227 (TV series)
227 is an American sitcom that originally aired on the NBC network from September 14, 1985 to May 6, 1990. The program revolves around the lives of the occupants of a Washington, D.C. apartment building numbered 227, nearly all of whom are African American. The series was adapted from a play written by Christine Houston about the lives of women in a predominantly black apartment building in Chicago. The setting of the series was changed to Washington, DC, to allow the producers to feasibly show a completely black neighborhood (the District is 60% black, while Chicago's black population only comprises about a third, comparable to many other cities in the United States).
The show was started as a starring vehicle for Marla Gibbs, who had first shot to fame as the sassy maid Florence Johnston on The Jeffersons, and had starred in Houston's theater adaptation in Los Angeles. This role was similar in nature to that of tart-tongued Florence; Gibbs' character, housewife Mary Jenkins, often gossiped with Alaina Reed-Hall's character, Rose Lee Holloway, and sparred with Jackée Harry's vampy character, Sandra Clark, who was Mary's nemesis.
Also seen was Mary's husband Lester (Hal Williams) and her teenaged daughter Brenda (Regina King in her first nationwide acting role). Another character seen was Pearl Shay (Helen Martin), who lived next door to Mary and often popped her head outside her window to comment on the various goings-on as related by Mary and Rose. Pearl lived with her grandson Calvin Dobbs (Curtis Baldwin), who was Brenda's first love. Brenda's best friend was Rose's daughter Tiffany (Kia Goodwin), who was phased out of the series in 1987.
The show was high-rated from the beginning (being partnered on NBC's Saturday night line-up with shows such as Gimme a Break!, The Facts of Life, and The Golden Girls), and ranked in the Nielsen Top 30 for the first three of its five seasons. Throughout the final two seasons, however, several new characters appeared, which threw off the tight-knit dynamic that the show had succeeded in establishing. The ratings declined and the show's producers decided to end the show in 1990, in time for Brenda's graduation from high school.
227 also earned many awards, including the first Emmy award for a black supporting actress (Jackée Harry won for her portrayal as Sandra in 1987).
The first season of 227 is available on DVD in Region 1 from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. The order of the episodes in the three-disc set proved mildly confusing to former viewers, as the first part of the show's pilot was placed on the first disc, while the conclusion was placed on the second disc. Adding to the confusion was the fact that the pilot didn't even air as the first episode when the show began in 1985; the two-parter aired at the beginning of November sweeps, after five episodes had already been broadcast.
The theme song to 227 was written by television songwriter Ray Colcord, who went on to write the themes to The Torkelsons, Boy Meets World, and Promised Land. The message conveyed in the song was the strength of family bonds; titled "There's No Place Like Home," the theme was sung by series star Marla Gibbs.
External links
- Information about 227 from The Museum of Broadcast Communications
- 227 from TV Tome