JULIA: MAMA'S MAN {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The premiere of this series of comedies about Julia Baker, a black, widowed nurse, and her efforts to raise her young son, Corey.
Julia goes on a job interview for the position of a nurse at a clinic, asking Corey to take care of himself while she is gone. She pulls into the headquarters of Astrospace Industries for her interview, while Corey holds a conversation with Earl J. Waggedorn, a boy living downstairs who has come to say hello to his new neighbors. Corey ends up inviting Earl in despite Julia’s instructions not to open the door for anyone. Julia’s interviewer, Colton, seems uncomfortable around her despite complimenting her qualifications for the position. He says that Dr. Chegley makes the final decision in the matter and leaves to fetch him. While he is gone, a maintenance worker implies to Julia that she will not be given the job, based mainly on racial bias at the company. Julia is asked to return next week to see Dr. Chegley and she leaves. She returns home to find the door unlocked and panics when she finds what appears to be a bloody knife on her kitchen floor. She frantically searches for Corey until he emerges from downstairs. It turns out that Earl accidentally cut his finger while playing with Corey and returned to his apartment to get cleaned up. Julia is quite upset that Corey didn’t follow her instructions and receives scorn from Earl’s mother as well. However, she then offers to look after Corey while Julia is away, grateful that someone will be around to keep Earl occupied.
Earl’s mother asks Corey about his father, who he says is “in heaven” after serving as a pilot and being shot down in Vietnam. Corey also meets Earl’s baby brother and wishes that he had a brother as well. Repairman Dick Privet arrives to return the Waggedorns’ television set, and he introduces himself to Corey. Earl blurts out that Corey’s father is dead, and Dick sympathizes with him since his father died when he was a young age as well. That night Corey wishes aloud that he had a father, and Julia is unsure of how to respond to this. Meanwhile, Dr. Chegley argues with Colton; Dr. Chegley has rejected all of the applicants for the nursing position so far, believing them all to be incompetent. He demands that Colton send in Julia, although Colton is surprised that Dr. Chegley knows about that interview. Julia gets a telegram instructing her to call Dr. Chegley and she does so; he is acquainted with the doctor she used to work for and asks her to come out the following morning. Julia returns home and is told by Corey that their television set is broken, and she agrees to have it fixed. However, the repair company sends over a different repairman, and Corey and Earl ask for Dick to come instead. He arrives and, as Corey expected, they seem to like each other. It turns out that Corey deliberately unplugged the set in order to get Dick to come around, and Corey discovers that Dick is already married. Julia understands Corey’s desire to find a man for her, and he promises he will find one. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:23:27
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 119199
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Comedy; Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1968-1969
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Hal Kanter … Producer, Director, Created by, Writer
- Bernard Wiesen … Associate Producer
- Elmer Bernstein … Music by
- Diahann Carroll … Cast, Julia Baker
- Lloyd Nolan … Cast, Dr. Chegley
- Marc Copage … Cast, Corey Baker
- Betty Beaird … Cast, Marie Waggedorn
- Michael Link … Cast, Earl J. Waggedorn
- Lloyd Haynes … Cast, Dick Privet
- Whit Bissell … Cast, Mr. Colton
- Charles Lampkin … Cast, The Electrician
- William O'Connell … Cast, The Messenger
- Steve Pendleton … Cast, The TV Repairman
- Monique Montaigne … Cast, The Receptionist