Comments on: To a deluxe apartment, in the sky...

To a deluxe apartment, in the sky...

KillaSeal — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:20:57 -0800

Sherman Alexander Hemsley died today at the age of 74. Perphaps best known for his role as George Jefferson on All in the Family and its spin-off, The Jeffersons, Hemsley's career spanned over four decades, including working on stage, in films, and of course, appearing (or starring in) in many TV shows.

By: discopolo

discopolo — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:21:42 -0800

I'm so sad about this. .

By: anothermug

anothermug — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:29:09 -0800

He was such a good foil to Archie Bunker. Hemsley dead, and the Kardashians going strong. Hello, God, hey, listen, are you paying attention at all to what's going on down here?

By: readyfreddy

readyfreddy — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:29:21 -0800

By: crazy_yeti

crazy_yeti — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:33:40 -0800

And apparently he was the world's biggest Gong fan! Who knew?

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:36:55 -0800

The AV Club obituary expands on a brief line in the Wikipedia article on Hemsley -- Norman Lear devised George Jefferson, but Hemsley was busy on Broadway. Lear wrote Weezie Jefferson into "All in the Family" anyway, but intentionally kept George off-screen (like Norm's wife on "Cheers"), then two years later plugged Hemsley into the prepared role. Two. Years. Later. Imagine if they'd brought Vera into the cast of "Cheers" two years after Norm started complaining about her. It would have sucked. No one could ever have played Maris on "Frasier," for that matter. And yet, despite the anticipation, Hemsley was so obviously worth it.

By: ian1977

ian1977 — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:37:59 -0800

. He always cracked me up. I would have guessed him older though.

By: thelonius

thelonius — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:39:16 -0800

I'll listen to some Gentle Giant in tribute.

By: trip and a half

trip and a half — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:39:25 -0800

By: antifuse

antifuse — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:40:59 -0800

I will forever remember him as Deacon Ernest Frye in "Amen" - I was a bit too young to watch the Jeffersons. Although I had to look up the name of the show, and had merged "227" with "Amen" in my memory so that I was totally confused to find out there was no Deacon character in 227.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:41:05 -0800

My favorite performance of Sherman Hemsley was in the musical "Purlie" that I must have watched a hundred times when I was a boy. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find his big number "The Bigger they Are" online.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:41:29 -0800

Moving on up forever. :(

By: antifuse

antifuse — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:42:32 -0800

Oh, and also as the voice of the boss in "Dinosaurs".

By: tribalspice

tribalspice — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:43:19 -0800

He was so prolific.

By: MCMikeNamara

MCMikeNamara — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:45:19 -0800

George Jefferson dancing

By: Flex1970

Flex1970 — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:46:40 -0800

If I remember correctly, he was a kind, soft, man. Not at all like the characters he portrayed. Funny how I will forever know the name, George Jefferson...And Weezy. Like, that WAS black television(wow). There weren't that many channels. So nuff respect Mr. Hemsley. The Jeffersons on ice (no pun) was total love. RIP

By: FelliniBlank

FelliniBlank — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:48:28 -0800

Damn, that's sad! I had such a crush on Sherman when I was about 13 -- he was so feisty and unsinkable.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:48:49 -0800

It wasn't black television. It was television.

By: eriko

eriko — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:49:32 -0800

By: Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner

Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:50:45 -0800

By: Flex1970

Flex1970 — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:51:37 -0800

True

By: Palquito

Palquito — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:52:33 -0800

Let's hope, for his own sake, that God's not a "Honky," or he'll get an earful. .

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:54:37 -0800

He was always fantastic. What a performer. He'll be missed.

By: St. Alia of the Bunnies

St. Alia of the Bunnies — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:55:13 -0800

By: porn in the woods

porn in the woods — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:59:34 -0800

. Thanks for the laughs, Mr. Jefferson. You and Mr. Bentley are probably duking it out right now. Oh, and this... George Jefferson: World's Biggest Gong Fan? This is one of the most mind-blowingly weird anecdotes MAGNET has ever published. Ten years ago, writer Mitch Myers profiled prog-rock legend Daevid Allen (Soft Machine, Gong), who told us of his strange encounter with actor Sherman Hemsley (a.k.a. George Jefferson). Here is the story of Hemsley's obsession with flying teapots and his alleged den of iniquity that housed an LSD lab, a harem of naked girls and crack/freebase depots on every floor.

