Let's Be The Jeffersons!

I’m Billy Dee Williams? Billy Dee Williams?!?

I’m the second Lionel. The gay o d. who was, allegedly, at the Stonewall riots.

I’m the nickname “Weezy.”

I was used because “Phlegmy” was already taken.

I’m Mother Jefferson and I’m going to have a Bloody Mary and then take a nap, if I can find a clean spot to sit down in this pigsty of an apartment Louise keeps.

I'm the acromegaly that afflicted Mr. Bentley.

I'm Weezy answering the phone at the Help Centah!

I'm Weezy's old friend Edith Bunker. When the Jeffersons moved on up Weezy cut me out of her life.

Didn’t Edith show up at a party at the Jefferson’s new pad (the same party where Archie referred to Mother Jefferson as Mammy)??

That was a flashback episode where the Jeffersons met Tom and Helen Willis. Lionel revealed he was dating Jenny and neither family was pleased.

Why are people into old tv shows? They sucked, shows are better now.

I'm the building in the opening scene when George and Louise arrive to move in. My husband's cousin lived there and starved herself after her mother died. She definitely moved on.

R10= killjoy youngblood. Shoo🖕

I'm George's cocky strut as he walks through the front entrance. Because not long before the only way a black person came in was through the service door.

I'm me watching The Jeffersons as youngster and thinking that while George and Weezy's apartment was perfectly nice, it wasn't very big or very "deee-luxe."

I'm the actor who played Bentley, years late later, appearing briefly alongside Tom Cruise in Cocktail as a curmudgeonly business professor.

I never realized how big the apartment was. I'd call a three bedroom four bath with a terrace in NYC deee-luxe.

We are the token ugly white folks who are treated like black folk down the hall.

I’m the 21 year age gap between Isabel Sanford and Sherman Hemsley…

I’m George’s fussy demeanor, colorful outfits and explosive persona leaking out of the closet edges.

This young gaylings knew, George, oh, and very much appreciated you. RIP.

Years later as a teenager I had to hire our family lawyer who was a white, Jewish version of George Jefferson, and he gave me very sound advice about leaving our small town and never coming back.

I realized only years later it was because he was in the closet and didn’t want me to wind up like himself.

I got to thank him twenty years later when I had to hire him for my mother’s trust.

R5

“I’m just as God made me.”

I'm the viewer wondering what Helen could have seen in whitebread Tom.

I'm the "TOOK A WHOLE LOT OF TOILING JUST TO GET UP THAT HILL".

He was kind man, a loving father, and a good provider… and ate pussy like it was his last meal on earth.

I’m Florence, and it’s my break time, Mr. Jefferson! Get it yourself!

I'm Ralph the doorman giving off molester vibes.

Side bar - Paul Benedict (Mr. Bentley) was gay

I'm the trans friend episode.

There's a clip in the show's opening where George is dancing on the bed. It looks to be a teeny tiny full-size bed.

I am the "disco" episode .....

I’m Florence in the unemployment line if THE JEFFERSONS were real life.

R12 I never ever made that connection of the opening clip. Now it makes so much sense ! Thank you for sharing this.

It's because of the Jeffersons that I always wanted a surly maid.

It's because of the Jeffersons that I BECAME a surly maid.

Live your dreams!

I'm Mr. Whittendale.

[quote] I'm the actor who played Bentley, years late later, appearing briefly alongside Tom Cruise in Cocktail as a curmudgeonly business professor.

He was also the theatergoer mistaken for the title character in WAITING FOR GUFFMAN.

[quote] I'm the viewer wondering what Helen could have seen in whitebread Tom.

$$$$$

He was a wealthy publisher.

I never knew the actor who played Mr. Jefferson was gay for decades later.

Although looking back Weeze does look like it was more of his faghag than a wife.

I'm Tom and Helen Willis's son Allan. I was rarely-seen because I've been studying in Europe. I can also hold my own at "the dozens" vs. George

I'm Ja'net Dubois...

