Julia
 In
1968, Diahann Carroll became the first African American woman to
have the lead in a hit TV show, starring as Julia Baker - widowed
mother of six year old Corey. Her Air Force pilot husband had been
killed in Vietnam.
Julia moved to Los Angeles following her husband's death and
found a job at the medical office of Astrospace Industries, where
her home, work and social life provided material for the series.
Julia lived in a modern integrated apartment building with her
little boy, whose best friend was white kid Earl J Waggerdorn, one
of their neighbours. Other characters in Julia's home life were
Earl's dad Leonard, landlord Sol Cooper and mothers helper Carol
Deering.
At work, the middle class heroine had equally harmonious
relations with her white employer, feisty and kind-hearted Doctor
Morton Chegley, his wife Melba, fellow nurse Hannah Yarby and
plant employee Eddie Edwards.
 Romantic
partners were however, strictly black. Paul Cameron was Julia's
occasional boyfriend for the first two seasons and was replaced by
Steve Bruce, a widower with a four year old daughter, Kim, during
the series' final year.
There was initial controversy surrounding this non-traditional
black role (she wasn't somebody's maid like most other characters)
and black critics called the show a "cop out," claiming
she did not accurately portray black women.
Things eventually settled down and the show ran for three
seasons and Julia became the highest-rated show on TV within a
month of premiering.
Ultimately the liberal white press and young militant blacks
criticised and finally denounced the program as false and
distorted.
Diahann admits this show almost killed her. She was
hospitalised twice for stress and weighed only 99 pounds. After
three years, she asked to be released from her contract.
Diahann Carroll later starred as Dominique Deveraux, half
sister of Blake Carrington in Dynasty.
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