Ahead of "The Seventies," Jimmie "J.J." Walker of "Good Times" fame joined Carol Costello to discuss how television has changed in the last four decades
Lol, SmokeyV @ "eat watermelon." The newscaster kept badgering him even though he clearly, politely, and intelligently told her no. If Hattie McDowell was still alive, I wonder if the "progressive" anchor would ask her to recite her "Gone With the Wind" mammy lines just for kicks? Just because Hollywood sanctioned it and the show was popular, doesnt mean it stands the test of time.
smokeyvelvet42 In all fairness, she might not know it's racist. No tact. And it's a bland request anyway. It's like asking a grown up Macauley Culkin to do the "oh no" face.
smokeyvelvet42 Thank you for your statement. I had to block bullfranthrow because he started in with the name calling on calling me a bitch ass nigga and said that I was the bastard son of a single mother. It's clowns like him that likes to schuck and jive and be a jester, an Uncle Ruckus. I love Good Times but I did not like Jimmie Walker saying that "Dynomite" crap. And I'm glad that he didn't say that for that white woman.
EXACTLY...A black host wouldn't have asked him to say that because they would be in tune to the negative stereotype that was the character of J.J. Evan's Jr. but none of them even watched Good Times back then and if they did they ripped it apart with their racist thoughts and ideas. I'm glad he stood his ground too.
@@MetaITurtle NOPE like ive said it was actually already scripted or he wouldn't have agreed to do this interview the problem is the mainstream media still thinks we are there personal puppets.
@@tonitabehn3080 did you actually have to ask that question? Obviously it's best to not have everyone in your industry dislike you and not to work with you. Even if you're a garbage man, if you want a job, it's best not to have everyone in the sanitation department hate you. Duh
I don't know I agree with the both of you🙂For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger still does not have a problem saying the "I'll be back" line from his 1984 movie "Terminator," when fans request him to🙂Regards, Michael M. Kamau, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa, 20th May 2024.
pope quiet Exactly. He's an intelligent man in his sixties now, not portraying a teenager anymore. That's insulting as asking Tina turner to sing a line from private dancer lol smh
Before comedy he was immensely successful as a radio engineer and then when he started to rise in the stand-up world he hired Jay Leno and eventually Dave Letterman as writers for his act. He just had a knack for spotting and fostering talent. He was also careful about licensing his "Good Times" character and getting royalties from any ensuing products. That's common today but back in the 70's very few entertainers thought of doing it.
Jimmy hit the nail on the head. There was George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Alan King, Flip Wilson, Phyllis Diller, Richard Pryor, and many more, and EVERYBODY knew who they were, listened to their albums, and could recite some of their routines. Nobody cared that the comedian was black, or white, or a woman. They were funny, to everyone. Today it is as Jimmy said; there's comedians for each ethnicity rather than all ethnicities enjoying these comedians because their material is race specific instead of just life that everyone can relate to. I noticed this too, the "dehomogonizing" of the country. I am glad he put his thumb on it publicly like this.
I agree. Today it's all about demographics and pie charts. It's really sad. That's another reason why it takes so long to go through 300 channels on cable. You have hundreds of little social sub-groups and no-one cares about just entertaining everyone as a group anymore. It's sad,
So true. One of my favorites as a kid was Godfrey Cambridge. Not many know the name today because he died at a fairly early age just as he was hitting his stride.
Recently, Gabriel Iglesias has done a really good job turning the page from being a comedian for Latinos to one that appeals to all ethnicities...especially amongst young people.
Thanks for not making a fool of yourself for the CNN viewers. For a moment I had to check and make sure I wasn't watching a FOX interview. Jimmie Walker is well spoken and I appreciated that interview. I'll see if Amazon or Audible has that book. I will certainly buy it.
I don't know🙂For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger still does not have a problem saying the "I'll be back" line from his 1984 movie "Terminator," when fans request him to🙂Regards, Michael M. Kamau, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa, 20th May 2024.
Jimmy Walker looks great! doing well. Will buy his book. Grew up on good times. Glad he and John Amos and most of the cast are still around. Miss Ester Roll the woman who played the mother. She broke through a lot of barriers and represented her people well. May she rest in peace. She's missed.
He's a good guy,and very intellectual. We saw him last week doing stand up in Rochester. I'm from Harlem,and totally relate to what is is saying. He actually does clean comedy,and he is very talented. I respect him so much for mentioning those that came before us. He also gives accolades to other comedians respectfully. It's so true people always have something to say no matter who you are or what you do in life. Most importantly you just have to live your truth.
Reminds me of when the Today Show had a reunion of the Taxi Driver cast and Matt Lauer kept trying to get DeNiro to say "You talkin' to me?" DeNiro looked like he wanted to strangle him.
I bought his book. One of the better autobiographies you will ever read. What an interesting journey Mr. Walker has had, he's paid his dues. Love this man!
She wanted to make light of the issue by constantly bringing up him saying Dynomite but he wanted to speak on the issues that mattered. If it was Gary Coleman (RIP) she probably would've focused on "What you talkin bout Willis?" instead of the interview smh.
+terrypussypower There is a time and place for everything and this is not the time for Dy-no-mite. For you to say that black people aren't all about issues is a very general and ignorant statement, which doesn't apply to all black people.
wwef6lr Jeez-US! Your comprehension skills are non existent! Try reading my comment again...and understanding it this time! YOU are the one making a general and ignorant statement!
terrypussypower You said, "Black people are not all about 'issues' you know" which is a GENERAL statement about Black people. You didn't say SOME but Black People in GENERAL. Maybe it's your comprehension skills that are non existent.
He was known for being an idiot in t.v. and he proves himself to be The exact opposite. There is nothing like trying to be serious when one desires to take you as a joke. Notice that he was so eloquent that she had to trade roles and be the idiot in his stead. All she wanted from him was to bring himself back to his past therefore depleting the success and truth of his present and future. Very well done Sir.
"All she wanted...." I do not think she invested as much into her thought process as you describe. I think it was as simple as her wanting him to say a catch phrase he was known for. Though I absolutely agree with everything else you stated. He did show he has more class and intelligence.
I think James Sr. not catching a break was more demoralizing than JJ saying "Dyno-mite!" Respectability politics is a prison. JJ's character wasn't a buffoon... he was soul personified. A lot of blacks are just ashamed of that, that's all.
Jimmy is a conservative, so he doesn't tap dance for liberal massa. Good job Mr. Walker! Good Times was a great show, but getting rid of John Amos was a huge mistake.
Willie Robinson it wasn’t a mistake by the whites who owned the show. John Amos firing was purposely done because he was quite outspoken about the shows overall message. If you are Black in America, it doesn’t matter how smart or hard working you are. You will never progress from poverty. Which is sad. Because it was completely opposite from the original play “A Raisin in the Sun”. Despite the show being created by Eric Monte (a Black man). It was completely commandeered from him by Norman Lear and producers. The writing staff was almost completely white. And the few blacks that were there had little to no voice in how each episode would be from week to week.
Just because he endorsed Trump and didn't endorse Obama doesn't make him conservative. He's an independent. Stop trying to cast us into a party of sheeple. We think for ourselves.
SParkApCider “Conservative” isn’t a party, moron. You clearly don’t understand being an Independent. The needle isn’t straight up for all Independents. I consider myself conservative, but will never be a member of the GOP.
liberal massa??? I'm not.glad sooo many don't know American history. Slavery started in America in 1619, but the Democratic Party started in 1825. What gives?
He's evolved. I can't say I can't blame him but at the same time, he's trying to show growth. Something that most journalists and news reporters cannot fathom.
Ironically it was this very catchphrase was the impetus for the "destruction" of Good Times. I think John Amos does a very eloquent job of describing how Jimmy Walkers character on the show was given too much buffoonery time while the other characters, which could have had very deep side stories, were not the flavor of the times. It's sad that the show was margenilized for the sake of maintaing a stereotypte.
It tells us something about ourselves as a people and a nation. We don't want to hear the truth. We have more poverty and income inequality than ever but the networks and the news media don't want us to think about this stuff. It might compel us to act to shake up the status quo and effect change in society.
Do they have a show for poor white people ? I guess Shameless was based on a diverse poor family. I disagree though. The fact of the matter is the first show about a black family had to be poor which kind of gave a misconception that black people were mostly poor to the ignorant eye. As we now have more better representation of our self on TV now , it wouldn't seem as stereotypical today as it would have back then.
What about everybody hates chris, wasnt that about a poor working class family...narrarted by chris rock...its off the air now but it was on for quite a few years...reruns are on hulu or paramount cant remembe which one, even thou i got both streaming apps.
@@insearchof9903 Not really, Everybody Hates Chris was more middle class. Part of Chris Rock life was growing up in a crack head neighborhood but his family then moved to a white suburban neighborhood which is what the show is based on. In real life his father knocked a white man out which cause the family to move. But the show portrayed his dad like he was in real life according to chris rock. A hardworking man that took care of the family and I believe his father had at least a high school education as well as his mother. Goodtime' s was about the lower class and living in the Projects. James the father on good times could barely keep a job and Both parents didn't even have a GED which is why the premise of the kids even getting a high school education was so important. Most black Americans at least have a high school education these days which is why there probably wont be a show like that anymore cause it doesn't reflect the black America of today. Back then a lot of racial discrimination even amongst the public education was pretty bad and a lot more segregated then it is today.
It's because of the huge entertainment/editorial factor that affecting our news programs now a days, motivated by higher ratings/profits. Lots of viewers probably tuned in for what they hoped would be some buffoonery as well. He didn't take the bait and implied that it was beneath her to ask. Good for him.
ABSOLUTELY! He really is well-spoken and has some genuine insight regarding his show and its impact. And thank goodness he kept his integrity by not stooping to spitting out that dumb line for the umpteenth time.
I always liked "Good Times" and I like very few sit coms. J. J was my favorite. He's a good man and very intelligent. I like what he said in this interview.
Niecey Cortez conservative black man that knew trump was the better choice. Very smart indeed he is. He's very aware of how democrats have taken the black vote for granted
I never looked at it like that I remember Whoopi , Billy Crystal and Robin Williams use to tour together and you probably won't see that again but just something to think about !
This interview kind of made me hate white people for a second. I gotta pray out of that feeling lol She's all joke for us, make us feel better, don't talk about how bad stuff is we only want to feel good right now. Your plight makes us sad, make us laugh instead. And yep I felt like she was fake listening too. I think they wanted this to just be a fluff piece but JJ was turning it around every chance he got
Give her a break. She enjoyed him, as a guest and as a gifted comedian, and it showed throughout the whole interview. It's attitudes, like yours, that has driven the country back to segregation.
A lot of times when people talk about the 1970s, they forget about all the early electronic and computer games that revolutionized the toy industry. I specifically remember a toy you could program to move a few feet, turn around, fire a light lazer, etc. You could even hitch it with a trailer in the back to carry an apple or something. The programming just going into that alone was amazing. Also other electronic toys that were sophisticated for the time. I think that they were expensive, maybe that is why not everyone talks about them. It would sometimes take an average person a half week to a week to save and buy it. Not everyone had those types of toys.
Good times wasn't the last time a lower class family was shown in a sitcom. He forgot about ROC starring Charles S. Dutton, Ella Joyce, and Rocky Carroll. A great show by the way. When they started doing that show live they began tackling more serious subjects like HIV, police misconduct, healthcare, drug dealing, addiction, violent crime, and kids being exposed to explicit rap lyrics. Not long after this, ROC was cancelled. I guess the show's material got a little too real for the networks.
TheTallMan35 I think Fox cancelled Roc because the show was talking real issues about the black community like Good Times did but Roc didn't schuck and jive and acted like buffoons nor did the other actors like Jimmie Walker did on Good Times. And since Jimmie is older now he probably sees that saying that dynamite crap was total buffoonery but he was younger and all he saw was $$$ by Norman Lear to see him act like a jester for white people.
"Thats fascinating I never thought of it like, Can you do the Dynamite thing for me again, I'm more comfortable with you doing that then making logical arguments on socio-economic situations."
I LOVE that he didn't say that crazy catchphrase. I just watched an interview where the dad on the show " James Amos" or a different first name, was written off the show because he was tired of JJ saying 1 word phrases when his 2 other kids on the show were aspiring to be a supreme court judge and another white collar job. That show did great for our community on one hand but was damaging on another hand. Black family living in the ghetto is one thing because they had 2 parents who loved them and worked hard. Then thy kill off the dad because he wants to portray a better image on the black family? Sad! I'm glad that he is speaking after the fact and Jimmy walker realizes that he is being a buffoon after the show is off the air. WTG, Jimmy. That's over now!
Segregation is not a bad thing. It allows people to be empowered in their own communities. I do not see anything wrong with that. However, it should not be regulated by the government.
That's what borders and countries are for....United States is for all .....but there are some that don't see it that way.... And there are some in a country that make it almost impossible to be a successful minority...but it is possible
onenightstand691972 Yeah, let's fight ourselves, let's be a nation divided. Great idea................... can you sense my sarcasm? What you're talking about is the root of racism and evil, and it's disgusting, and it's fucking sad.
+TheSummerOfGeorge1 lol, when people don't understand and can't comprehend and then get owned like yourself , the get back comment always end up being like yours.
