We have sad news to share today ILOSM family…Johnny Brown, the actor best known as the beloved “Good Times” character, “Bookman,” has passed away at 84 years young. His daughter, Sharon, has given details surrounding his sudden passing.
Johnny’s daughter Sharon Catherine Brown tells TMZ, he was at his doctor’s office in L.A. Wednesday getting his pacemaker checked out, and shortly after he left he went into cardiac arrest and collapsed. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he passed. She says the appointment was routine, so his sudden death was a shock.
Johnny’s former “Good Times” co-star, Bern Nadette Stanis a.k.a. “Thelma Evans,” paid a touching tribute to him online after learning about his death:
I am devastated to hear about my dear friend Johnny Brown who played Bookmen on our show Good Times. I will miss all the stories about SammyDavis Jr. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and even John Wayne. His talent was beyond measure…. He was such a pleasure to work with. I certainly will miss his happy spirit and big smile. Praying for his family in every way.
RIP my wonderful friend I will truly miss you.❤️🙏🏽❤️.
Although Johnny Brown had already made a name for himself in Hollywood and on Broadway as a protege’ of Sammy Davis Jr., it wasn’t until he joined the “Good Times” cast in 1975, that he became a household name to us all. His role as Nathan Bookman, the hilarious superintendent of the housing project where the Evans family and Willona resided, always ignited every scene he was in.
The epic shady exchanges between “Bookman” and “Willona” will forever go down in history as some of the most classic TV moments ever.
Johnny Brown is survived by his wife of 61 years, June; his daughter, Sharon; and son, Johnny Jr.
Thank you for sharing your craft with the world and bringing joy to the homes of millions, Johnny Brown. Rest well king.
Jimmie Walker and Ralph Wilcox in scene from “Good Times”
Remember when actor, Ralph Wilcox, played “J.J.’s” friend, “Robert?” He was the character whom “J.J.” had to keep awake after “Robert” came out of the Evans’ bathroom overdosed on sleeping pills at “JJ’s” party. You may also remember some of his other memorable roles, such as his “Jammin’ Jim Jenkins” character on the ‘Emerald Cove segments’ of “The Mickey Mouse Club”…and as “Mugambi” in “Tarzan: The Epic Adventures” back in the day.
Actor, Ralph Wilcox
We were wondering what he’d been up to in the years that followed his acting days, and have learned that he made major moves behind the scenes. Ralph Wilcox is 72 years young now, and wait ’til you see all that he’s accomplished in the entertainment industry.
OWNED A FILM/TV/MUSIC PRODUCTION STUDIO
Ralph Wilcox’s production studio
In 2006 Ralph Wilcox and his wife, Brenda, opened his very own 22,000 square foot production studio, The Jokara-Micheaux Film/Television/Music Production Studio, in Colquitt, Georgia.
WILCOX ALSO OWNS THREE PRODUCTION FUNDING COMPANIES
Ralph Wilcox with wife, Brenda
Wilcox and his wife, Brenda (pictured above), created three production companies, which according to his website, offer ‘potential gap funding is available through Schusters Cash, LLC., Georgia/Arizona Production Capital, LLC. and Laughing Crow 1 Entertainment, LLC. These rare and unique gap-financing entities offer financial support to low-budget production companies that shoot their projects in Southwest Georgia.’
WILCOX PRODUCED, DIRECTED, & WROTE FILM, “HOPE & REDEMPTION: THE LENA BAKER STORY”
Ralph Wilcox wrote, directed and produced the screen version of the film, “Hope & Redemption: Lena Baker Story” (which was a film adaptation of Lela Bond Phillips’ book).
Ralph Wilcox and Tichina Arnold on the set of “Hope & Redemption: Lena Baker Story”
The film chronicled the story of the late, Lena Baker, an African American mother of three, who was wrongly convicted of capital murder and executed in 1945 at the age of 44, but later pardoned posthumously for the crime in 2005. She worked as a maid and had been forced against her will by her white employer, Ernest Williams, to perform sex on him and he also sometimes held her at his home against her will as well. She shot him in self defense in 1944 during a horrific struggle where Ernest was abusing her, but in 1945 she was wrongly convicted by an all white male jury, making her the only woman electrocuted by electric chair and Tichina Arnold portrayed the dramatic role of Lena and it won great acclaims after it’s release.
It’s unclear if Ralph Wilcox has since retired, or is still active in the Hollywood game as of late. But it’s always great to see a fellow Old Schooler who continued to pursue their dreams decades later.
Actors Theodore ‘Teddy’ Wilson and Jimmie Walker, as “Sweet Daddy” and “JJ Evans” in “Good Times” sitcom
It’s been 32 years since Theodore “Teddy” Wilson a.k.a. “Sweet Daddy” from “Good Times,” departed this earth and still there are several things we never knew about the actor who brought laughter to our living rooms back in the day.
Sweet Daddy!
Theodore “Teddy” Wilsom
One of those things that isn’t widely known is that he was married and has kids with another popular actress from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s eras. If you came up in those eras, you will probably remember her well from certain TV shows and movies.
Teddy Wilson (Sweet Daddy) married actress, Joan Pringle! Many of you may not know her by name, but you may know her face. Joan is best known for her roles on the soap opera, “General Hospital,” and the TV series’ “The White Shadow,” “The Waltons,” “That’s My Mama,” “Kojak,” and many more.
Actress, Joan Pringle, former wife of the late Theodore “Teddy” Wilson
She Raised Their Twin Sons
After Wilson passed away at the young age of 47, Joan was left to raise their two twins (son, Theodore and daughter, Nicole) who were approximately 9 years old at the time. Joan became pregnant while she was still contracted for “The White Shadow” TV show, and according to People Magazine, the show adjusted by doing this: ‘To explain her [Joan’s and her character’s] pregnancy, the show’s writers gave her an estranged husband, played—surprise—by Teddy Wilson [her husband]. On TV, they reconciled.’
Joan Pringle is now 76 years young and has since remarried. She’s married to Vernon Bolling. Talk about aging in reverse though, geesh! Lookin’ good Mrs. Pringle!
Joan Pringle
Theodore “Teddy” Wilson passed away in 1991 from a stroke. He had two children with Joan, twins Nicole and Robert Wilson; and he had one son, Robert Wilson, from his previous marriage.
Teddy left a major impact on all of us old schoolers and we thank him for the memories. May he continue to rest peacefully.
R.I.P. Teddy Wilson
-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view
Bern Nadette Stanis a.k.a. “Thelma” from “Good Times”
Okay ILOSM fam’ I’m just gonna put this out there: I LOVE me some “Thelma” and I know I’m not the only one. For decades, we all used to love us some Bern Nadette “Thelma” Stanis and now you will be pleasantly surprised when you meet her two look-alike daughters. Bern Nadette’s daughters will definitely give y’all “Good Times” era flashbacks, because they look like “Thelma” mini-me’s. Also, the fact that the talented Bern Nadette is 67 years young and STILL fine as she wanna be is an added treat. Check out the pics below…
BERN NADETTE STANIS’ ELDEST DAUGHTER, DIOR
Bern Nadette and Dior stylin n’ profilin’ with their ‘fros…
Dior, is Bern Nadette’s oldest daughter. She’s in her early 30’s and is an aspiring model and an author. Dior looks so much like Thelma’s clone that it made us do a double take when we first laid eyes on her.
She loves chillin’ with her Mom and below are photos of she and Bern Nadette at an autograph signing during a prior Essence Music Festival. Dior even rocked a hat that said “Thelma’s Daughter”…How cool is that?!!
BernNadette’s daughter, Dior, on a photo shoot…
Be on the lookout for Dior’s book, titled “Love, Life, and Feelings.”
BERN NADETTE STANIS’ YOUNGEST DAUGHTER, BRITTANY ROSE
“Thelma’s” youngest daughter, Brittany Rose, is 27-year-old Hampton University med’ student…and she too, looks like a throwback version of her Momma back in her heyday!
Well, let me rephrase that because “Thelma” is FOINE today at 68 years young and to us here at ILOSM, she’ll ALWAYS be in her heyday! So we’ll just say that Brittany Rose is looking just like her Mommy looked during her “Good Times” era.
Bern Nadette is very proud of her daughters and she revealed that Brittany is currently pursuing a career in the medical field…a gynecologist to be exact:
thelmaofgoodtimes:My baby daughter BrittanyRose Cole is going to be a doctor and I am proud of her.💕💓💖💞
So there you have it fam,’ we can now say that there are officially THREE “Thelma’s” LOL. So the line “Papo” said to “Thelma” in “Good Times” seems appropriate for this article and that is: “Oooooh Lawd, Thelma, Thelma, Thelma!” Fitting words “Papo!”
Get it Bern Nadette…
You may think you know “Thelma” from “Good Times,” but if you think you know Bern Nadette Stanis, think again! Bern Nadette a.k.a. “Thelma” exclusively revealed to I LOVE OLD SCHOOL MUSIC who her biggest all time biggest celebrity crush is!
Disclaimer: This ain’t the “Thelma” we know, but we sure do like her THAT much more now! But when you see her break down exactly what she wants to do to him sexually, you’ll probably realize just how much you do NOT know Bern Nadette, LOL. Check it out below…
BERN NADETTE STANIS IS THE REALEST!
*SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO** Bern Nadette respectfully showed love to Denzel’s lovely wife, Pauletta, but then she got real…like, ALL the way real about Pauletta’s husband, LOL. And don’t judge her y’all, Bern Nadette isn’t the first, nor will she be the last to have a celeb crush on Denzel. And besides, she’s happily married as well- for 30 years to be exact- but she made it clear that she’ll make an exception for Denzel…
(VIDEO) WATCH BERN NADETTE STANIS REVEAL WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO WITH DENZEL:
Okay, now we’ve gotta admit that when we saw previous interviews on Bern Nadette, they were so prim and proper, so we didn’t know what to expect when she sat down to interview for I LOVE OLD SCHOOL MUSIC with our girl, Sasha the Diva. But lo and behold, we are pleasantly surprised. They discuss her celeb crush around the 0:50 mark in the video below…
As a man who’s had a crush on “Thelma” since way back in the day, some of the things she covered in this interview just breathed new life into what a lot of us fellas (and some ladies) probably wanted to hear her talk about for decades. So thank YOU Bern Nadette for being so real.
Actors, John Amos as “James Evans” and John Anthony Bailey as “Cousin Cleatus” in “Good Times”
Many fans are floored by what “Cousin Cleatus’s” other occupation was in REAL life! Okay, first let us refresh your memory: Remember when “Cousin Cleatus” popped up at the “Evans'” home unannounced on Good Times … and then ultimately put a gun to “Michael Evans'” head? That’s when “James” twisted “Cleatus’s” arm behind his back and slapped him upside his head for trying something so stupid. Well, guess what family? John Anthony Bailey a.k.a. “Cousin Cleatus” had a totally different career in real life! Check out the details below and prepare to be amazed…
“COUSIN CLEATUS’S” OTHER PROFESSION IN REAL-LIFE
Let’s just say actor, John Anthony Bailey a.k.a. “Cousin Cleatus” decided to explore and expand his acting career choices. He was an X-rated adult film star! That’s right, John was a real-life sex actor who went by the stage name, ‘Jack Baker.’ He starred in over 140 adult films between 1984 to 1994. He also produced and wrote a few of them as well.
John Anthony Bailey in adult film (screen-grab)
One of his most popular adult films was New Wave Hookers. He also starred in other adult classics, such as Yankee Seduction, Hot Chocolate,Let Me Tell Ya ‘Bout White Chicks, etc.
Now, who would’ve thought this? Are you shocked? I know some of our ILOSM staff were. However, some of us were not shocked because, well, we already knew ☺️.
JOHN ANTHONY BAILEY SADLY DIED A TRAGIC DEATH
John was able to get steady work in the adult world, but he eventually stepped away from performing hardcore sex acts in them after his first few years, subsequently appearing in adult films as a “non-sex” comedic actor. His decision for that was due to the growing AIDS epidemic in the ’80s, which John felt wasn’t worth the risks. His last sex role was around 1986, but he continued his non-sex roles up until the year of his death in 1994.
“Good Times” actor, John Anthony Bailey
In the late ’80s, John Anthony Bailey was diagnosed with bladder cancer and that’s when things quickly took a turn for the worse. He couldn’t find steady work anymore as a mainstream actor … and without health insurance, he wasn’t able to maintain his cancer treatments. During the last years of his life, he became re-acquainted with his estranged daughter, but according to her, the relationship wasn’t long-lasting because John soon died in 1994, at just 47 years old.
Without a healthy burial insurance policy, John’s family was unable to afford the burial that they wanted to give him and ultimately had to cremate him. His daughter put together a memorial site for people to remember him by, however, the site has been since taken down.
Rest on John Anthony Bailey…gone, but never forgotten.
“Stymie” of “The Little Rascals” TV Show
Okay Old Schoolers, who remembers “Stymie” from “The Little Rascals” show? He was the cool, slick talking kid who knew how to run game and con his way into, or out of, just about anything. “Stymie” was also the most practical one of the “Rascals” crew. Well, guess what? He played a character many of us remember on “Good Times,” it’s just that by then, he was an older cat, so he was pretty much unrecognizable from his “Little Rascals” days. A lot of you all will probably flip out when see who he is, I know all of us, here at ILOSM, sure did. See who he is below.
