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*Another inconsistency that was never mentioned was James Evans Sr.'s name change. On ''Maude'', he was always known as Henry Evans. As a matter of fact, on the episode of ''Maude'' that aired the week before ''Good Times'' premiered, Florida made her last appearance, and her husband was known as Henry Evans. Henry Evans was also the name of James Evans's estranged father, who made 3 appearances on the show and was played by Richard Ward. *Another inconsistency that was never mentioned was James Evans Sr.'s name change. On ''Maude'', he was always known as Henry Evans. As a matter of fact, on the episode of ''Maude'' that aired the week before ''Good Times'' premiered, Florida made her last appearance, and her husband was known as Henry Evans. Henry Evans was also the name of James Evans's estranged father, who made 3 appearances on the show and was played by Richard Ward.


*], while interviewing ] on the ], referred to Amos as the best actor he ever met. Stern gave Amos this accolade due to the fact that Amos was constantly able on the show to refer to ]'s character Florida as beautiful without cracking up or throwing up. According to Stern, this was acting at it's finest, especially when the script called for Amos to kiss Rolle.



*Ralph Carter's character shares the same name as ''Good Times'' co-creator ]. Evans portrayed Lionel Jefferson on '']'' and its ] '']''. *Ralph Carter's character shares the same name as ''Good Times'' co-creator ]. Evans portrayed Lionel Jefferson on '']'' and its ] '']''.

Revision as of 04:15, 14 March 2007

This article is about the 1970s television show. For other uses of "Good Times", see Good Times (disambiguation)
1974 TV series or program
Good Times
Good Times title screen
Created byEric Monte
Michael Evans
StarringEsther Rolle (1974-1977), (1978-1979)
John Amos (1974-1976)
Ja'net Du Bois
Jimmie Walker
Bern Nadette Stanis
Ralph Carter
Johnny Brown (1977-1979)
Janet Jackson (1977-1979)
Ben Powers (1978-1979)
Opening themeDave Grusin
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes133
Production
Executive producersAllan Manings
Norman Lear
Running timeapprox. 0:23 (per episode)
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseFebruary 8, 1974
 –
August 1, 1979

Good Times was an American sitcom that was originally broadcast from February 1, 1974 until August 1, 1979 on the CBS television network. The program was a spin-off of the sitcom Maude (itself a spin-off of All in the Family). Good Times was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and produced by Norman Lear.

The first two seasons of Good Times were taped at CBS Television City in Hollywood, California. The show moved to Metromedia Square, Norman Lear's own production facility, in the fall of 1975.

Synopsis

Template:Spoiler Good Times starred Esther Rolle as Florida Evans and John Amos as her husband, James Evans, Sr. The characters originated on Maude as Florida and Henry Evans, with Florida employed as Maude's housekeeper in upstate New York. When producers decided to feature the Florida character in her own show, they applied retroactive changes to the characters' history. Henry's name became James, there was no mention of Maude, and the couple now lived and always had lived in Chicago.

Good Times was based on Eric Monte's childhood. Florida and James Evans had three children and the family rented an apartment in a housing project (implicitly the infamous Cabrini-Green projects, shown in the opening and closing credits but never mentioned by name on the show) in a poor, black neighborhood in inner-city Chicago. Florida and James' children were J. J. (Jimmie Walker), Thelma (Bern Nadette Stanis), and Michael (Ralph Carter). When the series began, J.J. and Thelma were seventeen and sixteen years old, respectively, and Michael, called "the militant midget" by his father due to his passionate activism, was eleven years old. Their exuberant neighbor, and Florida's best friend, was Willona Woods (played by Ja'net Du Bois), a recent divorcée.

Jimmie Walker (J.J) was actually 26 years old when the show aired in 1974. BernNadette Stanis (Thelma) was 20, Ralph Carter (Michael) was 12, John Amos ( James ) was 34, Esther Rolle (Florida) was 53 (19 years older than Amos), and Ja'net DuBois (Wilona) was 35.

