Christine Houston

Last updated

Christine Houston is an African-American writer who was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, in 1935. [1] She is the creator of the popular 1980s sitcom 227 , and is also known for her work on shows such as The Jeffersons , and Punky Brewster . [2] Houston is not only a series writer, she also enjoys writing plays, and novels such as Laughing Through The Tears. [1]

Contents

Early life

Christine wrote Two Twenty Seven while attending Kennedy-King City College (KKC) in Chicago. She stated in an interview that she wrote the play on a dare from one of her friends. Though more familiar with acting, Houston decided to give her writing skills a try. She said "I knew I had to dig deep" [3] while pondering what to write her stage play about. She drew from her past of growing up in apartment building 227 in Chicago and began to write her play. Two Twenty Seven immediately became quite popular amongst her peers, and she was asked by the theatre department at KKC to develop the play and have the students perform it. Houston wrote 227 based on her own childhood experiences, specifically surrounding the mother of one of her childhood friends. It encompasses the life that she experienced and one that she held close to her heart.

Houston never thought of herself as a comedic writer, and did not originally expect to write a sitcom. She said "I don't know about being a comedy writer, because I just think everything in life has its funny moments. Everything". [3] This may have attributed to the shows success, as it was something that reflected daily life and humor, something that many Americans can relate to. 227 features a fun-loving cast, and its opening sequence features a similar vibe to that of Full House, except it features an all-black cast.

Birth of 227

After several contests such as The Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Contest and the Norman Lear Playwriting Contest, [3] Houston's style began to take shape. Eight years later, Hollywood caught sight of the play and of Houston and wanted a part of the action. It was during one of Two Twenty Seven's performances on tour that NBC first caught sight of the show. They had been invited by a woman named Marla Gibbs and immediately grabbed at the opportunity to air Two Twenty Seven as its own television series. Gibbs and Houston had met after Houston won the Lear award and wrote an episode of The Jeffersons titled "George Who?" However, when the episode was broadcast, it did not contain a single line from Houston's original script but it still credited her for her work. [4]

It was after The Jeffersons had come to an end that Houston and Gibbs began to focus more on Two Twenty Seven , and Gibbs decided to spark the attention of three major television networks, NBC, CBS, and ABC. [3] Once Two Twenty Seven was in production with NBC a few of Houston's original story outlines were changed such as the time period, moving from the 1950s to the 1980s, the location which moved from Chicago to Washington, D.C., and the written out name of " Two Twenty Seven " was changed to the numbers we see today. Journalist Thelma Sardin says that "Houston worked on the set of 227 for three years as a writer, the show ended in 1990". [3]

Awards and nominations

Houston's series became a milestone for many African-Americans in television. Not only was she the first African-American woman to ever be credited on television for her work, but she also received the NAACP Image Award for Playwriting. [4] Houston is also an extremely important role model for her students, as she now teaches at Chicago State University. One of her students said in an interview that they're inspired "to be able to sit right here in class and learn so much from her because of her history and where she has been. Also, for her to take time out and still be in her 70s… and still come to class everyday… it's inspiring to me and she motivates me to be the best I can be and to write". [4] Houston's story shows how art reflects and imitates life, and how this can be wonderfully beneficial to teach to the world around you. Houston refused to let "her background, which included years of racial tensions and great struggles, to stifle her talents". [5]

She is an inspiration to many individuals and students and is acknowledged during Black History Month for her highly esteemed work and transformative power of education. Journalist Brandon Hampton calls Christine Houston "a living legend and a celebrated educator". [5] Houston has never backed down from wanting the success of others, especially her children. In one interview she states "I am going to stay involved in other young people's lives to help them reach their goals in the field. All the things I know, I will share with students. You're never too late and you're never too old. It isn't over til' it's over". [1] This mentality is one of the reasons that Houston enrolled in KKC in the first place, trying to prove to her three sons, whom at that time were teenagers, that you are never too old to learn. [1]

Recent works

Houston remains active even after the show ended, not only busy with her three children and husband whom she'd had before she first created the show at KKC, but also busy with creating new works such as Laughing Through The Tears and writing novels while attending Chicago State University (CSU) after graduating from KKC. Houston says "[I want to write not only of] the Black experience… I want to be a writer for humanity. I want to be a writer for all races of people. I want to show the good, the bad and the ugly". [3] Houston has continued to influence others today as she holds the position of a playwright professor in the Communication, Media and Theatre Department at Chicago State University. [3] Houston's most recent work has been finishing her novel Laughing Through The Tears which is about a mourning wife losing her husband of many years and how she deals with it.

