As we come upon the golden 40th anniversary of classic sitcom that needs to be released on DVD or for that manner brought back to television. The reason? Before this series,actress/singer and Broadway sensation Diahann Carroll starred in several theatrical features,most notably opposite starred opposite Dorothy Dandridge,and Harry Belefonte in Otto Preminger's brilliant 1954 musical "Carmen Jones". She was also in the film version of Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess"(also directed by Preminger)and starring opposite Sidney Poitier,Pearl Bailey,and Sammy Davis,Jr.,and opposite Paul Newman in "Paris Blues",which reunited her with leading man Sidney Poitier. She also made her mark in action films as well starring opposite former NFL-great Jim Brown in "The Split". She won the Tony Award in 1962(the first African-American actress to do so),and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in the 1974 landmark classic "Claudine",which she starred opposite James Earl Jones.
So,why after 40 years is this landmark series "Julia" not even mention or not even rated as one of television's greats? Diahann Carroll is best remembered as being one of the first and foremost television series to featured an black actress to star in her own weekly series where she did not play a domestic worker(Before "Julia",television shows featuring lead characters were usually servants like Louise Beavers in "Beulah",and Amanda Randolph in "Make Room For Daddy"). And the first to star in a non-stereotypical role. The classic series "Julia" was groundbreaking for its time in 1968,some three years earlier before Bill Cosby broke color barriers for his work(and won the Emmy for Best Actor) on the series "I Spy". During the 1960's the color barriers in Hollywood were broken and it opened the floodgates for other African-American actors to make their stride...After the success of "I Spy", you had other black actors that did the same,and it launch a new era for minorities too. Actors like Rockne Tarkington("Tarzan"), Hari Rhodes("Daktari"),Robert Hooks("N.Y.P.D"), Nichelle Nichols("Star Trek"), Gail Fisher("Mannix"), Greg Morris("Mission:Impossible"), Don Mitchell("Ironside"), Clarence Williams,III("The Mod Squad"), Ivan Dixon("Hogan's Heroes"), Rafer Johnson("Felony Squad"), and Don Marshall("The Land of the Giants"). Earlier actors included Cicely Tyson("East Side/West Side"). Even the variety show concept also featured African-American actors as well and during the success of Diahann Carroll's sitcom,two black oriented shows were launched featuring black women in their own weekly variety shows..one of them was Broadway sensation and actress Leslie Uggams whose variety show was on CBS,and the other was Barbara McNair whose variety series lasted one season for NBC.
"Julia" was the first to featured a black actress in a positive light during the height of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. The series was produced by Hal Kanter for Twentieth Century-Fox Television. It produced 86 episodes during the three seasons that it ran on NBC-TV from September 17,1968 until May 25,1971. The series did very well in its timeslot when it premiered in 1968,opposite the espionage series "It Takes A Thief"(which was on ABC),and the long-running variety series "The Red Skelton Show"(which was on CBS). Diahann Carroll won the 1968 Golden Globe for Best Actress,and was nominated for an Emmy in 1969 for Best Actress during this series' run. However,the show was the first to tackle issues head on for its day and it was handled with style and grace..something that was unheard of and especially when this show premiered in 1968. This was a series that was groundbreaking while it was on the air and for one was devided by a significiant segment of the black community as not being political or angry enough,owing largely to its status as an lighthearted sitcom.
Carroll played a widowed single mother Julia Baker(her fighter pilot husband had been shot down in Vietnam),who also worked as a nurse for a large hospital. She had a son Corey Baker(Marc Copage)who lived with her in a upscale apartment complex. Her boss was Dr. Morton Chegley was played by Lloyd Nolan,while her co-worker Nurse Hannah Yarby was played by Lurene Tuttle. The Baker's downstairs neighbors were the Waggedorns. Julia's best friend Marie Waggedorn(played by Betty Beaird)was close friends with her son Earl J. Waggedorn(played by Michael Link),who was Corey's best friend and playmate,along with Marie's husband Len(Hank Brandt),and their infant daughter. Other characters included The Baker's housekeeper Roberta(Janear Hines),and not to mention Julia's cousin Sara(played by Broadway sensation and Actress Diana Sands). The guest star roster included Cesar Romero,Bob Hope, Sugar Ray Robinson, Mary Wickes, Stu Gilliam, Jack Soo,and a special guest appearance by Jimmy Stewart in one episode. Her romantic interests were Fred Williamson(Steve Bruce),Paul Winfield(Paul Cameron),and Don Marshall(Ted Neumann). The theme music came from Oscar winning composer Elmer Bernstein. When the show "Julia" left the airwaves in 1971,the show that NBC replaced it with was the short-lived police drama "Sarge" starring George Kennedy that ran from 9-21-1971 until 1-11-1972.
