Damn! Damn! Damn! Wilona Woods is dead to me!

Da'mnit Ja'net!

She brought some fun energy to the classic sitcom neighbor role.

I hope I go in my sleep too.

RIP.

Da'mn! Da'mn! Da'mn!

So sad

I will smash a punch bowl in her honor!

She was the best thing about Good Times to me. Sad news.

That "Good Times" live show last December must have done her in.

I hope some bitchy angel yells "Slap him, Willona!" when she meets St. Peter

The acting is terrible.

You too, Willona.

She also was the lead singer for the theme song to "The Jeffersons."

She was on the soap "Love of Life" for years before "Good Times."

When "SNL" did a great parody of "Good Times" (because Janet Jackson was the guest host, so she could reprise her role of Penny), Maya Rudolph did a memorable Ja'Net DuBois imitation.

Her performance of Wilona, is one of the reasons I am sassy queen.

She was the epitome of the Sassy Black Woman (along with Marla Gibbs from "The Jeffersons"). I thought her character was as distasteful as J. J. "Dy-no-mite!" Evans. They were both racial stereotypes.

Although looking at it, Maya Rudolph is actually much better at Bern Nadette Stanis (Thelma) than she is at Ja'Net DuBois.

She was living in Glendale?! Oh, poor thing.

There's been a discrepancy about her age. Some sources say 1938 and others 1945. Maybe we'll find out how she really was soon now.

Apparently her son that died in 1987 was 36 years old. So maybe she was born even earlier than 1938.

Holy Shit. Apparently she was really 87 years old! Would've never guessed she was that old. One case where black definitely didn't crack!

She was born Jeannette Dubois, but fucked with the spelling her whole life: she was credited professionally as Ja'Net DuBois, Ja'net DuBois,and Ja'Net Du Bois.

The same was true of BernNadette Stanis, who was born Bernadette Stanislaus but was credited professionally as BernNadette Stanis, Bern Nadette Stanis, and Bernnadette Stanis.

Eilona was my favorite character. RIP Janet!

*Wilona

Has Janet Jackson issued a statement?

...and then he hit me...

That sketch at r12 is gold!

Slap her Willona!

[quote]Has Janet Jackson issued a statement?

Yes, according to her press rep, she said, " mmmph, nmmph, nom, nom, mmphh, nom, nom, mmmph"

She was doing some good eatin' at the time.

She seemed so full of energy during the live show.

RIP

She had to be older than 74. Esther Rolle would’ve been almost 100 if she had lived. I know Willona and Florida were close in age on Good Times. Even though Ja’net obviously played older, I don’t think 25 years separated them in real life.

Miss Jackson is a superstar, bitches, and she ain't got no damn time (what with her busy concert and recording schedules) to mess around with grief for a has-been from 40 years ago.

R27 She was really 87, see my posting at R18. I sent the link to TMZ, don't know if they'll correct it or not.

Has Conchata Ferrell released a statement yet?

No.....

Alice Ghostley welcomed her into sitcom heaven with open arms.

I also love how preachy and sanctimonious the guy who is playing Michael is.

Jimmie Walker talks about working with Ja'Net. Interesting but take it with a grain of salt. He manages to insult all of his costars while pretending to sing their praises.

Nobody made an entrance like Willona. Rest, Ja’Net Dubois.❤️

God, did Jimmie become an ugly old man. Wow!

She owned that series, in my opinion. She should have had her own show.

Jimmie Walker hasn't gotten over John and Esther's annoyance that the JJ character became so famous. He felt all the actors should have been just been grateful to work on a hit network show, and that their egos helped ruin it.

Esther was very close to Bernadette and Ralph. Everyone except Janet and Jimmie attended Esther's funeral.

Janet and Ja'net were very close in real life. She was in the Control video, and she often showed up to Janet's concerts.

They did tend to overact in that show but I blame the director. In every damn episode they overacted, a lot!

This makes me sad. RIP.

She was 87 but claimed 74. So she was a datalounger.

R41 for the win

R41 Funny.

I haven't seen where she's ever stated her exact age, but when she was asked her age by the NY Daily News in 1978, she said this: "Lets say I'm 31, 32, 33, and that I had my children at a very young age. Can you dig it?"

Yes, that's what she really said. Too funny.

One of my favorite sitcom actresses of all-time, she deserved to get her own starring series. RIP, Miss Dubois, I'm sure you are finally Movin' on Up!

I know how she feels. Let's just say I'm 34 and I was a teen when my children were born.

Thank you r17 amd r18. I knew when I saw her cameo on the "Good Times" special thing that there was no way in hell she was born in 1938 or 1945. I spent about 5 minutes digging around on Ancestry.com trying find her true age, then decided I really didn't care that much.

But it's nice to know I was right.

"God, did Jimmie become an ugly old man. Wow!"

He was an ugly YOUNG man. That was one of the crazy things about "Good Times"; J. J., who was plug ugly, was a lady's man and always had a good looking girlfriend. That beggared belief.

She was the only reason I watched Good Times.

RIP

Have the owners of The Boutique made a statement?

"J. J., who was plug ugly, was a lady's man and always had a good looking girlfriend. That beggared belief."

If you ever watched Jerry Springer,, you'd know some fairly attractive females have some pretty scuzzy, trashy looking boyfriends, often tatted up ex-cons.

R50, when was anyone on Springer "fairly attractive"?

Doesn't JJ have a relationship with Ann Coulter?

One of my contemporary fashion icons as a boy. I was busy with the 30s-50s, but Willona turned my head.

She co-wrote and sang the theme song for The Jeffersons.

Genuinely likable woman - I've always appreciated seeing her in cameos in various films over the years.

[quote] Some sources say 1938 and others 1945. Maybe we'll find out how she really was soon now.

What do you want them to do -- saw off a leg and count the rings?

What's the apostrophe for?

Attention

Damn right.

All this time I thought her character's name was "Winnona".

That bitch was even older than I am! The movie 1917 was a documentary about her 20th birthday party.

First RHODA, now WILONA :(

The sexy good looking neighbor is dead. I must mourn.

Wikipedia is still listing 1945 as her birth year. Do they think she gave birth at the age of 6?

r41 Black don't crack!

Ja'dore Ja'Net!

My favorite season was the one after Ester quit the series and Ja’net was the lead. That season also introduced the sexy Ben Powers.

I beg to differ R35.

Penny's mother finally got her revenge for that failed tape recorder scheme.

I thought, like Isabelle Sanford, she moved to the South, possibly Atlanta.

[quote]There's been a discrepancy about her age. Some sources say 1938 and others 1945. Maybe we'll find out how she really was soon now.

How Rose? By cutting her in half and counting the rings?

Michael Evans seemed QUEER to me, like someone who'd be turning tricks in the men's room at the bus station.

I thought Penny’s mother fell down an elevator shaft.

R62 My husband & I are still around.

The show was set in Chicago's horrifically crime ridden Cabrini Green. All sorts of rough street criminals showed up at the Evan's apartment, get the front door was NEVER locked!

Dream about us together again.

Jimmie Walker is a renowned asshole.

The show seemed to have its roots in those Chitlin Circuit plays that were loud, bawdy and had one-dimensional, stereotypical characters (The Gay Hairdresser, mm-HM!).

I always liked her. RIP, Ja'net.

Janet in 1966, when she was 33.

R63 It just goes to show you how bad fact checking has gotten on many sites online.

Many big sites such as The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, TV Line, Forbes, MSN, all have the wrong age.

Only the LA Times so far didn't list her age, saying its been "uncomfirmed."

Anyone who looked at her wiki article for more that a passing glance, that there were many contradictions about her age. Lazy "journalism."

Oh and the NY Times isn't listing her age yet either, "No additional details, including her age, were immediately available."

Better than putting an obviously wrong age up.

"Good Times" could be so stupid. There was a pimp character named "Sweet Daddy" and every time he appeared, all tricked out in Superfly finery, flanked by two goons dressed the same way, the studio audience would go "WOOOOOOOOO!" in admiration. They did the same when J.J. was kissing one of his girlfriends, an attractive older woman: "WOOOOOOOOO!"

She was the glue that held Good Times together, especially when things got rocky and John Amos and Esther Rolle left the show. She saw it through to the end.

The season when Rolle was gone wasn’t too bad because it had Ja’net to anchor the show. A lot less of Rolle was good at this point, considering the character could be smug and sanctimonious at times. Rolle went up against Norman Lear quite a few times to get control of the show. She was against Ja’net being hired because she didn’t approve. She wanted more money and creative control for the 1977-78 season, but Lear didn’t give in and let her walk. He basically gave her what she wanted for the last season and let her come back, but the ratings were irreparable at this point.

The show died when James did.

r80 Wikipedia reported one of Ja'Net DuBois's sons, Raj Kristo Gupta, died at age 36 in 1987.She could have birthed Raj at a very young age, like 13, but she'd have to be at least 82. More likely she's the 86-year-old or 87-year-old Janet T DuBois who lived at Pasadena, CA 91103.

Now I'm wondering if Marla Gibbs lied about her age. Officially Ms. Gibbs gives 1931 as her birth year.

She was definitely born in 1932. Her passport from a trip to Brazil in 1959.

^ The datalounge detective agency solves another mystery!

I had remarked in the live show thread how great she looked. Surprised to hear she died a couple months later.

Interesting the passport says her profession at age 27 is ballerina. Great find.

Jimmy W . is a real hole. Look at the mean hole he's banging .

She's listed as a dancer in this 1959 Cab Calloway revue that toured Brazil. Sounds like fun.

I have waited on the entire cast of GT. SHE WAS THE NICEST JW WAS HORRIBLE

No, no, Ja'net

What was a single woman, WITH a job yet, doing living in public housing?

Best theme song EVER. RIP, girl.

The Jeffersons is the best theme song EVER.

r81, CBS This Morning just did a story on her death and her age was not mentioned.

I mean....87 years old people. REALLY?

"What was a single woman, WITH a job yet, doing living in public housing?"

What was a single woman, WITH a job yet, doing living in that shitty attic apartment in Minneapolis?

...yes? She was born in 1932, making her 87 when she died. What's your conniption fit about, R99?

R97-WRONG. The Good Times theme song was FAR better than The Jeffersons theme song.

The NY Times has updated her obituary, but her youngest daughter insists she was 74!

[quote] Her family said Ms. DuBois was 74 when she died, but public records indicate she was older.

Reminds me of Tura Satana's daughters going all over the internet when she died, insisting she was younger than she was. They went so far as to say the nudes she posed for in the 1950s were when she was only 12 or something. It obviously wasn't true, but they made pests of themselves about it. I hope Ja'Net's daughter doesn't go the same route.

R102 Fuck off and die. You could not be more wrong, cunt.

Who cares how old she was, she was the best! If she wanted people to think she was younger and her daughters are respecting and honoring that desire upon her passing, good for them!

The season (5) when she was the star of Good Times and recieved top billing is my favorite. She's the next door neighbor we all wish we had!

[quote]...yes? She was born in 1932, making her 87 when she died. What's your conniption fit about, [R99]?

I think that you’re confusing 'a conniption fit 'with an observation of the ridiculous. Some queen in his basement posting on DL out scooped every major news source about her age?

GOTCHA.

So her dead son born in 1951 died at age 36 in 1987. That would mean she was 6 years old when she birthed him. Fuck that. She was clearly born in 1932. Someone already posted her passport with her birth date in 1932. How much more proof is needed?

She was great.

I don't really blame her for not giving her real age since Hollywood can be very ageist, especially towards women. But she seemed to have a sense of humor about it (see R43) but they should've said her professional age was 74, but her real age was a little older. She looked great for her real age and stayed healthy and active up until the end. That's more than most can say. She was a "young" 87.

13 years is not a "little older" moron. 13 years is a long fucking time.

R105, Jesus Christ, take a pill. I'm sorry that you don't have a life outside of the Datalounge.

Miss Jackaon if you're nasty has something to say.

janetjackson- I am so very saddened to hear my longtime friend Ja’Net DuBois has passed away. I saw first hand how she broke stereotypes and changed the landscape for Black women in entertainment.

I’m grateful in recent years I had a chance to see her and create more lasting memories. I pray for comfort for all her family and friends.

Thank you Ja’Net, I’ll miss you. 🖤

R111 I was just using that as an example if her kids didn't want to say how old she really was. Most people obviously know she wasn't 74 or close to it since her oldest kid was born in 1951. She'd be in the Guinness Book of Records otherwise.

R77 -

The shows subject matter consisted of one hard luck let down after another. Every episode what about some new catastrophe in the lives of this family just trying to get by. Yet, the title of the show is "Good Times." Oh, the irony.

[quote]The sexy good looking neighbor is dead. I must mourn.

I have sufficient.

R100

Rhoda was from NYC

Yeah why couldn't James get a job?

A lot of uneducated people, blacks included had jobs on Chicago.

He must've had a record.

r70 Really? REALLY?

r90 "bailarina" just means "dancer," not ballerina.

R118, Rhoda was from THE BRONX, the Grand Concourse to be exact. That's important. And what the fuck does the city matter when we're talking about a fictional character living in an unrealistic bldg/apt on a TV show?

I thought "Good Times" really lost its way when they killed off James Evans. He was a strong father figure, a major factor in how the show portrayed the Evans, a close knit black family doing what they could to get by and get ahead. After John Amos left the show really tanked and went all over the place. And there was the shark jumping moment when little Penny was brought in, a severely abused child who lied a lot and looked remarkably healthy and well fed. Wilona of course ends up fighting to adopt her although she'd never expressed any desire for children before. Yes, the show really went to hell after Amos left it.

R123, John Amos left voluntarily because he got a better job.

Maybe John Amos should have been replaced by FAMOUS AMOS.

"She's listed as a dancer in this 1959 Cab Calloway revue that toured Brazil. Sounds like fun."

I notice DL fave Ketty "Hester Sue" Lester is on the bill!

In terms of Good Times vs The Jeffersons portrayal of blacks, The Jeffersons was superior in every way. It was a genuine comedy. Had more diverse opinions. The black and white couple and white neighbor. It showed black people as successful and not bottom feeding ghetto interlopers. The Jeffersons and The Cosby Show in the '80s normalized black people as regular working people and didn't fetishize their poverty or keep them as a permanent under class. Cosby and Jeffersons were role models for a generation coming up in the '80s. What is the legacy of Good Times now? Dynomite? Esther Rolle's sanctimonious sermons?

[quote]What's the apostrophe for?

When she was in the cast of the daytime soap "Love of Life," she was billed under her given name, Jeannette, which she later shortened as Ja'net.

R124, not according to John Amos

Well R56, technically a leg is a limb and wouldn't be as old as the trunk, ergo, not a accurate count. ; )

Busted. Yeah, I skimmed through.

It's silly of her kid(s) to perpetuate the lie about her age. It's not like the public would be angry about the lie. It's amusing, more than anything (13 whole years?!).

She and John Amos made a much more believable couple.

Doris Day lied about her age too.

____

She's 74 the way Bobby Trendy is 29.

She was in the Christmas movie "JT" (written by Lily Tomlin's wife, Jane Wagner) which was released in 1969...She was definitely older than 74. Holland Taylor had a small role in that movie , too.

R34 That's me asking the questions. : )

[Quote] That's me asking the questions. : )

Kudos. I love those interviews. (I doubt I'll click on Walker's, though.)

damn. RIP. Are those dentures in OP's picture??

Good Times like so many shows started out with the best of intentions but got caught up in the breakout popularity of the one character that some black people didn't want to be showcased. I guess, for good reasons. But it is called show BUSINESS. I understand why they didn't want the JJ character to be the main representation of the young black man, but his character was the one who connected with the audience. What are you gonna do? Cancel the entire show? At least Urkel was smart and into science and math.

I hated the "and everything worked out for everybody and they all lived happily ever after" finale of "Good Times." I always thought the ending should have been much darker. It should have ended with the apartment building they all lived in being sold and ended with Wilona and her little "star" Penny and the Evans family preparing to go somewhere else to start a new life, somehow, somewhere. I think that would have been a much more meaningful (and plausible) ending.

She just spent the weekend before last at the Hollywood Autograph show.

Lots of celebrities have lied about their ages. A thread here on DL that was bumped the other day talking about ones who have.

R138 I was actually surprised. Walker gave me a very good interview. Lots of stuff about the early Comedy Store scene with Freddy Prinze, Leno, and Letterman.

I grew up watching Good Times. Shortly after it went off the air there where these two really funny (and hot) guidos who sat in front of me in one hight school class who would say "I done told you Wilona" to each other over and over every class.

That was a very good interview R144. You did a good job and I liked Walker being so candid . I think you could tell in places where he was trying to rewrite history, but it good to hear his side of things.

BTW, I love all of those interviews. You guys do good work. Especially with actors with fading memories.

R146 Thank you!!

Yes, John Amos admits he was fired.

Willona Woods / Ja'Net DuBois was a beautiful woman. She reminded me of Rhoda Morgenstern, fashion-wise. Personality-wise, Jackee Harry reminds me of Willona.

She old, the end.

I always thought that Willona was too fabulous to be stuck in Cabrini Green. It seemed like she shad it together, why was she stuck in the ghetto.

DL HOMOS we should also be discussing WHAT'S HAPPENING! - Which was certainly a funnier show than Good Times.

She sang the hell out of the Jefferson's theme song. Howard Stern did just did a segment on best theme songs. He said the Jefferson's was the greatest!

R153- NO, it wasn't. Good Times had THE BEST theme song.

r154 is hangin' in a chow line!

As a gayling, I was always fascinated by and enjoyed the different hairstyle or wig she made her entrance into the Evanses’ apartment wearing each week.

I always wanted to see that "boutique" that Wilona worked at. A boutique in a ghetto? And what about Wilona's extensive wardrobe? She got her finery from working at "the boutique." I remember these two girls who attempted to rob the Evans (one of them was Shirley Hemphill). The little one called Wilona "fancy pants." And during a quarrel about getting a high school diploma (James didn't have one) James asked Wilona about her having one and she said "I already have my diploma. How do you think I got my job at the boutique?" And James said "I just thought you were workin' off your clothing bill." Good one, James. Anyway, I always figured Wilona got her chic ghetto girl wardrobe from hooking on the side.

I don't think they ever stated the boutique was actually in the ghetto. People don't have to work in the neighborhood in which they live.

Swap meet

Wilona wore Chanil, Saint laurence, and G. Vonche

[quote] I know Willona and Florida were close in age on Good Times. Even though Ja’net obviously played older, I don’t think 25 years separated them in real life.

Umm, why not? 19 years separated Florida and James.

R161-On The Jefferson's , Louis and George were supposed to be a few years apart in age, with George being the older of the two. In real life Isabel Stanford was about 19 years older than Sherman Hemsley.

They never showed the actual boutique, but they showed the managers office of the boutique in the back. Willona's old boyfriend came back and bought the boutique and tried to give it to her, but she refused it.

Those saying that the show was no good after James died are wrong. The most iconic moment of the series is the "damn damn damn" episode which he is not in. The way in which the Evans family rallies to deal with James loss after the fact proved touching and interesting. And the most memorable plot line of the whole show is arguably when Willona discovered and adopted Penny and fought her mother for her. Everyone remembers that. The later episodes took the show on a different trajectory, but it was a great show throughout. Only in the very last season when Esther Rolle returned, did the show seem to lack direction and focus.

R161 Ja’net and John and their characters were older on the show. John even wore a touch of gray in his hair, and in an episode Willona and Florida talked about being in the same high school Rose.

I was a little eight year old white kid watching Good Times in syndication on channel 11, WPIX. They ran the episode with Shirley Hemphill where she and her cousin rob the Evans family. She takes Florida at gunpoint to the bank, while the cousin waits at the apartment. When she returns, I think JJ creates a distraction and knocks the money and gun out of her hands. In the melee, Wilona hurriedly grabs the gun and trains it on the thugs and yells, "FREEZE! FREEZE!" I was so excited, I was yelling like the studio audience. Imagine this little white kid excitedly jumping up and down and saying "WIL-OH-NA!"

R166 We might be the same little white kid watching WPIX 11.

"And the most memorable plot line of the whole show is arguably when Willona discovered and adopted Penny and fought her mother for her. Everyone remembers that."

I remember it because it was so ridiculous. Wilona at no time ever expressed a desire to have a child, then along comes this abused girl (who looks very well cared for despite being burned and beaten by her mother) who drops into her lap. And of course Wilona immediately wants to take on the responsibility of raising a child. Adding a child to a show is a sure sign of the show's deterioration. The same thing happened on "All In The Family"; after Mike and Gloria left the writers thought they could fill the gaping hole in the show by having an abandoned Jewish girl child dropped into the Bunker's laps. "Little Steffie" as the new addition was known, added nothing to the show. She was an incredibly unappealing, uninteresting character.

I thought Janet Jackson as "Penny" was damned annoying, too. She wants to be a "star"...and she wants to go to bed with J.J.! Yes, after James left the show REALLY went downhill.

I ❤️ R166

Too bad Janet Jackson never learned her lesson from Good Times when she gave her bastard child away to her sister when she was a teen in real life.

R166-That episode with Shirley Hemphill is probably what go her the part on What's Happening!

Fell asleep on it last night after watching maybe ten minutes. Thomas's football husband had just told her he bought a Penthouse for them and then they fought about it. I went under right when he stormed out.

Anyone know what happened next?

Thelma's ***

Taylor Negron told a story of joining a comedy class taught by Lucille Ball. Shirley Hemphill was in the class for all of five minutes. She stood up and asked if Ball could get her a job. Ball said "No" and Shirley walked out of the class.

Mad Magazine made a point of how ridiculous it was that James would be so uninterested in Wilona, so GT amped up the animosity between the two.

R121 Thanks.

JJ loves Trump. Not so DYNOMITE.

I just learned her name wss pronounced jah-NAY.

[quote] [R161] Ja’net and John and their characters were older on the show. John even wore a touch of gray in his hair, and in an episode Willona and Florida talked about being in the same high school Rose.

You're misunderstanding my reply. I was responding to the poster who said that there was no way Ja'net could be 74 because she and Esther Rolle were playing characters who were close in age, so 25 years couldn't possibly separate them in real life.

Esther and John Amos played husband and wife who were supposed to be roughly the same age, but they were 19 years apart in real life, hence my response.

The final two seasons or so are some of the worst writing ever on a hit sitcom. Just garbage.

This weird thing began to happen, too. It seemed like the writers were looking to eat up time, so several members of the cast would do imitations of celebrities on every single goddamned episode. Janet Jackson would do Mae West (which, considering her age was extra weird) Johnny Brown (Bookman) would do John Wayne, Ben Powers (Keith, Thelma's husband) would do Clark Gable... it started to be like a black version of Copycats.

What an uptight downer that keeps posting their distress that Willona " had never expressed desire to adopt a child" until Penny came along, therefore rendering her love and subsequent adoption of the child "ridiculous". Who cares? Its a 70's sitcom for god sakes, not Shakespeare, yet he's looking for character continuity and all worked up because they expanded Willona's character and made her less one dimensional as seasons developed. Dubouis actually had some fantastic dramatic acting chops and created a memorable relationship and storyline much loved by most fans who are not uptight prisspots.

And who cares that the characters did impressions every now and then, they were fun, literally 30 second or less sound bites here and there, its not like they did them for the whole episode. The show was silly and fun, lighten up and get the stick out of your miserable asses.

So, Esther Rolle, Ja'net and Ben Powers are the only dead cast members.

Janet Jackson's career has been dead since she exposed her tits. Death by areola.

"And who cares that the characters did impressions every now and then, they were fun, literally 30 second or less sound bites here and there, its not like they did them for the whole episode. The show was silly and fun, lighten up and get the stick out of your miserable asses."

Oh shut the fuck up. Not everybody is a swooning fangurl of "Good Times" like you are. I think there's something really wrong with you because the quality of the show definitely went into the toilet in its later years. Anybody with a brain could see that, you silly twat.

R184 that maggot probably idolizes Whitney "crackhead" Houston as well. Everyone should die in their tub lol.

Good Times was funny at times but NOT in the same league as What's Happening!

The ironic thing about Good Times was their studio audience was always 100% white. So they was just acting all black and ghetto. Not cool.

Part of GT's problems was it was so didactic. Thelma would start reciting statistics about unemployment, etc. What's Happening was just a fun show, a black version of Happy Days. When they did tackle a serious issue, they weren't very good at it because the show wasn't able to handle the weight, so to speak.

DL people- Who was your favorite character on What's Happening! Dee or Shirley?

Good Times had numerous problems. The fact they elevated an ignorant buffoon like JJ to superstar status did not help blacks move forward in terms of economic power. Roseanne did the same thing by turning 100% of the cast into fucking losers on the reboot. Darlene should have been successful since she was so smart. Becky was written to be a trailer park ignoramus with dead Mark so she was accurate.

The Jeffersons was only funny when MOTHER JEFFERSON was the show. After Zara Cully kicked the bucket in 1978, the show was NEVER as funny.

I can watch any episode of The Jeffersons and laugh my ass off every time. Hard to believe it was the same team who made Three's Company.

Dee was awesome

This episode was season 10 and still riotously funny.

Dee was great the first season or so but lost her edge by the end of the series. Shirley was consistently funny throughout.

R190 Actually, Becky started out a good student, she got good grades and was on the student council. Then she found out Roseanne and Dan spent her college fund, so she dropped out of school and eloped with Mark. She wasn't written as stupid, until Sarah Chalke started and then they just doubled down on the stupidity in the reboot.

Rerun: Hey Shirley what's the scoop? Shirley: Scoop is you're FAT!

