Gordon Mitchell Movies

A wacky teenage sex comedy of the sort that proliferated in the mid-1980s, this farce is notable for featuring two lead actors who would go on to bigger and better things. Rob Morrow and Johnny Depp star as Ben and Jack, respectively, teen buddies who are on the sexual prowl for beautiful, wealthy girls at a posh Miami resort where they are weekend guests. Also on the prowl is The Maestro (Hector Elizondo), a skilled jewel thief who evades detection by cross-dressing as a woman while he pursues the diamond necklace of society woman Amanda Rawlings (Dody Goodman). When they accidentally run afoul of the Maestro, Ben and Jack suddenly have their hands full. Private Resort was the third in a series of comic teen sex romps from producer R. Ben Efraim, each of which had the word Private in the title. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Assured that the character played by her co-star Jimmie Walker, brash, budding inner-city artist J.J. Evans, had become more mature and responsible during her year-long absence, actress Esther Rolle agreed to return to the role of J.J.'s mom, Florida Evans, as Good Times launched its sixth season. Conspicuous by his absence was Moses Gunn as Florida's second husband, Carl Dixon, whom she ostensibly married at the end of season four -- and with whom she'd been living in Arizona while "missing in action" throughout season five. When Florida made her comeback to the Evanses' tiny Chicago apartment, it was minus Carl, with no explanation given as to what had happened to him; indeed, it was if Carl had never existed. The series' scripters contrived to bring Florida back into the Evans fold by having her invited to the wedding of her daughter, Thelma (BernNadette Stanis), and up-and-coming, award-winning football flash Keith Anderson, played by new Good Times regular Ben Powers. It was hoped that Keith's impending contract with the Chicago Bears would enable the Evanses to at last leave the Projects and move into more attractive surroundings. Alas, no sooner had Thelma and Keith said "I do," than Keith tripped and broke his knee, thereby effectively squashing any hopes he had for a pro football career. Thus did Keith move into the increasingly crowded Evans apartment, contributing to the family's meager finances by working as a cab driver. Since Keith could only work a few hours a day, and J.J. had just been fired by the ad agency where he worked, former maid Florida had to go job-hunting, landing a part-time position as a school bus driver. J.J.'s efforts to make ends meet caused him to cross paths more than once with brutish neighborhood loan shark "Sweet Daddy" Williams, played by Theodore Wilson, a formerly recurring character who graduated that season to semi-regular status.

As for the other cast members, younger brother Michael Evans (Ralph Carter) continued to seek out his niche in the world; neighbor Willona (Ja'net Dubois) was relatively content in her new role as single adoptive mother to the precocious Penny (Janet Jackson); and usurious landlord Bookman (Johnny Brown) continued to pinch as many pennies as possible in maintaining the Evans apartment. Beginning the season in a "death" time slot opposite NBC's Saturday-night league leader, CHiPs, Good Times continued to lose viewers at an alarming rate. Having already gone on a brief hiatus in November 1978, the series left the air entirely in December, resurfacing in May 1979, only so that the remaining episode could be played off, thereby avoiding a total loss of CBS' investment. In a Wednesday-night time slot that was no more beneficial than its previous Saturday berth, the series died a quiet death on August 1, 1979, with one of the most outrageously unrealistic "happy" endings in TV series history: To make a long story short, everything turned out all right. Only 21 of the 24 episodes filmed for the 1978-1979 season were telecast by CBS; the three "orphaned" episodes would not be seen until Good Times entered local syndication in the fall of 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Just as season four of Good Times was marked by the defection of actor John Amos as James Evans, so too was the series' fifth season distinguished by the conspicuous absence of another leading character. Having already gone on record over the dissatisfaction with the direction in which the series had gone -- that is, from a positive depiction of a closely knit inner-city family headed by a strong male parental figure to a somewhat stereotypical portrait of a fatherless ghetto clan dominated by the buffoonish behavior of the family's oldest son -- Esther Rolle (aka Florida Evans) decided to follow Amos' lead. Citing "illness," Rolle was off the Good Times cast list as of September 1977. Her character's sudden disappearance was neatly compensated for by explaining that, after a whirlwind courtship, Florida had married the irascible but lovable Carl Dixon (Moses Gunn), and had moved with her new husband to Arizona. The three Evans children -- J.J. (Jimmie Walker), Thelma (BernNadette Stanis), and Michael (Ralph Carter) -- had stayed behind in the family's tiny Chicago apartment, with the tacit understanding that Florida's longtime friend and neighbor Willona Woods (Ja'net DuBois) would drop in from time to time to make sure the kids were doing well. While J.J. was still the prankish "Dy-no-mite Kid," his sudden ascension to head of the Evans household had thrust maturity and responsibility upon him; he even landed a semi-steady job as an ad agency artist. In other words, J.J. began behaving less like a sitcom clown and more like a genuine human being -- precisely what Esther Rolle had been demanding for years. It was this metamorphosis as much as anything else that persuaded Rolle to return to the series at the outset of season six. To counteract the depletion of the basic Good Times ensemble, the producers contrived to add a brand new character and to build up an older one. A very young Janet Jackson was added to the cast as 13-year-old Penny Gordon, the product of an abusive home. Taking pity on Penny, the childless (and husbandless) Willona adopted the girl, thereby opening up a whole new realm of plot possibilities. In addition, the Evans' penny-pinching landlord Nathan Bookman (played by Johnny Brown) was promoted from recurring character to full regular. Theoretically, the time-honored ritual of cast additions and deletions is supposed to breathe new life into old sitcoms (look what that ritual did for M*A*S*H). Unfortunately, Good Times showed few signs of resuscitation. Although the series still had a loyal coterie of fans, it continued to plummet in the ratings, losing out to ABC's Eight is Enough on Wednesday nights, then to NBC's Little House on the Prairie when Good Times moved to Mondays in mid-season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Jeffersons' mild-mannered neighbor Harry Bentley (Paul Benedict) is being harassed by a bully in the parking garage. George (Sherman Hemsley) helpfully offers some macho-man advice to his beleaguered Harry -- who, upon following that advice, ends up in jail. Will all this intrigue prevent George's wife, Louise (Isabel Sanford), from taking a long-planned trip to California? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

At first, Lionel (Damon Evans) is delighted when his wife, Jenny (Berlinda Tolbert), wins a summer scholarship to Oxford. Not only is this a wonderful opportunity for Jenny, but Lionel has always wanted to go to England. Unfortunately, Lionel's employer sees things differently -- and it looks as though the young couple will be separated for several long months. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sandford) begins assembling a cookbook comprised of her grandmother's favorite recipes. This volume attracts the attention of Louise's neighbor Tom Willis (Franklin Cover), who works for a publishing firm. Jealous over the fact that his wife may become a bestselling author, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) schemes to sabotage the project. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this first episode of a two-part story, Lionel Jefferson (Damon Evans) is worried that he will fail his college term paper, especially since the topic is one on which he has no knowledge whatsoever. Ever the doting father, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) tries to help out by purchasing a prewritten essay for Lionel. Upon hearing this, Lionel's disgusted fiancée, Jenny (Berlinda Tolbert), breaks off their engagement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having been scolded by wife Louise (Isabel Sanford) for working too hard, George (Sherman Hemsley) tries to keep secret the fact that he is opening up a new dry-cleaning establishment. This requires George to furtively sneak about under cover of night. Naturally, Louise suspects that her wandering husband is seeing another woman -- and her suspicions are apparently confirmed when she comes across a mushy note written by someone named Adele. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Self-made businessman George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) has never been self-conscious about his lack of formal education. All this changes when George's son, Lionel (Damon Evans), hoping to impress his college chums, tells them that George attended Harvard. As a result, the elder Mr. Jefferson sweats his way through a High School Equivalency test. ~ 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

At first refusing to allow a tenants' protest meeting to be held in his apartment, George (Sherman Hemsley) changes his mind when he finds out that banker H.L. Whittendale, the building's wealthiest occupant, will be in attendance. To curry favor with Whittendale, George insists upon redecorating his already luxurious digs -- and even goes so far as to seek out an expensive grand piano. Need it be added that the social-climbing Mr. Jefferson is playing the wrong tune once more? "Mr. Piano Man" was first telecast on February 15, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gloria and Mike have become disciples of a new psychological technique called "fair fighting." Whenever they get into an argument, they shout out code phrases like "That's below the belt!" in hopes of ceasing hostilities. Duly impressed, Edith tries out this technique on Archie -- and guess what happens next! "All's Fair" was written by Lloyd Turner and Gordon Mitchell. The episode originally aired on January 18, 1975, the same night that the All in the Family spin-off The Jeffersons made its network debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide