Jack Elinson Movies

Season four of Good Times marked the first of the series' significant cast changes -- or, to be more precise, cast deletions. Long disenchanted with the way in which the series had devolved from the weekly saga of a poor but indomitable ghetto family into a vehicle for the brash buffoonery of Jimmie Walker (aka J.J. Evans), actor John Amos, who had played Evans family patriarch James from the outset of the show in January 1974, quit the series outright. Amos' abrupt departure prompted the series' producers to exhume a script that had initially been written for another Norman Lear TV sitcom, All in the Family. Originally conceived to compensate for the possible defection of series star Carroll O'Connor, the script, as written, showed the members of Bunker household -- mother Edith, daughter Gloria, and son-in-law Mike -- coping with the accidental death of bumptious bigot Archie Bunker. As it happened, O'Connor remained with All in the Family, and thus this pivotal script went unfilmed -- until John Amos quit Good Times. Undergoing a hasty rewrite, the script emerged as the two-part opener for Good Times' fourth season; it was thus James Evans, and not Archie Bunker, who was killed in a traffic accident while on an out-of-town trip. Esther Rolle, who played James's wife, Florida, was not altogether pleased with Amos' departure, but she could understand his motivation. She, too, regarded the character of J.J. as a poor role model for African-American youths, and she hoped that J.J.'s sudden ascension to "man of the house" status would force the character to grow and mature. At the same time, one of the reasons that Rolle signed on to Good Times was because of the series' depiction of an closely knit inner-city family with a strong and positive father figure at the head. With Amos gone, Rolle was herself less than anxious to continue with her participation in the series. And this, coupled with the producers' insistence upon retaining the "zany" qualities that had endeared J.J. to millions of viewers, prompted her to consider leaving the series as well -- which indeed she did, at the end of season four. Before this happened, however, the series' writers contrived to pair off Florida Evans with a new sweetheart in the form of Carl Dixon (Moses Gunn), the employer of Florida's youngest son, Michael (Ralph Carter). Although Carl was obstreperous, profane, and something of an atheist, Florida managed to bring out the best in the man, and with the blessings of her children -- including daughter Thelma (BernNadette Stanis) -- Florida and Carl had decided to wed by the time the last fourth-season episode had rolled around. The many changes in Good Times' basic premise, combined with its move to a suicidal Wednesday-night time slot opposite ABC's surprise hit The Bionic Woman, had an injurious effect on the program's ratings. Having already dropped from seventh to 24th place during season three, the series failed to even crack the Top 25 during season four. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

By the time Good Times had begun its third season on CBS, the program had pretty much given up being a realistic (albeit basically humorous) depiction of life in the urban ghetto, and had evolved -- or, as some would claim, devolved -- into a vehicle for brash African-American standup comedian Jimmie Walker. As the cocksure J.J. Evans, Walker had transformed the exclamation "Dy-no-mite!" into not only a national but an international catch phrase. And even Good Times' occasional forays into serious social comment -- notably those episodes which touched upon such hot-button issues as gun control, drug addiction, and venereal disease -- did not detract from the perception of certain audience members that J.J. was a "typical" inner-city projects dweller, rather than a sitcom exaggeration. The series' nominal stars, Esther Rolle and John Amos, respectively, cast as J.J.'s parents, Florida and James Evans, had both registered protests against what they regarded as a negative image of a black teenager, but to no avail; J.J. was clearly the most popular character on the series, and the producers had no intention of shifting the focus away from his antics. Indeed, the addition of the recurring character "Sweet Daddy" Williams (Theodore Wilson), a neighborhood numbers runner with whom J.J. was destined to have several nervously funny run-ins, only led to the inevitable conclusion that Jimmie Walker's screen time would continue to increase at the detriment of the other actors. It finally reached the point that John Amos could stand no more; at the end of season three, the actor left the series cold, forcing the writers to rethink their strategies for season four (and, incidentally, prompting Esther Rolle to entertain the notion of leaving the program herself, citing the fact that she had originally signed on because of Good Times' positive depiction of a poor but proud ghetto family led by a strong and faithful father figure). The imminent departure of John Amos at the end of Good Times' third season was but one of the headaches plaguing the series' producers. Now that it was going head-to-head with ABC's surprise hit Happy Days on Tuesday evenings, the CBS series had dropped precipitously in the ratings, plummeting from seventh to 24th place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It may have been a political off year when this episode originally aired in 1975, but campaign fever has seized the Evans household all the same. James (John Amos) and J.J. (Jimmie Walker) intend to vote for alderman Fred Davis (Albert Reed), a veteran (and long-winded) politico with only a tenuous grasp on the issues. But Florida (Esther Rolle), Thelma (BernNadette Stanis), and Willona (Ja'net DuBois) have deserted the Davis camp and have cast their lot with the incumbent's aggressive young opponent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Convinced that he's "dy-no-mite" with the ladies, J.J. (Jimmie Walker) turns on the charm with his sister Thelma's (BernNadette Stanis) girl friend JoAnn (Catherine Lee Smith). Astonishingly, however, J.J.'s technique fails to win JoAnn over. Turned down for a date, J.J.'s ego goes into a tailspin, leading to a deep blue funk from which he may never recover. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

J.J. (Jimmie Walker) is on Cloud Nine when wealthy young Clarissa Robinson (Rosanne Katon) asks him to escort her to a debutante ball. Alas, Clarissa's upscale black parents (Santiago Gonzalez, Ann Weldon) are dead set against her dating a "slum dweller." The episode's climax, a showdown between the stuffy Mr. Robinson and the outraged James Evans (John Amos), is one of the series' most hilariously satisfying denouements. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A spin-off of a spin-off, the CBS sitcom Good Times was derived from the Norman Lear-produced comedy series Maude, which itself was spawned by another Lear project, All in the Family. The link between Maude and Good Times was the character of Florida Evans (Esther Rolle), the sharp-tongued, no-nonsense African-American maid of hyper-liberal white suburbanite Maude Findlay. Beginning Friday, February 8, 1974, viewers were invited on a weekly basis into the home of Florida and her family, a cramped two-bedroom apartment on the 17th floor of a federal housing project in Chicago's run-down West Loop. Florida's husband was James Evans (John Amos), a proud Army veteran who was not about to let the fact that he had only a sixth-grade education prevent him from trying to support his family. Alas, good jobs were few and far between -- and when James finally did secure employment, he generally had to hold down two jobs to make ends meet. Thus, Florida was essentially the breadwinner in the Evans household, though she would always defer to James as far as important family decisions were concerned.

The Evanses had three children. Seventeen-year-old James Jr. (Jimmie Walker), better known as J.J., was a talented aspiring artist who spent most of his free time seeking out "can't-miss" moneymaking schemes or trying to score with his gorgeous female classmates; his rather inflated assessment of his romantic prowess was summed up by his frequent exclamation "Dy-no-mite!" Sixteen-year-old Thelma (BernNadette Stanis, billed in some of the earlier episodes as Bern Nadette) had dreams of going to college and becoming a journalist. And 11-year-old Michael (Ralph Carter), nicknamed "the Midget Militant" by his family, was always seeking out racial or social iniquities to be corrected -- even where, to the naked eye, no such iniquities existed. Other regulars included the Evanses' obligatory wisecracking next-door neighbor, Willona Woods (Ja'net DuBois), and the family's none-too-ethical landlord, Nathan Bookman (Johnny Brown, a recurring character until 1977).

Though Norman Lear is usually given most of the credit for Good Times, the series was actually the brainchild of Eric Monte, who had himself grown up in the grim Cabrini-Green housing project on Chicago's South Side. As originally conceived, the series was to have depicted in a humorous and warm-hearted fashion the solidarity of the African-American family unit despite grinding poverty and substandard living conditions. Gradually, however, the series gave way to pure verbal slapstick -- much of it racially stereotypical -- as the Evanses' flamboyant, jive-talking son J.J. emerged as the most popular character. By the time the third season rolled around, virtually every episode revolved around the antics of J.J., much to the dismay of nominal leads Esther Rolle and John Amos. At the end of the 1975-1976 season, Amos had had enough of playing second fiddle to co-star Jimmie Carter; the actor left the series, whereupon it was "explained" that James Evans had been killed in an auto accident en route to a new job in Mississippi.

This turn of events was also the beginning of the end for Esther Rolle, who had signed on to the program because of its positive depiction of a ghetto family with a strong father figure. Now that J.J. was the sole "male adult" on the premises, Rolle, too, began making preparations to quit the series. She was temporarily dissuaded when the producers agreed to find a new husband for Florida Evans, in the person of repair-shop owner Carl Dixon (Moses Gunn). Even so, J.J. continued to dominate the proceedings, his character becoming more exaggerated (and to some observers, more demeaning) with each passing episode. Ultimately, just before the beginning of its fifth season, Esther Rolle followed John Amos in leaving the series; the official reason given by the actress was "illness." The writers rapidly cooked up a scenario whereby Florida and Carl had gone on their honeymoon, leaving the then twentysomething J.J. and Thelma in charge of the Evans household, with Florida's best friend, Willona, as surrogate mother.

