10 Facts you may not know about "Good Times"

[valet]

If you're a Good Times stan you've probably heard most of this but. But I never heard 1,2,3 before. That's interesting. I guess James had him a Cougar

Good Times was that show that all of us knew better than we know our own relatives. Most of us can sing the theme song even without knowing all the words, and if I were to walk into a room and say the words “d**n, d**n, d**n!” you would know EXACTLY what scene I was talking about.

But here is a short list of interesting tidbits about the show that you may not know. We are not sharing this information with you for any reason other than the fact that it’s interesting. The most notable fact is that the show didn’t start doing poorly until JJ stopped acting like a complete buffoon. Here’s the rundown….feel free to add your own Good Times-related information to the comment section below:

1) Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) was much older than James Evans (John Amos): Florida was born in 1920 and James was born in 1939. So, when show began in 1974, Florida was already 54 years old, married to a 35-year old husband.

2) JJ was an old man too: JJ, played by Jimmie Walker, was born in 1947, only 8 years later than James. He was certainly no teenager on the show, being 27-years old when the show released its debut.

3) Willona (played by Ja’net Dubois) was only 2 years older than JJ. They could have dated each other.



4) Esther Rolle was consistently annoyed that even though the show was created around her, a comedian (Jimmie Walker) was getting all of the attention.

5) The show was created by Michael Evans, who also played Lionel Jefferson on another show you might have heard of. He based the show on his own childhood.

6) The show was a spinoff of another show, called “Maude,” where Florida was a maid. They changed the name of her husband in the spinoff.

7) Jay Leno appeared on the show in an episode about STDs, one of the first in the history of television.

8) In her indignation over JJ’s role, Esther said: ”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.”

9) When John Amos left the show after failed contract negotiations, he said this about JJ’s character: “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.”

10) Esther Rolle was convinced to come back during the last season under three conditions: They would write out the character that she ran off and married after James’ death (since she didn’t think Florida would move on so quickly), they would give her a raise in salary, and JJ would have more respectable, intelligent roll. Oddly enough, that’s when the show started to tank in the ratings.

Come on people, we’ve got to do better.



In case you don’t know all the lyrics, we pulled them together for you:



GOOD TIMES!
Any time you need a payment!
GOOD TIMES!
Any time you need a friend!
GOOD TIMES!
Any time you’re out from under!
Not gettin’ hassled, not getting hustled!
Keeping your head above water!
Making a way when you can!
Temporary lay-offs!
GOOD TIMES!
Easy Credit rip-offs!
GOOD TIMES!
Scratchin’ and Survivin’
GOOD TIMES!
Hangin’ in a chow line!
GOOD TIMES!
Ain’t we lucky we got ‘em?
GOOD TIMES!!!

 

[Ski Mask]

Already knew this

Edit: Also fukk florida! she should've been the one who died, not james

 

[Cool Dr. Money]

Florida all she did was nag & complain

 

[TrifeGod]

Already knew this

Edit: Also fukk florida! she should've been the one who died, not james

 

[Will Ross]

People hate on Florida but she wanted to put out postive images of a black family that was poor.

 

[ZEupTWN]

People hate on Florida but she wanted to put out postive images of a black family that was poor.

basically and john amos fully agreed...one of the main reasons he left the show

 

[Reggie]

JJ was a little too bufoonish on Good Times though. And i know he had a habit of "finding things" but i dont remember him not being able to read or write though.

 

[Silkk]

GOOD TIMES!
Any time you need a payment!
GOOD TIMES!
Any time you need a friend!
GOOD TIMES!
Any time you’re out from under!
Not gettin’ hassled, not getting hustled!
Keeping your head above water!
Making a way when you can!
Temporary lay-offs!
GOOD TIMES!
Easy Credit rip-offs!
GOOD TIMES!
Scratchin’ and Survivin’
GOOD TIMES!
Hangin’ in a chow line!
GOOD TIMES!
Ain’t we lucky we got ‘em?
GOOD TIMES!!!

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

Another fact that people didn't know is Florida hated the episode about Michael becoming an atheist because she was a christian in real life.. Ironically they ended up havng the character marry the atheist character (i think out of spite)

 

[AAKing23]

Yeah John Amos said he wanted a more attractive wife in the show also, I think he suggested that Wilona should of been his wife

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

Yeah John Amos said he wanted a more attractive wife in the show also, I think he suggested that Wilona should of been his wife

that could've worked though..

If I was Amos I would've been pissed though. She was old enough to be his moms and shyt

 

[NoMoreWhiteWoman2020]

Another fact that people didn't know is Florida hated the episode about Michael becoming an atheist because she was a christian in real life.. Ironically they ended up havng the character marry the atheist character (i think out of spite)

michael never got married, that was my baby thelma


i find it odd none of those facts involved my baby :damndamndamn:

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

michael never got married, that was my baby thelma


i find it odd none of those facts involved my baby :damndamndamn:

Nah I'm talking about Florida marrying or hooking up with Carl. Carl turned Michael away from the bible and Rolle was against the idea because of her christian beliefs but then they end up having her character marry a nikka.

 

[thoushallhustle]

James and them tight ass pants wit the dikk print>>>

 

[NoMoreWhiteWoman2020]

Nah I'm talking about Florida marrying or hooking up with Carl. Carl turned Michael away from the bible and Rolle was against the idea because of her christian beliefs but then they end up having her character marry a nikka.

my two cents
i always though jj n willona were hittin lines on commercial breaks
that ben nikka was a straight cornball and i wish jj had killed him when he fukked that knee up
what the fukk happened to jj and bookman hair at the end of the seasons
alderman davis looked like michael daddy
sweets the pimp coulda been jj's and thelma was simply adopted at birth from a crackhead sister of james