Good Times Season 6 on DVD June Cleaver book

Good Times Season 5 on DVD Dick Van Dyke Show on  DVDs Lancelot Link Secret Chimp on DVD Mr Peabody on DVD Looney Tunes Golden Ed
Bionic Woman on DVD

Good Times TV Show
by Billy (Dy-no-mite!) Ingram
PART 1 / 2 / 3

PART TWO: / Times turn bad

John AmosEsther Rolle and John Amos were furious that the direction of their show had turned to what they believed was offensive comedy.

"The writers would prefer to put a chicken hat on J.J. and have him prance around saying 'DY-NO-MITE,'" John Amos blasted. "And that way they could waste a few minutes and not have to write meaningful dialogue."

The lead actors were led to believe that the program would be more serious in nature, that the characters on 'Good Times' could provide positive role models for young people in similar surroundings. For that very reason, it was Rolle's insistence at the beginning that the Evans be a two parent family. CBS wanted a sitcom about a single mom.

Good Times TV Show"He's eighteen and he doesn't work," Rolle commented to Ebony Magazine about the JJ character in 1975. "He can't read or write. He doesn't think. The show didn't start out to be that. Michael's role of a bright, thinking child, has been reduced. Little by little - with the help of the artist, I suppose, because they couldn't do that to me - they have made J.J. more stupid and enlarged the role. Negative images have been slipped in on us through the character of the oldest child."

STORY CONTINUES AFTER THIS AD



Esther RolleEsther Rolle was already used to controversy by the time 'Good Times' aired.

When 'Maude' debuted in 1972, there was an uproar when executive producer Norman Lear cast a black woman in the role of the maid - it was time to bury these stereotypes, not create a new generation of them, critics complained. But Lear was looking for a character that could provide a credible counterpoint to Bea Arthur's 'loveable' liberal, someone of color that could comment on timely racial conflicts.

(When Rolle signed to do 'Good Times', Lear didn't dare immediately cast another black woman as Maude's maid, so the part went to acclaimed British actress Hermoine Baddeley.)

J J WalkerFor his part, Jimmie Walker stayed above the fray, concentrating on his nightclub act instead. "I'm no actor," he told TV Guide. "I'm a comic who lucked into a good thing. What the show has done for me, with all that exposure, is get me where I'm goin' a lot quicker."

When the 1975-76 season rolled around, both Amos and Rolle threatened to quit if something wasn't done about the show's shifting focus and negative images. Both actors were given fat raises to stay, but Amos still held out until the eleventh hour, and writers were prepared to do away with his character in case he chose not to return.

Jimmy Walker & John AmosTypical plots during the 1975-76 season: the family throws a rent party for a neighbor, a hood wants to exhibit JJ's paintings and James brings home a gun for his family's protection even though Florida's dead-set against it.

Ratings dipped as the show competed with the monster hit 'Happy Days' on ABC, so Johnny Brown ('Laugh-In') joined the cast as Bookman, the useless building superintendent, providing another comic foil to play off of the Evan's family.

John AmosIn the fall of 1976, John Amos left the series. "I did not quit the show but was in fact fired," the acclaimed stage and screen actor tells TVparty. "I was informed by phone that I was considered a disruptive factor and that my option would not be picked up for that season or any other episodes."

John Amos can be found on the web at www.halleyscomet.com, promoting his excellent one man show currently on tour.

Evan's Family on Good TimesThe character of James was written out with the explanation that he was going to work in a garage in Mississippi, but was killed in a car accident before the family could join him. With no strong male character, dramatic actor Moses Gunn signed on to be Florida's new love interest, Carl Dixon.

JJ became even more of a focus for the series, and this (may have) lead to Esther Rolle's abrupt departure from 'Good Times' in 1977. The official explanation was that the actress was ill and unable to return to the show. A new storyline was created that had Florida marrying Carl over the summer - while they were on their honeymoon, the couple decided to stay down south for Carl's health.

Good Times PhotoThe Evan's family went from a two-parent family to a no-parent family, with good neighbor Willona looking in on the kids every once in a while. A new character was introduced for the 1977-78 season - Janet Jackson (yes, that Janet Jackson) as a sassy tike named Penny - Willona's newly adopted daughter. JJ got a job as an artist for an ad agency so he could finally support the family. Ironically, it was the departure of the lead actors that ultimately forced the JJ character to grow up.

