*Famous Faces on "Good Times" (Season One)!
GOOD TIMES was that rare hit show which was a spin-off of a spin-off! (TV's "All in the Family" begat "Maude", which in turn spawned GOOD TIMES on CBS) Airing for six highly-rated seasons, GOOD TIMES altered America's cultural landscape by tackling topical, often controversial issues from a uniquely African-American perspective, while delivering heart-warming laughs.
Focusing on a poor but proud family in the Chicago projects, the Evans clan- headed by James (John Amos) and sharp-tongued mother Florida (Esther Rolle)- struggled against adversity while keeping their heads held high, striking a chord with audiences of all colors. The trailblazing show also made a star of jive-talkin' comedian Jimmie Walker whose catchphrase "DYN-O-MITE!" became part of "70s pop culture.
Focusing on a poor but proud family in the Chicago projects, the Evans clan- headed by James (John Amos) and sharp-tongued mother Florida (Esther Rolle)- struggled against adversity while keeping their heads held high, striking a chord with audiences of all colors. The trailblazing show also made a star of jive-talkin' comedian Jimmie Walker whose catchphrase "DYN-O-MITE!" became part of "70s pop culture.
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- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
He symbolized the 70s American dream of success -- the former kid from the ghetto who rose to wisecracking TV superstardom. While in his element as the broadly strutting, gleamy-toothed J.J. Evans of the popular urban-styled sitcom Good Times (1974), Jimmie Walker lived the extremely good life. Following the series' demise, however, reality again checked in. Still and all, he has not self-destructed as others before him have and continues to enjoy a comedy career now approaching four decades.
Jimmie was born on June 25, 1947, in New York's tough South Bronx neighborhood. His ambitions were not originally to entertain. Basketball was his prime interest but the idea that a gawky, stringbean-framed teenager could become a hoop star did not seem realistic. Instead he abruptly quit school and worked an odd assortment of jobs until wisely returning to night classes at Theodore Roosevelt High School and redeeming himself with a diploma. The federally-funded Search for Education, Evaluation and Knowledge (SEEK) next came through for Jimmie as he was able to learn a trade: radio engineering/announcing. Within a year he was hired as an engineer for a small radio station, but gained a minor reputation on the sly as a funny guy and good writer. This side interest is what motivated Jimmie to try comedy performance.
He made his stand-up debut as an opening act on New Year's Eve in 1967 for "The Last Poets," a militant poetry group, and was such a hit that he stayed with the group for a year and a half building and polishing his jive-styled act. At one point Jimmie was seen at a Manhattan club by comedian David Brenner who referred him and others (such as Freddie Prinze) to Budd Friedman and his Improv stage in New York. Jimmie eventually became a regular. His debut shot on TV variety came with Jack Paar's show and his successful 1972 appearance propelled him to main attraction billing.
He was quickly checked out by the Norman Lear team and practically handed stardom on a silver platter with Good Times (1974), a spin-off of Esther Rolle's domestic character on the popular Maude (1972) series. Skinny, energetic and youthful-looking with plenty of harmless sass and attitude, Jimmie and the show were instant cross-over hits despite the fact that he was a 27-year-old playing the teenage son of Rolle. His catchphrase "Dyn-o-mite!" became a popular item in the American vernacular. Jimmie became such a major celebrity that Time Magazine named him "Comedian of the Decade." Clothing, belts, and even a talking doll that blurted out his familiar phrase were soon on the open market. To the dismay of other actors on the show, his exaggerated character stole prime focus and shifted the well-intentioned direction of a positive black family image into a much broader and stereotyped caricature. This caused dissension in the troops and both adult leads, Ms. Rolle and John Amos, departed the series (Rolle came back later). Nevertheless, the series managed to last six seasons.
During that time Jimmie made use of his ever-surging popularity with lightweight appearances elsewhere on primetime ("The Love Boat," "Fantasy Island") and on game shows ("The Match Game," "Tattletales"). He became a hot item in Las Vegas and even churned out a best-selling comedy album entitled, of course, "Dyn-o-mite!" His attempt at film stardom came with a top supporting role in Let's Do It Again (1975) starring Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby, a comedy that also featured his TV dad John Amos. Jimmie was featured as a highly unlikely, scrawny-framed boxer promoted by Poitier and Cosby. As enjoyable as he was, it did not lead to other major film offers. Most of his later movies have been self-mocking guest parts or cameo bits in spoofs such as in Airplane! (1980), the Frankenstein take-off Monster Mash: The Movie (1995) and the slasher movie parody Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth (2000).