I'm Tom and Helen's kitchen and bedroom, which I don't think were ever shown beyond season two. We even had a service entrance that Louise used when she visited.

I'm the competing dry cleaner's jingle that is SO catchy, Weezy and Florence are singing it.

No way Lionel would have been normal and nice with parents like those.

I'm Mr. Bentley's tighty whities he wears in the opening.

I'm Roxie Roker's affected accent.

I’m “HONKY!”

I’m the whole lot of of tur-a-hin that it took to get up that hill

I'm the toilet right by the front door.

I'm the 70s when sitcoms could be controversial.

I’m the only film or television program in human history in which the wife is played by an actress 20 years older than the actor playing the husband.

R48, hold my beer

I'm the collection of Emmys Sherman Hemsley never won during is time on the show playing George Jefferson. He was one of the best comedic actors on television. He was nominated once - in 1984 - and didn't win. He was nominated for a GG once - in 1985 - and didn't win.

[quote]I'm beans that don't burn on the grill.

what the muthafuck does that mean? green beans? Baked Beans? I love soul food like anyone does but are you really grilling these things? or is it a "Griddle"?

I’m the fish that don't fry in the kitchen.

I assume the beans were heated in a can hobo style.

I'm the few satisfying times that Louise clapped back at Mother Jefferson's shade.

My sister's cousin won a Weezy Jefferson lookalike contest in Orange, Texas

And Mother Jefferson could dish out the shade. "I just knew it was you Louise."

My George has wonderful taste... in most things.

I’m sexy Lionel. I return.

Mother Jefferson should be a DL icon, if she isn’t already.

Mother Jefferson took over where Endora left off as 'mother in law' of the TV sitcoms.

I’m Henry Jefferson, George’s brother, who appears several times on All in the Family and never on The Jeffersons.

I sympathize with Mother Jefferson.

R55 sister’s cousin? Was she in blackface?

R55. Your sister's cousin isn't your cousin?

r63 / r64 Oops - wow, I left out quite an important word there - step. My STEP sister's cousin......

r64 Not sure what 'welfare' has to do with it - was a sitcom-themed event!

I'm the groan every time Harry Bentley appeared at the Jefferson's door.

I'm Isabel Sanford not wanting to discuss why Mike Evans left the show after the first series.

I’m the Help Center.

I’m the Jefferson’s theme song that got stuck in your head every time you walked past the building where they were supposed to live and was used for exterior shots because you lived three blocks away.

I thought the original actor who played Lionel Jefferson was good looking.

I'm the Park Lane Towers, at 85th St. and 3rd. Ave.

I’m the Latina maid who replaced Florence when she got her own sitcom. I’m quickly dumped when that show is cancelled and Florence returns to “The Jeffersons.”

I'm Isabel in r67 who don't say one nice thing about Sherman.

I'm $150,000, which is what the Jeffersons' apartment would've cost when the show began in 1975.

I'm Sherman who says they treated Isabel like a queen.

I'm Veronica Redd. You may know me from playing the second Mamie Johnson on Y&R. However, years before that, I appeared as George's transgender, old Navy buddy, Eddie/Edie Stokes.

The Jeffersons were first black family at 185 East 85th. Building still stands on corner of Third Avenue.

I'm Maidie Norman. I just had a guest spot on Season 2. Isabel filled in for me on a play to allow me to go to the premiere of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

I’m a glass doorknob, but I shine like a diamond.

I'm Melinda Dillon playing Bentley's girlfriend who I hope does not reappear.

I’m the male strip club Buskers where very little is taken off.

I thought the apartment was very realistic looking for an upper middle class UES apartment in that era.

R9, that wasn’t a flashback episode. That was an episode of “All in the Family” that kicked off Lionel and Jenny’s endless engagement.

I’m “Movin on Up"

[quote]I thought the apartment was very realistic looking for an upper middle class UES apartment in that era.

One of the few times that happened. Most of the time NYC apartments in tv shows and movies are totally unrealistic for the characters' socioeconomic class.

I’m Jay Hammer, playing Alan Willis. I didn’t last too long.