By: Elly Vortex

Elly Vortex — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:00:18 -0800

By: porn in the woods

porn in the woods — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:01:08 -0800

(oh, beat to the punch by crazy_yeti)

By: hippybear

hippybear — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:10:18 -0800

I watched the entire cycle of All In The Family not too long ago (easy when it's in 2-hour blocks 5 nights a week, assisted by a DVR). I remember the whole introduction of George as an off-screen character and him finally appearing as a real character. It was a great moment in the series. That The Jeffersons then became a spin-off was an outstanding development. The 1970s were such a fertile time for groundbreaking television that was actually socially important in a lot of ways. We don't see much of that anymore, if at all. I kind of miss it. Thanks, Mr. Hemsley, for being so indelible in the minds of so many. You will be missed. .

By: magstheaxe

magstheaxe — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:12:35 -0800

Hemsley was a self-proclaimed fan of 1970s progressive rock bands including Yes, Gentle Giant and Nektar. On his appearance on Dinah!, Hemsley performed a dance to the Gentle Giant song "Proclamation" from The Power and the Glory. After his dance, Shore laughed and asked what kind of music that was. Sherman then gave a five-minute speech about Gentle Giant. In 1999, he collaborated with Yes founder Jon Anderson on an album titled Festival of Dreams which was not released. --Wikipedia So. Much. Awesome. R.I.P. Mr. Hensley. When George Jefferson saved the Klansman's life with CPR, I learned a powerful lesson that day.

By: symbioid

symbioid — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:12:53 -0800

. So, I never really watched it as a kid, but I did know the theme song vaguely. In 3rd grade, I chased this girl around the playground to get her to kiss me (yes, I had issues)... And her friends kicked my ass, one grabbed my arm, threw me on the ground then another one stood over me as I stared up at her and from her mouth came the theme song... MOOOOVIN ON UP! (I have no clue why, exactly, she picked that song to sing, but there she was towering over my fallen body and singing the Jeffersons song). To this day, that's my biggest memory related to the show. I always liked him, for some reason. I think he vaguely looked like this one kid I knew and something about his 'tude was appealing (even though it seemed so wrong). And how awesome that he was into prog rock.

By: jonp72

jonp72 — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:19:13 -0800

I remember Chris Rock saying that he loved the character of George Jefferson, because Lear had the courage to write Mr. Jefferson as very prejudiced against white people, which wasn't that unheard of for the age of the character he was supposed to play. The world's biggest Gong fan is a nice touch, too. .

By: Thorzdad

Thorzdad — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:20:43 -0800

By: Rodrigo Lamaitre

Rodrigo Lamaitre — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:33:14 -0800

Shit. I had the good fortune of spending a couple of hours with Helmsley, which I documented in MetaTalk recently. He was a perfect gentleman and will be missed. .

By: cybercoitus interruptus

cybercoitus interruptus — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:40:43 -0800

By: dotgirl

dotgirl — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:03:23 -0800

By: Mael Oui

Mael Oui — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:06:02 -0800

This has been a bad year for beloved sitcom stars. Sherman Hemsley had a face that always made me smile.. whether on the Jeffersons or reprising his character (I guess) in those Denny's ads. Thank you for those smiles (and the laughs!), Sherman. R.I.P.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:11:32 -0800

By: annsunny

annsunny — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:15:13 -0800

By: gusandrews

gusandrews — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:18:38 -0800

By: ants

ants — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:32:57 -0800

By: dragonplayer

dragonplayer — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:36:22 -0800

By: dhens

dhens — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:51:56 -0800

I will always remember him as the judge who ran against Uncle Phil in Fresh Prince of Bel Air. His last name was one letter away from mine, and occasionally I received correspondence with my own last name spelled that way. So, for my near-namesake, .

By: MrBadExample

MrBadExample — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:00:49 -0800

. And darn it, there should be a George Jefferson display in Planet Hollywood!

By: Melismata

Melismata — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:04:36 -0800

By: dlugoczaj

dlugoczaj — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:06:33 -0800

By: Katjusa Roquette

Katjusa Roquette — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:50:55 -0800

Miss him ! Had no idea he lived in El Paso! •

By: $0up

$0up — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:54:31 -0800

See, this is why I come here. So the guy who played George Jefferson dies, and otherwise that'd be it and gone. But I click into the MeFi post, and the next thing I know it's all prog-rock and Hollywood pleasure domes and some television archetype from my distant childhood is now further proof of everyone's continuing ability to develop their deepest loves & sins -- their own selves -- and to be a world unto themselves. Thank you.

