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Amen (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Amen is an American television sitcom produced by Carson Productions
that ran from September 27, 1986 to May 11, 1991 on NBC. Set in Sherman Hemsley
's real-life hometown of Philadelphia, Amen starred Hemsley as the deacon
of a church and was part of a wave of successful sitcoms on NBC
in the 1980s which featured entirely or almost-entirely black
casts. Others included The Cosby Show
, A Different World, and 227
.
(of All in the Family
and The Jeffersons
fame) as Deacon Ernest Frye, of the First Community Church of Philadelphia. Deacon Frye was often dishonest and frequently got into trouble with his many harebrained schemes. Anna Maria Horsford
played Deacon Frye's 36-year-old daughter, Thelma Frye. The Reverend Reuben Gregory, played by Clifton Davis
, was the new, young pastor of the First Community Church, and also the object of Thelma's affection. The two eventually married during the fourth season, despite the fact that the pastor and the deacon often butted heads. In the last episode in 1991, Thelma gave birth to their son.
The cast also included Jester Hairston
as high-spirited and lively senior citizen
Rolly Forbes, who often acted as the voice of reason. Davis and Hairston had previously worked together, playing Clifton and Wildcat on the 1970s sitcom That's My Mama
. The show also starred comedienne Roz Ryan
and Barbara Montgomery as Amelia and Cassietta Hetebrink, a pair of chattering sisters at the church. Also appearing on the show was Leola Henderson (played by Rosetta LeNoire
), Rolly's love interest and eventual wife. After portraying Leola Forbes for two seasons, LeNoire left the show to star in the successful sitcom, Family Matters as Grandma 'Mother' Estelle Winslow. LeNoire was replaced by Montrose Hagins who played the character from 1989 until the series' end in 1991.
For the third and fourth seasons, joining the cast were Elsa Raven
as Swedish housekeeper
Inga and Tony T. Johnson as Chris, a young boy that lived next door to Deacon Frye. A running
gag at this time was Chris coming over to the Deacon's house and saying something that would cause one of the adults to put him out of the house. Raven was dropped from the show in 1990, with no explanation given for the disappearance of her character (see Chuck Cunningham Syndrome). Johnson wasn't seen regularly, but appeared on occasions. Barbara Montgomery left the series in 1990 to star on ABC
's Married People
, but there was no explanation of her character's absence on the show.
In the fifth and final season, Bumper Robinson
joined the cast as Clarence, a young street kid and protégé of Deacon Frye.
Carson Productions
Carson Productions is a television production company established by Johnny Carson in 1980 to primarily produce The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from 1980 to 1992 and Late Night with David Letterman from 1982 to 1993....
that ran from September 27, 1986 to May 11, 1991 on NBC. Set in Sherman Hemsley
Sherman Hemsley
Sherman Alexander Hemsley is an American actor, most famous for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, and as Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen. He also played Earl Sinclair's horrifying boss, a Triceratops named B.P...
's real-life hometown of Philadelphia, Amen starred Hemsley as the deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
of a church and was part of a wave of successful sitcoms on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the 1980s which featured entirely or almost-entirely black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
casts. Others included The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, A Different World, and 227
227 (TV series)
227 is an American situation comedy that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, until May 6, 1990. The series starred Marla Gibbs as a sharp-tongued, inner-city resident gossip and housewife, Mary Jenkins...
.
Overview
The series starred Sherman HemsleySherman Hemsley
Sherman Alexander Hemsley is an American actor, most famous for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, and as Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen. He also played Earl Sinclair's horrifying boss, a Triceratops named B.P...
(of All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
and The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
fame) as Deacon Ernest Frye, of the First Community Church of Philadelphia. Deacon Frye was often dishonest and frequently got into trouble with his many harebrained schemes. Anna Maria Horsford
Anna Maria Horsford
Anna Maria Horsford is an American television and film actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Thelma Frye on the sitcom Amen, her role as Craig Jones' mother, Betty Jones, in the 1995 comedy, Friday and the 2002 comedy Friday After Next and as security guard Dee on The Wayans Bros.,...
played Deacon Frye's 36-year-old daughter, Thelma Frye. The Reverend Reuben Gregory, played by Clifton Davis
Clifton Davis
Clifton Duncan Davis is an American actor, songwriter and minister. He has appeared on the television shows as A World Apart, That's My Mama and Amen...
, was the new, young pastor of the First Community Church, and also the object of Thelma's affection. The two eventually married during the fourth season, despite the fact that the pastor and the deacon often butted heads. In the last episode in 1991, Thelma gave birth to their son.
The cast also included Jester Hairston
Jester Hairston
Jester Joseph Hairston was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor. His notable compositions include "Amen," a gospel-tinged theme from the film Lilies of the Field and a 1963 hit for The Impressions, and the Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child".-Early life:Hairston...
as high-spirited and lively senior citizen
Senior citizen
Senior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
Rolly Forbes, who often acted as the voice of reason. Davis and Hairston had previously worked together, playing Clifton and Wildcat on the 1970s sitcom That's My Mama
That's My Mama
That's My Mama is an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 1974 until December 1975. There are 39 episodes of this series.-Synopsis:...
. The show also starred comedienne Roz Ryan
Roz Ryan
Roz Ryan is an American actress. She has earned wide acclaim as an actress, singer and comedian.-Life and career:Ryan was born Rosalyn Bowen in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Gertrude and Thomas Bowen, who worked for the Board of Education. She is a 1969 graduate of Mackenzie High School...
and Barbara Montgomery as Amelia and Cassietta Hetebrink, a pair of chattering sisters at the church. Also appearing on the show was Leola Henderson (played by Rosetta LeNoire
Rosetta LeNoire
Rosetta LeNoire was an American stage, screen, and television actress, as well as a Broadway producer and casting agent....
), Rolly's love interest and eventual wife. After portraying Leola Forbes for two seasons, LeNoire left the show to star in the successful sitcom, Family Matters as Grandma 'Mother' Estelle Winslow. LeNoire was replaced by Montrose Hagins who played the character from 1989 until the series' end in 1991.
For the third and fourth seasons, joining the cast were Elsa Raven
Elsa Raven
Elsa Raven, formerly Elsa Rabinowitz is an American character actress, perhaps best known for her two years on the sitcom Amen and playing the mother of Vincent Terranova on the TV series Wiseguy....
as Swedish housekeeper
Housekeeper (servant)
A housekeeper is an individual responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the interior of a residence, including direction of subordinate maids...
Inga and Tony T. Johnson as Chris, a young boy that lived next door to Deacon Frye. A running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
gag at this time was Chris coming over to the Deacon's house and saying something that would cause one of the adults to put him out of the house. Raven was dropped from the show in 1990, with no explanation given for the disappearance of her character (see Chuck Cunningham Syndrome). Johnson wasn't seen regularly, but appeared on occasions. Barbara Montgomery left the series in 1990 to star on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Married People
Married People
Married People is an American television situation comedy that aired on ABC as part of its 1990-91 schedule.-Synopsis:The series follows three couples in different stages of their relationships who lived in the same building in New York City...
, but there was no explanation of her character's absence on the show.
In the fifth and final season, Bumper Robinson
Bumper Robinson
Bumper Robinson is an American actor and voice artist. Robinson got his nickname because he repeatedly bumped into things while running through his home as a young child.- Life and career :...
joined the cast as Clarence, a young street kid and protégé of Deacon Frye.
Cast
- Sherman HemsleySherman HemsleySherman Alexander Hemsley is an American actor, most famous for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, and as Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen. He also played Earl Sinclair's horrifying boss, a Triceratops named B.P...
— Deacon Ernest Frye - Anna Maria HorsfordAnna Maria HorsfordAnna Maria Horsford is an American television and film actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Thelma Frye on the sitcom Amen, her role as Craig Jones' mother, Betty Jones, in the 1995 comedy, Friday and the 2002 comedy Friday After Next and as security guard Dee on The Wayans Bros.,...
— Thelma Frye Gregory - Clifton DavisClifton DavisClifton Duncan Davis is an American actor, songwriter and minister. He has appeared on the television shows as A World Apart, That's My Mama and Amen...
— Reverend Reuben Gregory - Jester HairstonJester HairstonJester Joseph Hairston was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor. His notable compositions include "Amen," a gospel-tinged theme from the film Lilies of the Field and a 1963 hit for The Impressions, and the Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child".-Early life:Hairston...
— Rolly Forbes - Roz RyanRoz RyanRoz Ryan is an American actress. She has earned wide acclaim as an actress, singer and comedian.-Life and career:Ryan was born Rosalyn Bowen in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Gertrude and Thomas Bowen, who worked for the Board of Education. She is a 1969 graduate of Mackenzie High School...
— Amelia Hetebrink - Barbara MontgomeryBarbara Montgomery (US actress)Barbara Montgomery is an American television and film actress. Montgomery is best known for her role as Cassietta Hetebrink on the sitcom, Amen, Montgomery played the role for four years, and left in 1990...
— Cassietta Hetebrink (1986–1990) - Elsa RavenElsa RavenElsa Raven, formerly Elsa Rabinowitz is an American character actress, perhaps best known for her two years on the sitcom Amen and playing the mother of Vincent Terranova on the TV series Wiseguy....
— Inga (1988–1990) - Rosetta LeNoireRosetta LeNoireRosetta LeNoire was an American stage, screen, and television actress, as well as a Broadway producer and casting agent....
— Leola Henderson Forbes (1987–1989) - Montrose HaginsMontrose HaginsMontrose Hagins is an African-American television actress. Hagins has starred and been a guest on popular shows such as: Seinfeld, Roc, 227, The Golden Girls, Sister, Sister, The Hughleys, The Jamie Foxx Show, What's Happening Now, The Sinbad Show, The Famous Jett Jackson...
— Leola Henderson Forbes (1989–1991) - Bumper RobinsonBumper RobinsonBumper Robinson is an American actor and voice artist. Robinson got his nickname because he repeatedly bumped into things while running through his home as a young child.- Life and career :...
— Clarence (1990–1991) - Tony T. Johnson — Chris (1988–1991)
- Franklyn SealesFranklyn SealesFranklyn Seales was an American film, television and stage actor.-Career:Born on the island of St. Vincent, Seales attended Juilliard before appearing in various television productions of Shakespearean plays including Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew where he played the role of Petruchio...
— Lorenzo Hollingsworth (1986–1987)
Ratings
- 1986–1987: #13
- 1987–1988: #15
- 1988–1989: #25
- 1989–1990: #54
- 1990–1991: #60