Ester RolleWith ratings sliding, Esther Rolle returned to 'Good Times' in the fall of 1978, with a promise from the network that the JJ character would be toned down. She didn't want his antics totally eliminated, she told a reporter - "But they can be real. I think there's a happy medium here somewhere." Nothing was made of the supposed wedding, or of Florida's new husband. She simply came back alone.

If Rolle's return was supposed to improve things for the Evan's family, it didn't. The first plotline for the 1978 season - JJ loses his job at the ad agency and gets involved with drug dealers to support the family.

Good Times cast photoIt was too late to save the Evans family, anyway. The show had lost its balance (and most viewers) during the previous year. The series was removed from CBS' schedule in December 1978, but returned in April, 1979.

In a rare move, a final episode of the series was aired with everyone getting what they wanted - including JJ, who finally sold his comic strip.

 

1970s TV ShowsPART THREE:
Controversial episodes and
the death of Ester Rolle!

Good Times PART 1 / 2 / 3

1970s TV ShowsTVparty is Classic TV on the internet!

Good Times Season 5 on DVD

A catalog of all the classic TV shows on DVD!

Ed Hum wrote:
Reading your Good Times article made me realize that there have been a number of actors who were initially hired for supporting or co-starring roles whose popularity became so overwhelming that they ended up either taking the lead or sharing the lead for their respective shows, to the point that other cast members left or the dynamics of the show changed to give these people more air time.

Here are my suggestions - can you name others?
Michael J. Fox, Family Ties
Larry Hagman, Dallas
Jimmie Walker, Good Times
Jaleel White, Family Matters
Henry Winkler, Happy Days,
Joan Collins, Dynasty
Heather Locklear, Melrose Place
Mary Tyler Moore, The Dick Van Dyke Show


Please consider a donation
so we can continue this work!

 

Amazon Prime - unlimited streaming
of your fave TV shows and movies!
Get your FREE 30 Day Trial!

PR4 & PR5 Pages for Advertising

 

 

Video on Demand Rent or Buy

Entertainment Collectables

 

 



Local Kid Shows / Movie Stars on TV / Saturday Morning Shows / Video Vault / TV Goodbyes / Fabulous Fifties / Unseen Scenes / Game Shows / Requested Forgotten TV Shows / The Super Sixties / More Modern TV Shows / The New * * Shows / 1980's Wrestling / TV Blog

TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!
Classic TV on the Internet!

Television's Embarrassing Moments / Action Shows of the Sixties / TVparty Mysteries and Scandals / Variety Shows of the 1970s / The Eighties / The Laugh Track / 1970's Hit Shows / Response to TVparty / Search the Site / Add Your Comments