In answer to the series' many critics, the producers saw to it that the heretofore footloose J.J. landed a steady job with an advertising agency. And in hopes of expanding the series' audience demographic, a new regular character was added: Penny Gordon (Janet Jackson), whom Willona had rescued from an abusive household, and who would eventually be adopted by Willona. Assured that the character of J.J. had mellowed, Esther Rolle agreed to return to Good Times in the fall of 1978 -- minus her husband, Carl, whose absence was never explained. In a move to restore the "strong father figure" character to the series, Thelma became the wife of Keith Anderson (Ben Powers), a reasonably successful and reasonably mature football star. The arrival of Keith, however, allowed J.J. to revert to his "unemployed" status, and also (briefly) to his old scampish ways. When Keith suffered a career-ending injury that forced him to find a lower-paying job as a cabdriver, the rest of the family contributed to the Evans coffers, with Florida finding work as a school-bus driver and J.J. giving art lessons. The one echo of J.J.'s former reckless zaniness was his nervous relationship with neighborhood loan shark Sweet Daddy (Theodore Wilson).

The schizophrenic nature of Good Times was reflected in its ratings. Ending its first season in 17th place among the Top 20 programs, the series hit an all-time high of seventh place the following year. It then plummeted to 24th place during its third season and never even cracked the Top 25 for the rest of its existence. (The fact that the series was shuttled all over the prime-time lineup, from Friday to Tuesday to Wednesday to Monday to Saturday, may have been a contributing factor to its drop-off in viewership.) Nonetheless, though it was never CBS's premiere weekly sitcom, Good Times enjoyed a healthy shelf life in syndicated reruns, where it continued to flourish into the next millennium. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The landlord stages a contest for the best-looking apartment in the building. Florida (Esther Rolle) would appear to be a shoe-in for first prize -- that is, until big-hearted Michael (Ralph Carter) invites Ned the Wino (Raymond Allen) to stay at the Evans home. As it turns out, however, scuzzy old Ned has a few friends in high places. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, J.J. (Jimmie Walker) has been strong-armed into joining Satan's Knights, a neighborhood street gang. None too keen about being an urban warrior in the first place, J.J. tries to quit the gang on the eve of a turf war with the Warlords. But gang leader Mad Dog (Oscar DeGruy) does not tolerate "deserters" -- and it is he who pulls the trigger and shoots J.J. down on the sidewalk, in one of the series' most startling moments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Well-meaning Florida (Esther Rolle) convinces herself that her unmarried friend Willona (Ja'net DuBois) is lonely. Obligingly, Florida tries to arrange a romance (and possible marriage) between Willona and James' (John Amos) friend Duane (Lloyd Holland). There's only one problem: Willona wants no part of this cozy arrangement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of a two-part story, the Evanses' 18th birthday party for son J.J. (Jimmie Walker) is ruined when the teenager is arrested on suspicion of holding up a liquor store. The case won't come up in court for nearly two weeks, and the family hasn't the money to post bail. As the Evans brood toys with the odious idea of borrowing the cash from a loan shark, J.J. is faced with the startling realization that, despite the fact that he has been falsely accused, he will always have a police record. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although The Doris Day Show has posted reasonably good ratings during its first season on the air, neither the star nor the producers felt that the format -- newly widowed city girl Doris Martin (Doris Day) and her two sons leading the simple life on the farm owned by Doris' bucolic uncle Buck Webb (Denver Pyle) -- was truly suited to Day's personality and appeal. Thus, beginning in season two, Doris divided her time between her duties on the farm and her new job in nearby San Francisco, as secretary at "Today's World" magazine. Carried over from season one's supporting cast are the aforementioned Denver Pyle, as well as Tod Starke and Philip Brown as Doris' sons Toby and Billy. New to the series are a pre-M*A*S*H McLean Stevenson as Doris' boss, editor Michael Nicholson, and a post-Dick Van Dyke Show Rose Marie as Doris' coworker and Ethel Mertz-like best friend Myrna Gibbons. Also added to the cast are Paul Smith as Nicholson's assistant Ron Harvey -- who occasionally allows Doris to take on a writing assignment for "Today's World" -- and, on a recurring basis, Uncle Buck's new neighbor, fussy and finicky Willard Jarvis, played by veteran funnyman Billy De Wolfe. Clearly, the format change did a world of good for The Doris Day Show; ranked 30th in the ratings during the previous season, the series shot up to tenth place for season two. However, the notion of dividing the action between the farm and the big city proved cumbersome for both Doris Day and the writers -- and thus another format alteration was prepared for the series' third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Shady promotor Fred Gibson (Pat Hingle) arrives in Mayberry, accompanied by a swaggering bully named Clarence Earp (Richard Jury), who claims to be the grandnephew of legendary lawman Wyatt Earp. After throwing his weight around town for a while, Earp challenges Sheriff Andy to a duel. Andy manages to take the wind out of the man's sails without shedding any blood (this was, after all, a situation comedy!) Written by Jack Elinson, "Wyatt Earp Rides Again" was first shown on January 31, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide