Tag Archives: Jimmie Walker

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.

Embed from Getty Images

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.

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.

Embed from Getty Images

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.

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.

Embed from Getty Images

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.

Embed from Getty Images

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 it was REALLY like when the cameras weren’t rollin.’ During a recent 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.

Bernadette 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 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.

Embed from Getty Images

The talented 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.

Laaaawd! We’ve just about seen it all…and unfortunately for Jimmie Walker and Ann Coulter, we can’t un-see what Good Times executive, Norman Lear (94), has just made us see.

Screen Shot 2017-04-05 at 7.31.02 PM
Ann Coulter and Jimmie Walker

Many of us have seen “J.J.” walking red carpets with his controversial political commentator/author friend, Ann Coulter. For several years they’ve been screaming at the top of their lungs that they’re ‘just friends,’ yet for many of their social outings they’re together cheesin’ it up for the cameras.

The only reason their claims were slightly believable to many, is because Ann is widely known for her harsh and sometimes ignorant views about race, making it hard to believe that she would actually date an African American man. She has spoken publicly on Fox News and other outlets. about everything, from why America should wake up and preserve the majority White population…

“In 1960, whites were 90 percent of the country. The Census Bureau recently estimated that whites already account for less than two-thirds of the population and will be a minority by 2050. Other estimates put that day much sooner. One may assume the new majority will not be such compassionate overlords as the white majority has been.” –Ann Coulter

To her infamous statement on Fox News when she attempted to point out the differences between Democrats and Republicans (she’s a republican), by stating:

“Our Blacks are better than their Blacks.”- Ann Coulter

Norman Lear Reveals What He Witnessed Between Jimmie Walker & Coulter

Well lo and behold, Norman Lear has just let the cat outta the bag about their relationship, so says he. Here’s what he recently revealed to Entertainment Weekly, during an interview with Black-ish creator, Kenya Barris:

Norman Lear, executive producer for "Good Times" sitcom
Norman Lear, executive producer for “Good Times” sitcom

Via EW: “I love him [Jimmie Walker]; he’s a wonderful guy, but I’ll tell you something about him that’ll astound you: He dates Ann Coulter,” Lear said. The news surprised Barris, who then listened as Lear explained he and his wife had dinner with Coulter and Walker. Lear added that Coulter turned out to be “a dreamy, delicious, sweet person.” “J.J. dates Ann Coulter!” said Barris. “You couldn’t write that! That’s fantastic!”

Lear also said “I’ve sat with [them] for an entire evening,” and that Walker and Coulter have been together “for some time.” […] “I am as serious as I can be, and I spent an evening at the same table with them, so I know.”

Ann Coulter’s Response

After this news spread like wildfire, Jimmie Walker gave us cricket. Ann, however, has finally decided to speak out…probably after consulting with her boo thang, friend, Jimmie to get their statement straight…I’m joking…LOL. Nah, but seriously, she probably did discuss this with Jimmie to pre-apologize for the blatant romantic detachment and diss she was about to dish out to the public…and here it is…

“Best of friends. No romance.”

Bam! Ann has officially denied romance with her ‘man-friend’ Jimmie, although I highly doubt he will take offense to it. Why? Because throughout the years, he’s been kinda reminding me of one of the characters from that new movie, Get Out. If you haven’t seen the film, let’s just say that Jimmie and Stacy Dash would make really great friends….but I digress…

Overall, Jimmie’s and Ann’s relationship friendship could work because they seem to share a lot of the same political and personal beliefs.

Bernadette Stanis (‘Thelma’) Drops Hints About Jimmie’s “Friendship” With Ann

In case you’re wondering how J.J. feels about Ann, here’s what he and his former Good Times co-star, Bernadette Stanis, said about her in a 2010 interview with EurWeb:

Screen Shot 2017-04-05 at 7.48.26 PM

Jimmie Walker: Ann [Coulter] does what she does when she works for Fox, obviously. But she’s not just Fox,” he says. “She’s other things, too. She’s extremely bright, she’s beautiful and I’m honored to have anything to do with her.”

“The best of friends, truly, they are close,” Stanis said, although sounding a bit tongue-in-cheek. She then whispered to Walker, “I was gonna say what you call her – but you can’t say it on TV.”

And there you have it ILOSM fam’…wishing the couple ‘friends’ Jimmie andAnn the best with whatever it is they have between them.

Source1, Source2

fb james and willona2“James” was flirting with “Willona” in REAL LIFE! John Amos (James), Ja’net Dubois (Willona) and the rest of the Good Times cast released a video anouncing their plans to create a movie about their time on Good Times and they released a Kickstarter campaign to try to raise funding for the movie. During their video announcement, “James” started flirting with “Willona” and while we were crazy excited to hear that Good Times was making a comeback, we couldn’t stop laughing at how “James” was trying to push up on her and rub up on her thighs. [WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW]
good times willona3Back in the day it was all about a family and unity, just like Good Times portrayed with the “Evans family.” We wanted to share this story you because our ILoveOldSchoolMusic community encompasses both soul music and the soul music era, which is where Good Times fits into the equation. That era is where true values were, that’s where they were given, and that’s where they were nurtured. Somewhere along the line, the unity within our community got lost, so for the last past 6 years our mission, here at ILOSM, has been to resurrect that sense of unity.

The Evans family from Good Times. Bern Nadette Stanis is second from left.
The Evans family from Good Times.

Good Times was set in the Cabrini Green housing project located in Chicago, but it’s ironic that the setting for such a positive family and community of brotherhood now has one of the highest murder rates in the U.S. We have to do everything we can to get it back to that old school Good Times era.

TO DONATE TO THEIR GOOD TIMES MOVIE KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN CLICK HERE

john amos99Here is what John Amos explained about their new Good Times project:

“Back in the 70’s this entire cast of actors came together in a project called Good Times, written by Eric Monty, a native Chicagoan who knew what he was writing about. It was supposed to be autobiographical…he wrote about a family living in the Cabrini Green projects…a family that was beset by economic problems, social problems, etc.- that’s who this family was and that’s who this family is. Now we’re here today to tell you how you could become a part of this family and help this family and others to enjoy the wok we tried to do back in the day and the wok we’re doing today.

I had the pleasure of playing the role of the father of this family, ONLY because the late Esther Rolle was strong enough, when the show was offered to her, to insist that she have a husband. She did NOT want to perpetuate the image of a matriarchal family and for that, she will always be a part of our spirit. Now we ask you to join this family and be a part of it and be just as supportive as we have been of each other over the years in trying to bring this project to you.”

Watch the video of Ja’net Dubois (Willona), John Amos (James), Bern Nadette Stanis (Thelma), Ralph Carter (Michael Evans), and Jimmie Walker (J.J.) below, and around the 1:59 mark is where you’ll see “James” try to get with “Willona”…see how “Willona” responded:

BLOG jj double pic

BLOG jj double picJimmie Walker, or shall we say “JJ” from Good Times, says he always had a great relationship with Bill Cosby after working with him in the 1975 classic, Let’s Do It Again, and around the comedy circuits throughout the years. Walker recently gave his take on the whole Cosby sex scandal that we’ve been seeing unfold in front of our eyes. What he revealed that he experienced first hand may surprise many…but then again, maybe it won’t.

Here’s what he told TMZ when they asked him to share his thoughts on Cosby. (If you want to read what he said instead, you can do so on the next page).

A couple weeks ago Jimmie Walker told CNN this about Cosby and what he described as a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide” type of thing:

Typically I don’t agree with what Jimmie Walker has to say when it comes to many things, such as politics, his past support for Donald Trump for President and such, but this time around I actually think he made some good points. I gotta admit that I’m surprised.

THE JEFFERSONS

Okay ILOSM fam’ here’s an Old School fun fact for you that you probably couldn’t have called in a million years…at least I know I couldn’t have.

wiz cover

The film the Wiz was one of the greatest films ever created in my opinion and the entire cast did an amazing job with bringing the film to life but get this: Michael Jackson was the SECOND CHOICE for the role of the “Scarecrow.” Can you believe that? There was actually a very popular actor who was supposed to play the character at first and let’s just say he is probably the last person many of us would have expected.

Michael Jackson as Scarecrow in The Wiz, screening at Universal CityWalk's Summer Block Party, Thursday, July 9 at 7:00pm. photo credit: courtesy Universal Home Entertainment.. (PRNewsFoto/Universal Studios Hollywood)

HE Was Supposed To Be The “Scarecrow?!!

jimmy old pic2

It is Jimmie Walker! Was he your first guess? Yeah that’s what I thought, he wasn’t our’s either, but it’s a fact, Jimmie Walker was originally supposed to play the role of the “Scarecrow”…he explained how the director for The Wiz (who was also Lena Horne’s son-in-law) tried to get him for the role. Jimmie talked about this in his book…here’s an excerpt from it:

jimmy book excerpt

Jimmy today

Jimmie also went on to say why he’s glad he didn’t do the film.
jimmy book2Hmmm….can’t quite say i agree with Jimmie’s “biggest bombs in movie history” statement. While I understand he’s referring to the dollars that The Wiz lost at the box office, it was by far a “bomb” to the millions of us Old Schoolers who loved the film…and still do. The Wiz has become an old school cult classic, so I wouldn’t necessarily say it was “bomb” because sometimes there are certain elements that are bigger than just a dollar amount.

characters2

The Wiz helped to immortalize many of those actors and their careers, as a result of their work on that film: Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell, Tedd Ross, Lena Horne, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Mabel King, the list goes on. Not saying that this film shouldn’t have done much better at the box office, I’m just saying that this is definitely not a film that tarnished any of those actors’ resume’…in fact, it helped them.

jimmy old pic3

On the other hand, many us would probably agree that there wasn’t a better actor to play “J.J.” on Good Times, other than Jimmie Walker. He owned that role all the way, but maybe that character was so dominate, that it makes it harder to imagine him not saying “Dy-no-mite!” in the role as “Scarecrow.” This is all just my humble opinion though.

So tell us ILOSM family, do you think Jimmie Walker would have played a great “Scarecrow” in The Wiz?

By the way, check out this classic “Scarecrow” scene, turn the page and reminisce…

jimmie walker blog pic

Now this brings back some memories. Remember when Jimmie “J.J.” Walker a.k.a. “Mr. Good Times” starred in a TV commercial in 1975 for Panasonic, pitching their new portable 8-track and cassette recorders/players?

Around this same time, there was a “J.J.” doll sold to kids. Nope – I didn’t have one, but I did know a couple of kids who did. Remember, how rare it was to see African Americans on national TV pitching products outside of Soul Train? If I remember correctly, back in the 70s, we saw Muhammad Ali, O.J. Simpson and a couple of others….even little Kim Fields was doing the Ms. Butterworth syrup, but JJ was a big star in the mid to late 70s.

Check out J.J.’s commercial here…

“J.J.” has never left the scene and in the past few years he had a few scene-stealing appearances on The George Lopez Show, Everybody Hates Chris with Chris Rock, and Scrubs. Walker currently tours the country 35 to 45 weeks a year performing live, and guesting on game shows and late night television.

Jimmie Walker

Jimmie is way different from “J.J.” in real life though and lately, he’s been caught in some controversial TV appearances bashing President Obama, especially with Jay Leno and Bill O’Reilly. He states that he never voted for Obama. “Barack Obama is more like a Tony Roberts type of guy,” Jimmie Walker said in an interview with Bill O’Reilly that aired on the O’Reilly Factor. He adds: “You feel real good and happy and everything and then you go home and there’s a foreclosure sign on your door. And you just go, ‘Wait a minute. I just had this great meeting with this guy. He made me feel real good.’ And I don’t think he’s a bad guy [but] I don’t think he’s a good guy for the job we have to do.” Of course, O’Reilly loved that.

“You just can’t blindly vote for somebody just because they’re your — sometimes even a brother, you have to let him go if he’s not doing the gig,” Walker said when asked how he explains his opposition to Obama as a Black man.

Whew! Okay, when it comes to political preferences – to each his own, but I’m pretty sure that the character “J.J.” would have given Jimmie Walker a serious side eye in response to his Obama comments and good Lawd, don’t even talk about the backlash Jimmie would have gotten from “Michael Evans!” LOL.

michael evans side eye

It didn’t stop there. “J.J.” kept going down that road of “I don’t get Obama” in his comments. He concluded with “I say, let’s look at the job he’s done and I go back to the old Reagan slogan: Are you doing better now than you were four years ago.” Well, the answer to Jimmie’s question depends on who you ask, some would say we are not, and a whole lot of folks would say that we are. Jimmie sounds like he has the answers though, so maybe he should run for President in 2016 (LOL).

At the end of the day, I do appreciate the years that Jimmie gave us as “J.J.” on Good Times because he helped to create sitcom history with a TV show that portrayed positive role models within the urban community and that alone, deserves respect.

Turn the page to reminisce with us and watch a couple classic J.J. moments on Good Times.