By: krinklyfig

krinklyfig — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:59:49 -0800

And apparently he was the world's biggest Gong fan! Who knew? Wow ... Of course it should come as no surprise that celebrities often live lives of excess, but I was not expecting Sherman Hemsley to have an LSD lab in his basement. Sherman then gave a five-minute speech about Gentle Giant. In 1999, he collaborated with Yes founder Jon Anderson on an album titled Festival of Dreams which was not released That was also unexpected... I'm not into prog rock so much anymore, but there was a time I might have been able to give similar speeches. The spinoff was never as inspired as All in the Family, but it was groundbreaking. Hemsley played George with enthusiasm and filled the anti-heroic role perfectly, as someone sympathetic and despicable at the same time. I grew up with The Jeffersons. The character of George Jefferson is permanently etched into my memory from childhood. And now I know the guy playing George was tripping his head off during his free time and hanging out/collaborating with prog rock stars. I like him even better now.

By: brujita

brujita — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 22:05:07 -0800

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 22:28:14 -0800

By: Xoebe

Xoebe — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 23:08:37 -0800

There were a few TV shows that were verboten in our house - my racist father, couldn't stand Benson for example - but The Jeffersons we watched faithfully, every week. It speaks volumes for the show, and Helmsley specifically, that they could reach across that particular divide. I think my dad saw some of himself in George Jefferson. Irascible, flawed but ultimately decent and lovable.

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:12:58 -0800

By: thelonius

thelonius — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 01:17:52 -0800

I'm not into prog rock so much anymore This is merely the dormant phase of the lifecycle, don't worry.

By: gt2

gt2 — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 01:50:37 -0800

Thank you for the years of laughter. Rest in peace

By: kamikazegopher

kamikazegopher — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 01:58:14 -0800

My Mom lives in El Paso and ran into him a couple of times. He was exceedingly gracious and gave her autographs and let her take a picture of the two of them together while she gushed to him. Thanks, Sherman, for being nice to my Mom, and for being such a great character. .

By: pearlybob

pearlybob — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 03:25:03 -0800

Wow. This was one of my favorite sit coms growing up. Thank you George..... .

By: Chichibio

Chichibio — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 03:37:34 -0800

By: drezdn

drezdn — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 03:51:59 -0800

By: Renoroc

Renoroc — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 04:17:57 -0800

. I hope you enjoy your deluxe apartment in the sky!

By: cashman

cashman — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 04:51:35 -0800

By: Legomancer

Legomancer — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 05:06:58 -0800

. A mathematician finds a solution in...The Twilight Zone

By: byanyothername

byanyothername — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 05:30:01 -0800

By: rahnefan

rahnefan — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 06:02:10 -0800

By: incandissonance

incandissonance — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 06:45:51 -0800

By: Billiken

Billiken — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 06:49:43 -0800

Metafilter: proof of everyone's continuing ability to develop their deepest loves & sins -- their own selves -- and to be a world unto themselves.

By: lord_wolf

lord_wolf — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:15:53 -0800

By: liza

liza — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 10:06:38 -0800

. *sigh* the heroes of my childhood are all dying. i feel so, so old.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:51:55 -0800

George Jefferson dancing George Jefferson dancing to Nektar .

By: scottymac

scottymac — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:15:27 -0800

Moving on in.. to the hillside. Sorry that was awful. Thanks for the laughs George

By: jason's_planet

jason's_planet — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 18:11:47 -0800

And now please rise for the singing of our national anthem . . .

By: nooneyouknow

nooneyouknow — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:10:58 -0800

Moving on up, to the East Side, to a deluxe apartment in the sky. R.I.P. George and Weezy.

By: IndigoRain

IndigoRain — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 08:45:27 -0800

First Weezy, then Mr. Bentley, now George. :( Also, I didn't know Helen Willis had died in 1995 and Tom in 2006. I thought I'd heard that Florence had died but I guess I was wrong; Marla Gibbs is still alive. It seems a little weird (and a relatively recent invention) that we can still watch their shows long after they've passed on. RIP George Jefferson.