Tag Archives: 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.

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

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.

Diff’rent Strokes actor, Todd Bridges’ real life mother is an actress whom most Good Times fans remember very well. She starred in one of the most popular Good Times episodes in the history of the show and even when the episode reruns nowadays it still cracks folks up, just like it did the first time we saw it in 1975.

Todd looks a lot like his mother, but if you didn’t see them standing side by side, you would probably never have guessed that the beautiful actress from Good Times was “Willis'” Momma in real life.

Here’s one hint, Todd’s Mom was sexy as all get out and so was the role of her Good Times character. Scroll down to see who she is (by the way, Todd’s siblings were in entertainment too…check them out below)…

THAT’S Todd Bridges’ Momma?!!

Who remembers ‘the nude’ episode on Good Times? That was the scene where the Evans’ sexy neighbor, “Charlene” (played by Todd Bridges’ real life mother, Betty A. Bridges) wanted “JJ” to paint a nude portrait of her as a gift to her husband, “Calvin” (played by Carl Weathers). “Charlene” was known around the neighborhood as “the wiggler,” because of her perfectly shaped figure in all of the right places.

This scene was one of the funniest ever because it was also one of the few times where we got to see “Florida” check “James” over starring at another woman. Remember that? After “Florida” found out that the “Charlene” wanted to get butt naked in their living room she was like ‘hell no!’ and made the woman keep her bikini on. That’s when “Charlene” asked “James,” ‘Mr. Evans is this a good pose?’ James answered with a resounding ‘Yes Lawd!’ And “Florida” gave him that mean muggin’ side eye to snap him back to reality, LOL.

After “JJ” completed the portrait, “Charlene’s” husband showed up and was shocked to find his wife in a bikini with another man present. That’s when he was about to snap “JJ” in two, until “James” stepped in. That scene is still just as funny as EVER and now that we’ve refreshed your memory, we can confirm that “Charlene” is actually actor, Todd Bridges REAL mother! Ain’t that something?

They sure did keep that quiet back in the day.

Some of you might recall seeing Todd and his Mom, Betty A. Bridges, on a 2010 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, where Todd talked with Oprah about his past drug abuse and credited his Mom with being the the person to help him finally kick his addiction.

Todd’s Siblings Are Entertainers Too

Here’s some more interesting tidbits of info about their family- a LOT of them are in entertainment. Todd wasn’t the only actor in his house- his sister, Verda Bridges, was an actress who had small roles in the 80’s film, House Party and other films in the 80s and 90s…

Todd’s brother, Jimmy Bridges, is an actor and director, who has appeared on Good Times, What’s Happening, Night Rider, Diff’rent Strokes, Beverly Hills 90210 and a bunch of other TV shows and films.

Jimmy’s three daughters are also actresses and Todd’s son, Spencir Bridges, is also a child star who has starred in films such as Daddy Day Camp and the popular kids TV show, iCarly. Todd’s dad, James Bridges, Sr., was an agent in the acting business.

Overall, this Bridges family was destined for stardom and success in entertainment. It’s just in their blood and we look forward to seeing what this new generation of the Bridges fam’ will be accomplishing next. After seeing the ups and struggles that Todd and his Diff’rent Strokes co-stars had to endure as a result of the childhood superstardom, the Bridges family has a clear and concise roadmap of what not to do with the new offspring. We live and we learn.

We certainly learned something new today, that’s for sure. Shout out to ILOSM family member, Richard O. for sharing this info with us.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view

If you’re a fan of What’s Happening or Good Times, chances are you have seen the real life daughter of late actress, Ja’Net Dubois’ (“Willona”) and didn’t even know it. She’s made several appearances on those two shows in the 70’s. She was always cast as the ‘pretty girl’ or the ‘puppy love interest’ of one of the male characters on the show.

Her most memorable role probably came from the What’s Happening “Shirley’s Date” episode in the video below, where she played the girl who got stood up by “Dwayne” and threw a drink in his face. She’s played a student, a cheerleader and various other roles on Good Times and What’s Happening between 1976 and 1979. Check out this throwback video clip of Ja’Net’s daughter, Rani Dubois, here…

Prior to Ja’Net Dubois heartbreaking passing from a cardiac arrest, at 74 years young in February 2020, you would have seen Rani making public appearances with her beloved Mom. If you hadn’t seen those two in recent years, they were just as beautiful as EVER! A lotta fellas had a crush on “Willona” back in the day and still had a crush on her well into her 70’s!

***

An Old School fun fact about Ja’Net Dubois, is that although she played the best friend of JJ’s mother, “Florida,” she is only 2 years older than Jimmie Walker (“JJ”). Wow, who knew? Jimmie is 73 years old. Wouldn’t have thought that based on their roles on Good Times.

Another fun fact is that Ja’Net Dubois and Janet Jackson (who views Ja’Net as a mentor) were still very close up until the time of Ja’Net’s passing.

Thank you “Willona” for making us laugh and having that sassy attitude while doing it. Rest on beautiful queen.

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.

We wanted to hit you with this quick Old School Fun Fact ILOSM family. We all remember the Good Times character, ‘Alderman Fred C. Davis’ right? He had us laughing on many occasions, especially when he would forget ‘Willona’s’ name and ended up calling her every name under the sun except ‘Willona’…such as ‘Wilhemina,’ ‘Winnifrieda,’ ‘Winsomnium,’ ‘Wyomia,’ ‘Waldorf-Astoria’ and even ‘Petronia’ and ‘Philomena.’

His name was Albert Reed, Jr. and the thing we never knew was that all the while we were crackin’ up off of ‘Alderman Davis’ a.k.a. ‘Baldy’ as ‘Willona’ would call him, he had a real life 9-to-5 job that he reported to every day, even during his stint on Good Times and all of his other acting gigs. I guess he had to make sure he had steady income, so I’m not mad at that at all.

His Real Life Job Revealed

He had a career for 24 years as a Los Angeles International Airport police officer. That’s right “Alderman Davis” was protecting and serving the people from 1959–1983, ending his career as the Chief of Security, which he served as between 1979–1983.

Well who would’ve thought it? “Alderman Fred C. Davis” was actually Chief Officer Reed at LAX. So his TV character was always trying to get over on the good people of a Chicago housing project…getting no respect in return…LOL; while in real life he was a very well respected airport officer, dedicating his days to protecting and serving citizens. Reed was a man of many talents and it would have been really interesting seeing him patrolling the grounds of LAX as a totally different person. I’m sure folks probably greeted him as “Alderman Davis” on plenty occasions back then, regardless of his uniform.

His Several Other Roles In Hollywood

Aside from being an airport police officer and portraying a character on Good Times, Reed also was a voice over actor and had a recurring role on the children’s adventure series, The Secret of Isis, as “Dr. Joshua Barnes”; made guest appearances on The Jeffersons, where he played as “Louise’s” “Uncle Ward” in the Season 1 episode “Lionel Cries Uncle”; and Sanford and Son. On Sanford & Son, he actually portrayed the role of “Cousin Grady”, a cousin of Fred Sanford’s, that was in the Season 2 episode titled “The Dowry”; the other character of “Grady,” or “Grady Wilson,” a longtime friend of Fred, later went to actor, Whitman Mayo.; Reed also played “Lieutenant Ned Ordway” in the original Airport movie (1970), now that was a case of art imitating life, because Reed was portraying an airport law enforcement official.

Details On His Passing

Albert Reed, Jr. was born on January 28, 1910 and sadly passed away on May 31, 1986. His work will forever be etched into the fibers of our memories. Job well done Albert Reed Jr.

So there you have it folks, just like the Old School saying goes: ‘We learn something new everyday.’

John Amos may be his real name, but even though its been more than 30 years since the last new episode of Good Times aired, he’s still James Evans to most of us. Over the years, he’s also been deemed the ideal Black father, with his take-no-mess persona. He was known as the dad who’ll love you through the rough times and give you a serious beatdown if you came at him wrong.

Most of us Old Schoolers (especially those of us who didn’t have our real dad’s around) wanted a Pops like ‘James Evans’ back in the day. Years after Good Times, he was still known for his no-B.S. dad. That’s partly due to some of the classic scenes from Good Times that are still circulating through cyber world and ‘James Evans’ is even the face of many comical memes about Black parenting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT7NdnCszZ4

Another cool, yet honorable fact about the ‘James Evans’ character, was his relationship with his children. C’mon now, y’all know ‘James didn’t play when it came to his kids. He was also extremely protective of his only daughter, ‘Thelma.’ But apparently, actor, John Amos,’ relationship with his REAL daughter, Shannon Amos, isn’t much different. Like ‘James Evans,’ John Amos was and continues to be very involved in his children’s lives.

Meet John Amos’ Daughter, Shannon Amos

It looks like Shannon Amos is following in her Pops’ footsteps, by being entrenched in the entertainment field. Fans may not know, but Shannon is heavily involved in production and she also has a love for film and acting, just like her father.

Shannon owns the Atlanta and Los Angeles-based production company, Afterglow Multimedia, LLC.. Afterglow is is actually responsible for several national TV commercials for brands like The Gap, Nike, and Lincoln Mercury. As a former Creative Executive for Warner Bros., Shannon also contributed to the success of films like the Academy Award-winning Blood Diamond and Letters from Iwo Jima , along with box office hits, like Harry Potter and The Bucket List.

As a certified vendor for a number of major television networks, Shannon’s production company’s client list ain’t too shabby neither, it consists of popular television networks, such as TV One, ESPN, BET, MTV, and Turner Originals. Shannon even had the privilege of directing her Pops. Back in 2008, the two were working together to launch a reality series and Shannon was named the Executive Producer of the series.

Meet Her Mother…And The Racism They Endured

Shannon is a product of the veteran actress’ second marriage with his ex-wife, Noel J. Mickelson. Together, they had Shannon and her brother, K.C.

In an Instagram post, she shared a loving photo of her parents (above), with the following caption:

“IT WAS ILLEGAL IN 16 STATES FOR WHITES TO MARRY BLACKS WHEN MY PARENTS GOT MARRIED IN 1965.
My Dad met & fell in love w/ my Mom while attending college at Colorado State University. He was from the inner city of Newark, NJ — she was from the small mid-west town of Esterville, Iowa. For them, it was love at first sight. However, it was a tumultuous time in the world around them.
On Feb 21st, 1965, just 2 months after their marriage, Malcom Ex would be assassinated. 2 years later, on April 4th 1968, Martin Luther King would be gunned down. In the midst of it all, their love would produce a child (me). I was born a year before my parents would be recognized as a legal couple in 16 states…

Shannon continued:

By 1968, Loving vs. The State of Virginia, became a landmark civil rights case. The U.S. Supreme court struck down laws banning interracial marriage. The case involved Mildred Loving, a black woman, and her white husband, Richard loving, who in 1958 were sentenced to a year in prison for marrying each other. Their marriage violated Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which criminalized marriage between people classified as “white” and people classified as “colored.” The Lovings appealed their conviction to the Supreme Court of Virginia, which upheld it. They then appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear it. On June 12, 1967, the court issued a unanimous decision in the Loving’s favor and overturned their convictions.
As a child I didn’t know my parents were different colors. I only saw them as my parents— the two people who loved me. All I knew was their love. One day, when I was 5 years old, that all changed. My parents took me on cross country road trip. As we pulled into a gas station in Arizona, a white man came out of the service station w/ a loaded shot gun. He aimed it at my Dad & told him to get his White trash and their nigger child off his property. Everything changed that day. My parents would have no choice but to explain to me the man’s frightening behavior. They would be forced to introduce me to the existence of racism and my innocent view of the world was forever changed.”

