GOOD TIME-SLOT

GOOD TIMES
1974-1979 CBS

GOOD TIME-SLOT
MAD #182, April 1976
w: Larry Siegel
a: Angelo Torres

Interesting that Larry Siegel, writer of this parody, wrote one episode of the actual show. Makes sense since he was a regular writer for The Carol Burnett Show and TV comedy shows.

Good Times was spun off from Maude, with the maid Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) from that show and her family life in the projects in Chicago, presumably Cabrini-Green. The show was created by Eric Monte, who had written a movie that year about his upbringing in that neighborhood in Cooley High and Michael Evans, the name of one of the characters on the show, so presumably this was autobiographical for both of them.

Florida's husband was James (John Amos).

   -Doesn't sound unique at all, but it's noted that the show was one of the first to portray a black family in a two-parent household.
   -John Amos had been a football player before becoming an actor.
   -Wilona (JaNet DuBois) was their neighbor. The daughter was Thelma (Bern Nadette Stanis)

Michael (Ralph Carter) was the youngest son Michael, a strident activist. James was a strict father who was always threatening to hit his sons with his belt. The oldest son J.J. (Jimmie Walker) was the vain teenage son and became the show's breakout star (more on that later).

"Dy-No-Mite" was J.J.'s big catchphrase.

The landlord in this parody is Redd Foxx, star of TV's Sanford and Son.

GOOD TYMES
Cracked #130, January 1976
a: John Severin

Like I said, Jimmie Walker became the star and "Dy-No-Mite" the big catchphrase.

J. J. often thought of some kind of get rich quick scheme to help out the family.

Another Fred Sanford appearance here.

The IRS agent is Don Rickles. $2.50 for a school lunch doesn't add up. Adjusted for inflation it would be $12.85 in today's money. When I was in school in the 80s, lunch was $1.10, which would be $2.80 in today's money, or .55 in 1975 dollars. That makes more sense.

GOOD TYMES
Cracked #150, May 1978
a: Howard Nostrand

This was Cracked's second parody of the show. They often parodied shows more than once when they went through cast changes. Esther Rolle temporarily left because the program focused too much on Jimmie Walker and his saying "Dy-No-Mite" all the time, and strayed from their original premise of a family trying to make ends meet. Wilona was the one to take care of the children in the parents' absence.

Janet Jackson was Penny, Wilona's adopted daughter. Johnny Brown was Bookman, superintendent of the building who started out as a supporting character but became a regular over time.

Thelma cooked for the family, jokes were often at her expense about the quality.

The salesman is Bill Cosby and the undercover cop is Robert Blake as Baretta. Both actor are still around and have stellar reputations.

From If Frankenstein's Monster Did Guest Appearances on TV, also by Nostrand, in the next issue.

GROSS TIMES
Crazy #10, April 1975
w: Stu Schwartzberg
a: Marie Severin

Sorry about the big-lip images. As I've said before, some of these magazines weren't always known for racial sensitivity.

GOOK TIMES
Crazy #16, March 1976
w: Len Herman
a: Marie Severin

J. J. was an aspiring painter. The painting from the credits was by him. The pronunciation of the word "ghetto" like in this was also a trait of his.

This was Saturday Night Live's version of the show.
UPDATE:

From Obituaries for TV Show Characters by Frank Jacobs in MAD #194, October 1977