Finally, Houston co-wrote a textbook with a woman named Christine List called The Screenwriter's Guidebook: Learning from African American Film and Television Writers. [6] Proving that she is always looking out for her students, and how to guide them along their paths to a brighter future.

Related Research Articles

Jess Oppenheimer American radio and television writer, producer, and director

Jessurun James Oppenheimer was an American radio and television writer, producer, and director. He was the producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom I Love Lucy.

<i>227</i> (TV series) American sitcom television series

227 is an American sitcom television series that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 6, 1990. The series stars Marla Gibbs as Mary Jenkins, a sharp-tongued, inner-city resident gossip and housewife. Other main characters include her husband Lester, their daughter Brenda, landlady Rose Halloway, and neighbors Sandra Clark and Pearl Shay.

Jennifer Lien American actress

Jennifer Anne Lien is an American actress known for playing the alien Kes on the television series Star Trek: Voyager.

Marla Gibbs Actress, singer, comedian, writer and television producer

Marla Gibbs is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer and television producer, whose career spans five decades. Gibbs is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, in the CBS sitcom, The Jeffersons (1975–1985), for which she received five nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Jackée Harry American actress

Jacqueline Yvonne Harry is an American actress, comedian, and television personality. She is known for her starring roles as Sandra Clark, the nemesis of Mary Jenkins, on the NBC TV series 227 (1985–1990), and as Lisa Landry on the ABC/The WB sitcom Sister, Sister (1994–1999). She is noted for being the first and only African-American to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She also starred in the 1992 film Ladybugs, opposite Rodney Dangerfield. Since March 2021, she has played Paulina Price on the NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives.

Jane Espenson American television writer and producer

Jane Espenson is an American television writer and producer.

George Jefferson Fictional character

George Jefferson is a fictional character played by Sherman Hemsley on the American television sitcoms All in the Family (1973–1975) and its spin-off The Jeffersons (1975–1985), in which he serves as the program's protagonist. He has appeared in all 253 episodes of The Jeffersons.

<i>Abby</i> (TV series) American sitcom

Abby is an American sitcom created by Nat Bernstein and Mitchel Katlin that aired for one season on UPN from January 6, 2003, to March 4, 2003. The show revolves around television producer Abigail "Abby" Walker and her relationship with her ex-boyfriend Will Jeffries. After they break up in the pilot episode, they agree to live together as friends in their rent-controlled San Francisco apartment.

Christopher Sheridan is an American television writer, producer, and occasional voice actor. Born in the Philippines, Sheridan grew up in New Hampshire. He attended Gilford High School, where he decided that he wanted to become a writer. After graduating from Union College, he moved back to his home, where he worked at several short-term jobs before relocating to California to start his career. His first job came in 1992 when he was hired as a writer's assistant for the Fox sitcom Shaky Ground. Following that, he was hired as an assistant on Living Single, a Fox sitcom, where he was eventually promoted to writer. He stayed with the show until its cancellation in 1998.

<i>The Jackie Thomas Show</i>

The Jackie Thomas Show is an American sitcom that aired on the ABC network from December 1992 to March 1993. The series received widespread attention due to its creators Roseanne Arnold, then starring in the fifth season of her comedy Roseanne, and her husband and Roseanne co-producer Tom Arnold. The Jackie Thomas Show starred Tom Arnold as a misanthropic sitcom actor.

Susan Sojourna Collier is an American television writer and playwright with a background in poetry and playwriting.

