Its Never Too Late – Marla Gibbs

When we got to the airport, Joey went to the pay phone and started talking. Call it mother’s intuition, but I said to the doctor, “He ain’t talking to nobody.” I knew he was stalling. Next Joey went to the doctor and said, “My mother said she gave you money for me. Give me my money.” So the doctor did and then went ahead to check him in. As we neared the gate, the doctor came to us with a look of frustration and said, “The flight has been canceled.”

My heart dropped. But he said, “Let’s check another airline.” He found another flight and checked them in. Before Joey headed to the plane, he went to the bathroom. I said, “Don’t follow him; he’s going in there to cry.” I knew this all was hard for Joey. Vera and I stayed at the gate to make sure he took off. I didn’t want to see those long legs walking back off the plane.

Two weeks later I received a telex (they still didn’t have any phone service because of the earthquake) saying, “Jordan wants to know if he can stay.” That was music to my ears. Dorian, Angela, and I went to visit Joey. When we got there, we were driven up to these gates. They were tall and foreboding. I thought, What have I done?

Where have I sent my son? But when the gates opened, we saw this beautiful estate. A mansion, tennis courts, a pool and a cabana, rolling lawns, lush landscapes, and a doctor walking the grounds with a patient. Joey’s room was even more breathtaking. It looked like something out of Better Homes & Gardens. It featured a shower big enough for four people. Outside of his room was a tea-and-coffee service. I wanted to stay there! There were other patients there for other addictions, such as opioids, sex, and food.

Joey received a total of seven hours of counseling per day. The estate had several areas where the patients could receive treatments. They could walk the grounds with their doctors or counselors; they could sit in the cabana or hang in the office or living room.

Foreword by Regina King Chapter One: Flowers While I’m Here Chapter Two: A Mother’s Intuition Chapter Three: The Great Escape Chapter Four: Theater Saved My Life Chapter Five: The Cost of Love and Silence Chapter Six: Becoming Florence Chapter Seven: Lights, Camera, Breakthrough Chapter Eight: Vision and Loss in Leimert Park Chapter Nine: Always Listen to the Spirit Chapter Ten: Faith Is the Final Word Acknowledgments About the Author Copyright About the Publisher OceanofPDF.com Foreword by Regina King To speak of Marla Gibbs is to speak of endurance, brilliance, and unwavering purpose.

It is to honor a woman who didn’t just defy the odds once but time and again, bringing her community with her every step of the way. I first met Marla when I was a young girl cast in a community production of Two Twenty Seven, a play written by Christine Houston and staged at the Crossroads Theatre, which Marla herself funded and nurtured as a space for Black creatives.

I wasn’t cast as her daughter in the play. In fact, I played the fast-talking little girl on the block, but Marla, fresh off her massive success from The Jeffersons, made time to return to South Central and perform alongside us. That alone tells you who she is. Later, when the play was being adapted for television with Norman Lear at the helm, Marla did something that changed my life: She fought for me to play Brenda Jenkins, her daughter on the show.

She didn’t have to, but she saw something in me. She knew we already had chemistry from the stage, and she pointed out to the powers that be, “Hal Williams and Regina actually look like they could be father and daughter.” She put her weight behind me before the world knew my name. Thanks to her, I had the privilege of being her on-screen daughter and her real-life mentee for six unforgettable years.

What many people don’t know is that 227 in its television form existed because of Marla’s vision, tenacity, and integrity. She brought the project forward. She showed up every day with purpose, making sure our cast and crew were seen, supported, and respected. She fought for Black writers, makeup artists, hairstylists, wardrobe teams—people who looked like us and understood the stories we were telling. She was in the room with the writers and editors, shaping each episode.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 710e96e1152a8302
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 2,422,003 bytes (2.31 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 178
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 359.99 minutes
• Total Words: 71,998
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