Helen Martin, comic star of "227" and "Good Times," discusses her life and career in this rare half-hour interview with cable TV host Skip E Lowe from 1992.
I met her on the set of “ I’m Bout it” movie with Master P... I co-stared in that movie as well. She was like 80 some years old,spunky, & nice. And she didn’t judge us back then being in a rap star film. Glad I was able to meet her before she passed.
Did you ever see the music video where she was playing dice and acting rough , like her character in Don't be a MenaceTSCWDYJITH?. made me laugh as a kid, I always think about it but can never remember.
Did she ever share some of the reefer stash with yall? Did yall ever get invited to her home for Sunday dinner? Because I know she could cook better than any of yall lol
Twitter brought me here just now. RIP Helen Martin. Dropping a helluva lot of gems in this interview. The interviewer was defensive and nonchalant about _a lot_ of things.
What an ass. Seems he like so many ignorant whites don’t want to hear the truth of what really is going on.. Ms Helen knows what she’s talking about. I couldn’t watch this for he’s an absolute horror and can’t interview. How the hell his fat queen self out talk the person he’s interviewing. She deserved better than this.
Exactly!! Helen Martin is telling it like it is and he don't want to hear it. Hollywood is racist because you don't see too many black entertainers winning Oscars. Angela Bassett should've won for best supporting role.
Half way through I scrolled through comments to confirm the interviewer incompetence. He keeps referring to her in 3rd person. He's out of touch & uniformed. I finished the interview out of respect of Helen Martin. She kept here composure during this interview, a testament to her professionalism. I love her side of the interview
I was so annoyed with Skip during this interview. Helen was so honest and well poised, as Skip kept cutting her off when she touched on subjects he didn't want her to enter. Smh. Rest in perfect peace, Miss Helen 🙏❤
Typical white response. Anything that might potentially lead to the struggles and pains of racism that blacks had to face in America, people like him want to stir clear of it. He's of the belief that all the white people he knew were pure and wholesome, And wouldn't mistreat anybody. His little bubble causes him not to relate nor dwell on the negative aspects of white America especiallyin Hollywood.
Great moment with Helen although Skip was painful to watch. He didn't know shit. She tried to tell the truth but he didn't want to hear it. Skip doesn't listen. He's totally out of touch and he missed all her work on "Good Times" and bit parts on "Sanford & Son," "The Love Boat" and others. What an amazing character actress she was. I adored her on 227. She kept up with Sandra and Mary and Rose laugh for laugh. Helen really was a treasure. I'll never forget she sauntered into a popular NYC cafe I was hanging out in one afternoon and I was so delighted to see her. She used the restroom and graciously exited almost as quickly as she entered. There a sweet, delicate way about her. She seemed very sweet. R.I.P.
Helen is so well remembered for 227. It’s amazing that just a few good scenes and your remembered forever. Her leaning out the window watching and gossiping always sticks in my mind.
Omg I loved her, she was so hilarious and a great actress. I remember her on television sitcoms when I was a child. She made me laugh so hard. What a extraordinary lady.
She is a great interview, he is a terrible interviewer. He was so rude to her, he talked down to her through the whole interview. He couldn't even give sympathy to her for the lose of her daughter. What a creep.
@@ladymariej4156 Lol!! So did I. He remains me of the actor Leslie Jordan. Leslie actually plays a woman in the new movie the United States vs. Billie Holiday!
About 15 minutes in to the interview, the conversation takes a turn, because the interviewer gets ticked off because Helen brings up racism in Hollywood.
I noticed the same thing... he just wants to see the Happy and gleeful outward persona . those who have power don't tend to want to know the reality of what America is actually about..
@@mrright2288 I'm 55, been a wide eyed urban adult for nearly 40 years, and Hollywood resident through the 1980's. Advice. NEVER STEREOTYPE, and say EVERY SINGLE DAY, BURN IT IN YOUR BRAIN, " People are people", like she said.
Such a great actress. I love Pearl Shay. She was hilarious. Helen Martin was also in the 70's series "Baby, I'm Back." She played Demond Wilson's (Lamont from Sanford and Son) mother in law. RIP Helen ♡
21:47 has me rolling in laughter. You know Helen was annoyed with this guy when she said, “I have somewhere to go but I’m not mentioning where it is, coz I don’t think it’s anyone’s business” Skip: Helen? Helen: What? this dude was seriously annoying. How did he even get to be an interviewer... stupid fool
What in the world do you understand about her struggles. She tells you what's it's like getting new work, and you tell her 'no it's not.' How disrespectful and presumptuous.
This is so true he wouldn't stop doing that and it is very annoying, wouldn't give her time to answer the questions at all that was ridiculous to the highest degree. Gosh man.....
