Season 9

The Jeffersons: Season 9
The Jeffersons Season 9 DVD cover.
Program information
Episodes aired:
27
Dates aired:
September 26, 1982 - May 1, 1983
Network/Country:
CBS-TV / United States
Previous Season: Season 8
Next Season: Season 10

The Jeffersons: Season 9

A total of 27 episodes of The Jeffersons aired on CBS-TV during Season 9, from September 26, 1982 to the season's conclusion on May 1, 1983.

Season summary

Season 9, the first without an audience present during taping, comprised of 27 installments, three of which were produced and held over from the year prior. By this point, the show’s initial “movin’ on up” motif is all but irrelevant, so if you’re still around, it’s only for the characters.

Jenny appears here and there, but there’s no Lionel nor Harry (although he’d return in Season 10), so many of the stories revolve around the five primary players: George, who is nicer to everyone — even Tom and Helen; Louise, Florence, and Tom and Helen. With the characters mined so thoroughly for laughs, the show has to put more stock into the premises, and that means a lot more outlandish stories.

Guest stars

Johnny Brown (of Good Times fame) guest-starred as a longtime friend of George's in the episode "Heeeeere's Johnny".

Longtime character actress Amzie Strickland guess-starred as Louise's former employer Mrs. Warren in the episode "My Girl Louise".

Garrett Morris (an original Not Ready for Prime Time SNL player) guest-starred in the episode "True Confessions" as a foster child of the Jeffersons -- yes, you read that right.

Gladys Knight guest-starred as herself in the episode "The Good Life".

In a bit of quirky casting, Kim Hamilton, who guest-starred as an obnoxiously snobbish acquaintance of Florence's in the episode "My Maid...My Wife", played Helen Willis in the 1974 All in the Family episode "Lionel's Engagement" opposite Charles Aidman as Tom Willis.

And be on the lookout for Robert Redford, Liza Minnelli and Woody Allen (or something like them) in the episode "Double Trouble".

Series overview 

Seasons		Episodes	Originally aired
			Season premiere	Season finale
	1	13	January 18, 1975	April 12, 1975
	2	24	September 13, 1975	March 6, 1976
	3	24	September 25, 1976	April 11, 1977
	4	26	September 24, 1977	March 4, 1978
	5	24	September 20, 1978	April 18, 1979
	6	24	September 23, 1979	April 13, 1980
	7	20	November 2, 1980	March 29, 1981
	8	25	October 4, 1981	May 16, 1982
	9	27	September 26, 1982	May 1, 1983
	10	22	October 2, 1983	May 6, 1984
	11	24	October 14, 1984	July 2, 1985

Season 9 (1982-83)

• Sherman Hemsley as George Jefferson
• Isabel Sanford as Louise Jefferson
• Marla Gibbs as Florence Johnston
• Franklin Cover as Tom Willis
• Roxie Roker as Helen Willis
• Berlinda Tolbert as Jenny Willis-Jefferson
• Ned Wertimer as Ralph the Doorman