Upon the series' demise in 1979, Jimmie returned to the stand-up stage while looking for a sophomore TV hit. Unable to capitalize on his TV stardom, he instead found himself extremely pigeon-holed by the J.J. character. The short-lived B.A.D. Cats (1980), which had him playing a support role as a comic car thief-cum-repossessor, lasted only a month. The military comedy At Ease (1983) had Jimmie starring as a Sergeant Bilko-like conman. It too came and went quickly. Hoping the third time would be a charm, Jimmie was a bust again in the syndicated show Bustin' Loose (1987), based loosely on Richard Pryor's 1981 movie, with the comedian playing another of his genial con artists.
Jimmie's main focus has remained the stand-up circuit, touring an average of 25-30 weeks a year. The rubbery-faced, tunnel-mouthed comic continues to pop up occasionally on the late night talk show forum. In his spare time he writes scripts for TV and films."James 'J.J.' Evans, Jr."
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial ( 26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13
My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
A native of New Jersey and son of a mechanic, African-American John Amos has relied on his imposing build, eruptive nature and strong, forceful looks to obtain acting jobs, and a serious desire for better roles to earn a satisfying place in the annals of film and TV. He has found it a constant uphill battle to further himself in an industry that tends to diminish an actor's talents with severe and/or demeaning stereotypes and easy pigeonholing. A tough, often hot-headed guy with a somewhat tender side, John would succeed far better on stage than on film and TV...with one extremely noteworthy exceptions.
Born on December 27, 1939, John was first employed as an advertising copywriter, a social worker at New York's Vera Institute of Justice, and an American and Canadian semi-professional football player before receiving his calling as an actor. A stand-up comic on the Greenwich Village circuit, the work eventually took him West and, ultimately, led to his hiring as a staff writer on Leslie Uggams' musical variety show in 1969. Making his legit stage debut in a 1971 L.A. production of the comedy "Norman, Is That You?", John went on to earn a Los Angeles Drama Critics nomination for "Best Actor". As such, he formed his own theater company and produced "Norman, Is That You?" on tour.
The following year he returned to New York to take his first Broadway bow in "Tough To Get Help". By this time he had secured secondary work on the classic The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) as Gordy the weatherman. His character remained on the periphery, however, and he left the show after three discouraging seasons. On the bright side, he won the recurring role of the sporadically-unemployed husband of maid Florida Evans (played by Esther Rolle) on Norman Lear's Maude (1972) starring Bea Arthur. The two characters were spun-off into their own popular series as the parental leads in Good Times (1974).
Good Times (1974), a family sitcom that took place in a Chicago ghetto high-rise, initially prided itself as being the first network series ever to be created by African-Americans. But subsequent episodes were taken over by others and John was increasingly disgruntled by the lack of quality of the scripts and the direction Lear was taking the show. Once focused on the importance of family values, it was shifting more and more toward the silly antics of Jimmie 'JJ' Walker, who was becoming a runaway hit on the show as the aimless, egotistical, jive-talking teenage son JJ. John began frequently clashing with the higher-ups and, by 1976, was released from the series, with his character being killed in an off-camera car accident while finding employment out of state.
Amos rebounded quickly when he won the Emmy-nominated role of the adult Kunte Kinte in the ground-breaking epic mini-series Roots (1977), one of the most powerful and reverential TV features ever to hit television. It was THE TV role of his career, but he found other quality roles for other black actors extremely difficult to come by. He tried his best to avoid the dim-headed lugs and crime-motivated characters that came his way. Along with a few parts (the mini-movie Willa (1979) and the films The Beastmaster (1982) and Coming to America (1988)), he had to endure the mediocre (guest spots on The Love Boat (1977), "The A-Team", "Murder, She Wrote" "One Life to Live"). John also toiled through a number of action-themed films that focused more on grit and testosterone than talent.