God bless her! Her and Tina Turner's mother Zelma speak and look similar...BUT this guy Skip makes me want to vomit. How ignorant, aloof, and rude. "Tell me a joke...tell me another joke!" What the hell....
She was truly classy and gave someone good answers. He totally didn't listen to her answers. He kept asking her the same questions. And a million interruptions.
I’ve never seen an interviewer who pissed me off this much!! This guy is rude. He’s not informed and very patronizing. He keeps cutting her off and I applaud Helen for not pumping the brakes on Ric Flair grandfather!
Helen Martin had a great sense of humor on 227 and Good Times...I just pray that I can live to be old because now days all you hear is bad news...I love Helen Martin..R.I.P..
I thought Skip was a woman! Lol! I loved Ms. Helen she was a great actress. Why ask her for an interview if you're not gonna let her tell her story? Poor interview on his part!!!!
This lady is funny as heck! LOL. She is KEEPIN’ REAL as they say. No holds barred! Authentic and rear.😀 The interviewer got a little frazzled and quickly asked her to tell him a joke... 🤣
Cringing as he tells this black actress he doesn't believe racism has harmed her. She's not even being bitter, she's just being real about her limited possibillities.
He didn't perform a good interview at all but might have been trying to keep an upbeat flow for the times back then, though he comes off as an uncaring, no personality man. He totally ignored Helen when she mentioned her daughter having died only months earlier. I think he was told to keep it upbeat, something like that. At the same time, Helen was already 83/84 by that interview and, at that age, there probably wasn't much work for her back then, especially on sitcoms. As an older person, I know that we have tendencies to live in the past, if you get what I mean. Also, she says she couldn't dance, but I just watched her dance on a Good Times rerun where they threw a rent party for her and, at the end, she told the band to hit it as she kicked up some moves, and I'll wager she was at least 70, in that episode!
Omg...Just think about all the legends she lived amongst being born in 1909...Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston,...only thirteen-years older than Cicely Tyson.
This Kween is on my nerve!!! "She" is acting as if "she" is on top of it and "she's" not! THIS CHILD is all over the place and is looking for DIRT!!!! This gurl is NOT LISTENING TO Helen and then "she" puts Helen on the defense with his rhetoric!!!! THIS would have been SOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER IF HE HAD BEEN PREPARED and not off the cuff!!!
This got soooo cringey at around the 14:30 or 15 minute mark lol. so awkward how he just couldn't get that the woman isn't working lolol to the point where she was basically like "Okay, sure. Whatever" haha
Yeah she was a real one. She telling this dude, she only worked a day here a day there, not consistently. Glad she brought up the fact that she still worked regular jobs too. I think some aspiring actors dont know that other side of the game, doing what u gotta do to survive til u get that bag.
outrageous n so racist...he going to tell a black lady she doesn't know what she talking about. then he GOING to tell her how much she's doing, n how much work there is...wow...he doesn't listen. she has beautiful hands
I always loved Helen Martin. Int his interview she says she didn't do A Raisin In The Sun on Broadway. I saw Ms. Martin on Broadway in a Raisin In The Sun starting Debbie Allen. Ms. Martin must have forgotten that she was in the production.
Skip is just blinded by his white skin color. Sad how she didn't get to join another tv show to work in. Guest roles weren't enough for her. Like how Marla went from The Jeffersons to 227. So that was 15 years in tv land.
@Brandon Greenleaf did you even watch the interview? She said her lack of work was because she was black. She had no work. Who is he to tell her that her experiences, and by proxy, the experience of blacks when is comes to race is wrong? Is he black????
@GENERAL DISARRAY'S BOSS 83 Well, since racism is either learned, or a self chosen behavior, everybody's not a racist. I already know that, everybody's not crazy.
What an awful interviewer. I love Ms Helen. Hearing her talk brings back so many warm childhood memories. Nice video in spite of that weirdo jabberin’.
I've never heard of this WOMAN named Skip who's doing the interview, but I didn't like how he cut Ms. Martin off several times and changed the conversation. He was too aggressive and rude. And to add insult to injury, he tried to talk down about Dela Reese and I'm so glad Ms. Martin didn't fall for it. I loved her composure. May she rest in peace. I loved her acting and presence on so many shows.
Back when our older ladies looked realistically like older ppl on tv now a days they look like they still in there 20s seems like if u look over 30 u cant be cast
This man Mr Skip he seems like he trying to get her to gossip about other people and their personal business like She would know why don't he ask these people ln person about their own personal life he's there to interview Miss Martin stay focus on her he's A bad interviewer he asked her questions and then he jumped right in and don't let her finish with another question
I noticed that, too. He was trying to get her to talk down about other people and to tell about their personal business. But she graciously refused, to her credit. She had class! Terrible to interview a person in that manner.
