1 A Trip to the Past that's Worth Taking!
There are two types of people who remember 'The Jeffersons.' The first group fondly remember it as one of the 1970s' funniest sitcoms, pairing Sherman Helmsley and Isabelle Sanford as the hilarious and believable George and Louise Jefferson. The second group write the series off as a dumbed-down slapstick retread of 'All in the Family.' I belong to the first group, and watching the 13 episodes included here, I couldn't help but laugh until my sides hurt. Unlike most 1970s sitcom stars, when Helmsley and Sanford played it broadly they did so in a way that was equal parts Lucy and Desi as well as Laurel and Hardy. Their chemistry was fantastic, and the laughs are honestly won.
At the heart of all the episodes, of course, is George Jefferson. Like many self-made men, George has a serious inferiority complex, which reveals itself in his frequent racist and sexist comments. At heart, George is threatened by the increasingly liberal world of the 1970s and he directs much of his anger at his interracial neighbors the Willises (except when he thinks he can manipulate them). Physically, he is short, scrawny, and balding and is aware that despite his business successes, he is still largely a small fish in the very large pond that is the Big Apple. All of this remains a subtext, but one of the reasons why I enjoy 'The Jeffersons' so much is that George isn't too different from several self-made successes I know in my personal life. It's this attention to motivation that saves the series from becoming the one-note parody its detractors claim it to be. These early episodes are among the best the series ever produced.
'The Jeffersons' box set has a flaw common to other boxed sets, however. There is a complete lack of extras! Isabelle Sanford, Paul Benedict, and Roxie Roker are three series regulars who have now passed on, and Sherman Helmlsey and Marla Gibbs are rapidly aging. Recording and including their insights on the series would be a valuable service not only to their fans but to posterity as well. Docking the box set for this, however, seems mean spirited as the price is definitely right!
2 Topnotch!
The Jeffersons is a spin-off of All in the Family and in my opinion it's just as good as All in the Family! The Jeffersons were originally characters in All in the Family and were neighbors of The Bunkers and owned the local laundomat dry cleaners store and the characters were so popular it was decided to give them their own show and in this show George Jefferson has become wealthy and has added more stores to his holdings and George, Louise and Lionel move into the city into a nice apartment and in the same building lives Lionel's girlfriend Jenny Willis and her mother Helen who is black and her father Tom who is white. There is also housekeeper Florence who is a constant annoyance to George because she really doesn't do all that much cleaning and she is always making fun of him and making remarks about how short he is , etc and another constant annoyance to him is Mr. Bentley, a strange British man who lives in the apartment next door who is always telling stories about himself that sound so far fetched and then there is George's mother who comes to visit a lot and is a constant annoyance to Louise because she is always putting Louise down. This is a good show and I recommend this boxset!
3 i love the 70's
Great show ! It was the first to show afro americans as rich, first to show multi cultural couple and family. This show is so funny. everyone should own this hilarious dvd.
4 Can't Wait To Get The Second Season DVD!
I absolutely love this DVD set! The first season of 'The Jeffersons' is great! I occasionally watch later episodes of the show on television and I don't really like those at all but The Complete First Season is one of my favorite DVDs. Disc One contains episodes 1-8 and Disc Two contains episodes 9-13. As you probably know, 'The Jeffersons' was one of the highest-rated and longest running sitcoms in TV history. Just as All In The family started to wear off in 1975, George Jefferson came along to take Archie Bunker's place and stayed around until 1985. This DVD is a must-have for fans of the show or television lovers in general!
5 Classic TV - How do I begin describing
was ecstatic upon hearing that classic "The Jeffersons" episodes would be obtainable on DVD technology, as Nick At Nite reshuffled it's programming so that the the show runs at 2 or 3 in the morning. Such a shameful fate for a series that was so good.
"The Jeffersons" was a classic show that lasted a full decade, and not without merit. The humor, acting and storylines were outstanding throughout, and so was the Gospel-influenced opening theme.
If you're unaware it was a Spinoff of another hit Sitcom of the 70's "All in the Family". The Jefferson family were the nearby neighbors of Archie Bunker, they since "Move Up" to a Luxury apartment in New York City.
It's a trip watching each episode of the first season in it's full glory, with no commercials, just brief pauses where you'd normally have seen 'em. If you're only familiar with the later part of the series, you owe it to yourself to check out the first season, if for nothing else just a primer.
George Jefferson is a smart talking know-it-all. And a succesful Entrrepraer as well, owning a chain of Laundromats. some critics have pointed that his character is a bit stubborn, but to get as far as he did you would have to be.