Hit Shows of the Seventies: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy / Gene Roddenberry in the 1970s / 1977-1978 Superhero & Science Fiction TV Shows / Funniest SNL Skit Ever! / Remembering Suzanne Somers / Prisoner: Cell Block H / Why John Amos Left Good Times / Reviving Match Game / How Betty White's 'Happy Homemaker' Came About / Remembering Cindy Williams / Creating The Rockford Files / TV Dads Talk Sex & Fatherhood / TV Shows We Watched 50 Years Ago / How Maude Came About / The Hagers Rediscovered! / Rare Audio of Bette Davis' Broadway Bound Flop 'Miss Moffat' / Interview With Director John Erman / Orson Welles' Last Interview / Remembering Ed Asner / When PBS Got Naked: Steambath / Bruce Vilanch on Writing for Donny & Marie / Writing For Fernwood 2 Night / Kris Kristofferson vs Barbra Streisand on A Star Is Born? Kinda... / Remembering Gavin MacLeod / 20 Funniest SNL Skits of All Time / Cher Reviews Her Iconic Outfits Since 1965 / Best Columbo Episodes / Star Maidens Sci-Fi Series / Sonny Bono's Last Show 1974 / Interview with Cindy Williams (Lavern & Shirley) / One of the Most Controversial Episodes of All In The Family / Outside Chance / Remembering Carol Wayne / The Night Johnny Carson Broke Down / Real People / That's Incredible! / Gavin MacLeod on His MTM Castmates / Norman Mailer & Muhammad Ali / Charles Nelson Reilly Flops on Broadway / Chuck Norris vs Eva Gabor / Dear Detective / Dirty Sally / Peggy Lee & Anthony Newley's Weird Pre-Show Rituals / The Protectors / Chevy Chase Talks Hollywood Cocaine Parties / 1977 Season Show Openings / Love Boat's Oscar Winning Guest Stars / Henry Fonda's 4 Favorite Films / Tom Snyder Interviews Star Trek Cast & Harlan Ellison / The Corner Bar / Tim Conway's 'The Dentist' Sketch / Roy Radin Revue: Drunken Ronnie Spector / Henry Winkler on His Happy Days Audition / Patrick Duffy of Dallas Interview / Time Express / Wonder Woman Leaves Paradise Island / 1972-73 TV Season / George Burns on the Carson Tonight Show in 1989 / Best Season of Dallas Ever? / Cloris Leachman Remembered / Ken Berry Interview / Why Barney Miller Ended / Vivian Vance Almost Joined the Cast of Rhoda / Marilu Henner Talks About Andy Kaufman / Cher on Mike Douglas 1979 / TV Show Book Tie-Ins / 1972 Jackie Robinson Interview / Dr. Strange 1978 TV Movie / Kathy Garver Interview / Space: 1999 / Paint Along with Nancy Kominsky / Mary Kay Place Albums of the 1970s / The Supremes - Mary Wilson vs Diana Ross / When Bruce Dern Killed John Wayne / 1974 Tom Snyder Our Gang Special / Remembering Ken Berry / Bruce / Caitllyn Jenner? / Billy Crash Craddock Interview / Melissa McCarthy Almost Quit Acting Days Before Landing Gilmore Girls / Bar Rescue's Wildest Customers! / Alex Baldwin On His TV and Film Roles / Ray Charles' BIG Problem With TV / Top Ten Sitcoms of the 1970s / James Cameron Made No Money for Titanic / Ed McMahon Drunk on the Air! / Lucy Interviewed by Barbara Walters / Valerie Harper Cancer / Dallas vs Eight is Enough / 1974 MAD Magazine TV Special - Never Aired! / When Lucy Got Fired / Partridge Family and Brady Bunch at Kings Island theme park 1972-73 / Awkward Talk Show Moments / Allan Blye Interview / Jack Benny's Last Tonight Show 1974 / Patricia Heaton's Audition for Everybody Loves Raymond / Ed Asner Interview / Norm Macdonald vs OJ Simpson / Tony Kornheiser Interview / Freddy's Nightmares TV Series / Emmy Award Multiple Winners / Nathaniel Taylor aka Rollo Lawson / Mary Kay Place Albums of the 1970s / That Girl & TV's Single Working Women / Can You Identify These Stars? / Betty White vs Joan Rivers / Paul Lynde's Greatest Hollywood Squares Zingers / Sonny Comedy Revue / Star Trek Animated / Dark Shadows / Hal Linden Interview / Dark Shadows Movies / Dark Shadows Novels / The Night Stalker / One of the Funniest Carol Burnett Show Skits Ever / Fred 'The Hammer' Williamson / Johnny Carson interviews Lucille Ball / Dawn Wells / Betty White : An Appreciation / Bette Davis' 2 Best Interviews 1971 / Barbara Eden Interview / Gavin McLeod / Spider-Man 77 / The Next Step Beyond / The Music Dark Shadows / 1970 TV Shows / Mike Connors Remembered / Mike Wallace, Virginia Graham & Jim Longworth / Dick Clark / Woody Allen Hosts Tonight Show 1971 / Carson Tonight Show / Alan Alda Interview / Jackie Gleason Show / 1973 TV Shows / Thriller / Post Modern Sitcoms / Elvis in Greensboro / Remembering Dick Van Patten / TV Dating Shows / The Jacksons TV Show / Fall Previews of the 70s / Lance Link, Secret Chimp / Star Wars Holiday Special / Alias Smith and Jones / 1977 Year in Review / Top Ten 1970-76 / The Rockford Files / All in the Family / Sam Hall (Dark Shadows) Interview / Actor Ed Nelson / Death of Archie / Battlestar Galactica / Wonder Woman / Network Jingles / Class of '74 / Happy Days / Good Times / Mr. Bill / Dinah! / Maude / Doris Day Show / Pamelyn Ferdin Interview / The Bicentennial Minute / Jingles & Catch Phrases of the 1970s / Early Cable TV 1970s / TV commercials for Women / TV Moms / Country Music TV Shows of the 1960s & 1970s / Betty White Show / Ron Palillo / Shirley Jones Interview / Tom Bosley / Rodney Dangerfield / How Sanford & Son Ended / Sanford & Son Spin-Off Grady / Great Memoirs / Virginia Graham Show / The "N" Word on TV / 10 Classic Comedy Routines You Have To Laugh At Before You Die / Hollywood Squares / 1970's Teen Idols & The Hudson Brothers / TV Stars with 3 Hit Shows / The Rookies / Unsold Pilots / Jackie Cooper / The Good Guys / Match Game / Make Room For Granddaddy / Mannix & Gail Fisher / Bette Midler in the 1970s / Bonus 1970's Stuff: Silent Star Marion Mack / Biff Burger / 1970s Fast Food Chains / Latin Casino / Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire / 1970's Daytime Talk Shows / The Fess Parker Show / Brady Bunch Sex Dungeon? / Love, Loss & What I Watched

