Julia (1968 TV series)

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For other TV series with this name, see Julia § In film and television.
Julia
20th Century-Fox Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 17, 1968 (1968-09-17) –
March 23, 1971 (1971-03-23)

Julia is an American television

20th Century-Fox Television
.

During pre-production, the proposed series title was Mama's Man.

20th Century-Fox Television
added one when the series was reissued for syndication and cable rebroadcasts in the late 1980s.

Julia was among the first acquisitions made by

ASPiRE for its inaugural season in 2012.[2]

Synopsis

Julia and Corey at home.

In Julia, Carroll played widowed single mother, Julia Baker (her husband, Army Capt. Baker, an

nurse in a doctor's office at a large aerospace company. The doctor, Morton Chegley, was played by Lloyd Nolan, and Julia's romantic interests by Paul Winfield and Fred Williamson
. Julia's son, Corey (Marc Copage) was approximately six to nine years old during the series run. He had barely known his father before he died. Corey's best friend was Earl J. Waggedorn, whom Corey almost always addressed and referred to precisely by his full name, though other characters (particularly his mother) would refer to him simply as Earl. The Waggedorns lived downstairs in the same apartment building, with father, police officer Leonard (Hank Brandt), stay-at-home mother Marie (Betty Beaird), and two sons, Earl and an infant whose first name is never revealed.

The first two seasons included nurse Hannah Yarby (Lurene Tuttle), who left to be married at the beginning of the third season, just as the clinic's manager, Brockmeyer, ordered downsizing — and removal of minorities from employment. (Chegley let Yarby go but kept Julia in defiance of the manager's edict. She was also kept after Chegley reminded Brockmeyer that such a move was a violation of the Civil Rights Act, which was just five years old at that point.) The second and third season included Richard (Richard Steele), a boy some one or two years older than Corey. Chegley's uncle, Dr. Norton Chegley (also played by Lloyd Nolan), made three appearances. The series' first episode was filmed in October 1967, a year before the pilot was picked up.

Cast

Controversy

Although Julia is remembered today as groundbreaking, during its original run the series was derided by many critics for being apolitical and unrealistic. In 1968, Diahann Carroll remarked: "At the moment we're presenting the white Negro. And he has very little Negroness."

Ebony published a somewhat more supportive assessment of the program: "As a slice of Black America, Julia does not explode on the TV screen with the impact of a ghetto riot. It is not that kind of show. Since the networks have had a rash of shows dealing with the nation's racial problems, the light-hearted Julia provides welcome relief, if, indeed, relief is even acceptable in these troubled times."[6] The series also came under criticism from African-American viewers for its depiction of a fatherless Black family due to the father's death in American military service. Excluding a Black male lead, it was argued, "rendered the series safer" and "less likely to grapple with issues that might upset white viewers."[7]

Nielsen ratings

Season Rank Rating
1) 1968–1969 #7 24.6
2) 1969–1970 #28 20.1
3) 1970–1971 Not in the Top 30

Cancellation

Julia received good ratings the first two seasons but dropped out of the top 30 most-watched shows during season 3. In 1971, the series was canceled, reportedly because of Carroll's and series creator and executive producer Hal Kanter's desire to work on other projects.[8] Kanter created and produced the short-lived The Jimmy Stewart Show for NBC the following season.

Awards and nominations

Year Award Result Category Recipient
1969 American Cinema Editors Nominated Best Edited Television Program John Ehrin (For episode "Mama's Man")
Emmy Award
 Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Ned Glass (For episode "A Little Chicken Soup Never Hurt Anybody")
Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series
 Diahann Carroll; this nomination made Carroll the first African-American woman to earn an Emmy nomination in this category[9]
Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series
 Lloyd Nolan
Outstanding Comedy Series Hal Kanter
1970
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Comedy
 Lurene Tuttle
1969
Golden Globe Award
 Best Television Series
-
Won Best TV Star – Female Diahann Carroll
1970 Nominated Best TV Actress – Musical/Comedy Diahann Carroll
1969 Photoplay Magazine Medal Won Actress of the Year Diahann Carroll
2003
TV Land Awards
 Won Groundbreaking Show Diahann Carroll

References

  1. ISBN 0-06-096914-8
    .
  2. ^ "Magic Johnson's Multi-Million Dollar Aspire Network Projected To See Great Success". MadameNoire.
  3. Newspapers.com
    .
  4. ISBN 0-8156-2983-4
    .
  5. ISBN 0-231-11372-2
    .
  6. ^ "'Julia': Television network introduces first black family series". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. November 1968. p. 68.
  7. ISBN 0-8166-2052-0
    .
  8. ISBN 0-8166-4431-4
    .
  9. ^ Kate Stanhope (23 September 2013). "Diahann Carroll on African-American Emmy Nominees: "We're a Little Behind"". TVGuide.com.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Julia (TV series).
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