Yes, I was so happy I had the courage
to invite you to join us.
Our task is a mighty one.
-ALL: Oh. -(GROUP CHUCKLES)
Everybody knows Julia Child.
But a lot of people don't know
all of these very, very important people in her life.
♪ (UPBEAT, SWING MUSIC PLAYS)
There was Julia and Paul, but she also had
this group of Cambridge women that all came together
to help her.
I don't care if it is nuts,
I want it more than anything, Avis.
Let's do it.
Avis was very responsible for helping her
to get the
And she's the one who helped the Child's find this kitchen,
this house in Cambridge.
And she came onboard and became a helper
with the French chefs, same with Dorothy Zinberg.
New mother and still finding time
because she believed in Julia
and she believed in this project.
Oh, you came! My invisible hand.
Judith, being an editor, her job is to support
and encourage and bring the best out of people.
So by working together, they elevated each other.
I'm Julia's editor.
Is that what you're doing?
-Editing? Yep. -A new cookbook?
-A new Updike. -Oh.
Judith Jones is maybe even more influential
than Julia.
You are the preeminent woman editor in the country.
There is no one else like you except me.
JUDITH LIGHT:
was not enthusiastic about having a cookbook.
But you're seeing this group of people surrounding this woman
who is a feminist before there was discussion
of feminism.
Avis and Dorothy made this show happen
when no one but you and I believed in it.
They're family. But you're family too.
Alice is a woman we've made up, and through her,
we're able to say some of the things
we want to be able to say about the way
the world is changing through the '60s and '70s.
BRITTANY BRADFORD:
she's the only woman, and she's dealing
with a lot of unconscious biases
from other people.
She's constantly having to fight and claw
for equal representation.
And hitting that glass ceiling over and over again.
Go hide behind the counter in case Mrs. Child needs help.
I just thought I'd be out front.
I'll join you. Team Julia.
Sisterhood.
You see the men coming around
to the inspiration that Julia was and still is.
PAUL CHILD: You're changing the way Americans eat.
That's goddamn huge.
DAVID PIERCE:
into a support structure for Julia.
That's something this show taps into.
The changing roles of men and women.
♪ (UPBEAT MUSIC CONTINUES) ♪
There are not many women chefs, also in television.
It's these two realms that she's breaking into.
We have these white men who are judging
this woman on her appearance, on her age.
Oh!
DANIEL GOLDFARB:
other television stars.
She has a funny voice.
She talks... (IMITATES JULIA) like this.
DANIEL:
And, again, make everyone feel like
it was their idea all along.
Don't look at me, honey.
Nonsense. You're the one who figured out
how to get
All of the women around her want to be part
of that journey for her.
But by doing that, each of them got so much
from the situation.
DANIEL:
there were almost no women in executive positions at WGBH.
And when
it was 75 percent women.
She's a pioneer.
She's a women to be admired for her perseverance
and her commitment to something
that she felt very strongly about.
Her personality is as iconic as her achievements.
I envision a confederacy of women,
an estrogen safety net.
Well, I like the sound of that.
The idea that women coming together
to support each other, could actually make something
extraordinary is part of the story,
but also the important part of the American story.
You did it. You made a show.
We made a show.
-(ALL CHUCKLE) -(JULIA LAUGHS)
♪ (MUSIC CONTINUES) ♪