If you’re a fan of Good Times — and, of course, you are! — you’ll remember the episode from Season 2 called The Nude, where J.J. is commissioned to paint a portrait of Charlene Brooks, a neighboring tenant known as “The Wiggler.” The actress playing Charlene was Betty Bridges, who enjoyed a 40-year film and television career; her appearance on Good Times was one of her first.
Betty Bridges and her son, Todd.
A native of Dallas, Betty was the mother of three children, including actor Todd Bridges, who started his career as a child actor and shot to superstardom with his role on the popular television series Diff’rent Strokes.
I’m sad to share that Betty Bridges died on August 27, 2024, at Todd’s home in Phoenix, where she had been in hospice care. She was 83 years old.
RIP, Betty Bridges.
After appearing on Good Times, Betty was seen on a wide variety of productions; she was seen in the 1998 film A Night at the Roxbury and her many small screen credits included Charlie’s Angels, NYPD Blue, Beverly Hills 90210, and Sister, Sister, as well as two appearances on Diff’rent Strokes. Her last performance was in 2014, on the comedy series Two Broke Girls.
My earnest condolences to the Bridges family. Betty’s appearance on Good Times was a standout. She won’t be forgotten.
The plot for this episode kicks off when J.J. delightedly informs his family that “Marcy Jones is crazy about [him],” and shares that she has asked him to paint her portrait. We learn that Marcy, a fellow student at J.J.’s high school, won the class beauty contest that year, and is the most popular girl in school – leading Thelma to question why she would be interested in J.J. “Simple,” J.J. explains. “When you’re on the top of the heap, all you notice is the top of the other heap.”
Despite his typical bravado, J.J. is bowled over when Marcy arrives at his apartment; he initially stares at her in stunned silence with his mouth literally hanging open, stammers over his words, and offers an inane introduction to his parents (“This one’s my mother, and this one’s my father”). He even absent-mindedly tries to follow Marcy into Thelma’s bedroom when she goes to change her clothes for the portrait.
“Hey, J.J.! You got on my perfume!”
As for Marcy, she’s uber-flattering to James, and claims to “talk in school all the time” to Thelma (when Thelma has already told her parents that Marcy never even speaks to her). James is impressed by Marcy’s “sweet, well-behaved, and respectful” nature, but both Florida and Thelma are spotting some very colorful red flags. It turns out that the women were correct to be suspicious; after J.J. finishes the portrait of Marcy, recites a poem he’s written especially for her, and prepares to ask her to go steady, Marcy reveals that she has a boyfriend and that the painting is intended as a graduation present for him. J.J. is understandably crushed, and vows that he’s “finished with women.” Seconds later, though, he gets a telephone call from another girl and before you know it, he’s reciting the poem he wrote “especially for her.”
This episode underscores the accuracy of Florida’s wisdom and intuition, demonstrating how easily the Evans men could be swayed by sweet talk and fawning. Marcy calls J.J. charming and compliments his “mighty sharp” outfit, and tells James that he looks too young to be J.J.’s father – and they’re both grinning like a couple of Cheshire cats, ready to hand her the world just for the asking. But Florida has Marcy’s number from the get-go.
“It’s not the end of the world.“
We also get to see a rare glimpse of sisterly support from Thelma. When J.J. learns that Marcy has a boyfriend, Thelma looks at her brother with sympathy, telling him “it’s not the end of the world.” She even gives him a loving – if brief – pat on the shoulder. It’s nice to see.
By the way, the episode also contains a couple of those (many) Good Times moments that make me laugh no matter how many times I see them. One is when J.J. wants his parents to leave the apartment so he can enjoy some “privacy” with Marcy. James is all for the idea, until he remembers the outcome of such a request when he and Florida were dating. John Amos’s comedic response is priceless. Another moment comes when J.J. recites his “How Do I Love Thee” poem to Marcy, as James, Florida, and Thelma listen from the kitchen table nearby. When J.J. reads the line that serves as the title for this post, about the “two sweet lips with teeth in between,” James is so overcome with mirth that he gets up from the table and collapses in laughter at the kitchen sink. It’s a hoot, and gets me every time.
Pop Culture Connections
The Flip Wilson Show
Flip Wilson with one of his show’s countless superstar guests, Lena Horne.
At the start of the episode, Thelma is certain that J.J. has taken her missing face cream, but she learns that the culprit was her father. James confesses that he ran out of plumber’s grease, so he used her face cream to connect two pipes under the kitchen sink. “Don’t worry, baby,” James assures her. “First thing in the morning, I’ll go down to the store and buy you a nice, big jar of plumber’s grease.” When Thelma questions her father’s statement, Florida tells her that James has recently heard that “Flip Wilson won’t be back next year, so he’s bucking for the job.”
Florida is referring to The Flip Wilson Show, a popular variety show headed by Black stand-up comedian and actor Flip Wilson. The show first aired on NBC-TV in September 1970 and was cancelled near the end of the 1973-74 season (reportedly due to a decline in ratings for variety shows, and because Wilson’s frequent requests for pay hikes caused the show to exceed its budget). The last episode of the series was in June 1974, about a month after this Good Times episode aired.
Let’s Get It On
Gaye’s song was a hit!
Willona pays a visit to the family and asks what is happening with J.J. – she shares that she spoke to him in the hallway, but J.J. just walked by her singing, “Let’s Get It On.” Willona is referencing the song by singer Marvin Gaye, which was released as a single in June 1973, and was the title track on the album of the same name that was released in August 1973. The sexually suggestive tune was one of Gaye’s most successful singles, reaching number one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart three months after its release.
“Thanks, I Needed That!”
In preparation for Diane’s arrival, J.J. shaves and puts on after-shave lotion, which he’s seen patting on his face as he emerges from the bathroom. He then briskly slaps his own cheek and says, “Thanks, I needed that!” This is a reference to a series of well-known commercials advertising Skin Bracer after-shave by Mennen which, according to the advertisements, “wakes you up like a cold slap in the face.” One of the commercials is below. (Incidentally, the narrator of the commercial is actor Adolph Caesar, who you might know from his Oscar-nominated performance in the 1984 film A Soldier’s Story.)
Wrigley Field
J.J. wants his family to vacate the apartment so he can be alone with Marcy; when they refuse, he gripes that he “might as well pop the question at Wrigley Field.” Wrigley Field is the baseball stadium on the north side of Chicago that is the home of the Chicago Cubs. It was opened on April 23, 1914.
Guest Star:
Marcy: Ta-Tanisha
Ta-Tanisha in her Room 222 days.
Born Shirley Cummings in the Bronx, New York, on January 15, 1953, Ta-Tanisha later moved with her family to Detroit, Michigan, and then to Los Angeles. In 1969, she made her television debut on an episode of The Mod Squad, and the following year, she appeared as a high school student in her first film, Halls of Anger, starring Calvin Lockhart. In the early 1970s, Ta-Tanisha studied theater at the Performing Arts Society of Los Angeles and performed in several plays, including A Raisin in the Sun. She also began appearing in a variety of television series, including Mission: Impossible (which earned her a nomination for an NAACP Image Award), Mannix, and The Partridge Family; had a small role in the popular 1973 film, The Sting; and was a cast member for two years on the television series Room 222. She continued to work steadily throughout the 1970s and 1980s, mostly guest spots on TV series or in made-for-TV movies.
Ta-Tanisha has been married since the early 1970s to actor Lee Weaver, who has appeared in a wide variety of television shows, from I Spy to Grace and Frankie, and in such films as Heaven Can Wait (1978) and The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005).
Other Stuff:
This episode contains the first reference to the fact that James grew up on a farm in Mississippi.
Ja’Net Dubois in the Broadway production of Golden Boy, with Stammy Davis, Jr., and Johnny Brown.
In the scene where Willona tells Florida that J.J. walked by her singing the Marvin Gaye song, Ja’Net Dubois actually sings the song’s title, revealing that she had a lovely singing voice. Dubois began her career on the stage and appeared from 1964 to 1966 in the Broadway musical Golden Boy, starring Sammy Davis, Jr., and Lola Falana (as well as Johnny Brown, who would join the Good Times cast as Nathan Bookman in the second season of the series). Also, she released several albums, including Queen of the Highway in 1980, and she co-wrote and sang the theme song for the long-running sitcom The Jeffersons.
Another mention regarding the ages of the main characters comes up in this episode. In Episode Five, Michael Gets Suspended, it’s implied that Willona and Florida are not the same age, because Willona jokingly threatens to reveal Florida’s age to her children. But in this episode, Willona reminisces about a boyfriend Florida had when she and Florida were 17 years old. The age question will be completely blown apart in an early second-season episode, so stay tuned for that.
This episode marked the first of three appearances that Ta-Tanisha would make on the show.
I don’t know who painted this, but I don’t think it was Ernie Barnes. Anybody out there have a clue?
I wasn’t able to find out the name of the real-life artist who painted the portrait of Marcy, but it’s not likely that it was the painter of most of the artwork by J.J. on the series, Ernie Barnes.
Florida has a line where she tells Willona that J.J. is “gussying up” for Marcy. This term always stands out to me because who says – or has ever said – “gussying up” in the Black community???
Before I decided to create this blog, I’d planned to write a book on Good Times. In my (never-sent) book proposal from 2022, I mentioned the continuing popularity of the show as indicated by the numerous Facebook groups, and its ongoing relevance, evidenced by the then-upcoming animated series being developed by Norman Lear.
That animated series – called Good Times: Black Again – launched on Netflix on April 12th with a cast that includes Yvette Nicole Brown, Godfrey, Lil Rel Howery, Marsai Martin, Ego Nwodim, Rashida Olayiwola, Jay Pharoah, J.B. Smoove, Cree Sumner, and Wanda Sykes. Since it premiered, I’d seen numerous comments on Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. Most were not favorable. And that’s putting it mildly. But I had to check it out for myself.
Bev and Reggie: Black Again.
The show’s pilot, entitled “Meet the Evans of New,” informs us of a few facts that I hadn’t previously known, primarily that the show is not a reimagining of the original although it does consist of a mother, a father, and three children – two boys and a girl – living in a Chicago housing project. But the father in Black Again – Reggie Evans – is actually the grandson of James and Florida Evans. This detail notwithstanding, the animated version resembles the original in several ways: the oldest son – Junior – is an artist and is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, academically speaking; Junior frequently squabbles with his sister, the middle child, whose name is Grey; and one of the children, who is an excellent student, also has a militant, politically aware persona. (The difference is that in the animated version, those characteristics are assigned to Grey, instead of the youngest child.) The animated Evans family also lives in the same apartment as the Good Times Evans: 17C; they even have the same triangle-shaped mirror and curtain-for-a-door closet in the front room.
After reading the comments on social media, I was primed to dislike the series, but I tried to keep an open mind. But to be honest, I was turned off by the opening title sequence! The new theme song is fine – it includes lyrics like, “Head above water, makin’ a way . . . Keep my family close, pick me up when I’m low, help me down on this road and I’ma bring us back home again . . .” But I didn’t care for the graphics, which included a close-up of a woman’s sizable rear sashaying down a city street and a baby with dyed blonde hair, a pacifier on a gold chain, and diamond earrings in each ear shooting craps on the street.
Before the babies start shooting. The BABIES.
It turns out that the blonde-haired, earring-wearing tyke from the title sequence is Dalvin, the family’s youngest child – a drug-dealing baby who has been kicked out of the house by his father. When we first see him, he’s selling drugs from his stroller on a street corner. When a car full of rapper-babies pull up, insisting that he give up his corner, he refuses, and they actually start SHOOTING AT HIM. Later, he snorts powdered formula like it’s cocaine. And he keeps a gun in his diaper.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me begin with the pilot’s very first scene, which shows Reggie Evans in the shower, warbling a few lines from the original show’s theme song. But it’s not a solo performance, y’all – it’s a duet. WITH. A. COCKROACH. It’s not a great start.
Dalvin. Enough said.
The plot of the pilot contains references to episodes from the original show – Junior paints a picture of Black Jesus on the living room wall, the mother – Beverly – is readying the apartment for the building’s beautification contest, and Reggie – attempting to raise money to help with his wife’s beautification efforts – takes his pool cue to the local billiard hall. (He refuses to take money from his drug-dealing baby and instead, takes Junior with him, saying, “I’m gonna show you how a man takes care of his family in a respectable way.”)
In the remainder of the episode, we meet Bev’s best friend, Lisa, who runs a beauty salon; Grey goes on a hunger strike to draw attention to the use of chemicals in food products; and Bev is told by Delphine, the head of the beautification judging committee, that the criteria has been expanded from previous years, and that they are taking a “more holistic approach.” (Incidentally, after this declaration, we cut to three scantily clad women clustered nearby; one of them says, “Y’all hear that, hoes? We got a shot to win.” And Delphine explains, “Not that kind of HOE-listic.” Hardee har har.) Because the beautification judges will now take “the family unit” into consideration, Bev prays to Black Jesus for the return of her son, Dalvin, to the fold, promising to get him baptized if he does. Before long, Dalvin does, indeed come back home – because he’s seeking sanctuary from the baby-rappers who are shooting at him.
Earning money at the pool hall. Respectably.
Meanwhile, in the pool hall, Reggie encounters a man – Minnesota Matt – whose grandfather lost his last $72 to James Evans in a pool game years before. It was all the money he had, his wife left him, and Matt wants a revenge rematch. This is another callback to the original series as, in the pilot of that show, the Evans family needed exactly $72 in order to avoid eviction from their home, and James Evans took to the local pool hall to get the money.
Let me try to wrap this thing up. Dalvin runs away from his mother (who, for some reason, was having him baptized in Lisa’s beauty salon) and gets picked up by the baby rapper shooters. Reggie is playing pool when he gets a call from Bev that Dalvin has been kidnapped and he leaves. Bev’s leaking boobs (because she’s still nursing) lead her to Dalvin and Reggie spanks the rapper babies with a belt, but one of them cuts the belt with a knife. Junior steps in with a broken pool cue and beats them all.
The family returns home too late to be considered in the contest, but Bev philosophizes, “I thought our family had to win this stupid contest to prove we were just as good as the Evans of old. Truth is, we’re the Evans of New.” (We have a title!) A short time later, Delphine returns, says her clock was wrong, and gives Bev the winning trophy. When she leaves, we see that she is being held at gunpoint by Dalvin, who also forces her to give him the keys to the building’s penthouse, where he intends to stay.
Reggie drives a cab. (That’s something, anyway.)
At the end of the episode, a safe falls through the ceiling, from Dalvin’s apartment onto the Evans’s dinner table, and Reggie closes things out with “Damn Damn Damn!” – the final homage (and I use the word loosely) to the original series.
I don’t want to belabor this thing, but I also checked out episodes two and three. Let me give y’all a few highlights (or lowlights, as the case may be):
We learn from Bev that Reggie’s favorites are takis, dark liquor, and Mexican corn on a stick wrapped with a chitlin.
Junior’s teacher (whose name, incidentally, is Mrs. Idontgiveashit) meets with Reggie and Bev because of Junior’s “lack of focus” in class. During the meeting, she’s smoking a cigarette and slurping from a flask.
This ain’t J.J. and Thelma, y’all.
Junior and Grey have a contest to see who will get the best grades on an upcoming test. The loser has to pick the roaches out of the cereal. Continuing with the roach theme, in another scene, Junior reminds his father that he’d told the children they couldn’t have a dog “because the roaches were our pets.”
Grey takes her exam and tells her parents: “The only person who can score higher on that test is Wendy Williams on Memorial Day weekend.” (I don’t even know what this means. I’m not sure I WANT to know what this means.)
Grey gets her period for the first time. When she and her mother see blood staining her pajamas, they both have the same reaction: “Please let her be shot!” Bev’s rationale is because now that she’s gotten her period, Grey can get pregnant.
Bev insists that Grey use sanitary napkins instead of tampons because “they’re a gateway. First tampons, then who knows what you’re sticking up there?”
At school, Grey stains her clothes and her mother shows up to help. They find that there are no sanitary napkins in the bathroom dispenser, and when Grey reaches for the tampons, Bev objects: “Read my lips. No tampons. Next thing you know, you’ll end up giving birth in a public restroom and your life as you know it will be over.” And THEN, we see the feet of a girl in a nearby stall and, as indicated by the closed captions, we get this:
[girl] Hey!
[water bubbling]
[baby crying]
And Bev says, “Well, if the stall fits!”
And that, for me, was the last straw. I couldn’t reach for the remote control fast enough.
I don’t even know where to begin to tell you how appalled I was by this show. Even if I wasn’t a huge fan of the original Good Times, I would be repulsed, but the fact that it serves to desecrate the name of a show that has such meaning for me – it’s just too much. I honestly cannot believe that this crap was allowed to reach the airwaves. And believe me, “crap” is putting it mildly.
No comment.
It seems that every few seconds, I was witnessing a ridiculously offensive sight or hearing an unbelievably insulting line. I don’t put anything past Seth MacFarlane – the brains (or whatever) behind shows like American Dad and Family Guy – but I’m really saddened to know that before his death last year at the age of 101, Norman Lear put his stamp of approval on this garbage. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. But what DOES surprise me is that NBA basketball star Stephen Curry, along with MacFarlane and Lear, was also an executive producer. Surely, he could have stepped up and had a say. Surely, he read the scripts and could have pulled out a red pen. Surely, he found SOMETHING about this series that left him feeling as disgusted as I was. But maybe the dollar signs provided a more salient inspiration than his conscience.
I know, from reading online comments, that there are those who think this series is funny, but I just can’t, y’all. I was far too offended.
When the Evans children become concerned about their father’s short temper and frequent headaches, Thelma and Michael do a little research and decide that James is suffering from hypertension (or, according to Florida, “as we plain folks say, ‘high blood pressure.’”). After James breaks a kitchen chair during his latest rant, Florida and the children convince him to see a doctor for a checkup – his first one in 20 years. As it turns out, James doesn’t have hypertension, but is suffering from elevated cholesterol which, the doctor tells him, can be addressed through diet and relaxation. (“Oh, good – we’ll go down to Acapulco for a few weeks,” Florida cracks.)
“I think we should stay here and protect the furniture.”
Perhaps because James’s outbursts were so severe (bordering on scary, to be honest), and the possible cause was so consequential, the laughs in this episode didn’t seem to be as abundant as usual – John Amos yelled so loudly and so often, I was practically concerned for HIS health! Also, this episode marked the first of many that infused the plot with what I think of as public service announcements – in this case, the script had Thelma and Michael explaining to their mother that high blood pressure causes heart attacks, stroke, and kidney malfunction, and can only be diagnosed through a physical examination. The children also state that hypertension is caused by the “stress and frustration of ghetto life,” as well as the grease and salt prevalent in soul food, and that the black male is the “number one victim.” And later in the episode, James’s doctor cautions him to “cut down on the grease and the fat, and fried foods whenever possible.”
Pop Culture Connections
Chicken Delight was most popular in the 1960s.
Chicken Delight
Florida has purchased some of James’s favorite foods – including chitterlings, collard greens and pork chops – in an effort to boost her husband’s mood. J.J. jokes that the last time they had meat in their household, “Chicken Delight made a wrong delivery.” Founded in Illinois in 1952, Chicken Delight saw its highest popularity during the 1960s, when the chain expanded to more than 1,000 locations nationwide, attracting customers with a catchy jingle, “Don’t cook tonight – call Chicken Delight.” The company was bought in 1964 by Consolidated Foods (now the Sara Lee Corporation), but the business declined due to legal battles and strong competition from Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). In 1979, the remaining Chicken Delight operations were purchased by Otto Koch, owner of the Chicken Delight Canada, Ltd., and as of this writing, fewer than 10 Chicken Delight locations can be found in the United States.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Robert Young (right) played the title role in Marcus Welby, M.D., with James Brolin as his assistant.
Michael arrives with a stack of magazines and declares that his father has all the signs of hypertension, agreeing with Thelma that James needs to have a physical check-up right away. “Look, Dr. Welby,” Florida says, “What makes you think your father has hypertension?” Florida was referring to a popular one-hour television drama, Marcus Welby, M.D., which starred Robert Young in the title role of the wise and kindly doctor who had a private practice in Santa Monica, California. The series aired from September 1969 until May 1976. Young, incidentally, had a successful career in movies, which began in the late 1920s, and was also the star of the long-running television series Father Knows Best, which aired from 1954 to 1960.
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record on April 8, 1974.
Aware that James has been out of sorts lately, Willona assumes that his issues are sex-related and brings Florida a bag of items including candles, wine, and a bottle of perfume – if Florida puts two drops of the fragrance behind each ear, Willona promises, James will “try to hit more home runs than Hank Aaron.” About a month before this episode aired, baseball great Hank Aaron, of the Atlanta Braves, hit a home run that gave him 715 for his career and topped Babe Ruth’s record of 714 homers. Aaron’s record remained intact for more than 30 years, until Barry Bonds broke it in 2007.
Front-page news.
Nixon’s Tax Bill
Florida tells Willona that James has been laid off for a few days and that she has to tell him when he wakes up. “That’s like having to tell Nixon they’re adding another $100,000 to his tax bill.” This referred to an investigation by the Joint Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation (JCIRT), which reported in April 1974 – about a month before this episode aired – that President Richard Nixon owed the government $476,431 in unpaid taxes and accrued interest from his tax returns from 1970, 1971, and 1972. The tax scandal was front-page news.
Guest Star:
Santoro guested on numerous TV series during his career.
Doctor: Dean Santoro
Born Floyd Edward Santoro on January 30, 1938, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Santoro’s appearance on Good Times marked his television debut. He went on to appear in guest spots on several popular television shows during the 1970s and 1980s, including Cannon, Barnaby Jones, Kojak, Barney Miller, and Charlie’s Angels. In the mid-1980s, Santoro landed a recurring role on the nighttime soaper Dallas, appearing in six episodes. Santoro’s last role was as a professor on Newhart in 1985; he died of AIDS two years later, on June 10, 1987. He was 49 years old.
Other Stuff:
Florida and Henry — not James — on Maude.
This episode refers to the fact that Florida previously worked as a maid. Although Good Times is unquestionably a spinoff of Esther Rolle’s character of Florida on Maude, several differences exist between the two women – Maude’s Florida lived in New York and had a husband named Henry (played by John Amos), who worked as a firefighter, while Good Times’s Florida, of course, lives in Chicago and is married to James. Still, there’s little doubt that both Floridas are one and the same person, even though there are only a few mentions throughout the series of her working as a maid, and there’s never any reference to Maude Finlay and her family.
Fifty years ago today, on February 8, 1974, Florida and James Evans, their children J.J., Thelma, and Michael, and neighbor and friend Willona Woods, made their debut on American television on Good Times. The series was only on for five seasons, but it continues to entertain fans with its insightful writing and first-rate performances from the cast and guest stars.
To celebrate this momentous 50-year milestone, I am offering 50 things I love about Good Times, including memorable quotes, favorite episodes, and much more. I hope you’ll let me know in the comments what you love about this groundbreaking show!
“Well, it’s comforting to know there’s still some respect for Black Power around here.” – Florida’s first line in the show’s pilot episode.
“Boy is a white racist word.” We heard this declaration from Michael in several of the early episodes.
Florida, Thelma and Willona’s performance of “Stop, in the Name of the Love” in “The Rent Party” (Season Three). It’s a delight.
Janet Jackson’s four-episode introduction to the series as Penny at the start of Season Five. I’ll never forget when it first aired – everyone I knew was watching and talking about it.
Seeing guest appearances from performers who went on to be stars, like Roscoe Lee Browne, Judy Pace, Brenda Sykes, Jay Leno, Alice Ghostley, Ron Glass, Charlotte Rae, and Debbie Allen.
The way the show addressed real-life issues like teen drinking, gang violence, teen pregnancy, hypertension, and venereal disease.
The live studio audience – their responses were part of what made the show so memorable – not just the laughing and clapping, but other reactions like shocked gasps and audience members calling out, “Right on!”
Ralph Carter having the opportunity to display his singing talent in several episodes, including “The Rent Party” and at Thelma’s wedding.
The theme song. I’ve heard it countless times and still can’t help singing along.
Willona’s collection of wigs. She had a different look in practically every episode! (One of my favorites was her afro in “Sex and Evans Family.”)
Ernie Barnes’s paintings. This talented artist was behind most of the artwork on the show that was presented as J.J.’s.
James’s patented responses in place of the word “yes,” like, “Is fat meat greasy?” and “Is an elephant heavy?”
James’s brown corduroy pants. (What can I say?)
The first three seasons. There’s no denying that the series was never the same after John Amos left, but the three seasons that he was on the show were absolute gold.
“Where There Smoke” from Season Five, a Rashomon-type episode where J.J., Thelma, Michael, and Penny each give their own accounts of how the family sofa caught on fire. It’s hilarious (and the only episode after Season Three that I’ve seen multiple times).
“The Dinner Party,” from Season Two, where a senior citizen friend of the Evans’s has fallen on hard times, and the family believes that she has brought a meat loaf made of dog food to serve at dinner. This is one of the many episodes that expertly walks a fine line between presenting a serious issue and being incredibly funny.
“Bon appetit, y’all!” Willona in “The Dinner Party” (Season Two)
The ideal role model provided by Thelma. She wasn’t just pretty, but she was also smart, talented, ambitious, fearless (I loved the way she stood up to Mad Dog in the “The Gang” episode), and she could put J.J. in his place every time.
Having two former members of the 1930s Little Rascals on the show: Stymie Beard and Ernest “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison.
“Sir? Can I ask you just one question? Who IS looking for the guy who shot Medgar Evers?” – Michael, talking to the FBI agents looking for Florida’s nephew in “Cousin Cleatus” (Season Three)
“The Debutante Ball” episode, which included an interesting depiction of a couple who’d made it out of the ghetto, but forgotten from whence they came.
The many Chicago references, like Mayor Richard J. Daley, Marshall Field’s department store, and the Chicago Defender newspaper.
The loving relationship between James and Florida. There was a reason why Willona called them the “Liz and Dick of the Ghetto” – these characters were clearly still in love, and showed it often through their affection for each other. It was beautiful to see.
The way James called Florida “baby.”
“The kitchen and the bedroom, Florida, the kitchen and the bedroom!” – James in “Florida Flips” (Season Two)
“You know what I’m gonna leave the world when I go, Florida? A tombstone that reads “Here lies James Evans. Back in the hole again.” – James in “Florida’s Rich Cousin” (Season Three)
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love you for your skin’s pure sheen, for your two sweet lips, with teeth in between.” – J.J. to Marcy Jones in “My Son, the Lover” (Season One)
“Those coulda been Sweet Daddy’s drawers!” – James in “Sweet Daddy Williams” (Season Three), where the flamboyant numbers runner hires J.J. to paint his girlfriend, Savannah Jones.
“The elevator ain’t workin’” in “The Visitor” (Season One). This line was said by nearly every character in the episode and whenever I see it, I say it right along with them!
“Now that’s the kind of religion I can get into. The good word rolls out and the long green rolls in!” – J.J. in “God’s Business is Good Business” (Season One)
“Florida the Woman” episode, where Florida’s boss Oscar Harris (Thalmsus Rasulala) brightens Florida’s day after an especially frustrating morning with James and the children. One of my favorite scenes is when Oscar and James come face to face and James can’t suppress his jealousy.
“The TV Commercial” episode, featuring a particularly funny bit with J.J. and James, where they present a faux commercial of their own.
Willona’s wardrobe. Some of her outfits were so sharp, they could be worn today!
The fact that Willona was content being single. It was so refreshing when, during a conversation with Florida, she declared that there was “a big difference between being alone and being lonely. And the one thing I ain’t is lonely.”
Mention of popular Black performers like Diana Ross, Redd Foxx, The Isley Brothers, The Jackson Five, Harry Belafonte, Isaac Hayes, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.
J.J.’s love for Thelma, despite their constant arguing. This was demonstrated in numerous episodes, including his defense of her engagement to Larry (Carl Franklin), and his protective reaction after she was attacked in the “Family Gun” episode.
Florida’s constant support of James – like in “Too Old Blues” when James missed out on a job opportunity because of his age, or “The Mural,” where the family learns that James had spent Thelma’s college fund.
“If she gets any happier, she’s gonna break every dish in the house.” – J.J. in “Florida Flips” (Season One)
“The Family Gun” episode, which had an especially chilling ending, when Michael shoots his father’s gun into the air after mistakenly thinking that he’d removed the bullets.
“She hit her husband? Free at last, free at last! You’re halfway there, sister.” – Wanda (Helen Martin in “Florida Flips” (Season One)
“Thelma’s Young Man,” where Lou Gossett guested as the balding, 40-something boyfriend of 17-year-old Thelma.
“The Lord is my German Shepherd.” – J.J. in “The Dinner Party” (Season Two)
“If you want that button sewed, you sew it yourself. And if you want breakfast, make it yourself. Then make the lunch for the children. Wash the dishes, do the laundry, make the beds and sweep the floor. And see how you’d like being mother, housewife, diplomat, referee, counselor, cook, seamstress, and sparring partner, with no pay and no fringe benefits!” – Florida in “Florida the Woman.”
“Damn, damn, damn!” Florida’s unforgettable reaction in “The Big Move, Pt. 2,” when she finally allows herself to feel the pain of James’s untimely and unexpected death. (Season Four)
The “Thelma’s Scholarship,” episode, where Thelma is sought as the “token” in an all-white sorority at a Michigan boarding school.
The lines said and situations depicted on the show that simply could not be aired today, like James using the “N” word or delivering a whooping to Michael’s classmate.
The way James bravely, and with no hesitation, protected his family. One instance that comes immediately to mind is his confrontation in “Cousin Cleatus” with Florida’s nephew, who planned to use Michael as a hostage (or worse yet, a shield).
Scenes that make me laugh every single time, no matter how often I’ve seen them – like when James cracks up in “My Son, the Lover” after hearing J.J. reading his poem to Marcy Jones, or in “Sex and the Evans Family” when Michael asks if the item Florida’s hiding has anything to do with Black unity and Willona responds, “In a way.” Florida’s silent slow burn is a masterpiece!
The show’s use of terms I remember from my childhood, like “blister your behind.”
The action in this episode revolves around Florida who, while shopping at her local supermarket, is approached by a man who suggests she might be ideal for his television commercial. When the call from the advertising agency comes, Florida learns that she’s being offered the job and could earn as much as $5,000, promoting a new health tonic called “Vita Brite.”
When a messenger shows up with Florida’s script and a six-pack of the tonic, Florida nervously rehearses her lines but balks at the sections that claim she’s been using the tonic for three months and that it was recommended by her family doctor. “What family doctor? All we got is a bottle of iodine and three bandages,” she protests. “James, they got me telling lies! They hired me for an honest face and I ain’t gonna give it a crooked mouth!” The family tries to convince Florida that she wouldn’t be lying – only acting – and emphasizes the benefits to be gained from the money she would earn. (“This is a dog-eat-dog world out there,” James says, “and I’m tired of being inside of the dog looking out.”) When James urges Florida to sample the tonic, she, James, J.J. and Thelma sit at the kitchen table for a taste test – and promptly discover that the tonic is 18 percent alcohol. Meanwhile, Michael, alone in the living room, breaks out with a rousing rendition of “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree” and the family realizes that he has guzzled nearly a whole bottle of the tonic. After seeing the effect on Michael, Florida declares that she’s not going to do the commercial and James agrees: “Your mother ain’t selling nothing that’s going to put 11-year-olds on Skid Row.” The closing of the episode shows that the government prohibited Vita Brite from being advertised on television.
This was one of the funniest parts of the episode to me, where J.J. and James pretend to do a commercial.
Florida’s tendency toward what some might term her “goody two shoe-ism” is on full display in this episode. Although I agree with her final decision to steer clear of the commercial because of its high alcohol content, it’s a little hard to get behind her earlier objection. Her family made perfect sense when they explained that people on commercials don’t necessarily use the products they are promoting – maybe Florida thought that because she was a “real” person and not a professional actor, she shouldn’t offer claims that were untrue, but that’s a stretch. Surely the positive impact of $5,000 (which, incidentally, is more than $30,000 in 2023 dollars) should have been sufficient to overcome Florida’s concerns. Still, I certainly don’t blame her for putting her foot down after seeing Michael’s in his inebriated condition. (And, of course, the point was moot anyway after the government put ITS foot down.)
Pop Culture References:
The Cost of Stamps
As the episode begins, James is going over the family’s bills, separating them into stacks to either pay, stall, or argue about – and then there’s one that he jokes that he’ll “put in the funny papers.” Michael suggests that all of the poor people band together and send letters of protest to Washington about the high cost of living, but James responds that “they stopped us from doing that by raising the price of stamps.” In 1971, the price of a first-class U.S. stamp increased from six cents to eight cents, and in March 1974, about a month before the airing of this episode, the price increased to 10 cents. (As of this writing, a first-class stamp costs a whopping 66 cents.)
Toll Calls
As James reviews his phone bill, he notes that there is a charge for a “toll call” to Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago. First referenced around 1912, a toll call is a long-distance telephone call which has charges that are above the local rate. The term is seldom, if ever, used anymore. Incidentally, “toll-free” – or 1-800 – numbers were introduced in 1967, which allowed users to make long-distance calls without being charged.
Mrs. Olson had all the answers.
Mrs. Olson
When time passes and Florida hasn’t yet received the call offering her the commercial spot, she muses, “I guess I won’t become the Mrs. Olson of the projects.” Mrs. Olson was the name of the TV and print spokesperson for Folgers Coffee; she was played by actress Virginia Christine for 21 years, beginning in 1965. In commercials, Mrs. Olson had a faint Swedish accent and could frequently be seen advising young housewives on how to improve their lives by using Folgers “Mountain-Grown” coffee. Christine’s career began on the big screen in the early 1940s – she would go on to appear in numerous film classics, including The Killers (1946), High Noon (1952), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), as well as such television series as The Twilight Zone, Mr. Ed, Perry Mason, and Bonanza. She made her final commercial as Mrs. Olson in 1986.
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Forecourt of the Stars.
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
James jokes that Florida’s commercial appearance could lead to such fame and fortune that she would be asked to place her hand and footprints in the cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Grauman’s was a movie theater that opened in 1927 on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles and is styled in the design of a giant Chinese pagoda. The theater’s most famous feature is the Forecourt of the Stars, which displays the hand and footprints (or in some cases, legs and noses) of more than 200 celebrities, from classic stars including Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, and Marilyn Monroe, to more modern luminaries, such as Billy Crystal, Tom Hanks, and Cicely Tyson. The theater was purchased in 1973 by Ted Mann and renamed Mann’s Chinese Theater. It reverted to the original name in 2001, but the naming rights were purchased in 2013 by a Chinese electronics manufacturer called TCL Corporation (also known as “The Creative Life.”). The theater is now known as the TCL Chinese Theatre and still shows first-run movies.
Tony Orlando and Dawn.
Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Ole Oak Tree
This was the name of a hugely popular song by a group known as Tony Orlando and Dawn, which consisted of the lead singer (Orlando) and his backup singers, Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson.Born Anthony Orlando Cassavitis, Orlando began his singing career in the 1960s, but he didn’t hit pay dirt until Hopkins and Wilson joined him as “Dawn.” The group had a number of hits, but their best-known single was this 1973 release, which told the story of a soldier returning home from a war after three years and writing a letter to his girlfriend, asking that she tie the ribbon of the song’s title if she’d waited for him. (Incidentally, Telma Hopkins went on to have a successful career in television sitcoms, with recurring roles in the casts of Bosom Buddies, Gimme A Break, Family Matters, and Half and Half.)
Joe Namath, Mark Spitz, and the Ty-D-Bol Man
In trying to illustrate the difference to Florida between “lying” and “acting” in a commercial, Florida’s family members offer several examples. J.J. says, “Joe Namath is doing those pantyhose commercials now. You think he really wears them?” This refers to a 30-second commercial for Beautymist pantyhose that began airing in 1974, featuring famed New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath. As the spot begins, the voiceover narrator promises that the commercial will prove Beautymist panty hose can “make any leg look like a million dollars.” The camera then shows Namath’s pantyhose-covered legs and he tells the viewers why they should choose Beautymist. You can see the commercial for yourself below:
In another example, Thelma queries, “How do we know Mark Spitz drinks milk to build strong teeth?” Spitz was a swimmer who captured the attention and adulation of the nation after winning seven gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Spitz went on to endorse several products; his most popular commercial was for the California Milk Advisory Board, in which he claimed to drink milk on a daily basis.
And James tells Florida that everything seen on television isn’t real, referencing the “guy in the little boat that goes sailing around in the toilet,” and adding, “I ain’t never seen no yachtsman in our john.” He’s talking about the commercials from the 1960s and 1970s for Ty-D-Bol, a toilet cleaner that was known for its oxidizing agent that turned toilet water blue. The spokesman for the product was a man dressed in nautical gear who sailed in the toilet tank in a boat. One of the commercials is below:
Guest Stars:
Ernest Morrison (The Messenger)
When the messenger delivers the Vita Brite script and sample six-pack, Florida asks him if he uses the product and the man responds, “Day and night!” The messenger was played by Ernest Frederick Morrison, Jr., born on December 20, 1912, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father was also an actor, as were his sisters Florence, who appeared in the 1922 film Penrod, and Dorothy, who was featured in the Our Gang series and in the 1929 musical Hearts of Dixie. Ernie’s first appearance on film was an infant; he took the place of another child who would not stop crying. When young Ernie proved to be perfect on set, the crew nicknamed him “Sunshine” – his father added the “Sammy” and in subsequent films, he would be credited with a variety of names, including Sunshine Sammy, Sambo, and Little Sambo. He made his official film debut in The Soul of A Man in 1916, and the following year, he began appearing in a series of silent films produced by actor Harold Lloyd and co-starring Baby Marie Osborne. A clip from one of their films is below:
In 1919, Morrison reportedly became the first African-American to ink a long-term film contract when he signed with Hal Roach. He would go on to appear in 28 Our Gang/Little Rascals film shorts, and would later recall: “The picture business was great. Our Gang? We all got along. No problems. And when we weren’t working, we were playing, and when we were working, we were playing. Hal Roach, Harold Lloyd, Bob McGowan – they didn’t make it a job, they made it fun. It was a beautiful childhood.” He left Hollywood to spend several years in vaudeville, but he was back on screen in the early 1950s, cast as Scruno in the East Side Kids film series. He also appeared in such films as In This Our Life (1943), starring Bette Davis, and Greenwich Village (1944), where he displayed his dancing talent with a group known as The Four Stepbrothers. His number from the latter movie can be seen below. Ernie is the shortest of the group.
After serving in World War II, Ernie was asked to appear in the Bowery Boys film series, but he declined, saying he “didn’t like the setup.” Instead, he left the entertainment world behind, and worked for numerous years as a quality control inspector for an aerospace company in Compton, California, retiring in 1972. In the 1980s, he was briefly seen in two documentaries, Passion and Memory (1986) which focused on Black performers from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius (1989). Both of these can be found on YouTube.
Morrison died of cancer in 1989 at the age of 76. He is buried at the Inglewood Memorial Cemetery in Inglewood, California.
Other Stuff:
I found this to be curious. The man from the advertising agency called Florida around 4:15 pm to offer her the job, and I’d estimate that an hour passed between the time she got the call and when she decided not to do the commercial. In the final scene, Florida comments on a commercial she sees on television, and Thelma says that could have been Florida. “No way,” Florida responds. “Mr. Moore said the government wouldn’t let them advertise Vita Brite on television.” This exchange makes it seem that at least a few days – and probably more – had passed since Florida decided against appearing in the TV spot. But all of the characters have on the same clothes that they’ve worn throughout the episode. So what happened here? When did the agency inform Florida that the government shut down the commercial? How did “the government” find out about the commercial? When did the “government” reach out to the advertising agency? And who or what is THE GOVERNMENT?? So many questions . . .
Do you watch Good Times episodes over and over again? If you do, this quiz — focusing on Season 1, episodes 1-3 — is for you! Click here to join in the fun — and please leave a note in the comments to let us know your thoughts about our first quiz!
As the episode opens, Florida is at her sewing machine, working on a new slipcover for the living room sofa. The whole household is abuzz as the family prepares their home for entry in a contest for the most beautiful apartment in the building: James is building a stand for Florida’s plants, Thelma is cleaning her room (including wiping her lipstick prints from her autographed picture of Stevie Wonder), and Willona adds to the ambience with the gift of a bowl of goldfish. Although Florida is confident that she will win, James cautions her about getting her hopes up, telling her, “It ain’t what you do, but who you know.”
Willona makes a brief appearance to deliver a gift of goldfish.
Florida’s chances for winning the coveted top prize are rocked when Michael comes home with local drunk Ned the Wino, asking if the “tired, hungry brother [with] no place to go” could stay with the family for a few days. Florida eventually relents and James, J.J., and Michael go to work making Ned presentable (including feeding him, bathing him, and dressing him in James’s clothes). By the time the three-person committee arrives, a grinning, practically catatonic Ned is propped up on the sofa and passed off as James’s cousin. Following the committee’s inspection of the apartment, the chairperson, Mrs. Vinson, declares that the Evans apartment is the winner. Minutes later, Mrs. Vincent returns to disclose that the family won primarily because of “the way you cleaned up Ned,” and announces that Ned is her husband. The episode ends with Florida quipping, “Now, I not only got pull in the projects but, thanks to Ned, I also got connections in the gutter.”
The New Ned.
There are a lot of laughs in this episode, with a sense of gravity provided by Michael’s “Good Samaritan” act of bringing Ned in the family home in an effort to help him get sober. Michael’s belief that Ned’s life can be turned around after staying a few days with his family is a sweet and touching notion, and his way of thinking is a testament to his character and the way he was raised: “All he needs is someone to help him,” Michael says. “If we don’t help him out, who will?” It’s also interesting that Florida’s initial, knee-jerk reaction is focused solely on trying to win the contest and the possibility that Ned will jeopardize her chances. It’s not long, though, before she’s convinced by Michael’s heartfelt pleas and her own Christian beliefs to reverse her stance.
Ironically, James’s declaration about only getting ahead because of “who you know” proves to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, as Florida actually doesn’t win the contest on her merit. Instead, she wins because the family cleaned up Ned to the point where his wife was willing to allow him back in their home. It seems a little curious then, that Florida is so proud of her first-place victory, since, if not for Ned, she might not have won.
Pop Culture References:
The Secret Life of Plants
Much is made of Florida’s plants, including her insistence that plants are sensitive and will enjoy having their “own little home” on the stand that James built, and that plants understand communication from humans. She said she got this information from “a plant book,” which was likely The Secret Life of Plants, a best-selling book published in 1973 that focused on the physical, emotional, and spiritual relations between plants and man. After its release, it became popular for people to talk to their plants to keep them happy and help them grow.
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward catalog from the 1890s.
Discussing her competition in the contest, Florida remarks that one of the entrants has a “genuine antique umbrella stand” from Montgomery Ward. Founded in Chicago in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, the store was the first successful mail order retail company. Ward originally worked for the store that would later become Marshall Field & Co.; he left that company to open his mail order business, selling everything from clothes to steam engines. The company also invented the promise of “satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.” In 1926, the company began opening retail stores (following the lead of its main competitor, Sears, Roebuck & Co.), and five years later, there were more than 500 Montgomery Ward stores nationwide. (Incidentally, in 1939, an advertising writer for the company wrote “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” as an illustrated poem for distribution to children who visited the company’s Santa Claus.) The store had more than 70,000 employees across the country by the early 1940s, but it grew more slowly in the second half of the century, and in 1974 – the year that this episode first aired – the company was purchased by the Mobil Oil Corp. In 2000, it was announced that the company was closing all of its stores and the last Montgomery Ward store closed the following year.
Ozzie and Harriet
The goldfish that Willona gives to Florida were named Ozzie and Harriet, after the stars of the popular long-running radio and television series. More about the series can be found in the post on Season One, Episode Three: Too Old Blues.
Streaking
As James and his sons prepare to bathe Ned, J.J. jokes that they could just remove all of his clothes and run him through the car wash. “Nobody will notice,” he adds. “They’ll just think he’s streaking.” Streaking – or running naked through a public place – first became a phenomenon in the U.S. around 1973. It began on college campuses; in June 1973, a streaking trend was reported at Michigan State University, and in December of that year, Time magazine called streaking a “growing Los Angeles-area fad” that was increasing among college students as well as other groups. In February 1974, the phenomenon was labeled a “streaking epidemic” in the press, and on April 2, 1974 – just a few weeks before the airing of this Good Times episode – one of the best-known incidents took place on live television during the Academy Awards ceremony. Actor David Niven was in the process of presenting an award when a naked, mustachioed man ran across the stage and flashed a peace sign. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was almost bound to happen,” Niven quipped. “But isn’t it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will get will ever get in his life is by stripping off his clothes and showing off his shortcomings?” (A clip of the streaking incident at the Oscars can be viewed below.)
Guest Stars:
Raymond Allen (Ned the Wino)
Allen on Sanford and Son.
