The Jeffersons Florence's Mr. Right (2 of 3)

[mslegacy01]

Unlike Norman Lear's other sitcoms; topical, political and edgy content was gradually phased out as the series progressed.

[mslegacy01]

In terms of number of seasons (11) and episodes (253), this is by far the longest airing All in the Family spin-off. In fact, The Jeffersons aired more seasons and episodes than All In The Family itself.

[mslegacy01]

Like her character Helen, Actress Roxie Roker has a white husband. During a casting interview, Roker was asked if she'd feel comfortable with her character being married to a white man. She responded by showing the producers a photo of her husband...(Rocker, Lenny Kravitz) father.

[mslegacy01]

Tom and Helen Willis were TV's first white and black interracial couple. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (Lucy and Ricky Ricardo) were TV's actual first interracial couple on I Love Lucy (1951.)

[mslegacy01]

Sherman Hemsley was the only actor to appear on all 253 episodes.

[mslegacy01]

Florence was originally intended to be a recurring cast member, but the character became so popular with fans, that the producers made Marla Gibbs a series regular.

[mslegacy01]

Marla Gibbs was given her own spin-off, Checking In, where Florence went to work as an executive at a hotel. As a precaution in case the show failed, Gibbs would be allowed to return to "The Jeffersons". Roseanna Christiansen was hired as Florence's replacement, Carmen. When the spin-off was canceled after four episodes, Gibbs returned to the show.

[mslegacy01]

Isabel Sanford found out the show was cancelled from a relative that called her, who had read it in a trade publication.

[mslegacy01]

Several CBS executives tried to get the interracial kiss between Tom and Helen Willis edited out, but executive producer Fred Silverman successfully lobbied to keep it in.

[mslegacy01]

Mike Evans who played the original Lionel left the role to work as a writer/producer on Good Times. When that show ended, he came back to the Jeffersons again.

[mslegacy01]

CBS never gave "The Jeffersons" a proper series finale. The cast, bitter that they never got a chance to say goodbye, reunited years later for a stage play based on the sitcom. Sherman Hemsley said he found out the show was canceled by reading it in the paper.

[mslegacy01]

Did you know that...The Jeffersons live on the 12th floor of the Colby East.

[mslegacy01]

Did you know that...The picture on the Jeffersons' desk by the telephone changes in every episode. It alternates between shots of Louise, George, Lionel, and Mother Jefferson.

[mslegacy01]

*Betty* played by actress, Tamu Blackwell also played a female thug on Good Times, an out of control teen on Maude and is most famously remembered as playing the daughter of Diahann Carroll in the hilariously truthful (Welfare implication) movie, "Claudine."

[gothgirl317]

she's a hyper one isn't she

[drtooty5]

Yes..sir...re...Mr Jefferson....ha,ha,ha....I have been walking around saying this all week...and was looking for this episode....thank you!

[SuperGeish]

LOL@Betty doing the meter dash to answer the door

[EngRacer11]

AND IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN THAN YOU SHOULDNT BE DRINKING. THERE IS A SEPERATION. IF YOU ARE DOING WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING THEN WHERE IS THE LIGHT? IF SOMEONE IS TELLING ME WHAT IM DOING IS WRONG THEN THANK GOD FOR THEM. ONLY FOOLISH PEOPLE DONT LISTEN TO WISE COUNSELING.YOU SHOULD THANK GOD THAT SOMEONE IS PUSHING SALVATION DOWN YOUR THROAT AND NOT A GLASS OF WINE.

[Stitchman3875]

@EngRacer11 It's a tv show.  Chill!!

[1548207]

@EngRacer11 I'll take the wine anytime and FYI not everyone is a Christian although I know quite a few people who call themselves Christian but secretly go out to clubs and drink. And yes you need to chill I am sure God will forgive me and the millions of people who ocassionaly have a drink. Salud.

[josbo51715]

@EngRacer11 The bible doesn't say that Christians can't drink. Afterall, Jesus made wine. It just says that they can't be alcoholics (drunkards). Everything is okay as long as it's done in moderation.

[mrmuzik2]

im a christian..and know about 3 people like this...smh

[faznout]

I'm a Christian and one of the main things thats looked down on is religious people who are very old school that like to have a long list of rules and regulaions for people to follow. Funny thing is, in the Bible it says not to be that way. But the people who try and push all the rules pretend it's not there.

[LisaK7100]

faznout, I agree. The Bible is complex and some people get "distorted" ideas on how to deal with it.

