| Julia | |
|---|---|
Diahann Carroll, Lloyd Nolan, and Marc Coppage. |
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Hal Kanter |
| Directed by | Don Ameche Luther James Fletcher Markle Coby Ruskin Barry Shear Ezra Stone Bernard Wiesen |
| Starring | Diahann Carroll Lloyd Nolan Marc Copage Michael Link Betty Beaird Lurene Tuttle |
| Theme music composer | Elmer Bernstein |
| Composer(s) | Jeff Alexander Elmer Bernstein |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 86 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Hal Kanter |
| Producer(s) | Hal Kanter |
| Running time | 30 mins. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | September 17, 1968 – March 23, 1971 |
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 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., Hanncar Productions, Inc., and 20th Century-Fox Television.
During pre-production, the proposed series title was Mama's Man.[1] 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.
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In Julia, Carroll played widowed single mother Julia Baker (her fighter pilot husband 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.
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." [2] 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." [3] 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." [4] 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."[5]
The series was canceled in 1971 reportedly due to Carroll and series creator and executive producer Hal Kanter's desire to work on other projects [6] (Kanter created and produced The Jimmy Stewart Show for NBC the following season).
| 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 |
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| 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 |