Topical situations

As was the case on other Norman Lear sitcoms, the characters and subject matter in Good Times were a breakthrough for American television. Working class characters had certainly been featured in sitcoms before (dating back at least to The Honeymooners), but never before had a weekly series featured African American characters living in such impoverished conditions. (Fred and Lamont Sanford of Sanford and Son, though they lived in the poor area of Watts, at least had their own home and business.) Episodes of Good Times dealt with the characters' attempts to get by in an inner-city ghetto despite all the odds stacked against them. When he wasn't unemployed, James Evans usually worked at least two jobs, many of them temporary such as a dish washer or car washer, as he struggled to provide for his family. Being a sitcom, however, the episodes were usually more uplifting and positive than they were depressing, as the Evans family stuck together and persevered.

Initial success

The program premiered in February of 1974; high ratings led CBS to renew the program for the 1974–1975 season. During its first full season on the air, 1974–1975, the show was the seventh-highest-rated program in the Nielsen ratings and a quarter of the American television-viewing public tuned in to an episode during any given week. During 1974–1975, three of the top ten highest-rated programs on American TV centered around the lives of African-Americans: Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and Good Times. Good Times's ratings however, declined over time partly because of the many times the show was moved around the CBS schedule.

Backstage tension

Almost from the premiere episode, J.J., an aspiring artist, was the public's favorite character on the show and his frequently-invoked catch phrase "Dy-no-mite" became very popular. As the series progressed through its second and third year, however, Rolle and Amos, who played the Evans parents, grew more disillusioned with the direction the show was taking as J.J.'s antics and stereotypically buffoonish behavior took precedence in the storylines. Rolle was rather vocal about disliking the character of J.J. in a 1975 interview with Ebony magazine.

He's eighteen and he doesn't work. He can't read or write. He doesn't think. The show didn't start out to be that...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.

— Esther Rolle

Although doing so less publicly, Amos also was outspoken about his dissatisfaction with J.J.'s character. The ill feelings came to a head when it came time to negotiate Amos' contract in the summer of 1976, and he was dismissed from the series.

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

— John Amos

The Big Move

Husband-and-wife team Austin and Irma Kalish were hired to oversee the day-to-day running of the show, replacing Allan Manings, who had become executive producer at a time when he was also working on another Lear sitcom, One Day at a Time. The Kalishes and Manings, as script supervisors, threw ideas to writers Roger Shulman, John Baskin, and Bob Peete, and eventually penned an exit for Amos's character.

At the beginning of the 1976–1977 season, the family was packing to move from the ghetto to a better life in Mississippi where James had found a job as a partner in a garage. At the end of the first episode that season, Florida learned via a telegram (which, at first, she thought was to congratulate her on her move) that James was killed in a car accident. The show continued without a father, which was something Rolle did not want to pursue. One of the primary appeals of the project for her had been the presentation it initially offered of the strong black father heading his family.

However, she stayed on hoping that the loss of the father's character would necessitate a shift in J.J.'s character, as J.J. would now become the man of the family. The writers did not take this approach, however; if anything, J.J.'s foolishness only increased. Wanting no further part in such depictions, by the summer of 1977, Rolle left the series. She was written out as marrying and moving to Arizona with her new love interest, Carl Dixon (Moses Gunn).

Rolle had disliked the Carl Dixon character, as she believed Florida would have not moved on so quickly after James' death. Rolle also thought the writers had disregarded Florida's devout Christian beliefs by making her fall for Carl, who was an atheist. When Rolle eventually agreed to return to the show, there were several conditions. One of which was that the Carl Dixon character be written out as if he never existed. Another condition of her return was she would have a greater say in the story line and J.J. would become a more respectable character as well as a raise in pay.

Good Times without the parents

With Amos and Rolle gone, Ja'net Du Bois took over as the star, checking on the Evans children as they were now living alone. New characters were added or had their roles expanded: Johnny Brown as the overweight building superintendent Nathan Bookman; Ben Powers as Thelma's husband Keith Anderson; and Janet Jackson as Penny Gordon Woods, an abused girl adopted by Willona.

