The Jeffersons: The First Store (1980) Reviews

In a lengthy flashback sequence, George and Louise Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford) recall a fateful day in the lives of themselves and every other African-American. The year is 1968. Fired up by racial pride, George announces that he is going to open up his own business. The anti-police activism of his son, Lionel (Mike Evans), nearly costs George the business loan he is counting upon, but this problem is straightened out just in time for George to set up shop. As it happens, however, "opening day" is April 4, 1968 -- the date that Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated. As the episode draws to a dramatic close, it looks as if even Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) will not be able to counteract the anger and frustration which now threaten to overwhelm her husband and son. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi