Do Yourself a Favor, Watch Julia
Over Christmas Break I realized that as a vintage lover, I had been doing myself a HUGE disservice in the television show department. And that disservice was never having watched an episode of the hit late 1960s show, Julia. I am a BIG Diahann Carroll fan! I loved her in the extremely popular television show Dynasty (1984-87) and films such as, Paris Blues (1961) and Claudine (1982). When I watched Julia for the first time, I fell in love with her character and the storylines that were provided for her. Unfortunately this is a very hard show to come by but luckily almost the entire Season 1 is on Dailymotion (here)!
Julia (played by Diahann Carroll) is ultimately about a woman whose husband died in combat. She's a single widowed woman who raises an adorable six-year-old son on her own. She works as a nurse and owns a beautiful apartment in California where her and her son recently moved to. Similar to the likes of Mary Tyler Moore and Ann Marie (of That Girl), we get to see Julia's comical work environment, her dating and social life, but beyond those shows we also see her raising a son while juggling these things.
This kind of show was unheard of for African Americans during this time. The show ran from 1968-71 (three seasons) and while it is considered groundbreaking nowadays, it was heavily criticized during that time. White audiences and reviewers claimed the show was "unrealistic" and alluded (inaccurately) that all African Americans lived in way worse living conditions. Notably Robert Lewis Shayon of Saturday Review wrote that Julia's "plush, suburban setting" was "a far, far cry from the bitter realities of Negro life in the urban ghetto, the pit of America's explosion potential." On the other hand, African Americans also criticized the show for showing a widowed woman and lack of a father figure.
Despite the critiques, being a viewer of Old Hollywood films and television shows, it is EXTREMELY hard as a black woman to find depictions of African Americans during those time frames. It is a luxury to see the beautiful Diahann Carroll depicted in a normal un-cartoonish way. She appears regal on screen. She is a loving mother, a catch to all of the men who see her, and a wonderful nurse. She wears beautiful costumes throughout the show.
Her son (played by Marc Copage) is super adorable and deals with issues that a lot of kids deal with growing up. There are episodes where Julia has to figure out ways to teach her son about racism. She has to deal with racism at the work place and in her every day life on top of raising a child and providing for the two of them. But at the same time we get to see her also deal with dating both the wrong and right men, trying to find a suitable babysitter for her son, and so on. At the time, this experience was not unheard of but it also wasn't the standard. Despite that, I find this is a refreshing, light-hearted, and groundbreaking show to watch. Julia showcases a more normalized African American experience.
This show pushed boundaries for its time and is definitely worth a watch if you're in the mood for something light, a bit comical, and honestly just to see Diahann on screen. I highly recommend this show and place it in my Top 10 Old TV Shows List!
Hope you enjoyed my recommendation and I'll see you next week!
Disclaimer: I do not own the photographs in this post.