Actually, what's really the motivation for a "lol" is, the probability that TheSummerOfGeorge1 would never use the "n" word to an African-American's face.
That aint it. Hopefully you could see she respected him and that she had good memories of him like I do. I was hoping he would do it too. But I get it. He probably gets tired of people only seeing him for that.
right on brother spoken like a poet never be afraid to say the way things is and they way theyve always been some people may not wonna hear it dont worry about that
There is nothing wrong with asking him to say dynomite! It is nostalgia. It is what he is famous for and many people have fond memories of. Many singers get tired of singing the same songs that made them famous but that is what people go to hear them sing. Their oldies but goodies. Good times was a part of his life. The fans love it. It was entertaining and dynomite!
Back in the days when he was a star on TV he and I reached for the same grocery cart on a busy morning in a Beverly Hills grocery store. He looked at me a did a weird expression with his mouth and of course I took my hand off the cart and let him have it.
He's right about the country getting more and more segregated. In the 50's, there was no value in being different, so people tended to dress the same, speak the same, and act the same. It all changed in the late 60's when people found value in being part of large groups. Attitudes changed, language changed, fashions changed. . . . and I can't say all these changes were for the better. For one thing, it became harder to talk to one another.
I don't agree they were the only poor family there was also "what's happing" and "that's my mama". although Good times was the most notable. I do agree you will never see anything like that again. Its hard to pitch a struggling white family let alone a minority one. nobody today finds poverty entertaining.
People don't like "real world" problems on TV. Everybody hates Chris was probably the last sitcom about a family in American poverty. Most of them now divert to the middle class at minimal.
You would think the journalists would do their homework before they'd ask them a question like that, John Amos confirmed that. Journalists interview hundreds of people, they should pick up a hint or two on psychology. Plus, the show had some drama behind the scenes, speaking of John Amos. But it's good to see that Walker and Amos still do interviews, and JJ Walker is still doing stand up comedies.
That was just a kid, no college, nothing positive. He stayed into something all time. The mother just yelled at everyone gossiping. It was horrible. The siblings barely got along. Nope not even close to the Cosby Show.
I'm in my mid 40s. I like Good Times (my favorite because so many of the things that were dealt with then are STILL going today) All in the Family & The Jeffersons. I bought the complete dvd service of That's my mama ( Isaac from the love boat was on there) & What's Happening (the Doobie Brothers had a great two parts episode on there) Danielle Spencers (Dee) is a veteranarian.
You had Sanford and Son and Good Times back in the 1970s and they were the best TV shows for black folks at that time . Good Times was a spin-off from Maude , Archie Bunker's sister . Enuff said .
Sanford and Son and Good Times was for black folks? I had no clue I was black! I watched those religiously as a kid, and even occasionally go back for repeats as an adult, especially Sanford & Son.
Good times will always be one of my favorite shows he said it was a poor black family but not to me they were all rich in family love , morals , and respect for one another 🙏🏻❤️ talk about poor I grew up poor slept on the floor with a little mattress I shared with my sister no complains here
***** The African American poverty rate is 27%. I really do not think you understand the diversity of the economic situations of individual black people. Black people are not all poor or live in squalor. There are more poor black people due to years of segregation, slavery, housing/loan discrimination, etc. But the majority of black people are those who have found success despite discrimination
***** Also everybody hates chris was for sure not as harsh as the true realities of poverty, but then again neither was Good Times. And after all that is what we are comparing.
***** Hope you're not saying that to me. Because that isn't what I said. That is what the other guy said. I said that either TV show pales in comparison to the actual realities of poverty. Because you are a fan of this show does not change my opinion on that.
Walker pretty much stopped the "dynomite" catchphrase after the 4th season; although it was alluded to later on. I read that Elizabeth Montgomery, " Samantha" on BEWITCHED refused to twitch her nose for fans. And I watched Eve Plum on a talk show refuse to honor a fan's request for her to say, "Marcia, Marcia".
vh9network not really. Middle class white and middle class black I believe there is a difference. There is a difference. There was a time that a fry cook at McDonald's was a respectable job for a black guy. Chappelle made a joke about it. Most cops probably made a respectable living. A white person might consider it working class but people would see it as middle class but probably not working class. Even a garbage collector a job considered low class by white standards would inch closer to middle class for a black family. Take into account black unemployment rates too. Food for thought.
I loved JJ Walker. To be funny you have to be a genius at being a fool, or a fool at being a genius. Playing the ironic fool takes more talent than the uptight perfect comic role model. JJ was always funny. I look forward to reading his book.