He found one answer to this acting dilemma on the proscenium stage. In 1985, the play "Split Second" earned him the NAACP Award as Best Actor. He also received fine reviews in a Berkshire Theater festival production of "The Boys Next Door", a tour of O'Neill's towering play "The Emperor Jones", and in a Detroit production of Athol Fugard's "Master Harold...and The Boys". In addition, John directed two well-received productions, "Miss Reardon Drinks a Little" and "Twelve Angry Men", in the Bahamas. He took on Shakespeare as Sir Toby Belch in "Twelfth Night" at Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare and earned strong notices in the late August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Fences" at the Capital Repertory Company in Albany, New York. Overseas he received plaudits for his appearance in a heralded production of "The Life and Death of a Buffalo Soldier" at the Bristol's Old Vic in England. Capping his theatrical career was the 1990 inaugural of his one-man show "Halley's Comet", an amusing and humanistic American journey into the life of an 87-year-old who recalls, among other things, World War II, the golden age of radio, the early civil rights movement, and the sighting of the Comet when he was 11. He wrote and has frequently directed the show, which continues to play into the 2007-2008 season.
In recent years, John has enjoyed recurring parts on "The West Wing" and "The District", and is more recently appearing in the offbeat series Men in Trees (2006) starring Anne Heche. John Amos has two children by his former wife Noel Amos and two children. Son K.C. Amos director, writer, producer, editor and daughter Shannon Amos a director, writer and producer. Amos has one grand child,a grand-daughter, Quiera Williams."James Evans, Sr."
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial ( 26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13
My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974)- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Ralph Carter was born on 30 May 1961 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Good Times (1974), Broadway Damage (1997) and The Groomsmen (2006).Michael Evans"
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial ( 26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)- Actress
- Music Department
- Executive
Ja'Net DuBois was a multi-talented and diverse performer. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York and began her career on Broadway. She has appeared in various plays, including "Golden Boy" with Sammy Davis Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr., and "A Raisin in the Sun". She moved onto TV roles, receiving a Peabody Award for a 1969 CBS children's movie J.T. (1969). She then appeared in a daytime serial, Love of Life (1951); she is the first African American actress to have a regular serial role.
She was best known for her role as the sexy, confident, gossipy "Willona Woods" on Good Times (1974). She composed and sang the theme song, "Movin' On Up", for another Norman Lear series, The Jeffersons (1975). She appeared in many films, including the blaxploitation parody, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), as a tough and loving mother. She also did voice-over work, for which she received two Emmys.
She co-founded the "Pan African Film & Arts Festival", which showcases global films about people of African descent and fine arts. She is a community activist whose DuBois Care Foundation's mission is to empower youth by supporting after-school programs. She was also a painter who regularly exhibited her work. She released a CD in 2008, "Hidden Treasures", which includes the well-known TV theme song, "Movin' On Up"."Willona Woods" (as Ja'net Du Bois)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial ( 26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13
My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Best known for the role of Florida Evans on the 1970s sitcoms Maude (1972) and Good Times (1974), African-American actress Esther Rolle proved to be as spirited and iron-willed off-camera as well. The gap-toothed actress with the gravelly voice was born in Pompano Beach, Florida, the 10th child of 18 born to Caribbean farming immigrants. Her first important work came with the Negro Ensemble Company and over the years would earn a solid careworn reputation in such theater plays as "The Blacks", "Blues for Mister Charlie", "The Amen Corner", "A Raisin in the Sun" and "A Member of the Wedding". Ironically, her father insisted she promise him that she would never become a servant or maid in real life. She didn't, and however Esther would have her biggest successes playing just those types of roles. She caught the attention of television producer Norman Lear while performing on stage who cast her in the Maude (1972) supporting role in 1972. Audiences loved her so much as the feisty domestic who stood her ground, and then some, against her volatile and liberal-minded employer Maude Findley (Bea Arthur), that Esther earned her own spin-off series with Good Times (1974). Compelled to fight racial stereotypes, she insisted before accepting the series that a strong father figure be central in the show (actor John Amos). And while she still played the role of a lower middle-class maid, the show's emphasis was to be on her home and family life, not her outside work. Still, Esther left the show for one season when she was unhappy about the negative role model perpetuated by Jimmie 'JJ' Walker's jive-talking character J.J., but later returned after the producers assured her that more responsibility would be taken. In other assignments, she won an Emmy Award for the television movie Summer of My German Soldier (1978) and gained further respect for her work in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979) and for her film work in Driving Miss Daisy (1989) and Rosewood (1997). Two of her sisters, Estelle Evans and Rosanna Carter, were also character actresses. Afflicted with diabetes, Esther's health failed in the 1990s and toward the end of her life she was on kidney dialysis. The actress, who was divorced and had no children, died nine days after her 78th birthday on November 17, 1998."Florida Evans"
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial ( 26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13
My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974)- Actress
- Soundtrack
BernNadette Stanis is best known as Thelma from Good Times (1974), but there's much more to her than that. In the 1970s she was the personification of black beauty. As sophisticated and graceful as she was, she still became TV's first black sex symbol or "It" girl. Thelma/BernNadette and the Evans family also proved many stereotypes wrong about the ghetto and the young black girl, such as that all black girls and black families in the ghetto had no hopes, dreams, or class. Thelma showed that a "ghetto girl" had hopes and dreams, intelligence, respect, dignity, and grace, and it wasn't just acting--BernNadette was that naturally. She introduced a new definitive image of the young black girl and woman.
BernNadette was a wonderful, graceful dancer, which she displayed several times on the series. Everything she did was marked with delicacy, diminutive beauty, form, or grace, all very welcome in TV in the 1970s. Her dramatic, comedic charm, witty one-liners, daintiness, winsomeness, and sexy but innocent image were versatile qualities that made her a great talent and great favorite who will never be forgotten."Thelma Evans" (as Bern Nadette)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Gets Suspended (8 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial (26 April 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13
My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974)- Actor
- Soundtrack
He was a master class in cerebral eloquence and audience command...and although his dominant playing card in the realm of acting was quite serious and stately, nobody cut a more delightfully dry edge in sitcoms than this gentleman, whose calm yet blistering put-downs often eluded his lesser victims.
Acting titan Roscoe Lee Browne was born to a Baptist minister and his wife on May 2, 1922, in Woodbury, New Jersey. He attended Lincoln University, an historically black university in Pennsylvania until 1942, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he served in Italy with the Negro 92nd Infantry Division and organized the Division's track and field team. He graduated from Lincoln University in 1946, and studied French through Middlebury College's summer language program. He received his master's degree from Columbia University, then subsequently returned to Lincoln and taught French and comparative literature, seemingly destined to settle in completely until he heard a different calling.
Roscoe relished his first taste of adulation and admiration as a track star, competing internationally and winning the world championship in the 800-yard dash in 1951. He parlayed that attention into a job as a sales representative for a wine and liquor importer. In 1956, he abruptly decided to become an actor. And he did. With no training but a shrewd, innate sense of self, he boldly auditioned for, and won, the role of the Soothsayer in "Julius Caesar" the very next day at the newly-formed New York Shakespeare Festival. He never looked back and went on to perform with the company in productions of "The Taming of the Shrew", "Titus Andronicus", "Othello", "King Lear" (as the Fool), and "Troilus and Cressida".
Blessed with rich, mellifluous tones and an imposing, cultured air, Roscoe became a rare African-American fixture on the traditionally white classical stage. In 1961 he appeared notably with James Earl Jones in the original off-Broadway cast of Jean Genet's landmark play "The Blacks". Awards soon came his way -- the first in the form of an Obie only a few years later for his portrayal of a rebellious slave in "The Old Glory". Additionally, he received the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Award for both "The Dream on Monkey Mountain" (1970) and "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" (1989). Roscoe found less successful ventures on 1960s Broadway, taking his first curtain call in "A Cool World" in 1960, which folded the next day. He graced a number of other short runs including "General Seegar" (1962), "Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright" (1962), "The Ballad of the Sade Cafe" (1964), "Danton's Death" (1965), and "A Hand Is on the Gate: An Evening of Negro Poetry and Folk Music" (1966), which he also wrote and directed. He did not return to Broadway until 1983 with the role of the singing Rev. J.D. Montgomery in Tommy Tune's smash musical "My One and Only" in which his number "Kicking the Clouds Away" proved to be one of many highlights. Roscoe returned only once more to Broadway, earning acclaim and a Tony nomination for his supporting performance in August Wilson's "Two Trains Running" (1992).
Although he made an isolated debut with The Connection (1961), he wouldn't appear regularly in films until the end of the decade with prominent parts in the Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton film, The Comedians (1967), Jules Dassin's Uptight (1968), Hitchcock's Topaz (1969) and, his most notable, The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970). Thereafter, he complimented a host of features, both comedic and dramatic, including Super Fly (1972) (and its sequel), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Logan's Run (1976), Legal Eagles (1986), The Mambo Kings (1992) and Dear God (1996)
Elsewhere, Roscoe's disdainful demeanor courted applause on all the top 70s sitcoms including "All in the Family", "Maude," "Sanford and Son", "Good Times" and "Barney Miller" (Emmy-nominated), and he played the splendidly sardonic role of Saunders, the Tate household butler, after replacing Robert Guillaume's popular "Benson" character on Soap (1977). In 1986 he won an Emmy Award for his guest appearance on The Cosby Show (1984). His trademark baritone lent authority and distinction to a number of documentaries, live-action fare, and animated films, as well as the spoken-word arena, with such symphony orchestras as the Boston Pops and the Los Angeles Philharmonic to his credit. A preeminent recitalist, he was known for committing hundreds of poems to memory. For many years he and actor Anthony Zerbe toured the U.S. with their presentation of "Behind the Broken Words", an evening of poetry and dramatic readings.
At the time of his death of cancer on April 11, 2007, the never-married octogenarian was still omnipresent, more heard than seen perhaps. Among his last works was his narrations of a Garfield film feature and the most recent movie spoof Epic Movie (2007).Good Times: Season 1, Episode 4
God's Business is Good Business (1 March 1974)
Reverend Sam- Parfrey was born Sydney Woodrow Parfrey in New York City, New York, to Hazel (James) and Sidney Parfrey, both Welsh immigrants. One of the most interesting character actors to emerge on American film and television in the 1960s, Parfrey brought a quirky charisma to every role he played, from shopkeepers to space-age simians. His noted turn as the unbalanced informer in Broadway's "Advise and Consent" (1961) set the standard for his offbeat, conspiratorial persona in dozens of TV and movie appearances into the 1980s. Always a supporting player receiving inconsistently deferential billing, Parfrey did manage some focal TV guest-star roles, mainly in the late sixties, and a few big A-movie parts, most notably as one of the wretched prisoners in Papillon (1973). Parfrey's association with that film's director, Franklin Schaffner, also included his bit as one of the three "See No Evil" orangutan judges in Planet of the Apes (1968) (he would don the prosthetics again for the pilot of the spinoff TV series). In addition, Parfrey also turned up in the unofficial repertory companies of both Clint Eastwood and Don Siegel. His determination to bring that edgy "something extra" to his profession lives on in his son, the "underground" publisher Adam Parfrey.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Interviewer - Actor
- Writer
- Composer
Philip Michael Thomas - the multi-talented performer best known as Detective Rico Tubbs in the iconic 1980s TV series Miami Vice (1984) - made his Broadway debut in 1971 in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play No Place to Be Somebody...and hasn't looked back since.
In a remarkable career that spans nearly four decades, PMT has worked with some of the top stage, screen, and recording personalities in the world.
He first guest starred on TV in 1973 in the pilot for the series Pilot (1973), followed by parts in Good Times (1974), Police Woman (1974), Medical Center (1969), Wonder Woman (1978)_, _Starsky and Hutch (1978)_, and Trapper John, M.D. (1979) before landing the role on Miami Vice (1984) in 1984 that made him a household name - and took him on a whirlwind tour of the globe and into the presence of heads of state (including President Ronald Reagan and Nelson Mandela), fellow celebrities, and countless adoring fans.
Despite world-wide stardom as an actor of both stage and screen, it is music that is PMT's biggest passion. He wrote his first song at the age of 11 and, over the next 40 years, wrote, composed, and sung everything from Gospel to R&B to pop standards to rock. One long-time friend recently referred to the musical side of PMT as "an undiscovered diamond."
During the stratospheric years of Miami Vice (1984-1989), PMT released two highly regarded albums: Livin' the Book of My Life (1985) and Somebody (1988), both on his own Starship Records label, with distribution by industry giant Atlantic Records. Although much loved by fans to this day, his albums didn't sell as well as expected (perhaps due to a wide range of musical styles that defied pigeonhole) and remain out of print, although they often fetch a tidy sum on eBay. PMT is considering reissuing his solo albums with bonus tracks sometime in 2007 or 2008.
The power of imagination and love to overcome circumstances is a theme that runs through the fabric of his life. He cites singing "The Impossible Dream" (from Man of La Mancha) while at Oakwood College in 1967 as a turning point for him.
Considered by long-time friends and family members alike to be one of the most compassionate, spiritual, and generous men they've ever known, PMT credits his uplifting, positive outlook on life to a vegetarian diet, regular exercise, life-long learning, friends he's made through the years, and books such as The Holy Bible, Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, and Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi, among many others.
PMT loves Florida and has chosen to make his home there instead of L.A. or New York as do most of his colleagues. Naturally, this keeps him out of the limelight, but it's a mistake to assume that just because his name isn't regularly splashed across the tabloids that he's not keeping himself busy. In fact, he is working (2007) on his autobiography, his official web site, reading scripts, performing, writing music, and helping young performers reach the heights he has reached - and doing it all with characteristic charm, grace, vitality...and with his trademark banner, "Treasure beyond measure!" flying proudly overhead.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 6
Sex and the Evans Family (15 March 1974)
Eddie Conroy (as Philip Thomas)- A veteran professional actor who has co-starred as a television series regular in NINE, prime time, HIT series, and has established himself solidly in both the areas of comedy and drama. Hal's latest projects include Disney Family Channel's Snow 2: Brain Freeze (2008) and Hallmark's Generation Gap (2008).
His 25 year professional career has seen him firmly plant both feet in such dramas as Roots: The Next Generations (1979), The Waltons (1972), Harry O (1973) and L.A. Law (1986) while displaying his comedic genius in The Sinbad Show (1993), 227 (1985), Private Benjamin (1981), and Sanford and Son (1972).
Williams works tirelessly to maintain a versatility that enables his career to remain both constant and current. His movie accomplishments continue to be displayed in co-starring roles in feature films like Guess Who (2005) with Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac, Private Benjamin (1980) with Goldie Hawn and The Rookie (1990) with Clint Eastwood.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Tom - Actor
- Stunts
Raymond Allen was born on 5 March 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Sanford and Son (1972), Darktown Strutters (1975) and Fight That Ghost (1946). He was married to Barbra Williams. He died on 10 August 2020 in California, USA.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Ned the Wino (as Raymond G. Allen)- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Ernie Lee Banks was born on 3 April 1935 in Franklin, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Mystery Men (1999), Bulworth (1998) and Life (1999). He died on 13 August 2006 in Franklin, Virginia, USA.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Eddie (as Ernie Banks)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Matthew 'Stymie' Beard was born on 1 January 1925 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Dogs Is Dogs (1931), Love Business (1931) and Free Wheeling (1932). He was married to Annie. He died on 8 January 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA."Monty" (as Stymie Beard)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 1
Too Old Blues (8 February 1974)
Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)- Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Mrs. Vinson - Actor
- Director
Edmund J. Cambridge is the Founding Member of the Legendary "Cambridge Players" a Theater Troupe that First Produce James Baldwin's "The Amen Corner" on Broadway in 1965 which was produced by Nat King Cole Wife "Maria Ellington". The founding members of The Cambridge Players are Juanita Moore, Helen Martin, Esther Rolle, Helen Martin, Royce Wallace and Supporting Members Isabel Sanford, Beah Richards and Maya Angelou whom were Edward Cambridge Childhood friends. Juanita Moore whom were close friends with Marlon Brando and James Baldwin spoke to Marlon Brando about Lending the funds ($75) to Mr. James Baldwin to write "The Amen Corner". Kirk E. Kelleykahn is Now CEO-President of the Legendary Troupe with J.W. Nutting as Vice-President and Original Founding Member "Lynn Hamilton" as Artistic Director.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 7
Junior gets a Patron (22 March 1974)
Leroy Jackson (as Edmund Cambridge)- Frank Campanella was born on 12 March 1919 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Pretty Woman (1990), Overboard (1987) and Raising Helen (2004). He died on 30 December 2006 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 8
Junior the Senior (29 March 1974)
Mr. Kirkwood - Betty Cole was born on 4 April 1908 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), Martin (1992) and New York, New York (1977). She was married to Eddie Cole. She died on 16 November 1996 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Mrs. Hines - Carl M. Craig was born in April 1938 in Gilmore, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Seabiscuit (2003), Kojak (1973) and NYPD Blue (1993). He died on 31 October 2012 in Glen Oak, California, USA.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 3
Getting up the Rent (22 February 1974)
Hustler (as Carl Craig) - Simeon Holloway was born on 15 December 1920 in Gary, Indiana. He was an actor, known for Trouble Man (1972), Hill Street Blues (1981) and Skag (1980). He died on 30 December 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 10
Springtime in the Ghetto (19 April 1974)
Mr. Johnson - Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
- Actor
Kenneth Williams, most popularly known by his stage name Eric Monte, was born and raised in the economically impoverished Cabrini-Green Housing project in Chicago. It was an environment filled with gangs, high unemployment, and drugs. When Monte was five years old, he loved to play cowboys and Indians and pretend that he was the Lone Ranger. While Monte was playing a white man approached him and told Monte that he couldn't be the lone ranger because the lone ranger was white. At the tender age of five, Eric Monte made a vow and told himself that when he grew up, he was going to make some black heroes. And that is exactly what Eric Monte did.
Eric Monte, a high school drop-out, had aspirations of going to Hollywood and becoming a writer. Monte's mother upon hearing her son's aspirations remarked, "They have never ever had a black writer in Hollywood. If they ever get one he's going to be some high-yellow black with a Harvard degree, not some high school dropout from Cabrini". However, Monte was determined to make it as a success and left Cabrini with $5 in his pocket, went onto Route 66 and hitchhiked his way to Hollywood.
Eric Monte was befriended by a fellow actor named Mike Evans in 1971. Mike Evans, who got a new role on Norman Lear's sitcom, All in the Family, was impressed by Eric Monte and asked Monte to help expand his role on All in the Family. Eric Monte wrote a script and submitted it to Norman Lear. Lear was impressed and hired Eric Monte as a writer on the show
Eric Monte pitched an idea to Norman Lear of an entrepreneurial African American black man named George Jefferson to be added onto All in the Family. Subsequently, the characters George and Louise Jefferson premiered on Lear's show All in the Family. George Jefferson was an African American who owned a chain of dry cleaning stores and lived next door to the bigoted Archie Bunker. In 1974, Eric Monte collaborated with Mike Evans and created the show Good Times where Norman Lear acted as executive producer. Good Times tackled social issues such as income inequality, drugs, gang violence, discrimination, and genuinely gave an outlook into the struggles African Americans faced. Norman Lear, however, consistently insisted that the father be written out of the show and asserted that "a strong black man in a sitcom won't work." In 1976, against the wishes of Eric Monte, Lear fired John Amos-who played the strong black father on the show-after Amos voiced strong objections to the lack of direction of the show.
In 1974 Monte quit Lear's production company after he received a contract to write "Cooley High"-a movie chronicling the antics of African American teenagers living in the Chicago projects. A year after Monte's resignation, Norman Lear came out with a show called The Jeffersons-a spin-off of All in the Family which starred the characters George and Louise Jefferson in their own sitcom. Even though it was Eric Monte who created the characters George and Louise Jefferson, Norman Lear took the credit and billed himself as creator of the show. The show ran for eleven seasons and was regarded as the most successful African American sitcom in history. The Jeffersons paved the way for shows like The Cosby Show which also chronicled the adventures of an upper-middle class African American family.
With the success of the 1975 movie, Cooley High, a sitcom adaption then followed in 1976 called, What's Happening! What's Happening became the first African American teen sitcom to break into the Nielsen ratings.
In the early 1970s, Norman Lear told Eric Monte about a potential remake of a British show called "Steptoe and Son" (Sanford and Son) which was an all-white show dealing with a junk dealer. The remake was to be created shortly after All in the Family took off into stardom. Eric Monte told Norman Lear the show should star African American comedian Redd Foxx, at the time, Norman Lear had no idea who Redd Foxx was and was insistent upon creating the show with an all-white cast- months later, subsequently, Redd Foxx was cast in the show and Eric Monte did not receive credit. After the critical success of Eric Monte's film Cooley High, Monte created a television series based off the movie called "What's Happening!" The show was a success and ran for three seasons.
In 1977, Monte filed a lawsuit accusing ABC, CBS, producers Norman Lear, Bud Yorkin and others of stealing his ideas for "Good Times," "The Jeffersons" and "What's Happening!!" Monte received a $1-million settlement and a small percentage of the residuals from "Good Times" and one percent ownership of the show. Monte, due to his lack of business knowledge and experience as well as legal representation, would not receive royalties for other shows which he created. However, Lear and other Hollywood producers outraged over the lawsuit, blacklisted Eric Monte and labeled him too difficult to work with. During an NPR interview with Eric Monte, Norman Lear was asked by the news outlet to respond to details of the court settlement which prove that he is a fraud-however; Lear refused the news outlet's request for response.
Monte claimed that after he filed the lawsuit all his offers dried up-nobody in Hollywood wanted to work with him. Monte, at the peak of his entertainment career, was driving a Mercedes-Benz and lived in a luxurious house with his two daughters. However, unable to get work, he became despondent, developed a crack cocaine addiction and became homeless. Monte lost his $1 million dollar settlement due to poor investment.