The only slight quibble I have is that the Jeffersons maid Florence, played by the underrated Marla Gibbs, has less of a presence in these episodes, Her nice voice and sassy, witty persona rolled up smoothly alongside George Jefferson's temper.
George Jefferson's wife Louise (of course, whom he affectionately calls "Weezy") is played by Isabel Sanford, who won an Emmy for that role, and deservedly so.
The slight tension between George and Weezy is executed to perfection comedically. Their bickering never fails to entertain.
George Jefferson's mother is also brilliant, played by Zara Cully, whom upon researching I just learned was born in my home state of Massachusetts. she had quite a role in this early era before she passed away from cancer in 1978. Her and Weezy are always at each other's throats, partly because she couldn't be more proud of her son George.
Living in the adjacent apartment complex is Mr. Bentley, played by Paul Benedict, employed by the United Nations, his character has a literal sense of humor and brings an added punch to the cast.
In addition there's the Willises, the jeffersons upstairs neighbors Tom and Helen, played by Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker (Lenny Kravitz mom) respectively. It's my understanding that this pair was among the first Black/White couples on TV. They are constantly at verbal War with George Jefferson, who doesn't think so kindly of their marriage, but all the feuding is extremely humorous.
The only real complaint I have is the Tom Willis' character can be a bit lame and corny, personally I find it hard to believe that Helen fell for him. Their daughter, Jenny, is the boyfriend of Lionel Jefferson, George and Weezy's son.
Lionel, portrayed by Mike Evans, is a young playboy in College. There's some inner turmoil of Weezy wanting Lionel to avoid taking after his father's take-no-prisoners antics.
"The Jeffersons first season" comes packaged as a 2 Disk Set, with episodes 1-8 being on the First Disk, and episodes 9-13 are on the Second Disk. There aren't many DVD "Extra goodies' To speak of besides subtitles in English and Espanol. Although it would be nitpicking to criticize that fact, as getting this Legendary Series and being able to watch it whenever you please is a Gift enough in itself.
Theres been an impressive 3 decades of African-American sitcoms, and the 70's, with shows like "Sanford And Son" and "The Jeffersons" still stand as the best era - Bar None.
If you're unfamiliar with it, pick up the Jeffersons first season, ahora.
6 The Black and White Show that's "not really black and white"
Before George Jefferson,I don't think anybody found prejudice humorous. Referring to caucasians as "honkies" and half-black and half-white people as "zebras" heavily tickles my funny bone. There was also little mention of the word that rhymes with "bigger" on this collection. Tom Willis and Harry Bentley are the "honkies" on the show. The children of Tom and his black wife Helen are the "zebras". Archie Bunker's prejudice is not as humorous as George's. George expresses his with mild anger. Archie often expresses his calmly. The Jeffersons have come a long way since they lived on Hauser Street in Queens. Since moving to Manhattan,Archie's daughter Gloria and her husband Mike went into the Jeffersons' home residentially. This is the first of eleven successful seasons. Unfortunately,NBC's "The Cosby Show" brought the Jeffersons' ratings down.
7 The Black and White Show that's "not really black and white"
Before George Jefferson,I don't think anybody found prejudice humorous. Referring to caucasians as "honkies" and half-black and half-white people as "zebras" heavily tickles my funny bone. There was also little mention of the word that rhymes with "bigger" on this collection. Tom Willis and Harry Bentley are the "honkies" on the show. The children of Tom and his black wife Helen are the "zebras". Archie Bunker's prejudice is not as humorous as George's. George expresses his with mild anger. Archie often expresses his calmly. The Jeffersons have come a long way since they lived on Hauser Street in Queens. Since moving to Manhattan,Archie's daughter Gloria and her husband Mike went into the Jeffersons' home residentially. This is the first of eleven successful seasons. Unfortunately,NBC's "The Cosby Show" brought the Jeffersons' ratings down.
8 The good al days!
I love the 70's! What more can I say? Go and get your copy!
Cant wait to get my hands on the second season.
9 Just can't wait for the second season
This dvd is great value for money and even greater fun. I used to watch the Jeffersons long time ago and still they shine. I just can't wait for the second season!
10 More please!
I hope they don't stop with the first season. I love the Jeffersons. This DVD is a classic.
11 Where are the special features???!!!
First let me begin by saying that making THE JEFFERSONS available in DVD format was a great idea. The early seasons may be my favorite seasons. I just loved Mother Jefferson, the show wasn't the same after the actress that played her passed away and her character was written out of the series. I grew up watching THE JEFFERSONS and have seen all the episodes so many times that I know practically all the lines for each episode. I've noticed that in recent years that tv stations, including TV LAND, delete a couple of minutes from each episode to make way for more commercials. This ticks me off!!! I can understand why movies that were made for the theater need to be trimmed down to accommodate commercials but why trim down a show that was made to be aired with commercials. Also, it seems that when airing THE JEFFERSONS that networks are working with old film. The broadcast picture is grainy. I find it difficult to watch the re-runs of this show due to it's trimmed content and grainy picture.