THE CHARACTER “STYMIE” PLAYED ON “GOOD TIMES”!!!
“Little Rascals” and “Good Times” actor, Matthew “Stymie” Beard Jr.
Matthew “Stymie” Beard Jr. played “Monty,” a friend of the ‘Evans’ family on “Good Times.” You may most remember him from the infamous ‘Damn, Damn, Damn’ funeral episode, when everyone was visiting the Evans’ home after James Evans’ funeral. “Monty” and two other friends gave “Florida” some beer and liquor to offer their condolences. Beard also had recurring roles on “Sanford and Son” and “The Jeffersons.”
DRUG PROBLEMS & JAIL STINTS PLAGUED MATTHEW “STYMIE” BEARD’S LIFE
Matthew “Stymie” Beard Jr.
Stymie was only 5 years old when he first starred in “The Little Rascals” and he stayed on for five years (from 1930-1935). He had other TV and film roles, but retired while in high school. By early adulthood, he was reportedly heavily addicted to heroin and spent many years going in and out of jail as a result. By the early 1960’s, Beard entered a California drug rehab, kicked his reported heroin habit for good, and was able to make a successful return to acting, which lead to his roles on “Good Times,” “Sanford & Son,” and “The Jeffersons.”
Beard passed away at the age of 56 in 1981 from pneumonia, after suffering a stroke and falling down stairs, which resulted in severe head injuries.
OLD SCHOOL FUN FACTS ABOUT MATTHEW “STYMIE” BEARD JR.
1. Beard’s “Rascals” salary was used to help take care of his 13 other brothers and sisters. Wow, the weight of that kind of responsibility on a five to ten years old child must have been pretty heavy to carry.
2. Four of his siblings and his mother all had smaller roles in “Little Rascals” or spin off projects of the Little Rascals.
3. Beard was a part of history when he starred on “The Little Rascals,” because the show made history by being the first to feature African Americans, Caucasians, and women as equals in mainstream media, which was a risky move in the 1930’s. Although there was some racial undertones in the storylines, the concept was still unheard of back then.
Rest on Matthew “Stymie” Beard Jr.
(Far right) Grand L. Bush as “Leon” in “Good Times”
Remember “Leon” from “Good Times?” He was one of “J.J.’s” high school friends-turned-hustler, who gave “J.J.” an illegal bookie job after running into him at the unemployment office. Well after “Leon” got shot by the cops in that police raid, actor Grand L. Bush went on to star in many films including “Colors,” “Stir Crazy,” “Demolition Man,””Street Fighter,” “License To Kill” and many more. We were wondering what the brotha was up to nowadays since we hadn’t seen him in a while and what we found was pretty surprising and impressive. Check this out family…
WHAT’S BEEN UP WITH GRAND L. BUSH
Grand L. Bush is 66 years young. In 2003, he officially retired from acting to enter a career field that we would least expect a ‘hustler’ like Leon” (in “Good Times”) or a ‘gangster,’ like “Larry Sylvester” (in “Colors”), to enter. But of course we’re talking about Grand the man, and not the actor. CHECK OUT WHAT HE DOES NOW…
BUSH LOVES HIS CAREER IN THE MEDICAL FIELD
Actor, Grand L. Bush
After Grand L. Bush retired from acting he discovered his other passion and attended medical school, graduated in 2010, then became a vascular/abdominal sonographer. In the above photo he’s assisting a vascular surgeon during a laser venous ablation operation. Here’s what was reported:
Grand L. Bush following his passion in the medical field (via Facebook)
Los Angeles, CA — Representatives for Grand L. Bush announced … that the former Hollywood actor has signed with … a Southern California-based company. Bush joins a decorated team of highly-skilled diagnostic medical sonographers, hand-picked to provide hospitals, out-patient medical centers, doctors’ offices and community clinics with state-of-the-art ultrasound services.
Bush … accepted a contract with [the imaging company], after receiving notable certifications from the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers and demonstrating his skills in person. Source
GRAND WAS AWARDED FOR SAVING SHOOTING VICTIM
Grand is a real-life hero. In 1994, Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti presented him with the ‘Courageous Citizen Award’ for jumping in and saving the life of a shooting victim in L.A. who would have otherwise died on the spot from his injuries.
Grand is also dedicated to his religious beliefs and has ministered to incarcerated youth and other troubled minors.