In 2006, Monte decided to live in the Salvation Army of Bell, California. The Salvation Army does regular drug tests and Monte now remains sober from all narcotics. Monte in the late 2000s made his debut as an author writing a book called, "BluePrints For Peace". Monte says the book details seven different ways we can achieve world peace.
Monte now resides in his birthplace, Chicago Illinois and is still writing television and film scripts looking for them to be sold, attempting to make another comeback. Eric Monte will be forever known as a pioneer African American playwright who fulfilled his vision in creating black heroes to be admired by people all over the world.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 2
Black Jesus (15 February 1974)
The Runner
*special note: Monte was the co-writer, along with actor/writer Mike Evans, of "Good Times". *- Actor
- Soundtrack
"Sunshine Sammy" Morrison was most famous as one of the Dead End Kids/East Side Kids, but he was probably the most experienced actor of that group. Morrison made his film debut while still an infant; his father worked for a wealthy Los Angeles family that had connections in the film industry, and one day a producer who was an acquaintance of his father's needed a baby for a scene and asked him to bring Sammy as a replacement for a child who wasn't working out. Morrison pulled off the job like a trouper, and his career was born. He appeared in films with such comedians as Harold Lloyd and, in fact, was paired with 'Snub' Pollard in a series of one-reel comedies in 1920. Producer Hal Roach gave Morrison his own comedy series in 1921, but only one was made. He was eventually cast by Roach as one of the original Our Gang kids. He left the series in 1924 for a turn in vaudeville, where he spent the next 16 years. When the East Side Kids films were being cast, producer Sam Katzman remembered Morrison from the days when Katzman was a theatrical producer and Morrison had worked for him, and hired him as a member of the gang. Morrison left the series when he was drafted into the army during World War II, and after he got out he was offered his old job back, but declined it. After a few more film roles, Morrison left show business entirely, took a job in an aircraft assembly plant and spent the next 30 years in the aircraft industry.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 11
The TV Commercial ( April 1974)
The Messenger- Dean Santoro was born on 30 January 1938 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Remington Steele (1982), The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) and House Calls (1979). He died on 10 June 1987 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 12
The Checkup ( 5 May 1974)
The Doctor - Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Veteran character actor Richard B. Shull was born on February 24, 1929 in Evanston, Illinois and raised in the Midwest. He attended the University of Iowa, then served with the U.S. Army in 1953. Finding work as a stage manager following his release, he finally made his Broadway debut in the Marx Brothers musical bio "Minnie's Boys" starring Shelley Winters on Broadway in 1970. His hangdog demeanor, puffy features and bemused manner proved an excellent scene stealer in comedy roles and he moved easily into film and TV in mid-career. Following his film debut in the very obscure Watch the Birdie (1965), Richard came into his own starting in 1971 with regular roles in such movies as The Anderson Tapes (1971), Klute (1971), Made for Each Other (1971), Slither (1973), Hail (1972), Hearts of the West (1975), The Big Bus (1976), Splash (1983), Garbo Talks (1984), HouseSitter (1992), Trapped in Paradise (1994) and, his last, Private Parts (1997) with Howard Stern. On TV, he was probably best known for his title role on the silly, short-lived series Holmes and Yoyo (1976) as Det. Alexander Holmes, opposite John Schuck who played Yoyo, a robotic cop. The recipient of a Tony nomination for his Broadway work on "Goodtime Charlie" in 1975, Richard's later career included such theater notables as "The Marriage of Bette and Boo" (1985), for which he won an off-Broadway Obie award, and the ever-popular "Victor/Victoria" starring a resurgent Julie Andrews, in 1995. Married four times, Richard was appearing in the stage production of "Epic Proportions" in New York when he suffered a fatal heart attack on October 14, 1999 at age 70.Good Times: Season 1, Episode 9
The Visitor (5 April 1974)
William Stonehurst- Ta-Tanisha was born on 15 January 1944 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She is an actress, known for The Sting (1973), The Stone Killer (1973) and Mission: Impossible (1966). She has been married to Lee Weaver since 10 July 1971. They have one child. She was previously married to Harold Eugene Hambrick Jr..Good Times: Season 1, Episode 13
My Son the Lover ( 10 May 1974)
Marcy