This DVD solves all these problems. It has a clear picture with good colors and IT HAS THE ENTIRE SHOW, at least for the first season. I hope they continue to release the remaining seasons. I've noticed that more and more shows are being released in season format. This is great!! I envision a day when I won't have to watch trimmed reruns of my favorite tv shows ever again.
Now for the complaint. While this DVD is cheaper than ALL IN THE FAMILY (season 1) which also has 13 episodes I think it could have been a little cheaper still considering it has no special features. I would be willing to pay the additional $'s to purchase a well put together package like the one done for THE MARY TYLER MORE SHOW (season 1). I think it would be great to have special features that included interviews with the remaining cast members. Let's face it none of the actors are spring chickens anymore. The actors & actresses that portrayed George, Lousise, Tom, Mr. Bentley, Florence and Ralph are all in their late 60's to early 80's. The actress that portrayed Helen has already passed on. Even the actress & actors that portrayed Jenny and Lionel (both of them) are in their 50's. The longer they wait to interview these people the more likely it is that they will not all be around to be interviewed. Also, the episodes don't play one after the other. When one episode is finished the DVD defaults to the menu screen. I would have like the option that would allow the viewer to watch all the episodes back to back. So while I would have liked to give this DVD a 5 star rating I had to deduct a star due to the lack of special features and additional features.
Lastly, for those who don't quite know all the words to the opening theme song the words are printed on the inside of the DVD cover.
12 Finally!! The Jeffersons on DVD!!
One of the best shows of it's time! It's a 2 disc set with 13 season one episodes. Bare in mind the pilot is not included. It seems that it's an All in the family episode, the 1st episode of the 6th season. Despite this, the rest of them are hilarious. Florence, the wise crackin' maid, is introduced for the first time and Mother Jefferson seems to be in every episode. Mother Jefferson is my personal favorite as she always has something negative to say about Louise, except for one of the very few occurences when she sides with her on one episode. Hopefully the rest of the seasons will follow. If you loved The Jefferson you'll love them on DVD. Get your copy and get " Movin' on Up"
13 A Very *FUNNY* Show!!
The Jeffersons is one of the funniest shows ever made. I bought the Complete First Season from Amazon.com a few weeks ago, and I just love it. I hope that the other ten seasons are released on DVD. If you havne't seen the Jeffersons yet, then I suggest watching it.
14 THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SPINOFF IN TELEVISION HISTORY
The most successful spinoff in televison history is finally here on DVD ... The Jeffersons. As most of you know, this show is a spinoff of another revolutionary television series, All in the Family which ran 11 seasons from 1975 - 1985.
This show, another from the Norman Lear vehicle, had some firsts on television ... a rich affluent black family, a racially mixed couple to name a few. Isabel Sanford (a star on Broadway, now 85 years old) heads this lovely cast. Sherman Hemsley stars as the jive talking George Jeffersons, Mike Evans is the ever funny Lionel (who was only around for the first four seasons), Franklin Cover is Tom Willis (Helen's white husband) and of course, Roxie Roker (Lenny Kravitz' mom who is Helen Willis, Tom's wife, the most outrageous in this show) and last but not least, Zera Cully who is Momma Jefferson (George's mommy, only around for the first four seasons who died in 1978) who hates Louise with a passion.
This DVD is the complete First Season with thirteen episodes in all but take note - the "pilot" episode does not appear as it was a episode of "All in the Family" entitled, "the Jeffersons are moving on up", as a sixth season series opener. This was the "pilot" episode which Roxie Roker had a big afro, a treat for those who liked her and her son Lenny.
Otherwise, these thirteen episodes contained here are quite entertaining in its own right. Episodes like ....
"A Friend in Need", where George & Louise adapt to their posh digs by hiring a part time maid, which introduced us to Marla Gibbs, the no-nonsense Jeffersons' maid, Florence.
"Louise Feels Useless", as she has trouble adjusting to the good life but she takes a job at the rival cleaning store.
"George's Family Tree" has George thinking he is the king reflecting on a gift given to him by the Willis' which has him digging into his ancestry but Louise has a lesson for George.
"Lionel, The Playboy", has Lionel taking full advantage of the good life by partying it all the time but Momma Jeffersons lays down the law on Lionel to get him back on track.
