photo courtesy of http://www.lethaldeath.com/Crimson/Archives/ResidentDVDvil/Archives/RD_GoodTimes_Season2.php
By Anthony Vines and Mitch Waxler
Originally aired on CBS in 1974 as a spinoff of the sitcom Maude, Good Times was a Black situation comedy based on the everyday lives of a Black Chicago family during the height of the civil rights movement (Deane, 2004). The cast starred Esther Rolles as the mother Florida Evans who first appeared as the maid in the television show Maude, John Amos as the father James Evans who starred in the hit miniseries Roots, comedian Jimmie Walker who played the oldest son James Evans Jr. (JJ), Ja'net DuBois as neighbor and friend of the Evans family Willona Woods, Ralph Carter who played the youngest son Michael Evans, and Anderson Bern Nadette Stanis as daughter Thelma Evans (Deane, 2004).
Good Times took place in the assimilated hybrid minstrelsy genre of Black sitcoms which means that it often had offensive stereotypical aspects present such as mammy and sambo characters, but these characteristics took place in a traditional white sitcom setting and often had references to the Black civil rights movement that was taking place at the time. Originally created to show African Americans in a different more positive light, it gained popularity with Black
and White audiences quickly and rated number seventeen for the 1973-1974 seasons (Ingram, 2004). As the show proceeded however, it began to drift away from its original purpose as the character JJ's popularity began to grow. Often criticized for his similarities to buffoonish minstrel characters in early television history, JJ was seen as doing a disservice to the show causing Esther Rolles and John Amos to leave. Attempting to continue the show and regain ratings, the show's producers centered episodes around the hijinks of JJ, but alas the show's ratings continued to fall and the show was cancelled. This brings us to the question at hand. Was Good Times a show that portrayed Blacks in a positive manner to the American public, or was it more of the nail in the coffin to the positive identity of Black America?
Positive Aspects
Good Times was an interesting 1970's television comedy series that explored the life of a poor black family. This family was simply trying to get by and have a good life in the projects of Chicago. The Evans family was a family that faced real problems on the show and encountered many different situations which they had to overcome. When the show was debuted on February 1, 1974, the series starred John Amos and Esther Rolle as James and Maude (the parents) (Ingram). Their youngest son was Michael (Ralph Carter) whom was known as the militant in the family. Michael's sister on the television show was named Thelma (BerNadette Stanis). Michael and Thelma's older brother on the show's name was JJ (Jimmy Walker). JJ stole the audience's heart right away with his legendary phrase "Dyn-o-mite!"(Ingram). The family also had a sassy neighbor that appeared in many episodes named Willona Woods (Ja'net DuBois) (Tripper).
The Evans as a whole had to deal with various day to day problems. The topics of the show were controversial and tackled social issues with humor, but from an African-American perspective. Some of the controversial topics that they dealt with were guns, gangs, prejudice, bullies, and black on black crime. The thing about this show is that it dealt with these topics that were previously unexplored on television. Another subject explored was how people live in poor areas of large cities as the Evans were by no means wealthy and they had to deal with living in one of the worst sides of Chicago (Tripper).
I feel the family was portrayed as a family. When people watched this show I really do not think they cared that these actors and actresses were black. The show was humorous and people enjoyed it. The dad (John Amos) was portrayed as a strong willed black man. He kept the house together and strong as a whole and portrayed a black man who had worked for where he was at his whole life. He was a smart man that had to work to take care of his family. The mother (Esther Rolle) was portrayed somewhat strongly I feel. She was the one who kept everyone in the house sane. She was the backbone of the family as most mothers truly are. JJ was a character that portrayed a young black talented man. As an up-and-coming comic strip artist and painter. He was talented, he was a kind, good hearted African-American young man. He had goals and he was trying to better himself, and at the same time entertaining the whole family as well as the audience with his wild antics. I feel the youngest son Michael was the ornery child in the bunch. He was your average young boy who had to deal with day to day stress. He like his older brother JJ, who did very many things on the show that made the audience laugh at his presence. He may have been portrayed as a bit militant, but he was a good-hearted boy. He was also affiliated with gang members, but I feel this does not portray him as a bad person. Thelma was the daughter who shocked people in her family sometimes. She did things that some people in the family would not expect out of her. It may have been her temper, her college scholarship, or her sex magazines found by her mother, but she always shocked people.
I feel these characters were truly portrayed as a positive black family. I feel that there was no real discrimination against the African-American race portrayed in this show. I feel the family was true and dealt with real topics. These topics were necessary to discuss at the time in which they were written. With this show these topics were discussed in a comedic manner. I feel the cast was conveying the message of the times. I feel that this message was that African-American people in these times were struggling with many problems of the decade.