[NinjaGhostScorpion]

Buzz... I wonder if his middle name is, "Kill?" Because if so, it'd fit his personality, as he's the very definition of a buzzkill.

[LisaK7100]

Florence met Buzz in church, and she should have known better than to set her sights on a religious-crazed man!

[mslegacy01]

Florence's dress is SO ugly and cheap (looking)...even the AUDIENCE agreed. You see they hardly clapped when she walked out. I know she had to be embarrased. LOL!

[mslegacy01]

The *new* maid is the actress who played Diahanne Carroll's daughter in one of my all time favorite movies...."Claudine." Wooo...that HOT, STEAMY, BATHTUB love scene between Diahanne and James Earl Jones....gets to me EVERY time...even after almost 40 years!!

[mslegacy01]

LOL@ "Were you THIS excited when you knew I was coming? "Sure" "What happened?" "YOU showed up!" Hahahahahahaha!!! I swear, George reminds me of my ex....only shorter!

[jonwiley]

That is an ugly dress Florence is wearing. All those gathers and draperies. Does nothing for her. And the seams are puckered.... I've been watching Project Runway way too long!!

[mslegacy01]

@jonwiley LOL! I agree. What a cheap, shiny hideous, Polyester excuse for a dress! LOL!

[married1959]

buz  is truly ugly

[LisaK7100]

married1959, his PERSONALITY was ugly.

[arielove3candy]

the new maid is from the movie claudine shes one of the children of dihann caroll

[4RMYV3T]

I forgot how great this show was. I sure do miss these. Thank you uploader for bringing back some good memories.

[handsomeone77]

OH SHIT...she did a football juke move at 3:06

[handsomeone77]

that new made lady was on good times when her and her sister robbed the evan's when jj won the lottery

[wishpackers]

@handsomeone77 Thanks! I was trying to figure out what show I saw her own.

[TheEve30]

hello buzz ,he said praise the lord ,I would have slam the door in his face!

[LisaK7100]

TheEve30, me, too!

[Piscesplane7]

he said 'Praise the Lord', she said, 'right, come in.' HA!!!

[LisaK7100]

Piscesplane7, I HATE preachers!

[TheRadar77]

I never understood why the Jefferson's needed a maid at all. They lived in a highrise apartment. It was kind of big I guess, but Louise didn't work. Couldn't she clean up and cook while George went to work?

[ChicagoTyme]

@TheRadar77 In the very first episode, George and Louise fought over the issue of having a maid. Louise didn't want one, but George did because when they moved up, he swore he would give her nothing but the best. So George got his way. After that, Louise didn't mind having a maid, because you couldn't help but love Florence, she was funny and sassy and for Louise, it was nice to have someone there and to talk to. And remember, later on, Louise did go to work, for the Help Center.

[Tsuruta1]

@TheRadar77 Louise used to be a maid when they lived in Harlem, and one of the vows George made was that she would never have to work again.

[entertainme3000]

@TheRadar77 On the debut episode, Louise didn't want to hire a maid but George insisted on hiring Florence

[DrQuijano]

Wow this shhow portrayed interracial relations back in the early 80s? That's hardcore. Praise the lord.

[LisaK7100]

DrQuijano, if you look back in history, interracial relations have always existed.

[uLOVEjULZ]

@DrQuijano this was in the 70's

[ninaastarlight]

D*** this is his mouth. Wow, i love George!!!!

[ninaastarlight]

Love , Love Mr. Jefferson. Hey , can someone tell me if Wilona from Good Time song the theme song for the jefferson's.

[shydmples]

@ninaastarlight Yes...she wrote the theme song & sang lead on it.

[ninaastarlight]

@shydmples ..Thank you !!! god bless

[entertainme3000]

@ninaastarlight yes Ja'Net Dubois(Willona, Good Times) is the singer of "Movin' On Up" the famous theme from The Jeffersons.

[wehb1]

Betty needs some dick for real.

[LisaK7100]

wehb1, I think she had OCD.

[Kerkopes]

No more jewelery? 4:53

[LisaK7100]

Kerkopes, Buzz believed the body was a temple, and I'm surprised he didn't get upset over rings she wore on her finger!

[buzzlewie]

Betty played on the movie Claudine with Dianne Carroll, and Roots.

[TheEve30]

IT'S LIKE THEY HIRED A MAD MAID!

[ChicagoTyme]

@TheEve30 Yeah, not even Rosie The Robot got nothing on Betty! lol

[BabyCarlyle]

Crazy my cousin was married to a man like this once.

[LisaK7100]

BabyCarlyle, did she divorce him?

[BabyCarlyle]

@LisaK7100 Yes, thank goodness!

[Seyahhsod]

That wholly roller (Clifton Davis) also played, Reverend Reuben Gregory in the show, "AMEN" (also staring Sherman Hemsley as the deacon Earnest Frye of a Philadelphia church).

[Tsuruta1]

@Seyahhsod That's not Clifton Davis, that's the late Larry McCormick. Also a former newscaster in Los Angeles.

[Seyahhsod]

@Tsuruta1

HOT DAMN! ... you're right !

[MsKar1]

Nothing like sharing your life with a person who will allow you to have the "freedom" of expression.

[sdseals2076]

@MsKar1, from the start when he told what she could and could not drink I didn't like him.

[MsKar1]

@sdseals2076 Yeah..He was a "Hot Mess". More like a control freak. Using God for his wickedness...There are people who really act like that. It's so important to know the word of God for yourself, instead of someone dictating your life to you..Be bless

[sdseals2076]

Thank you, you be blessed as well.

[LisaK7100]

MsKar1, you're absolutely right! Some religions don't allow drinking, but at the same time, Buzz didn't realize he couldn't just take someone and "mold" them into what he wanted!

[1MrsHaughton876]

I loved Florence's dress! The new maid was goofy. I loved Bentley's stories.

[sdseals2076]

@1MrsHaughton876 , that was the point she was supposed to be the total opposite of Florence to make George miss Florence and want her back.

[1MrsHaughton876]

yup

[ncatina]

Has anyone located the episode where Florence gets wasted on booze?  THAT was funny!

[julesdanser]

@ncatina

r u serious?

thaty sounds awesome!

[ncatina]

Yeah, eventually, Florence was upset over something and drank too much. The episode ended in the Willses apartment where she distinctly said "I have something I need to get off of my chest" and George responded with "I hope it's not hair." Too funny!

[joshuamarius]

LOL, I can picture George saying those lines.

Is it this one from Season 8?

174- Guess who's not Coming to Dinner

The Jeffersons and the Willises plan a surprise party for Florence, but a misunderstanding causes her to think she is not invited and, worse that they expect her to serve the meal. There's a $500 bottle of wine involved and Marla Gibbs plays drunk.

[TheSteelersrock1010]

@joshuamarius yea if i remember it right thats what happen that's how it went

[wehb1]

Betty is a coomplete nut job.

[LisaK7100]

wehb1, George commented that he got dizzy watching her!

[davegiam]

Betty: "Let's start with the big things I have to worry about..."

Florence: "This is his mouth!"

***

Helen: "We're here for the shower!"

Betty: "But I haven't had the time to clean it yet!"

LMAO, best episode ever!

[LisaK7100]

davegiam, did Betty want to clean the shower twice?

[ThePolkadotbikini]

this guy is a straight up creep. i havent seen this episode but anybody who acts all holier than thou and pushes that shit down peoples throats is a straight up asshole. period.

[nealadams70]

@ThePolkadotbikini or George Bush..pick one

[LisaK7100]

nealadams70, it doesn't matter who it is - ANYONE can be a Bible fanatic.

[nealadams70]

@LisaK7100 oh.. well EDUCATE ME.....

[LisaK7100]

nealadams70, sure, I'll educate you. You're either born and raised a Bible fanatic or you become one. This episode didn't say what the case was with Buzz, but some people can be BORN with fanatical tendencies. If Buzz had a naturally fanatical personality, he could have been fanatical about anything besides religion.

[nealadams70]

@LisaK7100 wrong on both counts, and my comments were directed at another tuber , not you.If you know bible fanatics so well, you must be one..so go find another fanatic to argue with, or get in your time machine and debate with someone in 1984 , or whenever this episode was filmed ..my comment is 8 months old , I have moved on to other things.... why dont you?

[LisaK7100]

nealadams70, I'm NOT wrong at all - I just have different viewpoints than you. As for myself, I'm neither a Bible fanatic nor do I live in a time warp. I'm sorry if I upset you, but all people are different.

[XTRABIG]

@ThePolkadotbikini

asshole or not there is definitely something wrong with the dude.