"Mr. Piano Man", has George heading up a protest meeting by the tenants at his home but boasts his classy image by buying a grand piano to impress the building owners', which backfires.
"George's Skeleton", has someone from George's past suddenly re-emerge only to blackmail George of money. Lionel and Louise come to George's rescue.
"Lionel Cries Uncle" has Louise' Uncle Ward visit with the men of the family see him as an "Uncle Tom", but Ward gives Lionel a few lessons in life he is not to forget.
"Mother Jeffersons Boyfriend" has Momma Jefferson with a new man in her life. On her birthday, they propose and want to move to Florida. Louise couldn't be more happier but George tries to break the lovbirds up.
"Meet the Press" has George bragging about how he got to the top but it is the Willis' who are hogging all the attention that gets George steaming mad.
"Rich Mans' Disease" has George hiding his mysterious ulcer, amoungst other things from Louise as he is feeling down in the dumps.
"Former Neighbours" has George inviting a big client to a big extravagent dinner at his home but when the former old lower class neighbours pay a visit, Geroge tries to hide his poor past from the big client.
"Like Father, Like Son" has Lionel behaving much like his father, but George gets involved in a local election, which the "race card" is played with comic effect.
"Jenny's Low" has Jenny being jealous of her returning globe-trotting brother because he is able to "pass" for white while she can't.
This DVD is very nicely packaged and includes a Series Guide Booklet and of course, the very famous lyrics to the shows' theme song, Movin' On Up, which is sung by Ja'Net DuBois who was in Good Times.
The Complete First Season as a whole is quite good. The series opens nicely, disappointments were few (especially the "Former Neighbours" episode which I thought would have been the Bunkers of All in the Family) but ends with a downer with the "Jenny's Low" episode.
Despite that though, there are no extra feautures on this DVD but just having the show on DVD is "Extra" enough with the "Feautures" being presented in thirteen segments on your televison screen.
Get Your Copy Today !!!
15 A Great Show
finally the Jeffersons getting there long overdue.glad to have season one hopefully the others will soon follow.this show is still happening with a whole new Generation of viewers.classic TV.
16 great DVD
its great to see the episodes from the first season all over again. :-) The Jeffersons is a very funny show that i still enjoy watching :-)
17 STILL MOVIN' ON UP!
The Jeffersons is still one of the best comedies around.I would highly recommend it.The transfer is good.The question now is when are they releasing the rest of the episodes? Now that season one is out we want season 2, 3 and so on real soooon!
I would buy them all.
Mr.J and friends are great and are still movin' on up!!
18 Amazing television show!
Created as a spin-off of Norman Lear's groundbreaking sitcom All In The Family, the Jefferson's ran on CBS from 1975 to 1983, with a run of 253 episodes. The show details the comic exploits of a short-tempered dry cleaning magnate George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley), his sassy wife Louise "Weezy" (Isabel Sanford), their wisecracking maid Florence (Marla Gibbs), their neighbors Tom and Helen Willis (Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker) and other supporting cast members.
This 2-disc set contains all thirteen episodes from the first season of this historic television comedy, which smashed stereotypes and ignored social conventions as it made audiences laugh.
In this collection, you'll be getting the following episodes:
1. "A Friend in Need"- The Jefferson's have moved to Manhattan's Upper East Side and George insists that Louise should hire a maid to take care of their new apartment.
2. "George's Family Tree"- A piece of primitive art given to the Jefferson's by Tom and Helen Willis, sparks an inter-family battle about the importance of ancestors. George, totally unimpressed by anyone's ancestry, goes through a quick reversal in attitude when he gets some exciting information about his own background.
3. "Louise Feels Useless"- Living a luxury life starts to drive Louise up the walls, but her solution to the problem creates an even greater problem.
4. "Lionel the Playboy"- Louise is extremely upset over Lionel's new playboy attitude, but George loves the idea of his son rubbing elbows with the rich until he learns he's thinking about leaving college.
5. "Mr. Piano Man"- George wants nothing to do with a tenant protest meeting, but when he learns his banker, and fellow-tenant, H.L. Whittendale is expected to attend, he not only changes his tune, but also insists on hosting the meeting in a style he hopes will impress the penthouse dwelling banker.
6. "George's Skeleton"- George sees his life going down the drain when Monk Davis appears from his past and threatens to rattle a skeleton in his closet unless George coughs up some cash.
7. "Lionel Cries Uncle"- A cold reception from George and Lionel greets Louise's Uncle Ward.
8. "Mother Jefferson's Boyfriend"- George's mother finds romance and talks about heading to the altar.
