“James” was once flirting with the beloved “Willona” in real life. A video has resurfaced from a few years ago, when John Amos (James), the late Ja’net Dubois (Willona), and the rest of the Good Times cast announced their prior plans to create a movie about their experiences on the hit ’70s sitcom.

At that time, they’d released a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding for the movie. What cracked us up is that during their video announcement, John Amos started flirting with Ja’net Dubois. Though we were super excited to hear that Good Times was making a comeback (which has now been shelved), we couldn’t stop laughing at how “James” was trying to push up on “Willona” and playfully rub up on her thighs. [Scroll down for the video]

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.” Her reaction was too funny:

Though the Good Times project reportedly fell through, the concept behind it was pretty cool. So here’s what they shared about it at that time:

Embed from Getty Images

“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.”

Beautiful memories indeed. May the late, great Ja’Net Dubois continue to rest in peace and power.

The post Video Resurfaces Of John “James” Amos Hilariously Flirting With Ja’net “Wilona” Dubois appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

John Amos a.k.a. “James” from Good Times recently explained how his life was almost cut short when he was bidding for the role of “Kunta Kinte” in the miniseries, Roots.

Let’s just say some folks took his preparation for the role VERY seriously…like life-threatening seriously. While competing for the role of “Kunta Kinte,” Amos wanted to make sure that he nailed it with the appropriate African accent, even though the casting directors presumably doubted he could pull it off at the time. To be sure he had it down, Mr. Amos went to Liberia and only spoke in the African accent he’d planned on using for the role, if he were to get the part. Check out what he said about that and how he got the “Kunta Kinte” role below…

John Amos: “I knew I had the handle on it [the African accent], not because of ego, but one time when I was living in Liberia I was out drinking with some friends of mine –local guys– and we went to one of the local shebeens, which is just a bar in somebody’s house where they make homemade brew or whatever. And my friend, Charles Mitchell –an indigenous Liberian– said to me, ‘John!’ I said ‘What Charles?’ …I had my back to the crowd…Charles is facing me and I see a look of alarm on his face. ‘I said ‘Charles what’s wrong?!!’ He said, ‘Oh John, one bad guy [with a machete] coming for us.’ I said, ‘WHAT?!!’ …

I turn around…and there’s  a guy, [he] gets up from the table and sure enough he’s got his machete out, and he’s with two or three of his friends –and they’ve got they’re machetes or clubs. … The guy looked at me and said, ‘I know you! I told you when you were in Bowman Hill Diamond Mine, that I coming for you one day and now the day!’ “

Amos explained that his potential attacker had mistaken him for a former security guard who’d mistreated him back in the day, when he was an imprisoned worker at a diamond mine in the area. So, John Amos had to think quick on his feet in order to save his life:

J.A.: “This guy (the security guard) had mistreated him so bad that he’d vowed he was gonna cut his head off. He said ‘Now I’m coming for your head!’ I said, ‘Woah! Wait one minute buddy!’ … [I] dropped the accent, pulled out my wallet, pulled out my California [license] *gesturing to himself* this is ME, I’m just a player!'”

Afterwards, the potential attacker was so shocked that John Amos wasn’t who he’d thought he was, that he treated him and his friend to “a lot of beer” and the rest is history!

John continued:

“So the question of ‘whether or not I had the right accent’ wasn’t up for discussion, it almost got me KILLED! LOL.”

That story John Amos told is something to laugh at now, but I’m sure there was no chuckling going on back then.

Amos also said that he experienced an extremely emotional, surreal breakdown moment on the set of Roots during filming, after what he explained as “hearing voices of his ancestors speak directly to him.” They had to pause the filming process because of it. Turn the page to watch the video clip of Amos detailing that ‘spiritual incident.’

Very interesting. I’m not sure if Amos was hearing his ancestors, or just becoming overwhelmed by the emotional beating and pain that starring in such a powerful, raw depiction, like Roots, could cause.

Either way, every actor did an incredible job. They had to dig from someplace deep down mentally, psychologically, and spiritually that they’d probably never tapped into before and I’m sure the realness of the script and the scenes they were portraying, must have taken a psychological/emotional toll on them at that time, understandably so.

Much respect to the the late, great writer of Roots, Alex Haley, for bringing to life the story of his REAL family and allowing us all to feel a piece of our own personal family history through the story of his.

The post That Was Close: John Amos Explained How Men Almost Killed Him Over “Roots” Movie Character appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

John Amos a.k.a. “James” from Good Times recently explained how his life was almost cut short when he was bidding for the role of “Kunta Kinte” in the miniseries, Roots.

Let’s just say some folks took his preparation for the role VERY seriously…like life-threatening seriously. While competing for the role of “Kunta Kinte,” Amos wanted to make sure that he nailed it with the appropriate African accent, even though the casting directors presumably doubted he could pull it off at the time. To be sure he had it down, Mr. Amos went to Liberia and only spoke in the African accent he’d planned on using for the role, if he were to get the part. Check out what he said about that and how he got the “Kunta Kinte” role below…

John Amos: “I knew I had the handle on it [the African accent], not because of ego, but one time when I was living in Liberia I was out drinking with some friends of mine –local guys– and we went to one of the local shebeens, which is just a bar in somebody’s house where they make homemade brew or whatever. And my friend, Charles Mitchell –an indigenous Liberian– said to me, ‘John!’ I said ‘What Charles?’ …I had my back to the crowd…Charles is facing me and I see a look of alarm on his face. ‘I said ‘Charles what’s wrong?!!’ He said, ‘Oh John, one bad guy [with a machete] coming for us.’ I said, ‘WHAT?!!’ …

I turn around…and there’s  a guy, [he] gets up from the table and sure enough he’s got his machete out, and he’s with two or three of his friends –and they’ve got they’re machetes or clubs. … The guy looked at me and said, ‘I know you! I told you when you were in Bowman Hill Diamond Mine, that I coming for you one day and now the day!’ “

Amos explained that his potential attacker had mistaken him for a former security guard who’d mistreated him back in the day, when he was an imprisoned worker at a diamond mine in the area. So, John Amos had to think quick on his feet in order to save his life:

J.A.: “This guy (the security guard) had mistreated him so bad that he’d vowed he was gonna cut his head off. He said ‘Now I’m coming for your head!’ I said, ‘Woah! Wait one minute buddy!’ … [I] dropped the accent, pulled out my wallet, pulled out my California [license] *gesturing to himself* this is ME, I’m just a player!'”

Afterwards, the potential attacker was so shocked that John Amos wasn’t who he’d thought he was, that he treated him and his friend to “a lot of beer” and the rest is history!

John continued:

“So the question of ‘whether or not I had the right accent’ wasn’t up for discussion, it almost got me KILLED! LOL.”

That story John Amos told is something to laugh at now, but I’m sure there was no chuckling going on back then.

Amos also said that he experienced an extremely emotional, surreal breakdown moment on the set of Roots during filming, after what he explained as “hearing voices of his ancestors speak directly to him.” They had to pause the filming process because of it. Turn the page to watch the video clip of Amos detailing that ‘spiritual incident.’

Very interesting. I’m not sure if Amos was hearing his ancestors, or just becoming overwhelmed by the emotional beating and pain that starring in such a powerful, raw depiction, like Roots, could cause.

Either way, every actor did an incredible job. They had to dig from someplace deep down mentally, psychologically, and spiritually that they’d probably never tapped into before and I’m sure the realness of the script and the scenes they were portraying, must have taken a psychological/emotional toll on them at that time, understandably so.

Much respect to the the late, great writer of Roots, Alex Haley, for bringing to life the story of his REAL family and allowing us all to feel a piece of our own personal family history through the story of his.

The post Close Call: John Amos Detailed How Men Almost Killed Him Over “Roots” Movie Character appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Have you ever wondered what it was like to actually have “James” as your real Dad? John Amos son, K.C. Amos, spoke out about what it was like to really grow up in the house with the man who was a T.V. father figure to so many of us.

K.C. Amos, on his dad, John Amos. (Via Black America Web):

“One word comes to mind when I think about him [my dad, John Amos] and his role in my life. Inspiration. As a child, I recall spending moments watching television and seeing my dad enter the living room of his TV family and greet them for dinner. Then when he had days off and when we would be out having lunch off the set, people would come over and say he was their hero as a dad. I saw that his role was more than a job; that he was actually helping people through his role as a strong father dedicated to mentoring his TV kids. There were life lessons learned in each weekly episode. It was amazing to watch the show become a hit series, changing the face of television sitcoms, particularly in terms of shows that depicted African-American families.”

He’s a people person who usually finds himself walking into a special moment. There was one occasion recently where he walked backstage on Broadway to greet Tom Hanks. Well, Tom was so glad to see him that he broke out singing the popular jingle from a classic McDonald’s commercial that my dad starred in some years ago. Tom expressed that it was that commercial that inspired him to pursue acting as a child.

I would have to say that the most amazing thing about my dad as a father is that he has taught me to discover my passion, develop it, and give it back in a way that will hopefully make a difference to the lives of others. For that, he is my hero.”

So there ya’ have it ILOSM family, John Amos was a great Dad on T.V. and in real life, which is always a beautiful thing. We give props to Amos for being what he is supposed to be- a father to his children- and for being a great example of what a real Daddy looks like through his on-screen performances. That meant a lot for many of us who may not have had a male role model to look up to in our own households.

The post John Amos’s Son Explained What It’s Like To Have “James Evans” As His Real Dad appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

John Amos a.k.a. “James” from Good Times recently explained how his life was almost cut short when he was bidding for the role of “Kunta Kinte” in the miniseries, Roots.

Let’s just say some folks took his preparation for the role VERY seriously…like life-threatening seriously. While competing for the role of “Kunta Kinte,” Amos wanted to make sure that he nailed it with the appropriate African accent, even though the casting directors presumably doubted he could pull it off at the time. To be sure he had it down, Mr. Amos went to Liberia and only spoke in the African accent he’d planned on using for the role, if he were to get the part. Check out what he said about that and how he got the “Kunta Kinte” role below…

John Amos: “I knew I had the handle on it [the African accent], not because of ego, but one time when I was living in Liberia I was out drinking with some friends of mine –local guys– and we went to one of the local shebeens, which is just a bar in somebody’s house where they make homemade brew or whatever. And my friend, Charles Mitchell –an indigenous Liberian– said to me, ‘John!’ I said ‘What Charles?’ …I had my back to the crowd…Charles is facing me and I see a look of alarm on his face. ‘I said ‘Charles what’s wrong?!!’ He said, ‘Oh John, one bad guy [with a machete] coming for us.’ I said, ‘WHAT?!!’ …

I turn around…and there’s  a guy, [he] gets up from the table and sure enough he’s got his machete out, and he’s with two or three of his friends –and they’ve got they’re machetes or clubs. … The guy looked at me and said, ‘I know you! I told you when you were in Bowman Hill Diamond Mine, that I coming for you one day and now the day!’ “

Amos explained that his potential attacker had mistaken him for a former security guard who’d mistreated him back in the day, when he was an imprisoned worker at a diamond mine in the area. So, John Amos had to think quick on his feet in order to save his life:

J.A.: “This guy (the security guard) had mistreated him so bad that he’d vowed he was gonna cut his head off. He said ‘Now I’m coming for your head!’ I said, ‘Woah! Wait one minute buddy!’ … [I] dropped the accent, pulled out my wallet, pulled out my California [license] *gesturing to himself* this is ME, I’m just a player!'”

Afterwards, the potential attacker was so shocked that John Amos wasn’t who he’d thought he was, that he treated him and his friend to “a lot of beer” and the rest is history!

John continued:

“So the question of ‘whether or not I had the right accent’ wasn’t up for discussion, it almost got me KILLED! LOL.”

That story John Amos told is something to laugh at now, but I’m sure there was no chuckling going on back then.

Amos also said that he experienced an extremely emotional, surreal breakdown moment on the set of Roots during filming, after what he explained as “hearing voices of his ancestors speak directly to him.” They had to pause the filming process because of it. Turn the page to watch the video clip of Amos detailing that ‘spiritual incident.’

Very interesting. I’m not sure if Amos was hearing his ancestors, or just becoming overwhelmed by the emotional beating and pain that starring in such a powerful, raw depiction, like Roots, could cause.
Either way, every actor did an incredible job. They had to dig from someplace deep down mentally, psychologically, and spiritually that they’d probably never tapped into before and I’m sure the realness of the script and the scenes they were portraying, must have taken a psychological/emotional toll on them at that time, understandably so.

Much respect to the the late, great writer of Roots, Alex Haley, for bringing to life the story of his REAL family and allowing us all to feel a piece of our own personal family history through the story of his.

The post That Was Close: John Amos Details How Men Almost Killed Him Over “Roots” Movie Character appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

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.

The post Good Times: John Amos’ Biracial Daughter Shows Off Mom & Follows In Pop’s Footsteps appeared first on I Love Old School Music.