After references to his character in a few previous episodes, Ned the Wino finally makes his debut here. Played by Raymond Allen, he would go on to appear in six other episodes in the series during seasons one through four. Allen was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 5, 1929, one of 12 siblings. In addition to guest spots on a number of television series, Allen had recurring roles on Sanford and Son, where he played Aunt Esther’s long-suffering husband Woody, and Starsky and Hutch, where he was mechanic Merle the Earl. He also reprised his role as Woody on the Sanford and Son spinoff series, The Sanford Arms. He retired from acting in the mid-1980s due to health issues; his last acting performance was in a 1985 made-for-TV movie called Gus Brown and the Midnight Brewster, co-written by Scoey Mitchell and starring John Schneider and Ron Glass. Allen had three children, one of which – Ta-Ronce Allen – played Michael’s girlfriend Yvonne on two episodes of Good Times. Allen died of respiratory issues in August 2020 at the age of 91.
Robin Braxton can be seen in several TV series including Police Woman and The Jeffersons, and films including Blue Thunder (1983), starring Roy Scheider. Gary, Indiana, native Simeon Holloway played a watchman in the 1972 film Trouble Man, directed by Ivan Dixon, and TV series including 227, Little House on the Prairie, and What’s Happening! Betty Cole’s credits include Room 222, Sanford and Son, and The White Shadow, as well as the 1981 film The Postman Always Rings Twice.
Other Stuff:
The comments about Florida’s weight continue. James remarks that instead of making the slipcover for the sofa, Florida could have made herself a new dress. Florida responds that she saved money making the cover, and adds, “The sofa takes less material than I do!” And James piles on. Although he initially tells Florida not to put herself down, he does so himself with his back-handed appreciation: “I like you just the way you are,” he says, “with plenty to hug, plenty to squeeze . . . and I know there’s always enough left over for next time.” Later, as James gets ready for Ned’s clean-up effort, he gives Florida a kiss, and when she asks what it was for, he explains, “That’s for being a whole lot o’ woman. And I don’t mean weight, neither.” (Wink, wink.)
This episode marks the first appearance of Ned the Wino; previously he was only referred to on the show.
This is the first of two episodes to have a character with the last name of “Vinson.” The second character would be Gertie Vinson, in the Season 2, Episode 19, episode entitled “The Dinner Party.” Are these two women related?
Michael doesn’t need money for stamps to mail his letters. J.J. paints them on.
The family is fed up with what Florida terms “the worse run building in this whole project” – the elevator is out of order (causing the family to walk the 17 flights of stairs to their apartment), the refrigerator is on the fritz, the water isn’t running, and the heat isn’t on (it’s so cold that J.J.’s chattering teeth “sound like a crap game.”) When a letter written by Michael about the project’s conditions appears in the local newspaper, a bigwig from the Housing Department, William Stonehurst, pays a visit to the Evans home. He’s forced to stay in the apartment when his taxi flees the area following a gang fight; his initial annoyance over the negative publicity generated by the letter transforms into understanding and compassion when he gets his first-hand experience with a family living in the projects. The Evanses are excited when Stonehurst promises that he will address all of their issues, but their hopes are dashed when they’re informed that it will take “13-14 months, tops!” Still, in typical Good Times fashion, the episode ends on a high note when Florida discovers that the water is working and James jokes that he can now “take a bath in [his] overcoat!”
Even Willona makes fun of Stonehurst, telling him that “Bob Hope will come and entertain the troops” if the gang fight goes on long enough.
This episode is fascinating in its honest depiction of the racial and cultural chasm between the Evans family and the white administrator, beginning with Stonehurst’s astonishment at the difficulty he had finding a taxi that would take him to the projects: “Every time I told them where I was going, they turned on the ‘Off Duty’ sign and slammed the door in my face!” There are numerous inadvertent verbal gaffes on the part of Stonehurst, as when Florida deduces that he hasn’t been around many black families and Stonehurst shares that he does have a “colored – er – Neg – BLACK maid.” And there’s a rather poignant moment when James offers Stonehurst a glass of Muscatel to wash down his aspirin and Stonehurst surreptitiously (he thinks) wipes off the rim of the glass before taking a drink. James notices this microaggressive insult, and without saying a word, conveys a world of meaning. But despite Stonehurst’s position of power, the family manages to exact satisfaction by ridiculing him without his even being aware of it. When he first enters the Evans apartment, Stonehurst realizes that he forgot to introduce himself, adding “I don’t live here.” And without missing a beat, Florida sweetly replies, “Oh, I would have never known that.” It’s an episode that serves up a combination of grim reality and smart humor and, for my money, it’s one of the best of the series.
Pop Culture References:
Arab Oil Embargo
As the episode begins, J.J. is painting a picture of Thelma, but she soon becomes frustrated and threatens to stop serving as his model. If she quits, J.J. tells her, she will forfeit the concert tickets that J.J. promised in exchange for her services. When Thelma balks at J.J.’s extortion techniques, her brother responds that “it’s me and the Arabs running the world.” This is another reference to the country’s gas problem, previously discussed in the pop culture section in my post on Season 1, Episode 3.
Gas rationing was no laughing matter in the 1970s.
Gas Rationing
Later in the episode, when the family discovers that the water isn’t running, J.J. jokes that they will have to start using the restroom at the gas station: “We’re only going to be able to go on odd-numbered days.” He is referring to the gas rationing that resulted from the oil embargo, which included an odd-even system based on license plate numbers; if the last digit on your license plate was an odd number, you could only get gas on odd-numbered days.
Wilt Chamberlain
After Thelma sees J.J.’s painting of her, she objects to the depiction, complaining that in the portrait, she’s seven feet tall and “looks like Wilt Chamberlain.” Chamberlain was a seven-foot, one-inch basketball star who joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1959, when he signed on with the Philadelphia Warriors (which later relocated to California to become the San Francisco Warriors). During his career, he would also play for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers and would play on two NBA championship teams. Chamberlain retired from basketball in 1973.
Marvin Gaye
The tickets that J.J. promises Thelma are for a Marvin Gaye concert. A singer and songwriter, Gaye exploded onto the pop music scene in the 1960s with solo hits like How Sweet it Is (To Be Loved By You). He also formed a popular duo with singer Tammi Terrell, topping the charts with such tunes as Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and You’re All I Need to Get By. Gaye made several concert appearances in 1974, his first since 1969.
I wish we still had our Hi-Fi.
Hi-Fi
When Thelma is posing for J.J.’s picture, she suddenly starts dancing, explaining that she’s moving to “the music in my head.” J.J. jokes, “There is room for a hi-fi up there.” Hi-fi is short for “High Fidelity,” and technically refers to a higher reproduction of sound. But in the 1950s through the 1970s, a “hi-fi” commonly referred to a rectangle-shaped piece of furniture that contained a record player and radio inside, with four legs and speakers on the front. The top of the hi-fi lifted up to provide access to the record player and radio, and the furniture was made out of wood, like walnut or maple. They were also known as stereo consoles. (My family had one in our living room when I was growing up. I don’t know what happened to it, but I sure wish I had it today!)
Answering Machines
When Florida decides to call the project manager to report the plethora of problems in their apartment, Thelma cautions that she will simply reach a recording that says, “Leave your message after the sound of the beep.” Thelma is referring to an answering machine, a device that supplied a recorded answer to a phone call and could record a message from the caller, generally after the sound of a beep tone. While answering machines were available in 1974, they were still somewhat of a novelty at that time and did not become common in U.S. homes until 10 years later. (Although they’re all but obsolete today, I still have one!)
Mayor Richard J. Daley and Muhammad Ali
Florida does, indeed, reach an answering machine, prompting J.J. to take the phone and issue the following threat: “Either you get this project into A-1 condition, or I shall see to it personally that you are out of a job . . . this message is signed Mayor Daley or Muhammad Ali – whichever scares you the most!” At the time that this episode aired, Chicago’s mayor was Richard J. Daley, who had served in the city’s top office since 1955 (and would remain mayor until he died in office in 1976). Once described as “the most powerful local politician America has ever produced,” Daley wielded his power statewide and on the national level as well. Former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali was a resident of Chicago until the mid-1970s; in January 1974, he defeated Joe Frazier, against whom he’d suffered his first professional defeat three years earlier. In fall 1974, in the famed “Rumble in the Jungle,” Ali would fight the current heavyweight champion, George Foreman, and regain his crown.
Acrilan
Willona enters the episode after climbing 17 flights from the building’s laundry room with her basket of clothes. She complains that only one of the dryers was working. “You wanna see how it was working? Look at it,” she says, holding up a shredded sweater. “Ten percent Acrilan, ninety percent confetti.” Acrilan was the brand name for a synthetic acrylic fabric, characterized primarily by softness, strength, and wrinkle-resistant properties used for clothes commonly known as “wash and wear.” In fact, Florida responds to her friend with a play of words on this popular type of garment: “I know the machine you got. It’s the one with that special cycle: wash and TEAR.”
Chicago Defender
This is my grandmother on the cover of the March 6, 1926, issue of the Chicago Defender. She was “Miss Wilberforce” at Wilberforce University in Ohio.
Michael arrives home to excitedly announce that the Chicago Defender has printed a letter he submitted, in which he complains about the conditions in the projects. (“They are becoming a slum,” he says in part.) The Chicago Defender is a newspaper targeted toward the black community, founded in 1905 by Robert Abbott in the kitchen of his landlord’s apartment. After just five years, the paper began to attract a national audience, waging a campaign against Jim Crow racism, promoting anti-lynching legislation and integrated sports, and encouraging the country’s Southerners to move to the North. Over the years, such luminaries as Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Ida B. Wells wrote for the paper. Since 2019, it has been an online-only publication.
Guest Stars:
Richard B. Shull (William Stonehurst)
Holmes and Yoyo aired for 13 episodes on ABC in the 1976-77 season.
Popular character actor Richard Bruce Shull was born in Evanston, Illinois – a suburb of Chicago – on February 24, 1929. He got his first big break in 1970 when he was cast in the Broadway production of Minnie’s Boys, a musical about the Marx Brothers starring Shelley Winters. He went on to guest on a variety of popular television series, including Love, American Style, Ironside, and The Rockford Files, and he co-starred with John Schuck in Holmes and Yoyo. He was also in such films as Klute (1971), Garbo Talks (1984), HouseSitter (1992), and Private Parts (1997), and was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance in Broadway’s Good Time Charlie. Shull was appearing on Broadway in 1999 in Epic Proportions when he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 70 years old.
Other Stuff:
When Michael tells his family about his letter being printed, James asks, “You puttin’ us on, boy?” This gives Michael the opportunity to once again offer up the catchphrase that he originated in the first episode, when he tells his father that “’boy’ is a white racist word.” He says it again later in the episode when Stonehurst refers to him as a boy – at least, he says part of it before Thelma claps her hand over his mouth. For whatever reason, the audience wouldn’t hear this phrase for much longer.
James is glad he has an ample woman to sleep with. Sigh.
Another brief reference to Florida’s weight finds its way into the series when James gives his wife a hug and tells her, “I sure am glad I got me an ample woman to sleep with tonight.”
When Florida shares what the family is having for dinner – “soul food,” as Stonehurst identifies it – Michael pipes up that their diet has “too much starch, and not enough vitamins and proteins.” This is the start of the series’ tendency to include factual socio-economic information in the episodes. More on this later.
One of my favorite laughs comes when Michael stands on a chair to proudly read his letter to the family, which concludes, “Signed, Michael Evans, Esquire.” James gives him a look of disdain and says, “You better get your Esquire off that chair.” Gets me every time.
As this episode opens, we learn that it’s report card pick-up day for high school. In a subplot, we also discover that James is being considered for a foreman position at his job. Michael has already received his report card and earned all A’s. Thelma expects mostly top marks and makes a bet with J.J. that he won’t earn the grades necessary for promotion into the 12th grade. To everyone’s surprise, when J.J. comes home with his report card, it shows that he did, indeed, pass all of his courses. But when J.J. is unable to answer History and Algebra questions that Florida asks him, Florida and James seek clarification from J.J.’s principal (“I’m readin’ Cs, but I’m hearin’ Fs,” James says.). In a nutshell, they are told that the school gives passing grades in order to continue receiving funding – whether the students deserve the grades or not. Florida and James want J.J. to voluntarily repeat the 11th grade, so that he can obtain the instruction that he obviously missed, but J.J. refuses to stay behind. Later, we follow up on the subplot and find out that James did not receive the foreman position because his own limited schooling impacted his ability to fill out the application. This provides a real-world lesson to J.J. about the value of a good education, and he vows to put forth more effort during his senior year.
“They just gave you those grades to get rid of you.”
The “Junior the Senior” episode offers some very real truths regarding the public education system in this country, particularly in inner city schools, where administrators were sometimes more interested in posting high graduation rates than ensuring that their students were obtaining a quality education. By spotlighting James’s scholastic limitations, the episode offers a poignant reminder of the long-term effects that education can have.
Pop Culture References:
Cesar Romero in his Golden Age of Hollywood heyday.
Cesar Romero
Near the end of the episode, J.J. tells his mother that he may be selected to give his graduation speech, which he would end with “these two Latin words: Cesar Romero.” Cesar Romero was a film and television actor whose big-screen career began in the 1930s with films like The Thin Man (1934) and in a series of features as The Cisco Kid. In the 1960s, he gained a new audience as The Joker on the Batman TV series and in several Disney comedies.
Guest Stars
Frank Campanella (Mr. Kirkman)
Frank Campanella had more than 100 film and TV credits.
Born in New York City on March 12, 1919, Frank Campanella was the son of Sicilian immigrants (and the older brother of actor Joseph Campanella) and spoke mostly Italian when he was growing up. He put his bilingual skills to use during World War II as a civilian translator for the U.S. government, deciphering Italian and Sicilian dialects. The six-foot-five Campanella studied drama at Manhattan College and made his television debut in the 1949 science fiction series Captain Video and His Video Rangers (which, incidentally, was the favorite TV show of the character Ed Norton on The Honeymooners).
Frank’s younger brother was actor Joseph Campanella.
Campanella’s first big-screen role was in the 1956 Paul Newman starrer, Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956). He would go on to appear in such films as The Producers (1967), The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight (1971), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Pretty Woman (1990), and Dick Tracy (1990), and television series from Car 54, Where Are You? to Hunter. In addition, he was noted for helping Robert De Niro learn Sicilian for his role in The Godfather, Part II (1974). Campanella also appeared in several Broadway productions, including Guys and Dolls in 1965.
Campenella died on December 30, 2006 (my 44th birthday!), of complications from Crohn’s Disease. He was 87 years old.
Other stuff:
Michael has a callback to the catchphrase he introduced in the first episode, informing his mother that “’boy’ is a white racist word” when Florida tries to awaken her sons by calling out, “Rise and shine, boys!”
“Junior mug a cow?” Ha ha.
There’s yet another reference in this episode to J.J.’s penchant for thievery. When Willona enters the Evans apartment, she remarks that she smells meat. “What happened?” she asks. “Junior mug a cow?”
After J.J. and Thelma make their bet, they link their pinky fingers and then push their thumbs together. Years later, whenever I’d see this action between characters on various television shows, they called it a “pinky swear” or “pinky promise,” and they were using it to indicate that a promise had been made. In my personal experience, though, this gesture was used just as J.J. and Thelma did – for a bet. Maybe it’s a Chicago thing.
Ain't We Lucky We Got 'Em? 