[junkhobokiller]

@ThePolkadotbikini holler i think u mean holy

[yazziepha]

3:05 lol

[comgeek24]

I'm looking for this one episode of "The Jeffersons": it's where Florence's new pastor at her church scams her out of some money, and her old pastor comes to visit her and renew her faith. What she doesn't know, though, is he (the old pastor) died earlier that day. Does anybody know what the name of that episode was and where I can see it? I just saw it recently and I liked it.

[joshuamarius]

Did Bentley forget his lines at 3:22 ?

I've seen him do this several times in several episodes and it's interesting to see they never fix them, they just keep going.

[hardrein101]

no, think he was just meant to laugh.

[sconex]

That new maid is Tamu...she was one of the daughters in "Claudine"

[bladest0rm2672]

i cant find disco episode...

[mmbmusa]

Try searching for every night fever

[LisaK7100]

bladest0rm2672, it was called "Every Night Fever" and it was funny!

[mysticxingjing16]

I need some help.

There's an episode where Bentley gets really drunk, and it was so funny. I just can't remember what else happened in that episode. Does anyone have any ideas?

[estyle40]

You talkin bout the one where he slugged the cop??? Cause that`s hilarious!!!

[Tsuruta1]

That was the episode when Mr. Bentley had trouble with a another tenant in the parking area (not seen) After Bentley got drunk at Charlie's bar, George hyped him up not to take crap from people, and then a cop came in to talk to Bentley on another matter and Bentley punched the cop out.

[prvt808]

I love the disco episode!

[LisaK7100]

prvt808, Louise wanted to pluck the feathers off that "disco duck!"

[tommybiggun1]

I love the part when George is trying to kick his butt and Bentley and Willis are holding him back.  I think the episode came in a later season, perhaps 1982-or 83.

[tommybiggun1]

Does anyone have the episode where the father and son bigots move into the building and recruit Tom Willis to attend a meeting and Tom brings George? I remember the father has a heart attack and George performs CPR to save his life. Ive been trying to locate that episode.

[2199]

I like that episode as wel. the dad on the gurny found out who saved his life.The son said " Dad Mr.Jefferson saved your life."

"Son you should have let me die."

That is one of my favorite episodes,that and when George got stabbed by those gangest girls.

[snoopy64116]

@2199 Remember how the son and all of the other Klansmen just walked out of that meeting at the end? George left too soon to see it, though!

[2199]

@snoopy64116 nah George Tom and Bentley left at the right moment. They werent klanmen yet because they saw how George saved his life even after he was hating on him. But your right.

[mmbmusa]

The maid is great whatever is her name?

[dirtydee28]

her name is tamu she was in a lot of movies.

[Tsuruta1]

You may recognize her as the girl on "Good Times" that held them hostage while her sister (played by the late Shirley Hemphill from "What's Happening") went to get their lottery winnings from the bank.

[fattwell]

that sure is her. i kept trying to remember where else i saw her. our black shows were notorious for "recycling" actors/actresses. people were seriously trying to get paid....LOL!!! :o)

[Tsuruta1]

I think that was because in the '70s Blacks were coming into their own in the mainstream prime time TV. The '70s were the very first full decade that Blacks and other minorities finally got a lot of work in TV, but not many thought that would come to pass anytime soon so they had only a handful to (Chucking) "recycle". :)

[Shortz106]

Paul Benedict, the actor who played the English neighbor Harry Bentley on the sitcom "The Jeffersons," has died. He was 70.

Benedict was found dead Monday on Martha's Vineyard and his brother, Charles, said authorities were still investigating the cause of death. Benedict began his acting career in the 1960s in the Theatre Company of Boston, alongside such future stars as Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino.

GOD BLESS, REST IN PEACE

[MIKESOWELL]

RIP Paul Benedict AKA Mr. Bentley 1938-2008

[yesitisme1971]

MR. JEFFERSON, PLEASE! Too funny!

[DiAnno13]

Good thing he didn't get a devil's-food cake.

[dendys1]

LMAO!

[LisaK7100]

DiAnno13, Buzz should have gotten a pie in the face!

[DiAnno13]

Buzz is played by Larry McCormick, long-time news anchor on KTLA, Channel 5 in Los Angeles.

[conasto]

lol this is one my favorite episodes, the maid is hilarious

[sivatmin]

thanks so much for posting. Classic!

[joshuadiego05]

yes I agree..great voice

[boozoob1]

buzz would make an excellent narrator

[LisaK7100]

boozoob1, yuck!