Image	No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
	181	1	"Laundry Is a Tough Town: Part One"	Bob Lally	Teleplay by: Mark Miller and Kurt Taylor Story by: Eliott Stern	September 26, 1982	9.1 / 817
George is in a price war with Big Sky Cleaners and there are no holds barred. A representative from Big Sky comes to the Jefferson's apartment offering to buy George out and he refuses. When Big Sky comes out with a one millionth customer gimmick George tries to find his own gimmick and people with "talent" swamp the apartment, including a bearded lady and a lion tamer. But when Louise goes down to Big Sky to end this battle she becomes their one millionth customer. This leads George to decide to sell out.
	182	2	"Laundry Is a Tough Town: Part Two"	Bob Lally	David W. Duclon & Ron Leavitt	October 3, 1982	9.2 / 818
George has decided to sell out to Big Sky Cleaners and he begins to hang around the apartment like he already has retired. This drives Florence and Louise up the wall since he has gotten into the habit of giving advice to everyone he meets. However, pretty soon, George has second thoughts about giving up his business.
	183	3	"Anatomy of a Stain"	Bob Lally	Peter Casey & David Lee	October 10, 1982	9.3 / 901
When Tom gets his pants back from Jefferson Cleaners with a stain on them, he wants a refund. But George refuses, saying it was Tom's fault for leaving a candy bar in the pocket. They take their case to a TV court show.
	184	4	"Social Insecurity"	Bob Lally	Jerry Perzigian & Don Siegel	October 17, 1982	9.4 / 903
Florence is unsure of the future when she realizes she doesn't have any financial security. This prompts her to ask George for a pension plan, something George flatly refuses.
	185	5	"Charlie's Angels"	Bob Lally	Neil Lebowitz	October 24, 1982	9.5 / 904
Charlie wants George to provide him with a loan for some improvements on his bar. George refuses but does offer him some advice on how to get some more business, including hiring waitresses and dressing them provocatively. This leads Charlie to go to Tom who goes in on the deal and quickly the bar is buzzing with business, something George now wants a part of.
	186	6	"Heeeere's Johnny"	Bob Lally	Michael Moye	October 31, 1982	9.6 / 902
Louise is not looking forward to the visit of one of George's best friends, Johnny Moore, because she can't stand his chauvinistic jokester mannerisms. Things get worse when she inadvertently gets him to stay at the Jeffersons' apartment during his stay in New York.
	187	7	"A Date with Danger"	Bob Lally	Peter Casey & David Lee	November 7, 1982	9.7 / 906
At a party thrown by the Willises, the guest of honor, Joe Blake, a successful author, asks Florence out and she can't wait to go out with him. However, soon after he takes her away on their date, Tom and Helen let George and Louise know the fact that he was in prison for murdering his girlfriend.
	188	8	"Death Smiles on a Dry Cleaner: Part One"	Bob Lally	Jerry Perzigian, Don Siegel, David W. Duclon and Ron Leavitt	November 21, 1982	9.8 / 907
For George's birthday, Louise books herself, George and Florence on a murder mystery cruise ship for mystery novelists, so George pretends to be a novelist. George is having fun trying to solve a murder mystery until an apparent "real" murder occurs.
	189	9	"Death Smiles on a Dry Cleaner: Part Two"	Bob Lally	Jerry Perzigian, Don Siegel, David W. Duclon and Ron Leavitt	November 28, 1982	9.9 / 908
The novelists try to solve the apparent "real" murder with George trying his best to solve it as well. When it is determined that the victim, Edgar, was poisoned, the crew deduces that the Duchess did it. But George discovers the real culprit.
	190	10	"Appointment in 8-B"	Bob Lally	David W. Duclon and Ron Leavitt	December 12, 1982	9.10 / 820
George stops by 8-B, Ms. Sanderson's apartment, to drop off her cleaning bid. Soon after he leaves, Ralph stops by and hears Ms. Sanderson having sex with a man named George, and Ralph quickly jumps to the wrong conclusion.
	191	11	"Poetic Justice"	Bob Lally	Diane Messina & Lou Messina	December 19, 1982	9.11 / 909
Louise discovers some old poems by George and decides to have them bound in a book. In order to get the book bound she must order a minimum number of copies, which end up in the hands of several of their neighbors in the building. George is furious, but his attitude changes when a publisher takes an interest.
	192	12	"How Now Dow Jones"	Bob Lally	Peter Casey & David Lee	December 26, 1982	9.12 / 910
George's investment advice for Tom proves fruitful and puts Helen in a fur coat. This prompts Florence to want to make some money, so she asks George for advice. However, since she doesn't have enough money for investing, he suggests she go in on the venture with the other maids in the building. The results of the ordeal prove to be less than satisfying, for George anyway.
	193	13	"The Defiant Ones"	Bob Lally	Joyce Gittlin & Jeffrey Richman	January 2, 1983	9.13 / 905
While going through a box of mementos, George refuses to allow Louise to see a certain picture and decides to put it in his store safe. Determined to see it, and with Helen in tow, Louise tries to break into the store safe, but both women end up in jail.
	194	14	"My Maid... My Wife"	Bob Lally	Writers: Marilyn Anderson, Wayne Kline Story by: Michael Poryes	January 9, 1983	9.14 / 912
