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227 is an American sitcom television series that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 6, 1990. The series, created by C.J. Banks and Bill Boulware, stars Marla…
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227 is an American sitcom television series that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 6, 1990. The series, created by C.J.
227 is an American sitcom television series that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 6, 1990. The series, created by C.J. Banks and Bill Boulware, stars Marla Gibbs as Mary Jenkins, a sharp-tongued, inner-city resident gossip and housewife. Other major characters include her husband Lester (Hal Williams), neighbor Sandra Clark (Jackée Harry), friend and landlady Rose Holloway (Alaina Reed Hall), friend and neighbor Pearl Shay (Helen Martin) and Mary and Lester's daughter Brenda (Regina King).
The series was adapted from Two Twenty Seven, a stage play written in 1978 by Christine Houston about the lives of women in a predominantly Black apartment building in 1950s Chicago. The setting of the series, however, was changed to present-day Washington, D.C. The show was created as a starring vehicle for Marla Gibbs, who had become famous as Florence Johnston, the maid on The Jeffersons, and had starred in Houston's play in Los Angeles. This role was similar in nature to that of tart-tongued Florence; Gibbs's character, housewife Mary Jenkins, loved a good gossip and often spoke what she thought, with sometimes not-so-favorable results. Gibbs was also credited as a "creative consultant" for the series.
According to Gibbs, 227 was originally offered to ABC but sold to NBC. Since The Jeffersons was still on the air on CBS, the new show was scheduled to begin in 1986. However, when The Jeffersons was unexpectedly canceled in 1985, Gibbs was free to begin, and 227 went into production a year earlier than had been previously planned.
227 followed the lives of people in a middle-class apartment building, 227 Lexington Place (the numerical address from which the sitcom's name comes), in a Black neighborhood in Northeast, Washington, D.C. The show was centered around Mary Jenkins (Marla Gibbs), a nosy and tart-tongued but loving housewife. Her husband Lester Jenkins (Hal Williams) had his own construction company and their daughter Brenda (Regina King in her first television acting role) was boy-crazy yet smart and studious.
Also cast in 227 was Sandra Clark (Jackée Harry), Mary's younger neighbor who constantly bickered back and forth with her about their respective views on life. Although their relationship was antagonistic at first, Mary and Sandra became good friends as time went on. Also living in the building was Pearl Shay (Helen Martin), a feisty but kind-hearted busybody neighbor on the first floor who was known for snooping and had a sharp sense of humor. Pearl had a grandson named Calvin Dobbs (Curtis Baldwin), whom Brenda had a crush on and would finally date later in the series' run.
Rose Lee Holloway (Alaina Reed Hall) was Mary's level-headed best friend and often the voice of reason among 227's residents. She and Mary were often seen sitting on the front stoop of the building, exchanging rumors and gossip with Pearl adding sly commentary and humor from her front window. In the premiere episode, Rose became the unexpected landlady of the building after the building's stingy slumlord Mr. Calloway died. Rose stayed on as landlady until the fourth season and had a daughter named Tiffany Holloway (Kia Goodwin) who was Brenda's closest friend. However, Goodwin's mother was unhappy in California, so the child actor was released from her contract. Tiffany was written out of the series after the second season, although she was mentioned occasionally.
In the first season, both Helen Martin and Curtis Baldwin, who had only been recurring stars, appeared in nearly every episode. From season 2 onward, they were upped to series regulars.
By the time taping started on the third season in 1987, Jackée Harry, who had just won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress, changed her stage name to simply Jackée, which she used until 1994. In the fourth season, an 11-year-old child prodigy named Alexandria DeWitt () became the Jenkins' house guest. Vaughn received her role after she appeared on Star Search and declared to host Ed McMahon that her favorite show was 227. However, Alexandria left during Calvin's graduation episode near the end of season four to reunite with her father, who, after completing his archaeological dig in the Amazon, had moved to London to catalogue his items.
Mary Jenkins (portrayed by Marla Gibbs) – A housewife who lives at 227 Lexington Place
Lester Jenkins (portrayed by Hal Williams) – The patriarch of the Jenkins family. He is the proprietor of a construction company.
Rose Lee Holloway (portrayed by Alaina Reed Hall) – The level-headed best friend of Mary. She and Mary would sit on the stoop and spread gossip to each other. Rose becomes the landlady of 227 Lexington Place after the stingy slumlord Mr. Calloway died. She loses this job in season five when Julian c. Barlow comes into view and succeeds her as the new landlord.
Sandra Clark (portrayed by Jackée Harry) – A younger neighbor of the Jenkins family who Mary often bickers with. While Mary was a happily married housewife with a stable lifestyle, Sandra was a stylish, loose, man-hungry, somewhat ditzy diva and a serial dater who dressed provocatively. Although their relationship was antagonistic at first, Mary and Sandra became good friends as time went on.
Pearl Shay (portrayed by Helen Martin) – A
Source: 227 (TV series) (CC BY-SA)
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After the fourth season, Jackée's television pilot, titled "Jackée", found Sandra moving to New York City and finding work at a spa. NBC aired the episode on May 11, 1989. The pilot was rejected and Jackée left the show. However, she was a guest star in seven of the final season's episodes where she was billed as "Special Guest Star" in the opening credits of the episodes she was in.
In the show's final season, Toukie Smith and Barry Sobel are promoted to the main cast after appearing in the last season while Stoney Jackson and Paul Winfield joined the cast in an effort to stop the show's declining ratings. In the end, the cast additions proved fruitless and 227 ended its run in the spring of 1990.
