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The
show, 227, initially aired in September 1985, played five seasons
on NBC before its final episode in July 1990. Based on a play of
the same name, this situation-comedy was set primarily around an
apartment building (number 227) located in a racially-mixed neighborhood
of Washington D. C. Featuring an ensemble cast that included such
noted African-American television personalities as Marla Gibbs,
Hal Williams, Alaina Reed, and Jackee (Harry), 227 succeeded in
becoming a top-rated television program. Surviving criticisms and
early comparisons to other television programs with predominantly
African-American principals, 227 proved a successful comedy, humorously
portraying the everyday lives of apartment building 227.
The
original play, 227, had been written by Christine Houston of Chicago,
and performed by Marla Gibbs' own Cross Roads Academy, a local community
theater troupe in Los Angeles. After its successful theatrical debut,
227 was soon adapted and produced for television by Lorimar. In
its earliest episodes, 227 was criticized as being too much like
The Cosby Show, another highly successful, predominantly
African-American situation-comedy broadcast on NBC at the same time.
However, even in its first year 227 proved successful in its own
right, earning top ratings that opening season. While Cosby portrayed
an image of upper-middle class success, 227 supporters argued, 227
depicted a more working-class image of the same strong community
and family values.
Most episodes taking place within and around the apartment building,
from the front steps, to the laundry room, to the individual apartments,
227 invited the viewer within the most mundane and personal aspects
of its characters' lives. The Jenkins, Mary and Lester, were one
of the families struggling day by day to survive their various duties
and commitments. Mary, played by Marla Gibbs whose eleven seasons
as the feisty, verbally aggressive maid Florence on The Jeffersons
no doubt prepared her for this similarly outspoken character,
was a mother of one, juggling the numerous responsibilities of household,
family and personal life with invariably humorous results. Lester,
played by Hal Williams, was a father and small-time contractor struggling
to stay on top of his own family and job responsibilities. Together,
Mary and Lester had their hands full with daughter Brenda, a studious,
talented, and mostly well behaved young woman just beginning adolescence.
Other
important characters included Rose Hollaway, Mary's confidante and
cohort in gossip, portrayed by Alaina Reed. Rose, the landlady of
building 227, often sat with Mary on the front steps, the two laughing
and gossiping about various other residents. In particular, Rose
and Mary enjoyed discussing and berating sexually outspoken tenant
Sandra Clark, the building's resident vamp. Played by Jackee, the
one-named wonder who made Sandra, and herself, famous, Sandra's
whining voice and wiggling, tight-dressed body became staple features
of 227. Her many men friends and sexually oriented antics a source
of constant humor, Sandra sauntered through episode after episode,
occasionally eliciting help from Mary for some dilemma she was experiencing.
Another frequent front porch gossip was Pearl Shay, an older woman
who often leaned out her front window to comment on Rose and Mary's
discussions. The grandmother of young Calvin Dobbs, the burgeoning
love interest of Brenda Jenkins, Pearl's time was frequently spent
scolding and disciplining this gangly adolescent grandson.
Successful
in depicting the everyday aspects of its many characters' lives,
227 offered an interesting working class version of African-American
values and images. The program brought the viewer within its characters'
lives, providing a personal look within this entertaining apartment
complex.
-Brent
Malin
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CAST
Mary
Jenkins ..............................................Marla
Gibbs
Lester Jenkins ...........................................Hal
Williams
Rose Lee Holloway ...............................Alaina Reed-Hall
Sandra Clark ..........................................Jackee
(Harry)
Brenda Jenkins ..........................................Regina
King
Tiffany Holloway (1985-1986)....................... Kia Goodwin
Pearl Shay................................................
Helen Martin
Calvin Dobbs ..........................................Curtis
Baldwin
Alexandria DeWitt (1988-1989)............. Countess Vaughn
Eva Rawley {1989-1990)......................... Toukie A.
Smith
Julian C. Barlow (1989-1990)...................... Paul Winfield
Dylan McMillan (1989-1990) ..........................Barry
Sobel
Travis Filmore (1989-1990) .....................Stoney Jackson
Warren Merriwether (1989-1990).............. Kevin Peter
Hall
PRODUCERS
Bill Boulware, Bob Myer, Bob Young
PROGRAMMING
HISTORY 116 Episodes
NBC
September 1985-March 1986 Saturday
9:30-10:00
April 1986-June 1986 Saturday
9:30-10:00
June 1986-May 1987 Saturday
8:30-9:00
June 1987-July 1987 Saturday
8:00-8:30
July 1987-September 1988
Saturday 8:30-9:00
October 1988-July 1989 Saturday
8:00-8:30
September 1989-February 1990 Saturday
8:30-9:00
April 1990-May 1990 Sunday
8:30-9:00
June 1990-July 1990 Saturday
8:00-8:30
FURTHER
READING
Collier,
Aldore. "Jackee Harry: How Her TV Role is Ruining Her Love Life."
Ebony (Chicago), June 1987.
Dates,
Jannette, and William Barlow, editors. Split Images: African
Americans In The Mass Media. Washington, D.C.: Howard University
Press, 1990.
Randolph, Laura B. "Who is Toukie Smith and Why Are People Talking
About Her?" Ebony (Chicago), May 1990
Sanders,
Richard. "After Mopping Up as the Maid on The Jeffersons, Marla
Gibbs Polishes Her Image as the Star of 227." People Weekly (New
York), 25 November 1985
"Thurston
Sees 227 Sales Growth with Affiliates Staying with Sitcoms."
Television-Radio Age (New York), 24 July 1989.
Whitaker,
Charles. "Brassy, Sassy Jackee is on a Roll." Ebony (Chicago,
January 1988).
See
also Comedy,
Domestic Settings; Racism,
Ethnicity and Television
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