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Marla Gibbs

Actress

"I’d get off from Jefferson’s and come right up 6th Street, zoom around the corner, and I’d be sitting at my desk at United AIrlines.  'Good Evening, United Airlines, may I help you?' Sometimes people would say, 'your voice sounds familiar.'.... Then I decided that if you only stretch one leg, you can’t go very far, you've got to take both legs with you. I decided to give it a shot. And of course, I wasn’t sorry."

About This Interview

Marla Gibbs was interviewed for two-and-a-half hours in Los Angeles, CA.  She talked about her start as an actress in Los Angeles after working many jobs and raising a family in the Midwest.  She spoke in great detail about the role and the series for which she is most identified, “Florence Johnston” on The Jeffersons.  She recalled how she retained her job at United Airlines while appearing on the series until she was comfortable that her work on the series would be steady.  She described the premise of the show, talked about the series ensemble, and outlined the series workweek, which started with a read-through on Wednesday and taped the following Tuesday.  She commented on the brief spin-off series Checking-In, and her return to The Jeffersons.  She then recounted the way she landed her next series, 227, which was developed from a play in which she starred.  She talked about the casting of the series, the production, and her role as uncredited producer.  She described her work outside of television as the owner of several performance spaces in Los Angeles.  She then talked about her later work on such series as The Hughleys, ER, and Passions.  Throughout the interview she stressed the importance of keeping active and healthy and staying mentally young.  The interview was conducted by Gary Rutkowski on July 27, 2006.

Related To This Video

  • Shows
  • People
  • Topics

Shows

  • Barney Miller
  • Checking In
  • ER
  • Hughleys, The
  • Jeffersons, The
  • Passions
  • Pryor’s Place
  • 227

People

  • Sherman Hemsley
  • Isabel Sanford

Topics

  • Historic Events and Social Change
  • Memorable Moments on Television
  • Pop Culture

Resources

Marla Gibbs sings - It's Never Too Late

Music Downloads: Marla Gibbs Sings - It's Never Too Late!

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  • Highlights
  • Chapters
  • Shows
  • People
  • Topics

Highlights

  • Marla Gibbs on being cast on <i>The Jeffersons</i> (01m 46s)Marla Gibbs on being cast on The Jeffersons (01m 46s)
  • Marla Gibbs on staying behind at the first table read of <i>The Jeffersons</i>  to offer her opinions (01m 34s)Marla Gibbs on staying behind at the first table read of The Jeffersons to offer her opinions (01m 34s)
  • Marla Gibbs on practical jokes done on the set of <i>The Jeffersons</i> (01m 54s)Marla Gibbs on practical jokes done on the set of The Jeffersons (01m 54s)
  • Marla Gibbs on starring in the short-lived <i>The Jeffersons </i> spinoff <i>Checking In</i> (03m 07s)Marla Gibbs on starring in the short-lived The Jeffersons spinoff Checking In (03m 07s)
  • Marla Gibbs on the genesis of <i>227</i> (02m 15s)Marla Gibbs on the genesis of 227 (02m 15s)
  • Marla Gibbs on producing and starring in <i>227</i> (03m 15s)Marla Gibbs on producing and starring in 227 (03m 15s)
  • Marla Gibbs on guest-starring on <i>The Hughleys</i> (02m 38s)Marla Gibbs on guest-starring on The Hughleys (02m 38s)
  • Marla Gibbs on her role as Aunt Irma on <i>Passions</i> (02m 03s)Marla Gibbs on her role as Aunt Irma on Passions (02m 03s)
  • Marla Gibbs on her guest role on <i>ER</i> (01m 41s)Marla Gibbs on her guest role on ER (01m 41s)

Chapters

  • Chapter 1
  • On her early years; on her first jobs; on moving to Los Angeles; on starting in theatre and beginning her career as an actress
  • Chapter 2
  • On her early work in television on Barney Miller; on changing her name
  • On co-starring on The Jeffersons
  • Chapter 3
  • On co-starring on The Jeffersons; on Florence Johnston, the character she played (continued)
  • On starring in the short-lived The Jeffersons spinoff Checking In
  • On the genesis of 227
  • Marla Gibbs on returning to The Jeffersons after her short-lived spinoff series Checking In; on the cancellation of The Jeffersons; on the legacy of the series
  • Marla Gibbs on producing and starring in 227
  • Chapter 4
  • On producing and starring in 227 (continued)
  • Chapter 5
  • On producing and starring in 227; on ageism; on fame
  • On her television roles on Pryor's Place and The Hughleys
  • On her work in Los Angeles theatre; on her then-current projects (2006)
  • Chapter 6
  • On her other projects including roles on Passions and ER; on her recording career; on her achievements; on being a working mother; on her advice to aspiring actors; on how she would like to be remembered

Shows

  • Barney Miller
    • Marla Gibbs on the constant rewriting she endured when she was a guest actor on the Barney Miller episode "Vigilante" (00m 28s)
  • Checking In
    • Marla Gibbs on starring in the short-lived The Jeffersons spinoff Checking In (03m 07s)
  • ER
    • Marla Gibbs on her guest role on ER (01m 41s)
  • Hughleys, The
    • Marla Gibbs on guest-starring on The Hughleys (02m 38s)
  • Jeffersons, The
    • Marla Gibbs on being cast on The Jeffersons (01m 46s)
    • Marla Gibbs on staying behind at the first table read of The Jeffersons to offer her opinions (01m 34s)
    • Marla Gibbs on how she kept her job at United Airlines on The Jeffersons until her role became a regular one. (02m 46s)
    • Marla Gibbs on practical jokes done on the set of The Jeffersons (01m 54s)
    • Marla Gibbs on creating the memorable sequence from classic The Jeffersons episode "Mr. Piano Man," which had her crawling under the piano in a crowded party to try to answer the front door before George Jefferson (01m 41s)
    • Marla Gibbs on working with her Jeffersons co-star Sherman Hemsley (02m 04s)
    • Marla Gibbs on Sherman Hemsley's request to take "honky" out of the script when refering to George Jefferson's now-friend Tom Willis (00m 13s)
    • Marla Gibbs on her Jeffersons co-star Isabel Sanford (01m 06s)
    • Marla Gibbs on co-starring on The Jeffersons; on Florence Johnston, the character she played (continued) (16m 30s)
    • Marla Gibbs on returning to The Jeffersons after her short-lived spinoff series Checking In; on the cancellation of The Jeffersons; on the legacy of the series (05m 19s)
  • Passions
    • Marla Gibbs on her role as Aunt Irma on Passions (02m 03s)
  • Pryor’s Place
    • Marla Gibbs on co-starring on Pryor's Place (00m 51s)
  • 227
    • Marla Gibbs on the genesis of 227 (02m 15s)
    • Marla Gibbs on producing and starring in 227 (03m 15s)
    • Marla Gibbs on producing and starring in 227 (continued)
      (28m 20s)
    • Marla Gibbs on producing and starring in 227; on fame
      (16m 00s)

People

  • Sherman Hemsley
    • Marla Gibbs on working with her Jeffersons co-star Sherman Hemsley (02m 04s)
  • Isabel Sanford
    • Marla Gibbs on her Jeffersons co-star Isabel Sanford (01m 06s)

Topics

  • Historic Events and Social Change > Diversity in Television > Minorities
    • Marla Gibbs on staying behind at the first table read of The Jeffersons to offer her opinions on such things as naturalistic dialogue (01m 34s)
    • Marla Gibbs on Sherman Hemsley's request to take "honky" out of the script when referring to George Jefferson's now-friend Tom Willis (00m 13s)
  • Memorable Moments on Television > We Laughed
    • Marla Gibbs on creating the memorable sequence from classic The Jeffersons episode "Mr. Piano Man," which had her crawling under the piano in a crowded party to try to answer the front door before George Jefferson (01m 41s)
  • Pop Culture > Classic TV series episodes > Comedy
    • Marla Gibbs on creating the memorable sequence from classic The Jeffersons episode "Mr. Piano Man," which had her crawling under the piano in a crowded party to try to answer the front door before George Jefferson (01m 41s)
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Submitted by writeatcha on Tue, 2011-06-14 16:54.

Happy Birthday!!!

Submitted by The227MARY on Fri, 2011-06-10 18:02.

she said good evening welcome to united airlanes

Submitted by Cuchino51 on Thu, 2011-03-03 12:36.

WOW AMAZING!!! I love Marla (Margareete Bradley) Gibbs! She's a soldier!! Beautiful, aspiring, and loving!! She's just REAL!

Submitted by kenjensav61 on Sun, 2010-12-26 19:44.

This was a delightful interview from Ms Gibbs.

Submitted by retsevlis on Sat, 2010-12-25 21:07.

Marla and I think the same. We belive in flow and rhythems in life. She also looks young. early 60's at best.

Submitted by MrRJMGREEN on Sat, 2010-12-11 17:50.

I am so impressed. She was always Florence to me (sassy and sarcastic). However, she, as Marla, is smart, witty, gracious, and a truly pretty lady. She''s amazing.

Submitted by RGRandell on Mon, 2010-11-29 16:21.

What is up with the sound?

Submitted by cuttock on Sun, 2010-11-21 04:13.

She's really beautiful here. Aged iike fine wine.

Submitted by myrabradwell40 on Mon, 2010-10-18 02:44.

I love Marla.....

Submitted by garycalgary on Fri, 2010-09-03 03:30.

i loved the jeffersons and when i watch it online I keep expecting an announcer at the end saying CFRN Eyewitness News is next

Submitted by garycalgary on Fri, 2010-09-03 02:51.

my only comment is that the questions are hard to hear

Submitted by rockybudgeboa on Fri, 2010-09-03 02:24.

What an awesome woman. GOD BLESS HER

Submitted by garycalgary on Sat, 2010-08-28 07:37.

wow i think she looks better now than when on the jeffersons

ravishing!

Submitted by CarlsBarkley on Fri, 2010-08-13 11:12.

I attended that show in Detroit of The Jeffersons on Stage, and it was wonderful! The cast were so warm to my friends. While I didn't get to speak to the cast, I was happy (and jealous) that my friends did.

Submitted by olamite on Wed, 2010-08-11 15:45.

Marla Gibbs is a very beautiful person inside and out, i recently saw her at a tribute event for Roger E. Mosley, she was still beautiful, i wanted to ask to take a picture with her so bad but i was too she hehe!

Submitted by princene0 on Sun, 2010-08-01 12:40.

she still looks nice

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