MOVIN’ ON UP

This week has been riddled with high profile deaths. Chad Everett , Sally Ride , and former Mouseketeer, Ginny Tyler, each made their own significant contribution to our society and our entertainment.  However for me the death of stage and screen actor, Sherman Hemsley,  brings so many great personal memories.   His iconic character, George Jefferson, turned the tide and changed the image for many a black man in the 70’s. 

Norman Lear is responsible for creating so many groundbreaking characters: Archie Bunker, Maude Findlay, Florida and J. J. Evans, and Ann Romano all brought truly underrepresented types to television.  These were people I grew to love and enjoy, but George Jefferson is the one who hits me the deepest. Here was a short man who had a desire for personal excellence, a sharp tongue, and was a true representation of the American dream. In his own way, my height challenged father , Erscourt Price, rose to the top of his game as a chef and a Merchant Marine. Being an immigrant from Honduras with no formal education, he became a naturalized citizen, and did his best to make it for himself and his growing family.  He achieved his own American dream. 

Looking back at the faces of 70’s black television, George Jefferson was the first black man of the house who may have had the hardships, but was not kept prisoner, or better yet, not kept in his “place”, because of them.  His biography always began as coming from a family of Georgia Sharecroppers, and he had to take care of his mother after his father died.  He joined the Navy, became a cook, and got married as soon as he was discharged.  Sometimes his antics seemed to be over the top, but always justified.  I think most black men in my generation did not even notice how the tide of imagery subtly changed right before our eyes.

After a little research, I noticed something. Some examples of the situational comedies that seemed to define the black experience in the 70’s were SANFORD AND SON (1972-1977), THAT’S MY MAMA (1974-1975), GOOD TIMES (1974-1979) , THE JEFFERSONS (1975-1985), and WHAT’S HAPPENING? (1976-1979).  What stands out to me is that only THE JEFFERSONS  began smack dab in the middle of the 70’s, and was the only one to make it to the 80’s, and proved that black people do not have to be poor to be funny.  Some may argue that there were definite moments of stereotype, but with the introduction of the first interracial married couple on network television and wealthy black people, no one can deny it had some groundbreaking moments.  So much groundbreaking, that the next big blockbuster sitcom to feature a prominent black family was THE COSBY SHOW (1984-1992).  I know that AMEN (1986-91) and 227 (1985-90) were a part of the mix, but their main characters did not have the same impact as Heathcliff Huxtable and George Jefferson.  Not to seem shady, but AMEN and 227 were borderline blue collar in comparison to the THE COSBY SHOW.   

  

When my father would return from his trips at sea and was able to spend long stretches of time at home, we all would sit together on Sunday nights and watch The Jeffersons,  We would laugh at the antics of George, Louise, Mother Jefferson, Florence, Lionel, Jenny, Tom  & Helen, Mr. Bentley, and Ralph.  We watched many of the other shows, but there was something about The Jeffersons, that not even “DYN-O-MITE” could touch.  George Jefferson, aka Sherman Hemsley,  did something that many black men could not do.  He could talk smack to the Man and feel no guilt, because he had the great equalizer: MONEY!  As a hard and dedicated worker, he proved that making “it” was the only way to do it and survive. 

My father and Mr. Jefferson were so simpatico in my mind, and a few moments of  George’s character back story even echoed my father’s. Upon hearing  of the passing of Mr. Hemsley, I could not help but think of my father, who has been gone a little over 5 years now.  I wonder if  Mr. Hemsley strutted through the Pearly Gates with the swagger of George Jefferson strutting through the front  door of his Upper East Side apartment building?  How funny would that be? As I reflect the passing of someone whose artistry influenced generations, I hope that we give Sherman Hemsley the respect and credit that he’s due.  By all accounts, he seemed like a great guy, and hopefully he and my father are having a moment together in that deluxe apartment in the sky.

 

Keep Laughing. Stay Fabulous.