Julia (TV show) Information

Julia is an American sitcom notable for being one of the first weekly series to depict an African American woman in a non-stereotypical role. Previous television series featured African American lead characters, but the characters were usually servants. The show stars 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. The series was also unique in that it was among the few situation comedies in the late 1960s that did not use a laugh track; however, 20th Century-Fox Television added them when the series was reissued for syndication and cable rebroadcasts in the late 1980s.

Synopsis

In Julia, Carroll played widowed single mother Julia Baker (her husband, Army Capt. Baker, an O-1 Bird Dog artillery spotter pilot had been shot down in Vietnam) who was a nurse in a doctor's office. The doctor, Morton Chegley, was played by Lloyd Nolan, and Julia's romantic interests by Paul Winfield and Fred Williamson. Julia's son, Corey (Marc Copage) was approximately six to nine years old during the series run. He had barely known his father before he died. Corey's best friend is Earl J. Waggedorn (called by that precise full name each and every time). The Waggedorns lived downstairs in the same apartment building, with Len (Hank Brandt), Marie (Betty Beaird), son Earl J. Waggedorn (Michael Link) and infant daughter.

The first two seasons included Nurse Hannah Yarby (Lurene Tuttle), who left to be married at the beginning of the third season, 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.) The second and third season included Richard (Richard Steele) as a character some one or two years older than Corey. Chegley's father, Dr. Norton Chegley (also played by Lloyd Nolan) made two appearances.

Cast

• Diahann Carroll ..... Julia Baker
• Marc Copage ..... Corey Baker
• Betty Beaird ..... Marie Waggedorn
• Janear Hines ..... Roberta (1970–71)
• Eugene Jackson ..... Uncle Lou (1968–69)
• Michael Link ..... Earl J. Waggedorn
• Don Marshall ..... Ted Neumann (1968)
• Lloyd Nolan ..... Dr. Morton Chegley
• Lurene Tuttle .....Nurse Hannah Yarby (32 episodes, 1968–70))
• Fred Williamson ..... Steve Bruce (1970–71)
• Paul Winfield ..... Paul Cameron
• Alison Susan Mills ..... Carol Deering

Reception

Though Julia is now remembered as being groundbreaking, while on the air, 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." 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." 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." The series also came under criticism from African-American viewers for its depiction of a fatherless Black family. Excluding a Black male lead, it was argued, "rendered the series safer" and "less likely to grapple with issues that might upset white viewers."

Nielsen Ratings

NOTE: The highest average rating for the series is in bold text.

Season	Rank	Rating
1968–1969	#7	24.6
1969–1970	#28	20.1
1970–1971	Not in the Top 30

Cancellation

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 (Kanter created and produced The Jimmy Stewart Show for NBC the following season).

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Recipient
1969	American Cinema Editors	Nominated	Best Edited Television Program	John Ehrin (For episode "Mama's Man")
	Emmy Award		Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role	Ned Glass (For episode "A Little Chicken Soup Never Hurt Anybody")
			Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series	Diahann Carroll
			Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series	Lloyd Nolan
			Outstanding Comedy Series	Hal Kanter
1970			Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Comedy	Lurene Tuttle
1969	Golden Globe Award		Best TV Show	-
		Won	Best TV Star - Female	Diahann Carroll
1970		Nominated	Best TV Actress - Musical/Comedy	Diahann Carroll
2003	TV Land Awards	Won	Groundbreaking Show	Diahann Carroll