Good Times | James' Disastrous Surprise Party | Classic TV Rewind

Florida (Esther Rolle) throws a surprise party to celebrate James' (John Amos) new job, little does she know that he ended up not getting it.
From Season 1, Episode 1 'Too Old Blues' - Tests indicate that James is a candidate for a union apprenticeship program, but his birth certificate says differently.
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ABOUT GOOD TIMES: Life in the Chicago projects is never easy, However, the Evans family never gives up trying to make the best of things.
#GoodTimes #JamesEvans #FamilyMoments
Good Times | James' Disastrous Surprise Party | Classic TV Rewind
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[@blackchinadoll22]

Florida dancing makes me smile

[@peterdavis8471]

Love her beautiful mu mu

[@TB.DelcFinnest]

Fr she was busting a move on em 😂

[@matthewlivermanne4441]

James Evans was the show.

[@ShogunKilledChuck]

To this day, I can't watch any of the episodes where he's been killed off.

[@wallacemays4842]

Good times was never the same when James died. Single parent hood for men and women can be a nightmare to not wake up to, if you are weak.

[@mathematicaleconomist4943]

@@wallacemays4842 But another man came into their lives (a new husband).

[@CoolAce1]

And Jimmie Walker. You will never see acting quality like that again.

[@musicguy9101]

As a man with a family, my heart went out to James.

[@joseyeastwood]

Yo Florida was getting down😄😄

[@marciesdupree74]

That my boo

[@number1lebronfan953]

🤣🤣🤣

[@jjsvlogs6518]

Right for her man 😂😂😂

[@paulronco9709]

For me the ended when John Amos left.

[@angelica7236]

James always get the short end of the stick

[@davinacarrell2427]

Ain’t that all poor people tho. Especially black men.

[@Capcoor]

Even in the end.

[@virgo7956]

🙄🙄🙄....always

[@darrenantwine14]

Yelp all the time....they get excited because a job say they go hire him...then booooooooooooooommmmmmm......no job for him.....jj still saying dum shit..

[@quentinparker7404]

When you are born into a social construct that is designed to exterminate you, this is the outcome.

[@jasminebeal-hullum9879]

Moral of the story: Never count your chickens before they are hatched. And never put your cart before the horse.

[@chrispillsshop8824]

I miss this kind of t.v..

[@tamelacole72]

Me too®™®🙏

[@lifewithzinnah]

i wasn’t alive to watch it when it first came out but my mom was and she always watched the reruns. I love this show

[@ellenhage3611]

It was the saddest show all wrapped up in laughter. Every single time they got close to something good, it was snatched away. One step forward and get pushed 2 steps back.

[@evaharris6450]

​@@lifewithzinnah steve. and seoled, i do watch it often when not working. yep. great show (still) Good evening to everyone. you're right, best show, i still watch re-runs.

[@VeegovonDOOM]

They stayed getting bad news 😩

[@leroystover1062]

That was stymie of The Little Rascals the last person that came to the door just said it couldn't been me happier to have my wife have a job rest in peace timing

[@amc042759]

He was on Sanford & Son too.

[@matthewfritz7396]

Damn man. Has there ever been a stronger father figure on a TV Series than James Evans Sr. ? Don't think so. John Amos was a great actor. Show wasn't the same after his character was killed off.

[@shirleyminassian1547]

I agree, the show wasn't the same after he went.

[@jrockd1623]

It seems like most of my life is ur this show...one minute u doing ok the next minute u fighting to make ends meet....but at the end of the day u know God ain't gonna put to much on u that u can stand.....this show represented alot of families in this world...James was that rock ....the struggles are real....

[@amarquez517]

Great show with amazing actors

[@Revengetoyourliver]

The ending was tough to watch! JAMES YOU WILL LIVE FOREVER!

[@DanielBrown-rd3il]

One of the great show of the past. I wanted so badly for this man and this family to be successful. So much to overcome, but they taught us plenty from week to week🙏

[@slimpickens01]

Yes indeed. Every week it seems that maybe they have finally have some bit of progress moving upward then something goes wrong. If this show stayed true to itself focusing on family like season 1-3 then perhaps it could have stayed on until the 80s. By that time they should have been out of the projects.

[@tajaicalip5323]

"All the way from Napa California!"😅🤣😂

[@evernechatman1590]

Thelma talking 70s slang lol

[@evaharris6450]

always, a true new york girl. brooklyn. she showed/acted/realistic ny girl, but yet, they are from chicago, in the show, so really is no difference really. lol she was awesome."

[@toddgrogg2810]

Misses. Evans, sure can get down. She must have been taking dancing lessons.

[@3912James]

Rolle was throwing down at age 53 (then).

[@ellenhage3611]

lmao, she was born with it.

[@mcgannahanskyjellyfetti6854]

Poor James... 😔

[@stellahamony4575]

"Dont throw away your bus token just yet"😂

[@samuelgriffin4167]

J.J. the oldest son was close to 18 that union job would have been great for him despite him becoming an artist

[@Capcoor]

I never thought of that.

