Zara Cully Movies

Superstitious Louise (Isabel Sanford) goes into a panic when she loses her lucky wedding corsage. Convinced that this means her marriage to George (Sherman Hemsley) is finished, Louise resists every effort by George to prove that the opposite is true. This episode marks the final appearance of Zara Cully (who died in early 1978) as Mother Jefferson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While visiting his parents, Lionel Jefferson (Damon Evans) lands in bed with a bad cold. Naturally, Lionel's mom, Louise (Isabel Sanford), assumes that she will take care of her darling boy, as always. Trouble ensues when Lionel's wife, Jenny (Berlinda Tolbert), insists upon nursing her ailing hubby. Zara Cully makes her first third-season appearance as Mother Jefferson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Emulating his idol Harry Belafonte, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) wants to renew his marriage vows with his wife, Louise (Isabel Sanford). But the second wedding may never get off the ground -- and indeed, the original marriage may be hopelessly grounded -- thanks to a heated argument involving ownership of George's business. This final episode of The Jeffersons' second season also represents the last "regular" appearance of Zara Cully as Mother Jefferson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

George and Louise Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford) have completely forgotten the upcoming 70th birthday of George's mother (Zara Cully). Scrambling around to find an appropriate present at the last minute, George and Louise hit upon what they think is a brilliant idea: They will reunite Mother Jefferson with her sister Emma (Lillian Randolph), whom she hasn't seen in 25 years. Alas, it turns out that there's a strong and compelling reason why the elderly siblings have kept their distance for a quarter of a century. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this first episode of a two-part story, Lionel Jefferson (Damon Evans) is worried that he will fail his college term paper, especially since the topic is one on which he has no knowledge whatsoever. Ever the doting father, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) tries to help out by purchasing a prewritten essay for Lionel. Upon hearing this, Lionel's disgusted fiancée, Jenny (Berlinda Tolbert), breaks off their engagement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this concluding episode of a two-part story, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) has managed to alienate Tom and Helen Willis (Franklin Cover, Roxie Roker), the parents of his son Lionel's ex-fiancée, Jenny (Berlinda Tolbert). Neither the Jeffersons nor the Willises want to make the first move of reconciliation -- or do they? Elswehere, Lionel (Damon Evans) makes a crucial decision regarding his academic future, while "helpful" George, hoping to heal his son's broken heart, unwittingly invites a hooker (Marion Ramsey) to the Jefferson apartment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The second Norman Lear-produced TV series to be spun off from All in the Family (Maude was the first), The Jeffersons grew out of a character who appeared on the very first episode of Family -- college student Lionel Jefferson (originally played by Mike Evans), the young African-American friend of Mike Stivic, son-in-law of super-bigot Archie Bunker. To Archie's horror, Lionel's entire family moved across the street from the Bunker home in the spring of 1971, and over the next few weeks, viewers were introduced to Lionel's mother Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford), who became the best friend and closest confidante of Archie's wife Edith. Later on, two more Jeffersons made their first appearances: Henry Jefferson (Mel Stewart), Lionel's uncle, who was in many ways as racially prejudiced as Archie Bunker; and, finally, Lionel's father and Louise's husband George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley), bombastic owner of a string of dry-cleaning establishments. Ultimately Henry Jefferson was written out of All in the Family, whereupon George "inherited" most of Henry's anti-white attitudes.
In the middle of All in the Family's fifth season, the Jeffersons had accumulated enough wealth to move out of Archie Bunker's blue-collar Queens neighborhood and into a "dee-luxe" high-rise apartment on New York's fashionable East Side. This was the status quo when The Jeffersons debuted Saturday, January 18, 1975, as a mid-season replacement for the failed CBS sitcom Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers (ironically, All in the Family had also premiered as a mid-season replacement). In short order, viewers were introduced to the Jefferson's new neighbors: book editor Tom Willis (Franklin Cover), his wife Helen (Roxie Roker), their daughter Jenny (Berlinda Tolbert), and eccentric Englishman Harry Bentley (Paul Benedict), a translator at the UN. The fact that the Willises were an interracial couple (he was white, she was black) served as grist for the mill of George Jefferson's bigotry and wisecracking humor; meanwhile, Lionel fell in love with the Willises' daughter Jenny, much to the dismay of George but to the delight of everyone else. Other recurring characters included George Jefferson's diminutive but overbearing mother (Zara Cully), who made no secret of her disdain for Louise; Ralph Hart (Ned Wertimer), the doorman of the Jeffersons' luxury apartment building, whose hand was ever outstretched for the tip that George habitually denied him; and Florence Johnston (Marla Gibbs), the Jeffersons' sassy maid, who seldom worked any harder than she had to and whose never-ending battle of wits with the irascible George was one of the series' highlights. (Florence was not a "regular" during season one, and in fact would not graduate to that status for several seasons to come.) Despite its late start, The Jeffersons closed out its first season as the fourth highest-rated program on network television, posting a whopping 27.6 audience share (even higher than that enjoyed by M*A*S*H). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rhoda Gemignani is cast as Emily, an employee at George Jefferson's dry cleaning establishment. Though Emily is the most qualified candidate for the position of manager, George (Sherman Hemsley) refuses to give her the job. Can it be that George is prejudiced against Emily's gender? No, his resistance goes a lot deeper -- skin deep, in fact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Louise (Isabel Sanford) wants her husband, George (Sherman Hemsley), to accompany her to the funeral of her old friend. But George refuses, insisting that he must keep a luncheon date with Mother Jefferson (Zara Cully). Will this be the episode in which George is finally forced to choose between his mother and his wife? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lionel (Damon Evans) damages a fender and headlight of his dad's delivery van, but doesn't fess up. When papa George (Sherman Hemsley) sees the damage, he is convinced that he himself is responsible. Misunderstandings segue into panic when George becomes obsessed with notion that "his" fender bender will result in retribution from the Mob. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Self-made businessman George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) is delighted to be invited to lecture a student audience on the topic of his success. But George's delight turns to dismay when he learns that his audience will be comprised exclusively of ghetto youths. Already troubled at the notion of spending an evening in Harlem, George is unaware that his troubles are only beginning. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Diane Sommerfield, who once played Lionel Jefferson's girl friend on All in the Family, is here cast as Gail Bryant. Arriving unannounced at the Jefferson apartment, Gail insists that Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) is her natural mother. Louise, of course, is outraged -- not so much by Gail's claim, as by the suspicious reaction of husband George (Sherman Hemsley). With this episode, Damon Evans takes over for Mike Evans in the role of Lionel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide