227 (TV series)
| 227 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by |
C.J. Banks Bill Boulware |
| Based on | 227 by Christine Houston |
| Developed by | Jack Elinson |
| Starring |
Marla Gibbs Hal Williams Alaina Reed Hall Jackée Harry Helen Martin Regina King Kia Goodwin Curtis Baldwin Countess Vaughn Toukie A. Smith Stoney Jackson Barry Sobel Paul Winfield |
| Theme music composer | Ray Colcord |
| Opening theme | "There's No Place Like Home" performed by Marla Gibbs |
| Composer(s) | Ray Colcord |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 116 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Marla Gibbs (1985–1986) Ronald Rubin (1987–1988) Bill Boulware (1987–1988) Bob Myer (1985–1986) Bob Young (1985–1986) Richard Gurman (1985–1987) George Burditt (1987–1988) Ron Bloomberg (1985–1988) Jack Elinson (1985–1987) Roy Campanella, Jr. (1985–1986) Irma Kalish (1988–1990) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Embassy Television (1985–1986) (season 1) Embassy Communications (1986–1988) (seasons 2-3) ELP Communications (1988-1990) (seasons 4-5) Columbia Pictures Television (1988–1990) (seasons 3-5) |
| Distributor |
Columbia TriStar Television Sony Pictures Television (Currently) |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 14, 1985 – May 6, 1990 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Jackée |
227 is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 6, 1990. The series stars Marla Gibbs as a sharp-tongued, inner-city resident gossip and housewife, Mary Jenkins.
The series was adapted from a 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 sassy 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' character, housewife Mary Jenkins, loved a good gossip and often spoke what she thought, with sometimes not-so-favorable results.
According to Gibbs, 227 was originally offered to ABC, but sold to NBC. The show was scheduled to begin in 1986 since The Jeffersons was still on the air on CBS. However, when The Jeffersons was abruptly and 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, in Northeast, Washington, D.C. The show was centered around Mary Jenkins (Marla Gibbs), a nosy, tart-tongued, but loving housewife. Her husband, Lester (Hal Williams), had his own construction company, and their daughter, Brenda (Regina King), was boy-crazy yet smart and studious. It was King's first acting role.
Also cast in 227 was Sandra Clark (Jackée Harry), Mary's young, sexy building friend 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 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.
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