Negative Aspects
When we think of African-American television shows of the 70's, what names come to mind? Good Times, What's Happening, The Richard Pryor Show, The Flip Wilson Show, Sanford and Son, all of these shows were successful with their African American as well as their White audiences. But were these shows and their characters purely for entertainment, or were there underlying negative, stereotypical ideas in which the racist mentality of the time was being exposed to an audience that may not have ever even met a Black person before? It is my belief that Good Times is no exception to the systematic destruction of the character of the African American community brought upon in part by the mass media and its negative stereotyping.
First off, Good Times took place in a 1970's Black ghetto or "hood" of Chicago. There the cast dealt with issues such as "evictions, gang warfare, financial problems, and discrimination" which were present on a regular basis (Deane, 2004). It is true that there was a significant percentage of the Black population who did and still do live in environments distinguished by these harsh conditions, but to the uninformed viewer who knows nothing of the Black community or how it functions, this can have a damaging effect on their perception of African Americans. The reality is that without adequate representation of the African American community, a perpetual vale will be put over the country's eyes blinding people of the true significance and nature of the Black community.
At the time Good Times aired in 1974, there were no other African American nuclear family sitcoms on the air besides Sanford and Son, a show about a father and son-operated junkyard which starred the legendary comedian Red Fox (Black Power and Dyn-o-mite, 2003). Unfortunately Sanford and Son didn't portray African Americans in the highest regard either and before Sanford and Son and Good Times were aired, the only other African American show was the highly controversial and disrespectful Amos and Andy twenty years earlier which was basically a two-man minstrel show (Deane, 2004). Television was just introduced to the public in the late 1930's, early 1940's so if you think about it, the only representations of African Americans on television may have been perceived by White Americans who had never even met a Black person may have been perceived to them as a pair of uneducated buffoons, a foul mouthed old man and his scheming son, and a family of poverty stricken "Darkies" who had a hard time helping themselves.
Next I would like to discuss some of the more negative main characters of Good Times and how each individual portrayed negative stereotypes of African Americans unto the American public. First off, I would like to comment on Esther Rolle's character as the mother of the Evans family, Florida. Esther Rolle's character Florida Evans was originally a character on the show Maude in which she was a smart talking maid, a very stereotypical role in which many African Americans played early in television history (Ingram, 2004). At first glance, Florida Evans may have appeared to be a hard-working Black woman trying to raise her children in a rough neighborhood, and by all means she was. But was that all there was to her character? Black women in African American culture are often the head of the house hold, the back bone of the family if you will. In the eyes of White mainstream culture this could be seen as a weakness in the Black community because of the fathers strong influence in the European family structure, but to Black America, this is seen as a strength. Often in early television, because Black women are often the head of the house hold, they were portrayed as unattractive, fat, hard looking, mammies which was a contradiction to mainstream America's "superwoman" which was often portrayed as White, blond, thin, and always willing to obey her husband.
Second I would like to discuss Jimmie Walker's character James Evans, Jr., or JJ for short. Arguably the most popular character of Good Times, JJ won the hearts of Americans over with his comedy hijinks and hit catch-phrase "Dy-no-mite." But was the character of JJ a blessing in disguise for future Black comedians, or was his role a disservice to young Black youths. At the time JJ Evans popularity began to rise, many critics began to disapprove of his buffoonish, scheming ways and his obsessiveness with money and women and at times he was seen as "reminiscent of the lazy, clownish, and dumb 'coon' types that populated minstrel shows and pre-World War II Hollywood films" (Black power and dyn-o-mite, 2004). It's easy to laugh at Jimmie Walkers character as he acts a fool without thinking of the influence he had on White Americas perception on young Black males, but in a time where the Black community was attempting to regain their self identity, he would have been a better aid to the struggle by portraying an image of an intelligent, strong Black male.
Lastly, I would like to analyze Ralph Carter's character Michael Evans. The youngest child of the Evans family, Michael is described as "thoughtful, intelligent, and fascinated with African American history" (Deane, 2004). Michael's fascination with African American history and the Black civil rights movement of the 70's eventually led him to a more militant outlook on the country later in the show as he was inspired by the Black Power movement. Normally I would say a figure on television bringing up topics of Black Pride would be a plus for a show during the civil rights movement, but not in this case. Yes, Michael was a character that discussed the idea of Black Pride to the American public, but Michael was a child and often things that children say can be easily dismissed. Because of this I believe the ideas of Black Power were being expressed by a child in order to play down the civil rights movement and make it seem as if the idea of Black Power was just a nuisance that would eventually pass.
It seems that as soon as we are born we are bombarded by the media industry of how we should dress, how we should behave, and basically how we should perceive ourselves as people based entirely on their perception of us. But does the fact that we are attacked with these faulty ideas our entire life make it acceptable? When do we as individuals decide that enough is enough and we will no longer give into popular cultures idea of what is right and what is wrong? All it takes is one person to decide and make a stand for minorities and to start creating positive and realistic images that younger generations can look up to and emulate with pride.