It was at this time that many viewers defected from the series, and although Florida returned (the writers had finally let J.J.'s character mature to a point that Rolle found tolerable) for the sixth season in 1978, the viewers did not, and production was halted abruptly in early 1979.

The last original episode of Good Times aired in the summer of 1979. In a series finale typical of the series, each character had a "happy ending." J.J. finally got his big break as an artist for a comic book company, after years of the audience waiting for such a development. J.J.'s newly-created character, DynoWoman was based on Thelma herself. Michael attended college and moved into an on-campus dorm. Keith's bad knee miraculously healed, leading to the Chicago Bears offering him a contract to play football. Keith and (a newly pregnant) Thelma moved to a luxury apartment across town and offered Florida the chance to move in with them. Willona became the head buyer of the boutique she worked in and she and Penny move in to the same building and become their downstairs neighbors (yet again).

List of Good Times Episodes

Good Times had over 133 episodes, and six seasons (1974-1979) on CBS, here are a list of the 133 episodes, including the two-part episodes and four-part episodes.

Episode Number Episode Title Original Air Date Episode Summary
1 Getting Up The Rent February 8, 1974 In The Series premiere, Florida, James and their kids (Michael, Thelma, and J.J.) are struggling to stay in their apartment, but when the Landlord announces that the family is getting evicted from the building, James and J.J. sets out to get the money for the rent.
2 Black Jesus February 15, 1974 J.J. Paints a Black version of Jesus, and Michael likes the painting, however, Florida objects to the painting, and it brings Willona, J.J., Thelma, and James all good luck.
3 Too Old Blues February 22, 1974 James gets a Job, but there are odds about the career he is getting.
4 God's Business Is Good Business March 1, 1974 A Slick Preacher named Reverend Sam (Roscoe Lee Browne) finally fleeces his flock, when he asks his old buddy, James to tag along on a trip that is not so good.
5 Michael Gets Suspended March 8, 1974
6 Junior Gets a Patron March 15, 1974
7 Sex and The Evans Family March 22, 1974
8 Junior The Senior March 29, 1974
9 The Visitor April 5, 1974
10 Springtime In The Ghetto April 12, 1974
11 The TV Commercial April 19, 1974
12 The Checkup May 3, 1974
13 My Son, The Lover May 10, 1974
14 Florida Flips September 10, 1974
15 J.J. Becomes a Man (1) (a.k.a.) J.J. Gets Arrested September 17, 1974
16 J.J. Becomes a Man (2) (a.k.a.) J.J. Gets Arrested September 24, 1974
17 Crosstown Buses Run All Day, Doo-Dah, Doo-Dah October 1, 1974
18 The Man I Most Admire October 8, 1974
19 Thelma's Young Man October 15, 1974
20 The I.Q. Test October 22, 1974
21 The Encyclopedia Hustle October 29, 1974
22 The Gang (1) (a.k.a.) J.J. and The Gang November 12, 1974
23 The Gang (2) (a.k.a.) J.J. and The Gang November 19, 1974
24 Florida, The Matchmaker (a.k.a.) The Matchmaker November 26, 1974
25 The Windfall December 3, 1974
26 Sometimes There Is No Bottom in The Bottle December 10, 1974
27 Florida's Big Gig December 31, 1974
28 Florida Goes To School January 7, 1975
29 The Nude January 14, 1975
30 The Family Business January 21, 1975
31 The Debutante Ball February 4, 1975
32 The Dinner Party February 11, 1975
33 The Houseguest February 18, 1975
34 My Girl Henrietta February 25, 1975
35 The Enlistment March 4, 1975
36 Thelma's Scholarship March 11, 1975
37 The Lunch Money Ripoff March 18, 1975
38 A Real Cool Job September 9, 1975
39 The Family Gun September 16, 1975
40 Operation Florida September 23, 1975
41 Love In The Ghetto September 30, 1975
42 Florida's Rich Cousin (a.k.a.) Cousin Edgar October 7, 1975
43 The Weekend October 14, 1975
44 The Baby October 21, 1975