I'm the clothes and the posture of SH, both so loud

That’s ok, R72. She moved to Texas and became the Ewing family maid Teresa after they finally settled on an actress.

I’m the blue marbled wallpaper from the early seasons.

I'm Mother Jefferson's bad gray wig.

I'm Mike Evans' strange mouth. It looked like he had a mustache but he did not.

Was she in blackface, R55 ? It was Texas, after all.

I’m the farts that Mother Jefferson constantly rips around Louise.

I'm the orange and yellow throw pillows that look like I was bought at Woolworth's.

I'm the N word.

I'm a set of Bataka foam bats.

I'm the loud studio audience.

I’m the black widows

I'm the balcony with breath-taking views they never use.

Hi R38 thank you

Ms. DuBois did play the role of Willona Willis in

Good Times!

And yes, she was the voice behind Movin’ On Up — may be one of best songs ever for a sitcom

Was Wilona Willis in Chicago related to Tom Willis in Manhattan ? They should have hd some corss-over episodes.

I'm George's big fat uncut cock.

I'm Tom Willis' combover.

I once had a nice apartment with louvered shutters between the galley kitchen and the dining area. Almost every visitor said something along the lines of "oooh just like The Jeffersons " I would answer, "and Bewitched, and The Partridge Family, and..." it seemed that arrangement was everywhere on TV .

Everyone except my mother who said she preferred Mary Tyler Moore's stained glass. I did too.

Roxie Roker played the neighbour role, Helen Willis.

In real world, RR is the mother of Lenny Kravitz.

R105 And she's the cousin of Al Roker on 'Today'.

They did use the balcony in a Halloween episode. Weezy is looking through a telescope and sees a man in a bunny suit kill someone.

They also used it when The Fernwood Flasher tried to seduce Mother Jefferson and she locks him out on the balcony.

And when there was a police stakeout when the Jeffersons were away and Florence was on the balcony and got shot at.

I the building across the way that had awnings over all its windows. I thought that was very classy.

What floor were they on? How many floors does that building have? What I found only slightly unrealistic was the way the hallway to the bedrooms sort of ended and turned again. Inside corner apartment? Maybe.

Was it condo? I thought they were renting.

They were renting. George was always trying to impress the landlord, Mr. Whittendale.

They lived on the 12th floor. 12D, I believe.

I’m the Jeffersons’ maid, Florence. Call me Flo.

I was funny and the audience loved me. I kept Mr. Jefferson in line, leading to my own spin-off show.

Room 227 worked for a minute until

I’m those guys who robbed them!

I love those Academy interviews, even when the interviewers are stupid, which they frequently are. It's interesting to see the personalities of the actors and how different they are from their public personas. Some of them do put on that "star persona" thing (or maybe that's just their real personality) but a lot of them let that facade drop, I guess thinking "well, no one but academics will probably watch these". Several of them come off as...grumpy and not much fun. Or, tart. Isabel Sanford's was definitley one of those "I don't suffer fools easily" types. She gets asked about being on The Carol Burnett Show and she avoids really saying anything...was it a bad experience for her?

Her attitude towards Sherman seems to have been...resignation? I think she was was not thrilled they cast this odd, little gay man, 20 years younger than her as her husband...but, they were a successful team and she had to learn to live with it.

I get the sense Isabel was very old or was becoming feeble-minded at the time of her interview. She needed a lot of prompting.

She was quite old but still pretty sharp.

Now, the Charlotte Rae interview is definitely sad. She's in decline and she seems aware that she's in decline.

Two surprisingly dull ones: Florence Henderson and Vicki Lawrence. Florence is really...flat. Bored and boring. She comes off as rather limited...a 99 IQ without any intelligence or joy.

I'm Mike Evan's hot body which compensates for his lack of acting ability. By contrast, Damon Evans is a better actor but has none of Mike's heat.

or charisma

I'm the pie.

I'm Oprah who studied pretentious voice under Roxie Roker.

I'm Roxie Roker's severe overbite.

I'm Lou Gossett as George's navy best friend.