Julia (1968 TV series)

Julia is an American television sitcom and the first weekly series

to star an African-American woman in a non-stereotypical role. Julia
Previous television series featured African-American lead
characters, but the characters were usually servants. The show
starred actress and singer Diahann Carroll, and ran for 86 episodes
on NBC from September 17, 1968, to March 23, 1971. The series
was produced by Savannah Productions, Inc., Hanncarr
Productions, Inc., and 20th Century-Fox Television.

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

Man.[1] The series was among the few situation comedies in the
late 1960s that did not use a laugh track; however, 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
In Julia, Carroll played widowed
single mother, Julia Baker (her
husband, Army Capt. Baker, an O-1
Diahann Carroll, Lloyd Nolan, and
Bird Dog artillery spotter pilot had
been shot down in Vietnam), who was Marc Copage.
a nurse in a doctor's office at a large Genre Sitcom
aerospace company. The doctor, Created by Hal Kanter
Morton Chegley, was played by Lloyd
Nolan, and Julia's romantic interests Directed by Don Ameche
by Paul Winfield and Fred Luther James
Julia and Corey at Williamson. Julia's son, Corey (Marc Fletcher Markle
home. Copage) was approximately six to Coby Ruskin
nine years old during the series run. Barry Shear
He had barely known his father before Ezra Stone
he died. Corey's best friend was Earl J. Waggedorn, whom Corey Bernard Wiesen
almost always addressed and referred to precisely by his full name, Hollingsworth
though other characters (particularly his mother) would refer to
Morse
him simply as Earl. The Waggedorns lived downstairs in the same
apartment building, with father, police officer Leonard (Hank Starring Diahann Carroll
Brandt), stay-at-home mother Marie (Betty Beaird), and two sons, Lloyd Nolan
Earl and an infant whose first name is never revealed. Marc Copage
Michael Link
The first two seasons included nurse Hannah Yarby (Lurene
Betty Beaird
Tuttle), who left to be married at the beginning of the third season,
Lurene Tuttle
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 Theme music Elmer Bernstein
kept after Chegley reminded Brockmeyer that such a move was a composer
violation of the Civil Rights Act, which was just five years old at
Composers Jeff Alexander
that point.) The second and third season included Richard (Richard
Steele), a boy some one or two years older than Corey. Chegley's Elmer Bernstein
uncle, Dr. Norton Chegley (also played by Lloyd Nolan), made Country of United States
three appearances. The series' first episode was filmed in October origin
1967, a year before the pilot was picked up.
Original English
language
Cast No. of 3
Diahann Carroll as Julia Baker seasons
Marc Copage as Corey Baker No. of 86
Betty Beaird as Marie Waggedorn episodes (list of episodes)
Ned Glass as Sol Cooper (17 episodes, 1968–1970) Production
Janear Hines as Roberta (1970–71)
Executive Hal Kanter
Eugene Jackson as Uncle Lou (1968–69)
producer
Michael Link as Earl J. Waggedorn
Producer Hal Kanter
Don Marshall as Ted Neumann (1968–70)
Alison Susan Mills as Carol Deering Camera setup Single-camera
Lloyd Nolan as Dr. Morton Chegley Running time 24 minutes
Mary Wickes as Melba Chegley (Dr. Chegley's wife) Production Hanncarr
Steve Pendleton as Mr. Bennett (6 episodes, 1968– companies Productions
1970) Savannah
Eddie Quillan as Eddie Edson (17 episodes, 1968–71) Productions
Lurene Tuttle as Nurse Hannah Yarby (32 episodes, 20th Century-Fox
1968–70) Television
Hank Brandt as Leonard Waggedorn[3] (27 episodes,
Release
1968–71)
Fred Williamson as Steve Bruce (1970–71) Original NBC
Paul Winfield as Paul Cameron network
Diana Sands as Cousin Sarah Porter (1970-1971) Original September 17,
release 1968 –

Controversy March 23, 1971

Though Julia is now remembered as being groundbreaking, during its run it was derided by critics for
being apolitical and unrealistic. Diahann Carroll remarked in 1968: "At the moment we're presenting the
white Negro. And he has very little Negroness."[4] The Saturday Review's Robert Lewis Shayon wrote that
Julia's "plush, suburban setting" was "a far, far cry from the bitter realities of Negro life in the urban ghetto,
the pit of America's explosion potential." [5] Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"
refers to Julia in the same breath as Bullwinkle, implying that the character was something of a cartoon.
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 was well-rated in the first two seasons but dropped out of the top 30 most-watched shows during
season 3. The series was canceled in 1971, 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 Jimmy Stewart
Show for NBC the following season.

Awards and nominations

Year Award Result Category Recipient

American
Best Edited Television John Ehrin (For episode "Mama's
Cinema
Program Man")
Editors
Outstanding Single
Ned Glass (For episode "A Little
Performance by an Actor in a
Chicken Soup Never Hurt Anybody")
Supporting Role

Diahann Carroll; this nomination

Outstanding Continued made Carroll the first African-
1969 Performance by an Actress in American woman to earn an
a Leading Role in a Comedy Emmy nomination in this
Series
Nominated category[9]
Emmy Award
Outstanding Continued
Performance by an Actor in a
Lloyd Nolan
Leading Role in a Comedy
Series
Outstanding Comedy Series Hal Kanter

Outstanding Performance by
1970 an Actress in a Supporting Lurene Tuttle
Role in Comedy
Best Television Series -
1969
Golden Won Best TV Star – Female Diahann Carroll
Globe Award
Best TV Actress –
1970 Nominated Diahann Carroll
Musical/Comedy

Photoplay
1969 Magazine Won Actress of the Year Diahann Carroll
Medal
TV Land
2003 Won Groundbreaking Show Diahann Carroll
Awards

References
1. Weiner, Ed (1992). The TV Guide TV Book: 40 Years of the All-Time Greatest Television
Facts, Fads, Hits, and History (https://archive.org/details/tvguidetvbook40y00wein). New
York: Harper Collins. p. 174 (https://archive.org/details/tvguidetvbook40y00wein/page/174).
ISBN 0-06-096914-8.
2. "Magic Johnson's Multi-Million Dollar Aspire Network Projected To See Great Success" (htt
p://madamenoire.com/192564/magic-johnsons-multi-million-dollar-aspire-network-projected-
to-see-great-success/). MadameNoire.
 3. "Few Movies Have Escaped Cop on 'Julia' " (https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/2502
97779/). Muncie Evening Press. Muncie, Indiana. February 15, 1969. p. 35. Retrieved
November 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Morreale, Joanne; Aniko Bodroghkozy (2003). Critiquing The Sitcom (https://archive.org/deta
ils/critiquingsitcom0000unse/page/138). Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press.
p. 138 (https://archive.org/details/critiquingsitcom0000unse/page/138). ISBN 0-8156-2983-4.
5. Farber, David R.; Beth L. Bailey (2001). The Columbia Guide to America in the 1960s (http
s://archive.org/details/columbiaguidetoa00farb_0/page/400). New York: Columbia University
Press. p. 400 (https://archive.org/details/columbiaguidetoa00farb_0/page/400). ISBN 0-231-
11372-2.
6. " 'Julia': Television network introduces first black family series" (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=1OEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1). Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. November
1968. p. 68.
7. Spigel, Lynn; Denise Mann (1992). Private Screenings: Television and the Female
Consumer. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. p. 161. ISBN 0-8166-
2052-0.
8. Acham, Christine (2004). Revolution Televised: Prime Time and the Struggle for Black
Power. University of Minnesota Press. p. 126. ISBN 0-8166-4431-4.
9. Kate Stanhope (23 September 2013). "Diahann Carroll on African-American Emmy
Nominees: "We're a Little Behind" " (https://www.tvguide.com/news/diahann-carroll-emmys-
behind-1071165.aspx). TVGuide.com.

External links
Julia (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062575/) at IMDb

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