45 Michael's Big Fall October 28, 1975
46 The Politicians November 4, 1975
47 Willona's Dilemma November 11, 1975
48 Florida's Protest November 25, 1975
49 The Mural December 2, 1975
50 A Loss of Confidence December 9, 1975
51 Cleatus December 16, 1975
52 The Family Tree December 23, 1975
53 A Place To Die December 30, 1975
54 J.J.'s Fiancee (1) January 6, 1976
55 J.J.'s Fiancee (2) January 13, 1976
56 Sweet Daddy Williams January 20, 1976
57 The Investigation January 27, 1976
58 J.J. In Trouble February 3, 1976
59 The Break-Up February 17, 1976
60 Florida The Woman February 24, 1976
61 The Rent Party March 2, 1976
62 The Big Move (1) September 22, 1976
63 The Big Move (2) September 29, 1976
64 J.J. and The Older Woman October 6, 1976
65 Michael, The Warlord October 13, 1976
66 Michael's Great Romance October 20, 1976
67 Evans Versus Davis October 27, 1976
68 J.J.'s New Career (1) November 10, 1976
69 J.J.'s New Career (2) November 17, 1976
70 Grandpa's Visit (a.k.a.) Grandpa's New Love November 24, 1976
71 Rich Is Better Than Poor...Maybe? December 8, 1976
72 Florida's Night Out December 15, 1976
73 The Judy Cohen Story December 22, 1976
74 The Comedian and The Loan Sharks January 5, 1977
75 The Hustle January 12, 1977
76 Thelma's African Romance (1) January 19, 1977
77 Thelma's African Romance (2) January 19, 1977
78 Willona's Surprise January 26, 1977
79 A Friend In Need February 2, 1977
80 A Stormy Relationship February 9, 1977
81 Florida and Carl February 23, 1977
82 My Son, The Father March 2, 1977
83 J.J. In Business (a.k.a.) The Greeting Card Business March 9, 1977
84 Love Has a Spot on His Lung (1) March 23, 1977
85 Love Has a Spot on His Lung (2) March 30, 1977
86 The Evans Get Involved (1) September 21, 1977
87 The Evans Get Involved (2) September 21, 1977
88 The Evans Get Involved (3) September 28, 1977
89 The Evans Get Involved (4) October 5, 1977
90 Thelma Moves Out October 12, 1977
91 Willona, The Fuzz October 19, 1977
92 Wheels November 2, 1977
93 Breaker, Breaker November 9, 1977
94 Bye-Bye, Bookman November 16, 1977
95 Thelma's Brief Encounter December 7, 1977
96 Requiem For a Wino December 14, 1977
97 Penny's Christmas December 21, 1977
98 No More Mr. Nice Guy January 4, 1978
99 Willona's Mr. Right January 11, 1978
100 J.J. and The Boss' Daughter January 18, 1978
101 Where's There's Smoke January 25, 1978
102 I Had a Dream January 30, 1978
103 The Boarder February 6, 1978
104 J.J.'s Condition February 13, 1978
105 Willona, The Other Woman February 27, 1978
106 Something Old, Something New March 13, 1978
108 Write On, Thelma March 27, 1978
109 That's Entertainment, Evans Style April 3, 1978
110 Florida's Homecoming (1) September 16, 1978
111 Florida's Homecoming (2) September 16, 1978
112 Florida's Homecoming (3) (a.k.a.) The Wedding September 23, 1978
113 Florida's Homecoming (4) (a.k.a.) United We Stand September 30, 1978
114 Florida Gets a Job October 7, 1978
115 Stomach Mumps October 14, 1978
116 J.J., The Teacher October 21, 1978
117 Michael's Decision November 8, 1978
118 J.J. and The Plumber's Helper December 2, 1978
119 The Witness December 9, 1978
120 The Snow Storm December 13, 1978
121 The Traveling Christmas December 20, 1978
122 House Hunting January 3, 1979
123 Florida's Favorite Passenger (1) May 16, 1979
124 Florida's Favorite Passenger (2) May 23, 1979
125 Blood Will Tell May 30, 1979
126 Where All The Doctors Have Gone? June 6, 1979
127 J.J. and T.C. June 20, 1979
128 The Physical July 4, 1979
129 A Matter of Mothers July 11, 1979
130 The Art Contest July 18, 1979
131 The Evans Dilemma July 25, 1979
132 Cousin Raymond July 25, 1979
133 The End of The Rainbow August 1, 1979

Television Reruns

In addition, the network TV One (which can be seen on Comcast cable systems as well as DirecTV) airs the show in a programming block with another African-American sitcom, 227.