<i>How I Met Your Mother</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of How I Met Your Mother, an American sitcom created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, premiered on CBS in the United States on September 19, 2005, and concluded on May 15, 2006. The season was directed by Pamela Fryman and produced by Bays & Thomas Productions and 20th Century Fox Television. It consists of 22 episodes, each running approximately 22 minutes in length.

<i>The Random Years</i> American television sitcom created by Nate Reger and Michael Lisbe (2002)

The Random Years is an American television sitcom created by Nate Reger and Michael Lisbe which aired on United Paramount Network (UPN) from March 5 to 19, 2002. The series follows three childhood friends who share a New York City apartment, and their female neighbor. Storylines focus on their lives after graduating from college. Reger and Lisbe's experiences in New York City inspired the series.

Little Bo Bleep 13th episode of the third season of Modern Family

"Little Bo Bleep" is the 13th episode of the third season of the American sitcom Modern Family. It premiered on ABC on January 18, 2012. The episode was written by Cindy Chupack and directed by Chris Koch.

<i>Up the Women</i> UK situation comedy

Up the Women is a BBC television sitcom created, written by and starring Jessica Hynes. It was first broadcast on BBC Four on 30 May 2013. The sitcom is about a group of women in 1910 who form a Women's Suffrage movement. Hynes originally planned to write a comedy film about a suffragette plot to assassinate H. H. Asquith, but after realising the plot had turned quite dark, she decided to write a sitcom instead. Christine Gernon directed the three-part series, which became the last sitcom to be filmed before a live audience at BBC Television Centre and the first to be commissioned for BBC Four. A second series was commissioned in June 2013 and aired on BBC Two from 21 January 2015. Up the Women was not renewed for a third series.

George Burditt (writer) American television writer and producer

George Henry Burditt was an American television writer and producer who wrote sketches for television variety shows and other programs such as Three's Company, for which he was also an executive producer in its last few seasons. Burditt was Emmy-nominated in writing categories alongside writing crew, including his writing partner Paul Wayne, for twice each The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and Van Dyke and Company.

Sisters at Heart 13th episode of the seventh season of Bewitched

"Sisters at Heart" is the thirteenth episode of the seventh season, and 213th episode overall, of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) fantasy television sitcom Bewitched. This Christmas episode aired on ABC on December 24, 1970, and again the following December.

Lena Waithe American actress, producer, and screenwriter

Lena Waithe is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi (2018–present) and the BET comedy series Boomerang (2019–20) and Twenties (2020–present). She also wrote and produced the crime film Queen & Slim (2020) and is the executive producer of the horror anthology series Them (2021–present).

Bekah Brunstetter American writer (born 1982)

Rebecca Leah"Bekah"Brunstetter is an American writer. Her published plays include F*cking Art, which won top honors at the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival, I Used to Write on Walls, Oohrah!, Be a Good Little Widow, Going to a Place Where You Already Are, and The Cake, a play inspired by events leading to the US Supreme Court case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. She is a founding member of The Kilroys, which annually produces The Kilroys' List. Her television work includes writing for I Just Want My Pants Back, Underemployed, Switched at Birth, and American Gods, and both writing and producing on This Is Us.

Janine Nabers is an American playwright and television writer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Christine Houston- Screenwriter/Professor". The History of African-American Women In Media.
  2. ↑ "Christine Houston". IMDb.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sardin, Thelma. "The Lady Behind 227: Christine Houston". Citizen.
  4. 1 2 3 Hampton, Brandon (8 March 2016). "Behind The Hit Sitcom '227': Hollywood Living Legend Christine Houston". Medill Reports Chicago.
  5. 1 2 Jackson, Cherese (10 February 2016). "Christine Houston: Living Legend and Celebrated Educator [Video] · Guardian Liberty Voice". Guardian Liberty Voice.
  6. ↑ University, Chicago State. "Faculty and Staff | Communication, Media Arts and Theatre | Chicago State University". www.csu.edu. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2016.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.