Revolution Televised.pdf

210 Notes to Chapter 5
9. I specify TV Guide here and continue to use this publication as a
primary source in this chapter. As a mainstream publication with a wide
readership and obvious ties to television, TV Guide proves to be a relevant
resource in understanding the narratives created around television, the
interpretations of the historical moment, and eventually the power and
widespread impact of the statements made by African American entertainers
when featured within its pages.
10. Lewis, “The Importance of Being Julia,” 24.
11. To criticize Julia for not portraying a realistic black person is essentializing,
as the Civil Rights movement had helped to solidify a black middle
class and Julia was leading a black middle-class existence.
12. Lewis, “The Importance of Being Julia,” 27.
13. Ibid., 27–28.
14. Ibid., 27.
15. Ibid., 28.
16. Ibid., 28.
17. For a detailed discussion of the gender implications of Julia, see
Aniko Bodroghkozy, “‘Is This What You Mean by Color TV?’ Race, Gender
and Contested Meanings NBC’s Julia,” 143–67.
18. Any citation with stage directions suggests the use of an archived
script. Otherwise dialogue is taken directly from the taped episodes.
19. See, “I’m a Black Woman with a White Image,” 29–30.
20. Ibid., 30.
21. Edith Efron, “What’s Happening to Blacks in Broadcasting? Excluded,
Distorted, Mishandled and Exploited,” 44.
22. Ibid., 44.
23. Maude was a spin-off of All in the Family. Bea Arthur as Maude
Finley was Edith Bunker’s cousin, a strong-willed and opinionated “feminist”
who challenged Archie. Maude espoused liberal views, and the show
dealt with controversial issues. The episode most often cited to describe the
show’s edge dealt with abortion. Good Times was a spin-off of Maude.
24. Esther Rolle, quoted in Riley, “Esther Rolle the Fishin’ Pole,” 17.
25. Ibid., 18.
26. Bob Lucas, “Collard Greens’ TV Show,” 53.
27. Gaines, Uplifting the Race, 5.
28. Esther Rolle in an interview in Color Adjustment, dir. Marlon Riggs,
California Newsreel, 1991.
29. Franklin and Moss, From Slavery to Freedom, 493.
30. Carson et al., eds., The Eyes on the Prize, 294.
31. I call these shows pure sitcom because they were not only devoid of
politics and pedagogy but also leaned strongly toward exaggerated characterizations
and meaningless story lines.