"The First Store" is an episode from the

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

The Jeffersons ''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, ...

'', and was first broadcast on April 6, 1980 on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

. Written by Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan and directed by Bob Lally, it is the penultimate episode of the sixth season, and the 134th episode of the series. The episode was produced in remembrance of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., which occurred 12 years earlier on April 4, 1968.

Plot summary

While looking through a series of old photographs, Louise (

Isabel Sanford Isabel Sanford (born Eloise Gwendolyn Sanford; August 29, 1917 – July 9, 2004) was an American stage, film, and television actress and comedian best known for her role as Louise "Weezy" Mills Jefferson on the CBS sitcoms ''All in the Fami ...

) and

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

(

Sherman Hemsley Sherman Alexander Hemsley (February 1, 1938 – July 24, 2012) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as George Jefferson on the CBS television series ''All in the Family'' (1973–1975; 1978) and ''The Jeffersons'' (1975–1985), Dea ...

) recall the opening of the first Jefferson Cleaners store in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

. On April 4, 1968, George prepares to sign the final papers to obtain a loan allowing him to open the store, which he plans to call "Handy Dandy Cleaners" (rejecting Louise's suggestion to use the name "Jefferson Cleaners" instead). Meanwhile, Lionel (who is approximately eighteen years old) is becoming increasingly militant, and Louise and George worry that his future is headed in the wrong direction. While inspecting the space that George has rented for the store, the three of them notice that civil unrest has broken out in the streets. One of the rioters informs them that

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

has just been assassinated. The family is stunned, and an infuriated George hurls a chair through his own storefront window, screaming "You bastards!!" The next day, the loan officer from the bank (

Roger Bowen Roger Wendell Bowen (May 25, 1932 – February 16, 1996) was an American comedic actor and novelist, best known for his portrayal of Lt. Col. Henry Blake in the 1970 film ''M*A*S*H''. Bowen considered himself a writer who only moonlighted as an ...

) arrives at the Jeffersons' apartment with the final paperwork for the loan. However, the man shows little empathy for the grief accompanying Dr. King's death, and George throws him out after he refers to the people in the neighborhood as "animals". A frustrated Lionel ( Mike Evans) starts to head outside to join the rioters, but George and Louise convince him to stay, reminding him that Dr. King would not approve. The episode ends with Louise, George and Lionel listening to a news report on the radio. An excerpt from Dr. King's last speech, "

I've Been to the Mountaintop "I've Been to the Mountaintop" is the popular name of the last speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr.

", is being played, as the three family members struggle to hold back their tears. Based on events established in the characters' history during the ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'' episode "My Aching Back" (first airing in 1971, three years after King's assassination), the first Jefferson Cleaners did not open until then, when it was stated that they had just opened their first store. The first store was said to have been funded with money George had been awarded in a $5000 settlement from the city, following an accident with a bus. Television episodes about civil rights movement 1980 American television episodes 1980 in American television The Jeffersons {{civil-rights-movement-stub