The sitcom has also aired on TV Land as a 48-hour marathon the weekends of July 23, 2005, November 26, 2005, and May 6, 2006. However, TV Land airs the version of episodes that were edited for syndication, while TV One airs the original edits, as they were shown on during its CBS primetime run, albeit digitally-remastered.

CBS also aired reruns of Good Times during the afternoons from 1976-78.

In late 2006 or early 2007, Good Times was pulled from the TV Land lineup along with several other shows (most notably Happy Days) to make room for some new programming. The show will be returning in mid-February with a 48-hour weekend marathon.

DVD Releases

Sony Pictures Entertainment has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1.

Season Releases

Cover Art DVD Name Release Date Additional Information
File:Good Times S1.jpg The Complete First Season February 4 2003 Includes all 13 episodes from Season 1.
File:Goodtimesecondseason.jpg The Complete Second Season February 3 2004 Inlcudes all 24 episodes from Season 2
File:Good Times S3.jpg The Complete Third Season August 10 2004 Includes all 24 episodes from Season 3.
File:Good Times S4.jpg The Complete Fourth Season February 15 2005 Includes all 23 episodes from Season 4.
File:Good Times S5.jpg The Complete Fifth Season August 23 2005 Includes all 24 episodes from Season 5.
File:Good Times S6.jpg The Complete Sixth Season August 1 2006 Includes all 24 episodes from Season 6.

Trivia

This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles.

Florida Evans

  • The opening credits depict the famous Chicago Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago. In the opening credits, the building seems depicted prior to its renovation and revitalization.
  • The cover art for the Good Times DVD releases do not correspond with the season in which it aired. For example, the second season box set photograph (seen above) was actually taken in the fall of 1976, the show's fourth season. Another photograph from the same photo shoot can be seen on the Good Times fourth season box set. To differentiate, the characters' clothes were given different colors, and the character of Nathan Bookman was photoshopped out, replaced by James Evans, who was still on the show in the second season.
  • Parts of the lyrics to the theme music are notorious for being hard to discern - notably the "Hangin' in a chow line"/"Hangin' in and Jivin'" lyric (depending on the source used). Dave Chappelle used this part of the lyrics as a test in his "I Know Black People" Skit/Quiz on Chappelle's Show in which the former was claimed as the answer. The "liner notes" for the Season One DVD box set confirm that the proper lyric is "hangin' in a chow line".
  • Another inconsistency that was never mentioned was James Evans Sr.'s name change. On Maude, he was always known as Henry Evans. As a matter of fact, on the episode of Maude that aired the week before Good Times premiered, Florida made her last appearance, and her husband was known as Henry Evans. Henry Evans was also the name of James Evans's estranged father, who made 3 appearances on the show and was played by Richard Ward.
  • Howard Stern, while interviewing John Amos on the Howard Stern Radio Show, referred to Amos as the best actor he ever met. Stern gave Amos this accolade due to the fact that Amos was constantly able on the show to refer to Esther Rolle's character Florida as beautiful without cracking up or throwing up. According to Stern, this was acting at it's finest, especially when the script called for Amos to kiss Rolle.
  • One of the consistent themes of Good Times during the first three seasons was James' inability to find a well-paying, long-term job. John Amos would later have recurring roles on several TV series as characters with excellent jobs, such as an NFL coach (In the House), the mayor of Washington, D.C. (The District), and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (The West Wing).
  • Comedian Chris Rock has based the father character in his TV series Everybody Hates Chris on John Amos' portrayal of James Evans Sr. "I kind of wanted to give him that James Evans nobility," Rock told TV critics in the summer of 2005.
  • John Amos's portrayal of James Evans Sr. is frequently cited as perhaps the most realistic depiction of an African-American father in television history. James' death is almost universally recognized as the moment when the series "jumped the shark".