Classic TV Commercials / 1950's TV / 1960's TV / Punk Book / / 1970's TV / Groucho vs William F Buckley / / TV Games / Honey Boo Boo / Lucy Shows / Classic Cars / John Wayne / Gene Roddenberry / Rockford Files / Sea Hunt / Superman on DVD / Toy Gun Ads / Flip Wilson Show / Big Blue Marble / Monty Hall / Carrascolendas / Mr. Dressup / Major Mudd / Chief Halftown / Baby Daphne / Sheriff John / Winchell & Mahoney / Fireball X-L5 / Mr. Wizard / Captain Noah / Thanksgiving Day Specials / Disney's First Christmas Special / Saturday Morning Cartoons / The Magic Garden / Amahl & the Night Visitors / Holiday Toy Commercials / Lucy & Desi's Last Christmas Show / Joey Heatherton / Fat Albert / The Virginian / Bewitched / Death of John Wayne / 1974 Saturday Mornings / Chuck McCann / Rudolph Collectables / Shrimpenstein / Local Popeye Shows / New Treasure Hunt / 1966 ABC TV Shows / 1967 TV Shows / 1968 TV Shows / Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes & Baby Doll / Fridays / TV Moms / Red Skelton / Star Wars / KISS / Lancelot Link / Saturday Morning Cartoons / The Magic Garden / Wonder Woman / Classic Comic Books / Andy Griffith / Cher / TV Shows on DVD / Outtakes & Bloopers / 1967 TV Shows / Romper Room / ABC Movie of the Week / The Goldbergs / Daws Butler Commercials / Saturday Morning Commercials / Captain Kangaroo / Chicago Local Kiddie Shows / Boston Local TV / Philly Local TV / NYC Local Kid Shows / Amos 'n' Andy / Electric Company / Bette Davis / Judy Garland / Christmas Specials / Redd Foxx / Good Times / Sitcom Houses / What's Happening! / Winky Dink & You / Sonny & Cher / Smothers Brothers / Commercial Icons of the 1960s / Soupy Sales / TV Terrorists / Irwin Allen / The Untouchables / Carol Burnett Show / Batman TV Show / Green Hornet / Today Show History / Our Gang / Doris Day Show / 1970's Commercials For Women / Bill Cosby in the 1970s / The Golddiggers / Lola Falana / 1970s TV Shows / David Bowie on TV / Hudson Brothers / Jackie Gleason / Hollywood Squares / Match Game / Bob Keeshan / Gumby / The Flip Wilson Show / Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour / The Bobby Darin Show / The Richard Pryor Show / George Burns / Celebrity Commercials / Rudolph / Movie Posters & More! 

Playboy After Dark DVD

Book About Greensboro

Match Game on DVD Route 66 on DVD All in the Family DVD Wild Wild West DVD Tennessee Tuxedo on DVD

Looking for classic TV DVDs?/See below:
TV Commercials on DVD Wrestling DVDs Classic TV Books


Save money!