Jay Hammer Movies

A huge corporation intends to buy all the buildings on a certain city block, throwing people out of their apartments in order to construct huge luxury condos. One of the buildings is a dry-cleaning store owned by George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley), who becomes a darling of the media when he refuses to sell out. But George is hardly altruistic -- he is merely holding out in hopes of getting more money for his property. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inspired by a novel, the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence (Marla Gibbs), decides to be a "different woman" (with a different background and set of interests) to every potential sweetheart she comes across. One of the men who is treated to the "new" Florence is Greg Martin (Adam Wade), whom she meets at the Help Center. Alas, Martin happens to be a psychiatrist -- and also happens to be convinced that Florence is suffering from a multiple-personality disorder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Taking advantage of The Jeffersons' new later Wednesday-night time slot (9:30 p.m. EST), the producers served up an episode that would never have passed muster in "family hour." Temporarily impotent, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) desperately tries to hide his condition from wife Louise (Isabel Sanford) as he seeks out all manner of "cures," from aphrodisiacs to therapy. This episode was spoofed over 20 years later on The Rerun Show, with former Jeffersons regular Marla Gibbs making a startling guest appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) is primed to attend her class reunion in the company of her husband, George (Sherman Hemsley). Alas, a quarrel breaks out between the Jeffersons when Louise finds out that, according to the dictates of George's new will, she will not inherit a penny if she remarries. As she angrily heads to the reunion alone, Louise is determined to find out if George will really cut her off if she finds a new husband. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When The Jeffersons entered its fifth season in the fall of 1978, the series still enjoyed an ardent fan following, but its Top Ten ratings status was a thing of the past. Having been shifted all over the CBS prime-time schedule during its past two seasons -- Saturdays to Wednesdays, Wednesdays to Mondays, Mondays back to Saturdays, then back to Mondays again -- the series showed up on Wednesdays yet again, this time opposite ABC's popular Eight is Enough. Of the cast of regulars, Ernest Harden Jr., introduced in season four as George Jefferson's (Sherman Hemsley) streetwise employee Marcus Garvey Henderson, disappeared with little fanfare. New to the series was Jay Hammer as Alan Willis, the long-estranged son of interracial couple Tom and Helen Willis (Franklin Cover, Roxie Roker). Hammer, too, would be gone within a year. Meanwhile, though Damon Evans (as Lionel Jefferson) would continue to receive opening-credits billing, he was conspicuously absent. In truth, Damon Evans had left the series; Lionel would return full-time during season six in the person of Mike Evans (no relation), the actor who originated the role on All in the Family way back in 1971. Surprisingly, The Jeffersons remained on Wednesdays throughout most of the 1978-1979 season, though the time slot varied between 8:00-8:30 p.m. and 9:30-10:00 p.m. The series' ratings, which had progressively weakened since its 1975 debut, seemed to have leveled off; there was no way to go but up or out. And with an advantageous move to a brand-new Sunday-night slot in June 1979, the direction proved to be up -- way, way up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jay Hammer makes his first series appearance as Alan Willis, the long-estranged son of interracial couple Tom and Helen Willis (Franklin Cover, Roxie Roker). In this first episode of a two-part story, the commune-dwelling Alan returns to New York to claim a warehouse inherited from his grandfather. Crafty George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) hopes to use the hostility between Alan and his father Tom to purchase the warehouse for his new cleaning factory. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alan Willis (Jay Hammer), the son of interracial couple Tom and Helen Willis (Franklin Cover, Roxie Roker), falls in love with Debbie Taylor (Sally Hightower). All well and good -- except that Debbie is the daughter of lily-white bank official Phil Taylor (Edward Taylor). Ever worried about racial and business matters, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) is terrified that the Willis-Taylor romance will ruin his chances of joining the bank's board of directors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) complains that her marriage to George (Sherman Hemsley) is in a rut. Things change in a hurry when Louise is rendered unconscious during a mugging. When she comes to, Louise has no memory of her marriage -- or, for that matter, of George. Only The Jeffersons could have made something fresh and funny out of the old, worn-out "amnesia" gambit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) needs a sizeable loan to obtain a permit for the new Help Center. Inexplicably, the local bank turns Louise down. Taking matters in his own hands, Louise's husband George (Sherman Hemsley) finds out that the bank was acting on the orders of a city official -- who turns out to be an old Navy "pal" of George's, a man with a long memory and a smoldering grudge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ventriloquist Willie Tyler guest stars as ventriloquist Roy Crandall, who has apparently given up showbiz to become a stockbroker. George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) is both amused by Roy's voice-throwing skills and amazed at the man's business acumen. It is only after George has invested heavily in Roy's market tips that he discovers his new stockbroker is a "graduate" of a mental institution. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Jeffersons welcome two Christmas guests: Uncle Buddy (Arnold Johnson) and his pal Zeke (Raymond Allen). George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) is delighted to see Buddy, who was virtually a father to him when he was growing up. But delight is not the word to describe George's reaction when he discovers that his sainted mother and Uncle Buddy had once been lovers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Made for television, The Mark of Zorro is virtually a scene-for-scene remake of the 1940 Tyrone Power theatrical film--the principal difference being that, where Power's version ran 93 minutes, the TV version blurs along at a mere 78 minutes. Frank Langella plays Don Diego, the supposedly foppish Spanish California nobleman who fights for the people's rights in the guise of Zorro. Ricardo Montalban appears in the Basil Rathbone role as the evil oppressor whom Zorro eventually bests with his sword. Gilbert Roland is cast as Zorro's father, allowed a bit of swashbuckling on his own (the 69 year old Roland is astonishingly athletic). Alfred Newman's pulsating score from the original Mark of Zorro is cleverly redeployed in this remake. What's missing in the 1974 Mark of Zorro is the freshness and virtuosity of the earlier film's director Rouben Mamoulien; and, in all due respect to his considerable talent, Frank Langella is no Tyrone Power. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide