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Jeffersons, The - The Complete 2nd. Season

The Jeffersons

Jeffersons, The - The Complete 2nd. Season

Columbia TriStar (1976)
DVD
NR (Not Rated)
043396010147
TV Series | TV Shows
USA | English | Color | 10:24

Long before Bill Cosby started wearing his friendly sweaters, urban middle-class African Americans burst onto television in the form of Louise (better known as "Weezy") and George Jefferson, portrayed by Isabel Sanford and Sherman Hemsley. Spun off from All in the Family, The Jeffersons ran from 1975 to 1985, and it's easy to see what made the show so popular--Sanford and Hemsley were a knockout comic duo, surrounded by a skilled supporting cast that included the interracial couple Helen and Tom Willis (Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover), British expatriate Harry Bentley (Paul Benedict), as well as George's cantankerous mother Olivia (Zara Cully) and their snappy, cynical maid Florence (Marla Gibbs).

Set in a high-rise apartment building in the heart of New York City, the show spun around George, a classic character portrait of vanity, arrogance, and petty prejudice. Balanced by the more level-headed but just as strong-willed Weezy, George's self-serving abrasiveness struck comic gold, particularly in the second season, when the show's style had been set but was still fresh. Episodes tackled subjects trivial (George and Tom wear the same tacky dinner jacket to a party) and trenchant (a country club invites George to join, but only so that a newspaper reporter will think the club is open to minorities). The black and white mix of the cast allowed for a sharply satirical take on race relations, which managed to have a genuine sense of hope while never glossing over the complexity of racial tension--and was consistently funny. In fact, it's striking how well the show's humor holds up; The Jeffersons turned a series of half-hour farces into a sly examination of marriage, race, class, and the battle of the sexes; it's sad that so few contemporary sitcoms have this kind of intelligence, courage, and sheer talent. --Bret Fetzer<

Season 2
14. 2-1 201 13-Sep-1975 A Dinner for Harry
15. 2-2 202 20-Sep-1975 George's First Vacation
16. 2-3 203 27-Sep-1975 Louise's Daughter
17. 2-4 204 04-Oct-1975 Harry and Daphne
18. 2-5 206 11-Oct-1975 Mother Jefferson's Fall
19. 2-6 205 18-Oct-1975 Jefferson vs. Jefferson
20. 2-7 208 25-Oct-1975 Uncle Bertram
21. 2-8 207 01-Nov-1975 Movin' on Down
22. 2-9 209 08-Nov-1975 George Won't Talk
23. 2-10 211 15-Nov-1975 Jenny's Grandparents
24. 2-11 210 22-Nov-1975 George's Best Friend
25. 2-12 213 29-Nov-1975 George and the Manager
26. 2-13 212 06-Dec-1975 George's Alibi
27. 2-14 214 13-Dec-1975 Lunch With Mama
28. 2-15 215 20-Dec-1975 George vs. Wall Street
29. 2-16 216 03-Jan-1976 The Breakup (1)
30. 2-17 217 10-Jan-1976 The Breakup (2)
31. 2-18 218 24-Jan-1976 Florence's Problem
32. 2-19 219 31-Jan-1976 Mother Jefferson's Birthday
33. 2-20 220 07-Feb-1976 Louise's Cookbook
34. 2-21 221 14-Feb-1976 George Meets Whittendale
35. 2-22 222 21-Feb-1976 Lionel's Problem
36. 2-23 223 28-Feb-1976 Tennis, Anyone?
37. 2-24 224 06-Mar-1976 The Wedding


Episodes View details

1 A Dinner for Harry 25 min | Sep 13, 1975

It is Harry Bentley's birthday, and the Jeffersons have invited him and the Willises over for a dinner party. But the occasion turns sour when Tom shows up wearing the same tuxedo as George, causing George to become jealous. Meanwhile, Helen is trying to hide the fact that she was mugged a few days earlier, and if Tom knows about this he will surely move his family out of New York City.

2 George's First Vacation 25 min | Sep 20, 1975

George and Louise decide to take a cruise for their first-ever vacation, but then have to figure out how to tell Mother Jefferson that she's not invited.

3 Louise's Daughter 25 min | Sep 27, 1975

A young woman shows up at the Jeffersons', claiming that she is Louise's long-lost daughter. Louise and George deny her claims, but Mother Jefferson brings up the disturbing news that Louise dated a man years ago while George was in Korea--and that man is the young woman's father.

4 Harry and Daphne 25 min | Oct 04, 1975

Harry Bentley's new girlfriend Daphne appears to be insinuating her way into his life, much to his chagrin. Meanwhile, George plots to bribe the building inspector.

5 Mother Jefferson's Fall 24 min | Oct 11, 1975

Upset that George, Louise, and Lionel aren't paying attention to her while she's visiting their apartment, Mother Jeffersons fakes a fall to command their attention.

6 Jefferson vs. Jefferson 25 min | Oct 18, 1975

George and Louise's anniversary bicycle ride leads to a minor collision and a legal summons for George. But Louise insists on telling the truth rather than corroborating George's ethically shaky account of the incident.

7 Uncle Bertram 25 min | Oct 25, 1975

Mother Jefferson is upset over an encounter with an elevator masher, who turns out to be Tom Willis' elderly Uncle Bertram, a retired firefighter in town to visit his relatives.

8 Movin' on Down 25 min | Nov 01, 1975

George feels that his fortunes are taking a turn for the worse when his business is making less profit and his banker won't return his calls.

9 George Won't Talk 25 min | Nov 08, 1975

George is all excited about being invited to speak in front of some youths about his success at what he believes is a college--until he discovers that he's supposed to speak in the Harlem neighborhood where they used to live, to a gang Lionel used to run with as a teen. Later, his fears are justified when the gang loots his delivery van. Charles, a social worker, and Lionel, who is able to retrieve the van from his former friend Ronnie, the gang leader, finally persuade George to speak to the youths.

10 Jenny's Grandparents 25 min | Nov 15, 1975

Jenny's stubborn grandfathers won't set foot in the Willis apartment because of Tom and Helen's mixed marriage, so Jenny and Louise try to orchestrate a meeting on neutral ground - in the Jefferson apartment. But how will George react?

11 George's Best Friend 25 min | Nov 22, 1975

George's Navy pal, Wendell Brown, pays him a visit. However, Wendell is more interested in getting fresh with Louise than in reminiscing old times with George.

12 George and the Manager 25 min | Nov 29, 1975

When the manager of one of George's stores quits, longtime employee Emily campaigns to replace him. But George shows his male chauvinism by refusing to consider her because she is a female.

13 George's Alibi 25 min | Dec 06, 1975

During a severe snowstorm, Lionel accidentally dents George's company van, but he won't tell him because he took it without his father's permission. But George later thinks that he himself dented the van in a hit-and-run he thinks he caused.

14 Lunch with Mama 25 min | Dec 13, 1975

Mother Jefferson expects George to take her to their monthly lunch date, to the dismay of Louise because she wants George to accompany her to a family friend's funeral on the same day.

15 George vs. Wall Street 25 min | Dec 20, 1975

When George finds out that Lionel turned down a well-paying engineering job, he hits the roof. The resulting late-night argument expands to Tom and Helen Willis' apartment upstairs.

16 The Breakup: Part 1 25 min | Jan 03, 1976

Lionel comes home in a fury and informs his parents that his English professor is forcing him to rewrite a term paper and make it flawless - or else he will get a failing grade and therefore cannot graduate. George, wanting to see his son be the first Jefferson to graduate college, pays a freelance writer to write that term paper instead and expects Lionel to just turn that one in. While the Willises and Louise thinks that is a bad idea, Lionel likes it, and this results in an argument between the two families and soon a break-up.

17 The Breakup: Part 2 25 min | Jan 10, 1976

Three days have passed after the Jeffersons and the Willises have broken up, and George is the only one who's happy about the situation. He meets a foxy lady at his cleaning store and decides to invite her to meet Lionel--a clear attempt to make sure Lionel and Jenny will separate for good. Unfortunately, despite Bentley's warning, George doesn't realize that the woman is a "working girl."

18 Florence's Problem 25 min | Jan 24, 1976

Florence shows out-of-character actions one day, including cleaning the Jeffersons' entire apartment without griping and giving Louise a prized possession of hers. As a result, Louise suspects that Florence is contemplating suicide.

19 Mother Jefferson's Birthday 25 min | Jan 31, 1976

Mother Jefferson visits George, Louise, and Lionel on her birthday, expecting them to throw her a surprise party. After they realize that they've forgotten about her big day, they scramble to put together the celebration for which Mother Jefferson is anxiously waiting.

20 Louise's Cookbook 25 min | Feb 07, 1976

To George's disgruntlement, Louise is offered to write a cookbook.

21 George Meets Whittendale 25 min | Feb 14, 1976

George and Louise accept an invitation to dinner with Harry Bentley and his sister, but at the last minute George realizes that he got invited to a party hosted by Mr. Whittendale, and he would rather blow off the engagement with Bentley and attend Whittendale's gathering.

22 Lionel's Problem 25 min | Feb 21, 1976

Lionel becomes drunk on his graduation day, fearing that he will not live up to being as successful as his father.

23 Tennis Anyone? 25 min | Feb 28, 1976

George accepts Judge Markel's invitation to join the all-white Windsor Tennis Club for networking purposes, then finds out he was only invited to be the club's "token minority" and appease the local media.

24 The Wedding 25 min | Mar 06, 1976

George and Louise plan to renew their wedding vows. But then George enrages Louise by failing to treat her as an equal partner in their marriage.

Cast View all

Paul Benedict Harry Bentley
Sherman Hemsley George Jefferson
Berlinda Tolbert Jenny Willis
Franklin Cover Tom Willis
Isabel Sanford Louise Jefferson
Roxie Roker Helen Willis
Zara Cully Mother Jefferson
Damon Evans Lionel Jefferson
Ned Wertimer Ralph Hart
Marla Gibbs Florence Johnston
Victor Kilian Uncle Bertram
Rene Auberjonois Inspector Keller
Robert Guillaume Charles Thompson
Louis Gossett Jr. Wendell Brown
Melinda Dillon Daphne
Richard Libertini Neighbor
Leon Ames Grandpa Willis
Marion Ramsey Tracy Davis
J.A. Preston Rev. Greenwood
Lillian Randolph Emma
Danny Wells Charlie
Davis Roberts Carl
Robert Lussier Howard Brooks
Maidie Norman Rachel
Keene Curtis Judge John Markell

Edition details

Packaging Keep Case
Nr Discs 3
Screen Ratios Fullscreen (4:3)
Audio Tracks Dolby Digital Stereo [English]
Subtitles English (Closed Captioned)
Distributor Sony Pictures
Layers Single side, Single layer
Edition Release Date May 13, 2003
Regions Region 1

Personal

Purchased For $ 24.95
Watched
Index 149
Added Date Dec 12, 2012 01:15:25
Modified Date Nov 14, 2019 01:44:07