[@erikbunty2016]

In real life, Jimmie Walker was approaching 30 in this episode.

[@erikbunty2016]

@Angel Johnson Yes, he was born in 1947.

[@MrThomas564]

@@Capcoor that's exactly what I thought

[@tom11zz884]

JJ was a an artist not a union worker. JJ would have hated it.

[@staceyk.210]

Life was always full of disappointed moments for the Evans Family!! But somehow they always seem to pull through!! That's what shows like this do inspire us to were if we get knock-down pick ourselves up and keep moving!! Marvelous Show :-)🌹

[@3912James]

When you have a family to support and face similar struggles....you appreciate the show all the more.

[@adventurouspeach9043]

Amen to that..

[@jeffreycone7504]

Im a white man and I always felt angry for James.

[@candicewilliams4876]

Florida Got Them Moves, She Be Killin It. 😂💜 My Favorite Part!

[@jamaldavis7517]

Getting down!

[@jjsvlogs6518]

Right she was getting it for her man 😂😂😂

[@keke410]

It's so deep how I can relate to this. Want to be a better man, have a better job, but what can u do when it dont happen for u? Over and over? I appreciate this show and the blk experience.

[@michaelgallien4477]

damn daMN DAMN!!!

[@jessaca]

Yaass! Go head Florida!!!

[@peterdavis8471]

Florida dancing gets me everytime lol 🤣🤣🤣

[@jjsvlogs6518]

That was so funny couldn't stop laughing 😂😂

[@gregorymoore4238]

I love john amos he really truly Father

[@larrythornton7120]

Every time they threw a party it always ended in bad news

[@donnielindon7289]

Stay safe y'all and warm 🏕️🏠.

[@prettyeyesnewton7387]

Florida was to fast to give the party. She should have waited to make sure he got the job first.

[@jmarshall9127]

James told her to get the party together. He was over confident he had that job wrapped up.

[@jasminebeal-hullum9879]

True but it was James that gave her the green light to go ahead. He thought he had the job in the bag.

[@deitrestolbert4442]

Too old, over experience, under experience, not the right color..what else🤔

[@3912James]

When you're in your 50s and unemployed....ageism becomes more apparent when you're struggling to become permanent within a company

[@Prancer-jr6qr]

@@3912James Absolutely!

[@tom11zz884]

@@3912James Ageism, ..a big " ISM" that a lot of people don't talk about, but it is very real within society

[@charlessantee8329]

They looked like a deer caught in a headlight after they found out that James Evans was turned down for that union job because he was too old.

[@carriemtsh9648]

If was in James’s position, with that wife , the family, the dance, I would lie and go look for another job, I wouldn’t have a heart to disappoint all that effort ❤️‍🩹

[@kimgay3082]

Me too The whole family could watch

[@ShaftFitzwell]

Norman Lear doesn’t want a confident strong, black,INTELLIGENT father figure actor He wanted black people to behave like JJ with a family where the black father is absent. So he gave John Amos the boot. Good times could have went on for 20 seasons. Norman Lear didn’t want to share the money

[@Me_myself_and_I_AM_Vision]

It’s so obvious every episode was good tv but the family with disappointment after disappointment geez

[@BillHosko]

@fair and balanced Not at all... many were Wins for the family... beating the odds to overcome... much of America, no matter their color, related and cheered for the Evans.

[@carwrtr1]

Norman Lear screwed up by giving Amos the boot...

[@septiawoman2911]

If there is HONEST observation here, and we look at the time-line and progression of the Evans family, James was not educated and offered little in the job market beyond unskilled labor. And writers of the show ensured that Jame's biggest challenge was sustaining employment to provide for his family, yet his "saving grace" was voila!, that even though James was not upwardly mobile, that there was a father in the home. During this era, as in many black families, the father WAS the head of the family and the woman (unless single) was his help-mate. My own family mirrored this. And to be honest, my own father was very influential in our lives. The producer of this show, as well as many of it's writers, knew little about the culture of BLACK families that existed in the urban arena or "ghettos" as specific locales are still referred to today. When John Amos and then Esther Rolle called producers out, because they both did not agree with the direction of the show and the continual "buffoonish antics" of JJ, in the final analysis, JOHN AMOS VOLUNTARILY WALKED AWAY FROM HIS ROLE IN THIS SIT-COM, the show's "laughs" (and all laughs ain't good laughs) would not be enough to sustain the ratings. What black people were moving towards were the rewards of becoming middle-class families and in spite of societal challenges, supporting one another's visions. Some of the variables have changed in this "new millenium," but as with other challenges, black families will go the distance with this as well.

[@musicguy9101]

@@septiawoman2911 WELL SAID!!!!!

[@vickilevene9205]

I remember this episode!