Pretty sure John Amos must be proud of the woman his daughter has become.

ILOSM family here’s an interesting piece of info for you. It involves a Good Times actress; “TaeBo” fitness guru, Billy Blanks; and Billy’s  son. Billy Blanks is the father-in law of an actress most of us Old Schoolers remember very well. See who she is below…

MEET BILLY BLANKS’ SON & HIS “GOOD TIMES” WIFE

Billy Blanks son has been married to his “Good Times” actress wife for 16 years. Remember the “Breaker, Breaker” episode on Good Times? That’s the ep’ when ‘Michael Evans’ was chatting it up with “Fun Girl” over the CB, only to find out that “Fun Girl” had conveniently forgotten to tell him she was in a wheelchair. Well, her real name is Sharon Catherine Brown-Blanks, she is married to Billy Blanks Jr., and they have one son together. Who woulda thought it?!!

Sharon and Billy Jr.’s marriage had it’s fair share of trials and tribulations though. See the very candid details they gave about their struggles…

FROM HOMELESS TO FITNESS CELEBS

In a 2011 interview, Billy Blanks Jr. and Sharon Blanks revealed that they were once homeless and living out of a motel. Both of them are fitness instructors who taught fitness classes at a Cali gym at the time and they worked hard to hide their homelessness from others. This was reported via DailyNews:

Billy Blanks Jr. used to peer out of the window of his room at the 777 Motor Inn to make sure no one was looking, then fast-walk with his wife, Sharon, through the outdoor common area and into the parking structure of the trendy Sherman Oaks Galleria. When the couple emerged from the other side, they acted as though they’d just come from one of the Acuras or Range Rovers parked in those spaces, and not from a budget motel.

After they walked into the 24 Hour Fitness, they laughed and shook their hips as they led a high-energy aerobics class. No one had any idea the Blankses were living on the edge, and just steps away from being homeless.

Asked during a recent interview how he and Sharon made it through those tough times, Billy looked at his wife and said simply, “It was love.” “I’d go back and look at it all and through all of it, it’s been constant that I love her and she loves me. We have this connection. Even when we were staying in the hotel, we knew we’d be able to move out.”

THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED THEIR LIVES & THEM CRY ON NATIONAL TV

By 2011, Billy Jr. and Sharon were able to build their brand with a line of workout DVDs, titled “Dance With Me. But in an effort to push the DVDs out to the masses, they appeared on business reality TV show, “Shark Tank,” with the hopes that one of the show’s investors would offer them a great deal to distribute their DVDs.

Ultimately, “Shark Tank” investor, Damon Hall (the founder of F.U.B.U. clothing) offered them a deal that surprisingly, Billy turned down because he didn’t want to be packaged in with Zumba products, (the fitness brand Damon already had business dealings with). But Damon followed behind Billy to talk to him and Sharon about reconsidering the offer and that’s when it got really emotional. See how Billy Jr. and Sharon responded below:

The “Dance With Me” workout DVD series turned out to be a success for Billy and Sharon after partnering up with Damon Hall on “Shark Tank.” Here’s a clip of one of their videos:

Best wishes to Billy and Sharon going forward. They are truly inspiring indeed.

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”!!!

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.”

SEE THE STRUGGLES & HARDSHIPS MATTHEW “STYMIE” BEARD ENDURED AFTER HIS SUCCESS>>>

Embed from Getty Images

ILOSM family here’s an interesting piece of info for you. It involves a “Good Times” actress; Tao Bo fitness guru, Billy Blanks; and Billy’s  son. Billy Blanks is the father-in law of an actress most of us Old Schoolers remember very well. See who she is below…

MEET BILLY BLANKS’ SON & HIS “GOOD TIMES” WIFE

Billy Blanks son has been married to his “Good Times” actress wife for 14 years.
Holla if you remember the ‘Breaker, Breaker’ episode on “Good Times,” when ‘Michael Evans’ was chatting it up with ‘Fun Girl’ over the CB, only to find out that “Fun Girl” had conveniently forgotten to tell him she was in a wheelchair. Well her real name is Sharon Catherine Brown-Blanks, she is married to Billy Blanks Jr., and they have one adopted son together. Who woulda thought it?!!

Sharon and Billy Jr.’s marriage had it’s fair share of trials and tribulations though. See the very candid details they gave about their struggles…

FROM HOMELESS TO FITNESS CELEBS

In a 2011 interview, Billy Blanks Jr. and Sharon Blanks revealed that they were once homeless and living out of a motel. Both of them are fitness instructors who taught fitness classes at a Cali gym at the time and they worked hard to hide their homelessness from others. This was reported via DailyNews:

Billy Blanks Jr. used to peer out of the window of his room at the 777 Motor Inn to make sure no one was looking, then fast-walk with his wife, Sharon, through the outdoor common area and into the parking structure of the trendy Sherman Oaks Galleria. When the couple emerged from the other side, they acted as though they’d just come from one of the Acuras or Range Rovers parked in those spaces, and not from a budget motel.

After they walked into the 24 Hour Fitness, they laughed and shook their hips as they led a high-energy aerobics class. No one had any idea the Blankses were living on the edge, and just steps away from being homeless.

Asked during a recent interview how he and Sharon made it through those tough times, Billy looked at his wife and said simply, “It was love.” “I’d go back and look at it all and through all of it, it’s been constant that I love her and she loves me. We have this connection. Even when we were staying in the hotel, we knew we’d be able to move out.”

THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED THEIR LIVES & THEM CRY ON NATIONAL TV

By 2011, Billy Jr. and Sharon were able to build their brand with a line of workout DVDs, titled “Dance With Me. But in an effort to push the DVDs out to the masses, they appeared on business reality TV show, “Shark Tank,” with the hopes that one of the show’s investors would offer them a great deal to distribute their DVDs.

Ultimately, “Shark Tank” investor, Damon Hall (the founder of F.U.B.U. clothing) offered them a deal that surprisingly, Billy turned down because he didn’t want to be packaged in with Zumba products, (the fitness brand Damon already had business dealings with). But Damon followed behind Billy to talk to him and Sharon about reconsidering the offer and that’s when it got really emotional. See how Billy Jr. and Sharon responded below:

The “Dance With Me” workout DVD series turned out to be a success for Billy and Sharon after partnering up with Damon Hall on “Shark Tank.” Here’s a clip of one of their videos:

Best wishes to Billy and Sharon going forward. They are truly inspiring indeed.

http://gty.im/466284271

If you’re a fan of What’s Happening or Good Times, chances are you have seen actress, Ja’Net Dubois’ (“Willona”) REAL LIFE daughter and didn’t even know it. She’s made several appearances on those two shows in the 70’s. She was always cast as the ‘pretty girl’ or the ‘puppy love interest’ of one of the male characters on the show.

Her most memorable role probably came from the What’s Happening “Shirley’s Date” episode in the video below, where she played the girl who got stood up by “Dwayne” and threw a drink in his face. She’s played a student, a cheerleader and various other roles on Good Times and What’s Happening between 1976 and 1979. Check out this throwback video clip of Ja’Net’s daughter, Rani Dubois, here…

Today you might find Rani making public appearances with her Mom, and if you haven’t seen these two in recent years, they are just as beautiful as EVER! A lot of us fellas had a crush on “Willona” back in the day and we still have a crush on her now!

An Old School fun fact about Ja’Net Dubois, is that although she played the best friend of JJ’s mother, “Florida,” she is only 2 years older than Jimmie Walker (“JJ”). Wow, who knew? Ja’Net is 73 years young and Jimmie is 71. Wouldn’t have thought that based on their roles on Good Times.
Another fun fact is that Ja’Net Dubois and Janet Jackson are still very close and Janet sees her as a mentor.
Thank you “Willona” for making us laugh and having that sassy attitude while doing it.