GRAND L. BUSH IS MARRIED WITH CHILDREN
Grand L. Bush with wife, Sharon Raiford Bush
Bush has been married since 1994 to his TV personality wife, Sharon Raiford Bush (formerly known as Sharon Crews) and they have four children together, who pretty much stay out of the public eye.
Sharon was a TV news anchor and also became the first African-American female weather anchor of primetime TV news in 1975, while working at the very first Black-owned-and-operated television channel in the world, WPGR-TV in Detroit, MI. She later worked for CBS and NBC stations in Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as BET… THERE’S MORE…
HE’S A SKILLED SWIMMER
Grand L. Bush is also an expert swimmer and a certified sailboat skipper.
So as you can see, since we’ve last seen him on the big screen, Grand’s pretty much been enjoying life, even renewing his marriage vows to Sharon in 2006. We always love seeing an Old School entertainer living happy and stress-free after putting in the work and leaving a strong legacy in their path.
Actors, Johnny Sekka and Bern Nadette Stanis in “Good Times”
Remember the Good Times episode when “Thelma” was about to move to Nigeria, Africa and marry her African boyfriend, “Ibe,” (this was in the pre Ebay era, but his name is pronounced the same way)? At first “Florida” was NOT a happy camper about her daughter moving so far away with a man whose culture was totally different from what they knew, but after “Willona” made her realize she was being a lil’ selfish, she gave in and opened up her heart to the situation. That was until “Thelma’s” fairytale love story came crashing down faster than we could say “dyn-o-mite!” Anyways, “Thelma” called off the wedding to “Ibe” after he couldn’t promise her that he wouldn’t follow his country’s tradition of making “Thelma” the first of several more wives to come.
Now that we’ve taken that trip down memory lane, let us fill you in on a few very interesting things we’ve learned about what actor, Johnny Sekka a.k.a. “Ibe” actually endured and survived in his real life.
Sadly, Sekka quietly passed away in 2006 at the age of 72 from lung cancer. His death barely was noticed by many because by that time, the mainstream media simply didn’t give him much recognition, unfortunately. Sekka was survived by his wife, Cecilia, and their son, Lamine.
Sekka Illegally Smuggled Himself Out Of His Country To Become An Actor
When Sekka was much younger, he actually ran away from his home in Gambia, West Africa. After his mother sent him from his original homeland of Dakar, Senegal to live with his aunt and uncle in a nearby African country called Gambia, Sekka eventually ran away from his aunt’s home and became a homeless teenager living on the streets of the capital, Banjul, Gambia.
For a brief time during The Second World War, Sekka was an interpreter for the American air base in Dakar, Senegal. He then worked on a shipping dock. Seeing that he had nothing to lose by escaping his current situation and going after a better life, he decided to run away from his country to a land of more opportunity. So he came up with a master plan to smuggle himself into Marseilles, France. At the age of 20, he was a stow away at the bottom of one of the ships that was leaving the dock where he worked, and he hid there until the ship made it to Marseilles, France. His journey was successful and he was never caught by authorities. Sekka then made his way to Paris, France and settled there for three years.
Johnny Sekka in “Flame In The Streets” which was one of the biggest roles of his career. He played the lead role of a Jamaican school teacher who was the boyfriend of a White woman (Sylvia Simms) whose father disapproved of their interracial relationship.
He moved to London, England in the early 1950’s, joined the Royal Air Force for a couple years, then pursued his acting career and had success in various stage plays. His film career kicked off around 1958 and he was dubbed as the British version of Sidney Portier.
Although he was getting accolades in the European film industry, he was annoyed that he wasn’t seeing the type of success and recognition as his other European counterparts, such as Sean Connery and Michael Cain. So once again, Sekka moved to another country for greater opportunity- the United States- and that’s when we saw him in Uptown Saturday Night and few other films, and ultimately on Good Times as “Ibe.”
Sekka ran into a few pitfalls with his American career though…for example, he wanted to star in the 1976 mini-series, Roots. He had the right look, but the wrong accent. The producers told him that he was not convincing enough to play an American role. But Sekka did land a small part on Roots: The Next Generation as an African interpreter, which is exactly what his real life job was before the world ever came to know him as “Ibe.” See how life comes full circle?
Sidney Portier Helped Him Break Into American Market
Sidney Portier
According to Sekka’s obituary, it was his friend, Sidney Poitier- the man whom his British fans dubbed him after before he’d ever met him- who ‘secured him parts in Warm December (1972) and Uptown Saturday Night (1974), and he was [also] in Ashanti (1979). His last role was as Dr Benjamin Kyle in the pilot for the sci-fi series Babylon 5 in 1993.’
After the early 90’s, Sekka’s continuous health problems forced him into permanent retirement from acting. He died peacefully on his ranch in Agua Dulce, California in 2006.
Johnny Sekka’s life is a perfect example of when hard work, drive, and preparation meets opportunity. Just when you think that whatever you’re trying to accomplish is too hard to attain, remember that there is always someone out there who has attained it already and may have come had to overcome much harder conditions that your’s.
Jimmie Walker
Back in the day, when Good Times dominated television, many fans probably thought the ‘Evans family’ dynamic was pretty typical. On camera, it was hard to tell they weren’t really a close-knit family, but behind closed doors, the actors’ dynamic was anything but typical. In fact, for the first time ever, Good Times star, Jimmie Walker a.k.a. “J.J.”, is giving fans the low-down on what he says it was REALLY like when the cameras weren’t rollin.’ During a prior tell-all interview, he spilled all the beans.
Tellin’ It All:
According to Jimmie, the vast majority of the cast barely interacted with each other at all when they weren’t filming. In fact, the former J.J. actor admitted he doesn’t remember ever having an actual conversation with his co-star, Esther Rolle. Jimmie revealed John Amos, the ‘Evans family’ patriarch, was very much like Esther. “I will honestly say, I don’t remember ever speaking a word to Ester the whole time she was there,” remembered Walker.
While Jimmie and John Amos have a better relationship now, he admits things weren’t so great when the show was at it’s popularity peak. Jimmie went on to offer an example of how real the gap was between him and his co-stars. “I think the same basically goes for John. We talk more now but very, very little. We were never friends, never talked. If you said at that time ‘Call Esther and ask her about [something],’ I wouldn’t even have her number,” he added.” I couldn’t have called John. I wouldn’t have had his number … We never spoke to each other. Only on the set … We never did anything together.”
Drama Behind The Scenes:
Jimmie went on to discuss the downward spiral of the hit sitcom. While we all know good things don’t always last forever, it appears Jimmie Walker believes Good Times actually could have lasted a bit longer than it did. However, he believes his castmates weren’t appreciative of being on a hit show. “I think that they killed the goose that laid the golden egg,” he stated. “These people, anytime you said anything, they get crazy, they get upset. I said ‘They don’t get it, man.’”
One actor who reportedly caused drama behind the scenes was John Amos. To Jimmie, it seemed as if Good Times wasn’t good enough for the rising actor. Often times, his attitude led to creative differences between him and the production staff. “John is a good actor, a solid actor,” said Jimmie. “And I think it was just this show, this situation, that was against anything and everything he believed in. He never been a problem on any other show.”
After three seasons, John Amos was fired from Good Times and despite his alleged beliefs about the show, the show ultimately went on without him.
On Bernadette Stanis:
Bern Nadette Stanis
Jimmie also had a tad bit to say about Bernadette Stanis, the beautiful upcoming actress who portrayed JJ’s sister, “Thelma Evans” on the show. While he believed all of his former castmates were talented in their own right, he believed there was something special about Bernadette. However, he thinks she missed many opportunities to capitalize on her image. Jimmie revealed he was shot down completely when he made suggestions.
“Norman Lear and John Amos came to me and said ‘How dare you put our girl in a position like that?” he recalled. “She’s not a h-e. You keep your illicit mind off of that and never bring that up again … They came down so hard on me.”
On Ja’Net Dubois & Janet Jackson:
As Good Times progressed, more recurring actors were added to the cast. Ben Powers and a young Janet Jackson were two talented actors who became staples on the show as John Amos and Esther Rolle’s characters were gradually phased out. While Janet’s role of Penny did solidify her career as a child actor, Jimmie also revealed the low-down on that. Apparently, the writers created the role of Penny after ongoing complaints from Ja’Net DuBois.
The talented late actress, who portrayed “Willona” on the show, allegedly complained about her character not having enough time in the spotlight. After relentless complaining, the additional role was created to help develop a storyline for DuBois. Jimmie believes Janet Jackson would have never been part of the show if it weren’t for ongoing complaints.
“Without Ja’Net, I don’t think Janet Jackson would’ve ever gotten on our show,” said Walker. “Because she laid out her side of whatever so much, that the writer said ‘We’ve got to do something to get her off our backs.’”
Well damn, didn’t know it was like THAT! Good Times is still a CLASSIC though.
