227

Based on a play about the lives of women residing in a black apartment building in 1950s Chicago, by Christine Houston, Marla Gibbs, who first shot to stardom for playing the sarcastic housekeeper to Louise & George Jefferson, Florence Johnston, in "The Jeffersons," got her own series. In this sitcom, she starred as Mary Jenkins, a tart-tongued, sharp housewife, who enjoyed a great deal of gossip, and often spoke of what she'd believed, not-so-good results. 227 was also about the many African-Americans who resided in a Washington, D.C. apartment building, among the many of her residents were Lester Jenkins, Mary's husband who was a construction worker, Brenda Jenkins, a teenaged daughter of Mary's & Lester's, whose very scholarly, when at times, she overdoes things and apologizes, Pearl Shay, an annoying, yet open-minded neighbor, who believes in gossip, the same topic Mary believes in, and Rose Halloway, a best friend of Mary's who show sympathy to the neighbors, who in turn, had a daughter, Tiffany. When the landlord dies [in the pilot episode], Rose took over Mr. Calloway's place, afterwards, until the fourth season. But at least somebody was as argumentative to Mary, until one day, her attractive, young building vamp, Sandra Clark, came over, and started feuding off and on with Mary about their own respective lives.