crawford and Hayward/Lawson.

She sure knew how to rock those palazzo pants

I wonder if Sherman ever smelled her cunt?

Sherman Hemsley starred in the musical "Purlie" on Broadway before becoming a TV star. So that should've been a clue to his gayness ...

Obviously none of you were reading The Star or The National Enquirer during Sherman Hemsley's sitcom Amen. They ran more than one article on his suspected gayness. I bet Clifton Davis was feeding them all sorts of stories.

Clifton Davis wrote one of the greatest songs ever "Never Can Say Goodbye." I don't recall anyone ever doing a bad version of it.

[quote]Clifton Davis wrote one of the greatest songs ever "Never Can Say Goodbye." I don't recall anyone ever doing a bad version of it.

Oh, Wow! I didn't know he wrote that song. I remember dancing to that in gay bars in the 1980s. The Communards version.

Clifton Davis has become a semi-regular on "Madam Secretary." He still looks pretty good.

[quote]Just like the cliche sassy housekeeper Nell Carter character on "Gimme a Break". The character is such a nasty bitch, thoroughly unpleasant.... and we're supposed to find it funny?

She didn't turn that way until later in the show when Addy and Joey came on. In the early years, Nell Harper was the force of reason and the Chief the force of reaction. But Dolph Sweet's illness and Nell quitting cocaine in real life changed that. I'm convinced they wrote her tirades around her withdrawal symptoms.

Clifton Davis is gayer than Benson.

Benson is gay???

Sherman was a gay.

The second Lionel was also gay.

Not as big as me

She was much better in 'Gimme a Break' in my opinion.

Wasn’t Belinda Tolbert a bitch to Damon Evans (Lionel 2)?

Isabel thought she would have to fight for top billing but Sherman said, "Let her have it, that's not important, because everyone will be watching the show for me. Without me, no show, no matter what billing I get. After all people will watch George, no one will watch Wheezy"

Didn’t Isabel appear on AIYF first (before Sherman)?

AITF^

Weird how both Isabel and Esther Rolle of GOOD TIMES were both two decades older than the men who played their husbands.

Even weirder was that neither Isabel nor Esther had anything remotely resembling a neck.