  • J.J.'s paintings were actually created by African-American artist Ernie Barnes. The series helped to make the artist and his distinctive style famous.
  • The first-season episode "Black Jesus" (where J.J. uses Ned the Wino as the model for a portrait of Jesus) was one of the first times that a primetime television series challenged the notion that Jesus had a Caucasian or European appearance (the first time being an All In The Family (also a Norman Lear production) episode from 1972 in which Henry Jefferson and Archie Bunker square off about the color of Jesus' skin).
  • The third-season episode "J.J. in Trouble" was one of the first times that the subject of STDs (then referred to as "VD") was addressed on a prime time television series. A 25-year old Jay Leno appears briefly in this episode.
  • The fifth-season episode "Wheels" introduces J.J.'s three best friends Poppo (Randy Martin), Cool Breeze (Larry Beecham), and Head (T.K. Carter). Collectively, the quartet refer to themselves as "The Awesome Foursome".


  • In 1986, Ja'net Du Bois appeared briefly in the video for Janet Jackson's hit single "Control". Du Bois portrays Jackson's mother, reminiscent of the mother-daughter roles they played on Good Times.
  • In 1989, Esther Rolle portrays Lena Younger in a PBS TV production of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, an immensely popular play about another struggling African-American family from Chicago's South Side. Mrs. Johnson is portrayed by Helen Martin, who played Wanda on Good Times.
  • In 1997, Good Times is parodied on a fourth-season episode of The Wayans Bros. entitled "Unspoken Token". In a "fantasy" sequence, the Wayans Bros. cast assumes the roles of Good Times characters, with Shawn Wayans (Shawn) as J.J., Marlon Wayans (Marlon) as Michael, John Witherspoon (Pops) as James, Anna Maria Horsford (Dee) as Florida, and Ja'net Du Bois (Grandma) reprising her role as Willona. Bern Nadette Stanis and Johnny Brown make special guest appearances in their roles as Thelma and Bookman. Penny and Keith are not depicted.
  • In 2003, Bern Nadette Stanis portrays herself in a third-season episode of Girlfriends entitled "Where Everybody Knows My Name." In this episode, William (Reggie Hayes) goes on a date with Stanis, yet constantly refers to her as "Thelma", as if Thelma is a real person and not merely a character from Good Times.
  • In 2006, Jimmie Walker appears as Chris's (Tyler James Williams) grandfather in a first-season episode of Everybody Hates Chris entitled "Everybody Hates Funerals". Later in that episode, Chris' mother Rochelle (Tichina Arnold), in a frustrated moment, exclaims "Damn, damn, DAMN!", an obvious reference to Florida's outburst on Good Times after James' death.
  • In March 2006, at the 4th Annual TV Land Awards, Good Times received the "Impact Award", for being "a show that offered both entertainment and enlightenment, always striving for both humor and humanity, with comedy that reflected reality." Norman Lear attended the ceremony, as did all the members of the principal cast except Esther Rolle (who died in 1998), Ben Powers, and Janet Jackson.
  • For the first four seasons, the show opened with views of Chicago's inner city, ending with a stop at the Cabrini-Green projects. The camera then zoomed in on an apartment (presumably the Evans family's), then would cut inside and zoom in on a painting presumably painted by J.J. Evans. For the last two seasons, these were replaced by individual montage intros, with clips from past episodes used. Also, for the final season, the zoom in to the apartment with the painting at the end was used for half the season. The second half ended with a painting of the entire cast assembled in the Evans' living room, then dissolved to a real-life shot of the same scene.


Norman Lear
Created
Developed
Film
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External links

References

  1. "Bad Times on the Good Times Set", Ebony, September 1975
  2. Mitchell, John L. (2006-04-14). "Plotting His Next Big Break". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2006-07-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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