Damon Evans Movies

Trevor Nunn's acclaimed 1993 production of Dubose Heyward and Ira Gershwin's classic fable of the tragic love affair between crippled Porgy (Willard White) and beautiful but troubled Bess (Cynthia Haymon) was widely acclaimed as one of the definitive stagings of one of America's best-known operas. Nunn restaged his production for a television adaptation commissioned by the BBC, and this video captures the impressive results. Gregg Baker and Damon Evans highlight the supporting cast, and the London Philharmonic (under the direction of Simon Rattle) provide the musical accompaniment. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Josephine Premice makes her first -- and only -- series appearance as Maxine, the sister of Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford). Seeking out a perfect "gift" for Louise's surprise birthday party, husband George (Sherman Hemsley) arranges for Maxine and her son Jason (Justin Lord) to pay a visit to the Jefferson apartment. The festivities are dampened by Louise's unexpectedly hostile reaction to the sister whom she hasn't seen for 30 years. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) forsakes an opportunity to star in a Help Center play. She insists that it is far more important to spend her evenings with her husband, George (Sherman Hemsley). Unfortunately, George himself doesn't share this philosophy; having succumbed to "disco fever," he is now spending each and every night dancing his heart out at the local disco palace -- without Louise. Originally slated to air on March 14, 1979, this episode was bumped to March 28 due to breaking news events. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi

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, Rovi

The phenomenal success of the 1977 ABC miniseries Roots all but demanded a sequel to writer Alex Haley's epic story of his African and African-American forebears. Debuting February 18, 1979, Roots: The Next Generations picked up where its predecessor left off, with Haley's slave ancestors winning their freedom in the aftermath of the Civil War. Even so, life for black Americans was wrought with hardship and oppression thanks to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the staunch refusal of the white power structure to pass anti-lynching laws, and the formation of the dreaded Jim Crow laws which legalized racial segregation in the South (and much of the North). Covering the period from 1882 to the mid-1970s, the miniseries first focuses on blacksmith Tom Harvey (Georg Stanford Brown), great-grandson of Kunta Kinte (the protagonist of the original Roots), and his family. Meanwhile, reacting to the marriage of his son to a black woman, anal-retentive Southern colonel Warner (Henry Fonda) begins setting the legal wheels in motion to deny blacks like Tom the right to vote and to hold "white" jobs. A few decades later, Tom's son-in-law encourages his fellow blacks to stand firm against the KKK's reign of terror. His labors on behalf of his race are rewarded when his daughter Bertha (Irene Cara) becomes the first descendant of Kunta Kinte to receive a college education. It is Bertha Palmer who weds the equally ambitious Simon Haley (Dorian Harewood), who goes on to serve in WWI and to organize farmers and sharecroppers during the Depression. Simon's son Alex (played at various ages by Kristoff St. John, Damon Evans, and finally James Earl Jones) is just as determined to succeed in a white man's world as his father, and to that end becomes a professional writer after his own service stint in the Coast Guard during WWII. At the height of his professional success (largely due to his having ghost-written the autobiography of Muslim activist Malcolm X), Alex Haley pays a visit to his boyhood hometown -- where, almost by accident, he receives the first clue to his heritage, a clue that will lead him on an odyssey of self-discovery, arriving full circle at Kunta Kinte's birthplace in Africa. Although the miniseries' "money scene" was Haley's nervous interview with American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell (Marlon Brando in a superb cameo turn), the climactic episode, in which Haley tearfully embraces the living African descendants of Kunta Kinte, is one of the most unforgettable moments in the history of network television. Running 12 episodes and 14 hours, Roots: The Next Generations concluded on February 25, 1979, playing to huge ratings all along the way and ultimately garnering several Emmy nominations (and one win). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Scripture-quoting Buzz Thatcher (Larry McCormick) has been dating the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence (Marla Gibbs), for only a month when he suddenly proposes marriage. Naturally, Florence is eager and willing to go marching down the aisle with such a pious beau. But her employer Louise (Isabel Sanford) is worried about Florence's prospects for lasting happiness when she learns a few disturbing truths about Buzz' religious fervor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Helen Willis (Roxie Roker) is mad when she finds out that her husband, Tom (Franklin Cover), is going to attend a business convention in Mexico without her. She is madder still when she learns that Tom is going to be accompanied by a beautiful blonde (Judy Landers). What Helen doesn't know -- until it is almost too late -- is that the blonde is the mistress of Tom's boss. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

George (Sherman Hemsley) is delighted when his temporarily unemployed son, Lionel (Sherman Hemsley), agrees to enter the Jefferson family business. Unfortunately, Lionel's inexperience is matched only by his incompetence, and before long he has implemented dozens of useless "changes" in the operation. The limit comes when Lionel plans a half-price sale that bids fair to financially ruin his terrified dad. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After an argument with George (Sherman Hemsley), Louise (Isabel Sanford) storms out of their apartment. Thus, George is all alone when a burglar (Philip Charles MacKenzie) breaks in. Binding George to a kitchen chair, the burglar ransacks the apartment -- and then Louise unexpectedly returns. Originally telecast as a 90-minute special, "George and Louise in a Bind" has since been divided into three separate 30-minute segments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Jeffersons' in-law Tom Willis (Franklin Cover) has decided to open his own publishing firm. To expedite this, Tom hopes to convince George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) to co-sign a loan. In a masterpiece of bad timing, Tom's outspoken wife, Helen (Roxie Roker), has just gotten involved in yet another bitter argument with the prickly George. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A power blackout plunges New York City and its neighboring boroughs into darkness -- and George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) into despair. Hoping to protect his Bronx dry-cleaning store from looters, George and his young employee Marcus (Ernest Harden Jr.) hurry to the establishment. They succeed only in getting arrested as looters themselves. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this second episode of a two-part story, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) steps up his campaign to purchase a warehouse owned by Alan Willis (Jay Hammer), the hippie son of interracial couple Tom and Helen Willis (Franklin Cover, Roxie Roker). Taking advantage of an argument between Alan and Tom, George invites the younger Willis to move into the Jefferson apartment. The plot thickens when George's wife Louise (Isabel Sanford) and Alan's mother Helen have a run-in with the landlord of the Help Center, where both women put in volunteer work. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi