In 1975, The Jeffersons moved on up when George found success in a dry cleaning business. This allowed him and his wife, Louise and their son Lionel to "move on up" into a spacious high rise apartment. At the beginning of the series, Lionel was attending college and graduated in February 1976.
Full Answer
How did The Jeffersons move from Harlem to Manhattan?
As discussed by critic Robert E. Crafton, an insurance settlement allowed George to quit his job and launch his first dry-cleaning business, which in turn allowed the Jeffersons to move from Harlem to Queens (becoming Archie Bunker's neighbors in the process), and finally to make the move to Manhattan.
Why did The Jeffersons move on up with Lear?
The idea of the Jeffersons "moving on up" came after three members of the Black Panthers who were fans of Lear's productions visited Lear's CBS office, raising issues with the creator over the portrayal of Black people on television, including his "Maude" spin-off series "Good Times."
What did George Jefferson do for a living?
As The NWI Times notes, George worked as a janitor for a large apartment building while his wife, Louise "Weezy" Jefferson, worked as a housekeeper.
When did The Jeffersons go off the air?
It returned to the Top 10 in 1979–80, and at the end of the 1981–82 season, The Jeffersons finished third overall, only surpassed by fellow CBS series Dallas and 60 Minutes. As a result, the series remained among the Top 20 for the next two seasons.
Where did The Jeffersons Move on up to?
In the popular mid-'70s TV sitcom “The Jeffersons,” the Jefferson family “moves on up” to the Upper East Side, leaving their neighbor Archie Bunker in “All in the Family” behind in Queens. But moving to the UES was quite a bit more realistic for an upwardly mobile family back in the 1970s.
Why did The Jeffersons move to the east side?
The show focuses on George and Louise Jefferson, a prosperous African-American couple who have been able to move from Queens to Manhattan owing to the success of George's dry-cleaning chain, Jefferson Cleaners.
When did the Jefferson move?
January 11, 1975The Jeffersons Move Up is the 17th episode of the fifth season and the landmark 101st overall episode of All in the Family. Also serving as the series pilot episode for The Jeffersons TV series spinoff, it first aired on CBS-TV on January 11, 1975.
Did The Jeffersons live next to Archie Bunker?
During All in the Family, Jefferson lived in a working-class neighborhood in the borough of Queens, next door to the Bunker family, with his wife Louise (Isabel Sanford) and son Lionel (Mike Evans).
How did Florence leave The Jeffersons?
The Claymore Hotel burns down and leaves Florence unemployed, so she returns to ask for her old job back without realizing that Carmen has been hired to replace her.
Did the cast of The Jeffersons get along?
The Jeffersons was a tv show that ran for 11 seasons, and after all of those years, the cast came to have very close relationships.
What happened on the last episode of The Jeffersons?
July 2, 1985The Jeffersons / Final episode date
What happened to Mr Bentley on The Jeffersons?
Death. On December 1, 2008, Benedict was found dead of a brain hemorrhage at his home in Aquinnah, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. He was 70 years old.
Who played in moving on up?
13 things you might not know about 'The Jeffersons' Jeff Goldblum plays "Movin' On Up" on a piano as he is hoisted by a crane up the side of a luxury apartment building.
Is the apartment building in The Jeffersons still standing?
Nothing is currently on the market in the Jeffersons' building, but if you wanted to move nearby, you might pick up this two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,800-square-foot penthouse, with a wraparound terrace.
Was The Jeffersons apartment real?
The Jeffersons In the 1970s, the Jeffersons famously moved on up to the East Side of Manhattan. If that were to happen today, it would carry a hefty price tag. A four bedroom apartment in the building the family lived in during the show's 11 seasons, 185 E. 85th Street, costs about $20,000 per month.
How did The Jeffersons spin off from All in the Family?
The Jeffersons is a television series spun off from All in the Family. 253 episodes were produced over eleven seasons from 1975 to 1985. The Jeffersons is one of the longest-running sitcoms in the history of American television....The JeffersonsSeasons/Episodes aired:11 seasons, 253 episodesRuntime23-25 minutes10 more rows
Storyline
Four years after moving on Hauser Street and tolerating Archie's racial barbs, George and Louise decide to move to finally move on up to the east side of Manhattan into a luxurious apartment to be closer to his new dry cleaning store located in the same building.
Did you know
The plot is the pilot for the television series The Jeffersons (1975) which was the last of the 1970s Norman Lear spin-offs to leave the airwaves (July 2, 1985).
Why was the Jeffersons a real departure?
But as BET notes, The Jeffersons was a real departure not only because it was just the second African-American sitcom to hit the top five in ratings, or because Isabel Sanford was just the second Black actress to win an Emmy Award for Best Actress.
What was the Jeffersons inspired by?
The Jeffersons was inspired by The Black Panthers. Wikimedia Commons. The Black experience wasn't portrayed much—or at all—on television prior to the 1970s. When shows featured Black characters, they were often portrayed as stereotypes, as clownish fools or ominous criminals.
What is the difference between Archie Bunker and George Jefferson?
More importantly, as one of the writers on the show, Jay Moriarty, told The Hollywood Times, Archie Bunker's bigotry is "pure prejudice" while George Jefferson's bigotry is a reaction to that prejudice. Bunker has no reason to hate Blacks or to view them as inferior.
What is the theme song for The Jeffersons?
Simply put, "Movin' On Up" isn't just a great TV show theme song, it's a great song, full stop.
What is George Jefferson's back story?
George Jefferson's back story was complex. Situation comedies—aka "sitcoms"—aren't always noted for their complex writing and deeply-imagined characters. And The Jeffersons was in many ways a broad, superficial comedy that relied on racially-charged jokes and physical comedy to get laughs.
Who were the actors in The Jeffersons?
As noted by Ebony, many of the actors working on The Jeffersons were serious artists with a lot of training. Sherman Hemsley, for example, came out of the revered Negro Ensemble Company (NEC), as did Roxie Roker (Helen Willis). Other NEC graduates include John Amos, Richard Roundtree, Denzel Washington, and Angela Bassett. Hemsley was so good, show creator Norman Lear waited years to be able to hire him.
Is George Jefferson a racist?
George Jefferson's a bigot—but not a racist. On one level, The Jeffersons is just a silly sitcom, and George Jefferson is a very silly character, prone to foolish schemes (like buying a piano he doesn't know how to play only to discover there's no way to fit it through his front door) and loud, boorish outbursts.
What did George Jefferson do after he got a car accident?
When he received a $3200 insurance settlement after a car accident, he quit his job as the janitor at an apartment complex and used the cash to purchase a dry cleaning store. He eventually expanded that one outlet into a seven-store chain, which prompted his family’s move to a luxury apartment in a Manhattan high-rise.
How many seasons of The Jeffersons were there?
The Jeffersons. In January 1975, an All in the Family spin-off starring the Bunkers’ next-door neighbors, the Jeffersons, premiered. Not only did The Jeffersons spend more time on the air (11 seasons) than the series that spawned it, it also reigns as the second longest-running American television series with a predominantly African-American cast ...
Who played George Jefferson in All in the Family?
Producer Norman Lear had pegged Sherman Hemsley from the very beginning to play George Jefferson. However, at the time All in the Family hit the airwaves, Hemsley was co-starring in Purlie on Broadway and was reluctant to break his contract. So Lear improvised and hired Mel Stewart as a sort of placeholder.
Where did Franklin Cover live?
WILLIS HAD THE LONGEST COMMUTE TO THE STUDIO. Throughout the run of The Jeffersons, Franklin Cover maintained his home in New York City , where his wife and two children lived. He flew out to Los Angeles at the beginning of the week during the filming season and stayed at an apartment while he worked.
Why was Lionel's role reduced?
Once the Jeffersons moved to their deluxe apartment, however, Lionel’s role was gradually reduced in order to allow George and Louise more time (and plot lines) to interact with characters like the Willises, Mother Jefferson, and Florence.
Overview
Synopsis
During the January 11, 1975 episode of All in the Family, titled "The Jeffersons Move Up", Edith Bunker gave a tearful good-bye to her neighbor Louise Jefferson as her husband George, their son Lionel, and she moved from a working-class section of Queens, New York, into the luxurious Colby East, a fictitious high-rise apartment complex on East 63rd Street in Manhattan. The Jeffersons premiere…
Show
The show focuses on George and Louise Jefferson, a prosperous African-American couple who have been able to move from Queens to Manhattan owing to the success of George's dry-cleaning chain, Jefferson Cleaners. The show was launched as the second (and longest running) spin-off of All in the Family, on which the Jeffersons had been the neighbors of Archie and Edith Bunker. The show was the creation of Norman Lear. The Jeffersons eventually evolved into more of a traditio…
Series development
Louise Jefferson, played by Isabel Sanford, first appeared in the All in the Family episode "Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood", which was broadcast on March 2, 1971. The episode, the eighth of the series, centers on Louise, her son Lionel, and her husband George moving next door to Archie and Edith Bunker in the working-class section of Queens. Lionel, played by Mike Evans, first appeared in "Meet the Bunkers", the premiere episode of All in the Family.
Theme song
Ja'Net DuBois and Jeff Barry co-wrote The Jeffersons theme song, "Movin' on Up", which was sung by DuBois with a gospel choir.
Broadcast history and Nielsen ratings
The Jeffersons changed time slots at least 15 different times during its 11-year run, unusual for a popular long running series. The most common time slot was on Sunday night.
In its first season (1974–75), the show ranked at number four, surpassed by its parent series All in the Family (which landed at number one for the fifth year in a row). The show's ratings for the following two seasons placed it in the Top 30, but during the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons (the …
Home media
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first six seasons of The Jeffersons on DVD in Region 1 between 2002 and 2007. These releases have been discontinued and are now out of print.
On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including The Jeffersons. They subseque…
Awards and nominations
The Jeffersons received 14 Emmy Award nominations during its time on the air. Marla Gibbs was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series each year from 1981 to 1985. Sherman Hemsley was nominated for Best Actor in 1984. Larry M. Harris won the Emmy for Outstanding Video Tape Editing for a Series in 1983.