Florence runs into an old classmate, Pauline, and finds that she has married money. This prompts a jealous Florence to say that she too married wealth, George. This leads to Louise posing as the maid and Florence posing as Louise when Pauline comes over for dinner.
	195	15	"Mr. Wonderful"	Bob Lally	Jerry Perzigian & Don Siegel	January 16, 1983	9.15 / 911
George forgets to pick up opera tickets and this leads to Louise and Helen comparing him to the "thoughtful" Tom. A miffed George spills the beans about Tom buying an insurance policy and naming as the beneficiary a racist cousin who disapproves of Tom and Helen's marriage.
	196	16	"My Girl, Louise"	Bob Lally	Sandy Sprung & Marcy Vosburgh	January 23, 1983	9.16 / 913
With the Help Center on its last legs, Louise and Helen desperately try to find someone who could make a sizeable donation to keep the Center going. This prompts Louise to go to her ex-employer, Lillian Warren, whom Louise worked for as a maid and who treated her like a piece of furniture.
	197	17	"Bodyguards Are People Too"	Bob Lally	Wade Stevens & Brent Stevens	January 30, 1983	9.17 / 914
Jenny is depressed that no one will take a chance on her fashion designs, so she stops by the Jeffersons' apartment for a visit. Meanwhile, George's bodyguard, Hugo, is determined to find love now that, as he puts it, he is in the spring of his life. When he runs into Jenny, he falls for her and is determined to make her his even though she's married.
	198	18	"True Confessions"	Bob Lally	Lewis Goldstein	February 6, 1983	9.18 / 916
George and Louise prepare for a visit from their foster son, Jimmy. But they are in for the shock of their lives when they discover that their foster son is a grown man who's supposedly been using the money they've sent them on his education.
	199	19	"Mr. Clean"	Bob Lally	Carole Olson & Marita Epp	February 13, 1983	9.19 / 917
George and his poker buddies make a mess of the living room, so Florence stays up all night cleaning and is exhausted the next morning. This leads George to make a bet with Florence that he can do in three hours what she does in a day.
	200	20	"The Good Life"	Bob Lally	Michael G. Moye	February 20, 1983	9.20 / 915
The good life is striking everyone: George has hit success with the stocks allowing Louise to get a ring she wanted; Tom has just gotten a new client; and Helen has just been pampered at a spa where she met famous celebrities. Wanting in on the "good life", Florence shells out enough money to go to the spa and unknowingly runs into Gladys Knight.
	201	21	"Father's Day"	Bob Lally	Writers: Jerry Perzigian & Don Siegel Story: Hans Kracauer	March 6, 1983	9.21 / 918
A young boy befriends Louise and Helen, and they become convinced that he has a crush on one of them. But the real reason he befriended them was to get to George. He wants to ask George if he would participate in a father-son bowling tournament, since his father is supposedly dead. However, the boy does indeed have a father who's alive, but not so well: He's a paraplegic.
	202	22	"Change of a Dollar"	Bob Lally	Michael Moye & Ron Leavitt	March 13, 1983	9.22 / 919
On the night of a big banquet for Tom, George runs out at the last minute to do an errand at his store in Queens. Once there, we're taken back to 1968 and witness the grand opening of Jefferson Cleaners, and we see how George earned his first dollar.
	203	23	"Designing Woman"	Bob Lally	Patrick Egan & Ilene Cooper	March 20, 1983	9.23 / 921
George is trying to drum up some cleaning business from a famous fashion designer, Camille Hendricks. George tricks Jenny into swinging by the apartment to meet her in order to show her some of her designs, but Jenny is unprepared for this surprise.
	204	24	"Double Trouble"	Bob Lally	Patrick Egan	March 27, 1983	9.24 / 920
George is in yet another promotional battle with Cunningham. This time Cunningham has hired a popular soap star to boost sales, so George tries to get celebrities too. However, his idea may get him in trouble with the law when he hires celebrity lookalikes and is going to try to pass them off as the real thing.
	205	25	"Silver Lining"	Bob Lally	Peter Casey, David Lee, Jerry Perzigian & Don Siegel	April 3, 1983	9.25 / 922
An auction is held to raise money for the Help Center, and Florence gets a big surprise when she discovers $2500 stuffed in the lining of a hat that she buys. Florence turns the money in to the police, hoping no one will claim it, and no one does. But just as Florence thinks she'll get to keep the money, an apparent owner arrives at the apartment.
	206	26	"The Wheel of Forever"	Bob Lally	Sandy Sprung & Marcy Vosburgh	April 10, 1983	9.26 / 923
When Florence asks for enough money to purchase a new TV set, George flatly refuses. She tries again, this time politely asking, and, again, George refuses. This leads to George having a dream about entering the gates of heaven after Florence makes a comment that he'd never get by those gates if she held the key.
	207	27	"Personal Business"	Bob Lally	Writers: Sandy Sprung & Marcy Vosburgh Original story by: Lewis Goldstein	May 1, 1983	9.27 / 924
When her marriage gets into a rut, Louise tries to spice it up by trying to get George to spend some time with her. But her idea turns into a disaster when they get into a bicycling accident that leaves them each with a broken leg. Note: This episode was videotaped on April 05, 1983.