Good Times

An interesting comedy series about a poor black family trying to make ends meet and make a better life in the projects of Chicago. I first saw the reruns once our local WB affiliate took off the weekday morning reruns of Happy Days and began airing this instead. And it made me laugh! The Evans were a real family with real problems, but they also truly loved each other. I think JJ was a precursor to characters such as Horshack, Screech, Urkel, Rerun, etc. The gospelish theme song and title sequences shown over inner-city Chicago only added to the realism. Speaking of theme songs, Ja'net DuBois (neighbor Willona) co-wrote and sang another truly memorable one during this time. What was it? "Movin' On Up" for The Jeffersons, of course.

I realize everyone has their own opinion, but, I don't know . . . I think the critics of this show miss the point of the show. I don't find it stereotypical or shuckin'/jivin' at all. This was a family that just happened to be black and live in the projects. They didn't dwell on it. They were actually trying to do everything they could to get out of the projects. JJ wanted to be an artists. Thelma, a dancer. Michael, involved in legal/justice. Seems to me nowadays, the projects or ghetto life is romanticized (see BET videos or MTV videos), whereas the Evans family in "Good Times" was trying to get out and onto something better. Headed by two parents who realized there own shortcomings (lack of education, money), but didn't they try to lead by example by teaching their kids values, strong work ethic and didn't they try to IMPROVE the lives of THEIR children? They tried to show their kids to strive for more in life, DESPITE obstacles. James tried to work several jobs, just so Florida could stay home and tend to the needs of the house/family. Some may find that chauvinistic by today's standards, but, I'm not so sure about that. Seems to me when at least one parent was in the home, children were a bit more manageable. What better representation of a family values can you ask for? A great show! Better than most of the family comedies today!

I liked Good Times. Being a white guy from a white city, it was one of my first glimpses into black culture. I liked many things about this show. Most importantly it had a black family that stuck together through thick and thin. The parents loved their children more than anything, were always there for them , and wanted the best for them. J.J. (the eldest brother) was the tall comic relief in this show, and always fought with his sister Thelma (the curvacious beauty). The little brother "Michael" was Mr. Militant black pride. That theme got a little over done at times, but it was the 70's and blacks were still seeking equality. It was actually quite funny> All references in the show had to be "black". For instance: Every book report had to be about black history, every movie had to involve black people, every politition had to be black, the list went on and on. All posters in there rooms were black people, furniture pieces were African. All guests were black people. Man, I can't remember ever seeing a white guy in that show! Common, Chicago wasn't all black! Actually I loved the intro and ending to each show; the painting at the end, the camera sky-views of Chicago, the theme music, the bike rider and citizens. Very cool. What I liked about this show over Sanford and Son was that whites weren't portrayed as idiots, like some stupid attack against shows in the past that put blacks in an Aunt Jemima mode, please! It also dated politics, recession, wages, history. It was great. The best episodes were the first few years with James Evans, the father. He was tough, but loving and kind. He took no bull from any of the kids. He worked hard. He loved his wife. The way he was written out of the show was very abrupt. He was out of town, got hit by a car, and died. This funeral episode was excellent. Ester Rolle was handling the death all well untill the end. As she was putting away dishes from the wake at their house, she saw a flower James had left her and kept working, she finally stopped and smashed a bowl on the kitchen floor as she swore and then broke down in tremendous grief over the loss of her husband. Her children(who were shocked she hadn't grieved in front of others but was laughing) then ran from their rooms and comforted her with a family hug. The show ended. No canned laughter, no music. Great acting. Why did James(John Amos) leave the show? Roots? A movie career? Contract disputes? I don't know. What I do know is that when Janet Jackson, Bookman, and that annoying neighbor Willona; Miss Big Mouth, I'm beautiful, took over, this show was lost forever(but I did like sweet daddy). Aids wiped him out not long ago. The original lineup could've easily gone on a few more years. Thank God for reruns! FLAMIO

This was a good show for the first three seasons. If you got past all the stereotypes, you would notice that many of the episodes discussed issues that are just as relevant today as they were back then. Issues such as gun control, teen pregnancy, v.d., gangs and teen suicide. However, once John Amos left, the show was not the same and suffered as a result. It really suffered the year that Esther Rolle was off. You know a show is going downhill when they have to resort to bringing on a cute kid character.

Also, if Esther Rolle was so displeased with the show, then how come she took the part in the first place?

Before leaving my own comments about the TV series GOOD TIMES, I feel that I simply MUST comment on the remarks of one Mr. Larry Wall. If you didn't like the show, fine, but some of your reasons for disliking it are totally erroneous. To wit:

1. "Thelma dressed like a slut": These must be the HBO episodes! I was always surprised that, considering the way Bernadette Stanis was built, they kept her covered up most of the time. She hardly showed any cleavage, the hemlines of her skirts and dresses were quite low. Her pants and jeans may have been tight but then again, in the Seventies, WHOSE weren't?

2. "(The Evanses were) living like animals": Not hardly. I can honestly say that our family was a little bit like the Evanses and we DIDN'T live in the projects neither. If, as you say, the head of the household is always losing his job, it's going to be kind of hard to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. It's kind of hard to eat fillet mignon on a hot dog budget.

3. "(James) threatened with violence for everything. I don't remember him sitting down and explaining (anything)": You must have missed those episodes, I can remember numerous times when James sat down and talked things out without yelling or threatening to take off his belt. In fact, there was even one episode when he apologized to Michael, which in turn led to Michael feeling as if he could apologize for acting up in school.

4. "James got in front of white people and did that stupid laugh": Wrong! If you look at the show again, you will see that James would do the laugh (A-heh-heh-heh!) only when he got caught in a lie by Florida. Usually about an old girlfriend.

5. "Michael . . . would get put down (for his militantism) and made to seem foolish . . .": Those scenes were done to show to Michael that everything wasn't as simple as black-and-white, so to speak. Example: Florida's rich cousin announces that he had just been laid off from his high-paying job.

Michael: "I'll bet the only reason you were fired was because you're black." Cousin: "Well, if they did, then they also fired six other men because they were white." Get the picture?

6. "It says we're content to live like . . . animals": You could say a lot of things about the Evanses and Willona, but you can't say that they were content with their lot in life. James was always looking for better paying jobs. J.J. (yes, I will admit that he was a BIT much) kept working at his painting as well as looking for artistic jobs. Thelma wanted to be a dancer (and, no, not a stripper). Michael let a street gang know that he wanted more with his life than to settle for being a ghetto resident. To paraphrase Florida in one episode: there is no such thing as a waste of hope.

For the most part, I liked the show during the "James Years". The humor was believable and came from the heart. After John Amos left, the quality of the show really went down. When Ester Rolle left, it took an even bigger dive. Adding Janet Jackson did NOT help things any. When Rolle returned, the damage had been done too far to repair. Mr. Wall, I hope you will look at the show again and think over your past comments. You will see that they DEFINITELY do not apply to the show that was on then.