Adman: How old is she? Shirley: Around ten Adman: Is she ten already? Shirley: Yes she's ten Adman: When is she going to be eleven? Shirley: Next year, fool.

Has anyone mentioned that Sherman Hemsley was a gay? He lived with his "friend". Was a lifelong bachelor. Intensely private. Had no heirs accept a fag hag when he died.

R199 no shit Rose. Old news.

I loved it when Dee would forcefully inhale after a long hug from Momma. But what this white boy REALLY wanted was hair just like Dwayne. Damn that was a great afro.

R200 doubt most people care.

R201-Mama-Mable King would squeeze/hug SCRAWNY Rog then Rog would say-MAMA I CAN'T BREATH!

[quote]DL people- Who was your favorite character on What's Happening! Dee or Shirley?

Neither.

R181 I enjoyed the show, for the most part, in the first four years. But, the wheels really came of in the final two seasons. The writing became piss poor. I wouldn't have minded the cast doing imitations once in a while, but it was happening multiple times every episode, and in ways that really had nothing to do with the plot. I can enjoy silly, dumb things, but bad writing I cannot.

Quick reminder: this thread is about Good Times, not What's Happening!? Thank you!

R206 STFU. Convos go where they go.

There ought to be a "What's Happening" thread. I think there are a lot of fans of it here on Datalounge.

Did DL HOMOS know that ALL the FAT people from What's Happening! died a long time ago. Mabel King and Shirley Hemphill in 1999 and Fred Berry in 2003.

Is Haywood Nelson gay?

Ja’Net’s IMDB filmography shows she worked steadily but it’s too bad she never got a series of her own after GT ended. She was easily the most likable of all the cast members, with the possible exception of John Amos’ basket.

Slap that Grim Reeper, Wilona!

[quote]Is Haywood Nelson gay?

He's a $cient0logist so that definitely increases the odds.

To stick with Good Times, I read somewhere Ralph Carter is gay but can't find any confirmation. One website said he'd married a woman and had kids but neither imdb or wikipedia list that. Another site claims he's bisexual and HIV positive

R211 Ja'Net played Tootie's Grandmom in a 1981 episode of The Facts of Life, the one with Richard Dean Anderson, that was gonna be a test for a spin-off series involving Tootie's Aunt marry a white man in Buffalo

Ja'Net has said that Norman Lear cast her on FOL and wrote the role just for her

It was never picked up as a series

It was an awful episode, so I wasn't surprised they passed on it. As I recall, every other joke was a race joke, as if the writers felt that seeing the actors wasn't enough and they had to drill it into the audience's head every 3 seconds that they were in an interracial marriage. Bad, just bad.

She was in an early Sanford and Son episode where she played one of Fred's old girlfriends who told him that her daughter was his.

She was also on the early Showtime series "Laugh!s" in 1990, but Showtime never picked up after airing the pilot episode.

The show was set in a comedy club.

[quote] He felt all the actors should have been just been grateful to work on a hit network show, and that their egos helped ruin it.

He’s not wrong though.

[quote] Grim Reeper,

Oh, dear!

She was Mel Silver's sassy receptionist on 90210.

Dick Van Patten once said- You are only as successful as the show you're on.

^^Is that you, America’s Sweetheart?

[quote]Is Haywood Nelson gay?

He always is in my wet dreams, if that counts.

DuBouis also starred in Keenan Ivory Wayans' first film "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka!" as his Moms.

James was too big for that apartment. It should have been conceived as a single mom with kids.

Well it became that

When I was a little kid, I would watch Good Times on CBS. I thought the premise was always a single mom. When the show went into syndication, I was surprised to find out there was a dad originally.

When I was a little kid, I would watch Good Times on CBS. I thought the premise was always a single mom. When the show went into syndication, I was surprised to find out there was a dad originally.

TMZ posted her death certificate yesterday, cause of death was cardiac arrest and it claims Cab Calloway was her father. It has 1932 as her birth year also.

Ralph Carter is tres gay. Remember that episode where he was arrested with his BFF for minor mischief? The actor who was his friend was a flaming queen. Even moreso than Ralph Carter.

r230, thanks for sharing.

Are they serious with her race being "Malato"? I'm also not buying Cab Calloway as her father, nor that she was never married. Why would her surname be Calloway-DuBois if she was never married and her mother's name was Gouedy?

Look at Brandi in r213 s pic...does she have FAS? Her eyes are spread so far apart as to look abnormal.

Janet died! Damn damn damn! Covid strikes agin.