CHATSWORTH, Calif.—Gearing up to ship out Hot Mess Entertainment's The Devil in Miss Jefferson, a pseudo-spoof of classic sitcom The Jeffersons, Howard Levine of distributor Exile Distribution decided to seek out the show's last living principal cast member, Marla Gibbs, for her thoughts on the release.
Gibbs, who played maid Florence Johnston on the show, is now 82 and living in Los Angeles. According to Levine, she commented, "I don't think it's a good idea. The Jeffersons was a family show, and there's nothing 'family' about X-rated movies."
As to how Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson themselves (Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford) might have reacted, Levine said that Gibbs asserted, "Mrs. Jefferson would definitely not have approved, however Sherm probably would have loved it. He was funny like that."
Levine said he expects The Devil in Miss Jefferson to continue what he reports has been "quite a hot streak" for Hot Mess, noting that precedeing title Hairy Mormons of Salt Lake City "was number three nationally, and Hot Mess is definitely in my top three lines. Their packaging is exemplary, and their concepts are strong."
The Devil in Miss Jefferson arrives to retailers June 4. For more information, contact Levine at [email protected] or (818) 576-9464.