9. "Meet the Press"- Convinced publicity will mean a boom to his business, George tricks a newspaper reporter into coming to his home for an interview.
10. "Rich Man's Disease"- Louise finds herself facing the impossible task of keeping George away from anything that irritates him.
11. "Former Neighbors"- George fears that his past is about to ruin his future. His nightmare begins when he discovers that Louise has invited some old friends from Harlem to dinner the same time he has invited a high society businessman.
12. "Like Father, Like Son"- When Lionel begins behaving like his father, sparks start flying between him and Jenny.
13. "Jenny's Low"- When Jenny's brother suddenly appears after a two-year absence, Jenny gives him the cold shoulder.
19 "Movin' on up!"
With the release of the All in the Family: Complete Season 1 DVD set, the next logical step would be that series' most successful spinoff, The Jeffersons. For those that don't know, the Jeffersons first started out as the next door neighbors of the Bunkers on All in the Family. Actually, the original Lionel, son of George and Louise (Wheezy), played by Mike Evans (later the role would go to Damon Evans) appeared in the first episode, "Meet the Bunkers", as a friend of Mike Stivic, and became a recurring character. Louise appeared for the first time in the final show of the first season, "The first and last supper" but without George (Sherman Hemsley), instead bringing his brother Henry (Mel Stewart) who would turn out to be a hilarious regular on the show. George would not be introduced until season 4, in an episode called "Henry's Farewell", which I believe is Henry's last episode. Anyway, the Jeffersons became so popular on the show that they left during the fifth season of All in the Family and started their own show in 1975. Again, if you don't already know, the Jeffersons "moved up" to an upscale apartment complex in Manhattan where they hired a maid with an attitude, Florence (Marla Gibbs), and became friends (well at least Louise did) with their neighbors in the building, Tom & Helen Willis (Franklin Cover & Roxie Roker) and Mr. Bentley (Paul Benedict). Other regulars on the show were Jenny Willis (Berlinda Tolbert), Mother Jefferson (Zara Cully), Ralph the Doorman (Ned Wertimer),and Charlie the Bartender (Danny Wells). The Jeffersons, like All in the Family, is not only essential TV comedy, but its also a landmark, considering the controversial topics and attitudes dealt with on the show. I have not seen the DVD set yet but I hope it is done better than the All in the Family set. There is already evidence that it will be, considering The Jeffersons is being released as a reasonably priced two DVD set with 13 episodes as opposed to the 3 DVD higher priced All in the Family set (also with 13 episodes). Anyway I complained enough about the All in the Family set in my review for that. The Jeffersons: Complete First Season should include these episodes: (the pilot, "The Jeffersons move up", probably will not be included, seeing as it is considered an episode of All in the Family)
1) A Friend in need
2) George's family tree
3) The good life is bad for Louise
4) Lionel the playboy
5) Mr. piano man
6) George's skeleton
7) Lionel cries uncle
8) Mother Jefferson's boyfriend
9) Meet the press
10) Rich man's disease
11) Former neighbors
12) Like father, like son?
13) Jenny's low
For more essential 70s sitcoms on DVD, look for the complete first season of Sanford & Son (Redd Fox) due out at the same time as The Jeffersons!
20 The *BEST* Show Ever Made!!
"The Jeffersons" is the *BEST* show that was ever made. Sherman Hemsley (George Jefferson) and Marla Gibbs (Florence Johnston) is what made "The Jeffersons" such a hit in my opinion. Sherman Hemsley and Marla Gibbs are so funny. Marla Gibbs is fantastic as The Jeffersons wise cracking maid. Florence and George can't stand each other, which is one reason why they are so funny. The rest of the cast is also terrific. I can't wait untill The Complete First Season comes out on DVD. I hope that all seasons of "The Jeffersons" come out on DVD. George Jefferson is my idol.
Memorable Line From Season Two:
Florence is talking to George: "Ask me how I got to work this morning."
George: "I know how you got to work. You flew over on your broom!"
To understand why the quote above is so funny you need to watch the show. In other words this show is a *CLASSIC* they don't make shows like this any more.
21 The *BEST* Show Ever!!
I think that "The Jeffersons" is the *BEST* show ever made!! Sherman Hemsley (George Jefferson) and Marla Gibbs (Florence Johnston) is what made the show so wonderful in my opinion. All of the cast is fantastic but Sherman Hemsley and Marla Gibbs are the funniest. I can't wait till the DVD is released next month. I hope that all eleven seasons are released. George Jefferson is my idol. I am so excited about the Complete First season coming out on DVD. If you haven't seen "The Jeffersons" I suggest giving it a try.