[@donnielindon1015]

Great show stay safe yall.

[@tayonius]

Poor James Evans

[@ronniemartin8391]

One of the best shows ever,real life 😊

[@samuelgriffin4167]

James struggled to find work with great salary

[@Landaux]

James could sue them for EOE age discrimination

[@dominickjustave3558]

Wrong

[@kingstonshacklebolt1431]

My God, I hope Florida smelled good at least because damn!!! 😱

[@donnielindon-em6du]

Great show yall

[@toddgrogg2810]

Hell soul train, has nothing on them.

[@hazemcdanill8336]

Florida you brought champagne well you told me to

[@johnmazzuca3224]

FUNNY AS HELL,,,,!!!☆☆☆

[@docdee770]

I just noticed that James Evans has a George Jefferson haircut, and George Jefferson has a James Evans haircut.🤔

[@zeerie7521]

Florida Always supported her husband James.

[@lannafrancisca816]

Family is important.omg.👏👏👏🙏👪👪👪.

[@enochbengabrieljihadshabaz6654]

By far this is the epítome of discipline masculinity femininity that Good Times exemplified só glad to have born during a time of oneness respect and togetherness must admiration appreciation for a such a Melanite imagem always!!!😢😢😢😢

[@defAngel]

Damn damn damn!!!

[@jessaca]

Yall betta sang!!!

[@milassekasozi9920]

James was such A good husband and Father 😅

[@matthewlivermanne4441]

This is real life show not that unrealistic stuff they show too

[@waynehoxit7408]

Was there a main reason James felt a lot of stress just asking

[@user-ou5hz2sp3s]

When James didn't get the job because,he wasn't 18 to 35 years old. I thought he would go out and beat up every 18 to 35 year old he saw.

[@samuelgriffin4167]

That government job James Evans would've had which means more money for to support his entire family today in 2022 that salary would be highly paid plus today's bonuses

[@man-man4496]

1:10 that’s my favorite part💯❤️

[@samuelgriffin4167]

James provided for his entire family trying to get a decent job with a great salary first the government job next the job in Alaska on the pipeline finally leaving Chicago for his birthhome in Mississippi where he got lucky planning to work for his uncle that turned out to be tragic killed in a automobile accident

[@michellehebert5061]

I love Thelma's afro.

[@peterdavis8471]

Super gorgeous 🥰

[@vidform]

I like how Michael's jeans are dark denim above the knee and faded below.

[@jackiebennett6304]

Wilonas dress. Beautiful

[@juangalvan2930]

I remember when they made my friend a party like this but poor guy got fried after working 8 years straight

[@oldblackstock2499]

Hearing that 70s slang where often "bad" meant good. But one day, way back then, I read in the Bible where it says in Isaiah 5:20 "Woe unto them that call evil (bad) good and good evil...". I stopped using that slang that day.

[@waynehoxit6160]

Was there a main reason james Evans felt a lot of extreme rage just asking

[@patrickperalta59]

Wayne Hoxit, my guess was due to all the bad luck he was having getting a good job and being disappointed time and time again that alone would anger anyone.

[@tom11zz884]

You actually ask that question or are you being sarcastic...lol Imagine being a poor black man living in the ghetto, trying to raise a family with only a high school diploma, just getting by, trying to do the right thing, staying out of trouble and still can't get a decent union job... And you ask why he has rage....lol Any man in his position would not have the best disposition.

[@tom11zz884]

@Frederic Wells Regardless.. During those days a High School Diploma or a person without a High School Diploma could still get decent blue collar type union Job. Employers didn't see too much of a difference between the two

[@tom11zz884]

@Frederic Wells I agree. Not graduating High School wasn't that big of a deal back then because many well paying union jobs were still around. James still struggled because many of those opportunities for those jobs weren't readily available in his area. However, having a college degree was a different story..

[@tom11zz884]

@Frederic Wells That is correct, and got a good job offer in Alaska. Florida didn't let him go though :(

[@TheRenard10]

When Good Times go bad...

[@mitchellgoodstein9850]

James (Henry) was a Firefighter who just received a promotion. As a result, he didn't want Florida to be a Maid as he could now support her. So, they pulled up stakes and joined their children in Chicago. A disastrous move, obviously!

[@apad7209]

Wasn’t Henry George Jefferson’s brother on All in the Family, and Florida Evans was Maude’s maid for a while.

[@angelminaj617]

They had the worst luck ever

[@janal1206]

She praised her husband just I use to do when my husband was living R.I.P life was much easier and happier then

[@bettyburton8929]

👍👍👍😂😂😂🥳

[@Mitzi73]

Every time I watch a Good Times clip I know it will be depressing.

[@stumack9755]

Florida should have seen by James face when he walked n he didn't get into training program. She don't know her man. I liked Florida better on Maude.

[@izzysantiago978]

I see Stymie from the little rascals!

[@francisclause9307]

Mmmmm

[@sauluribe7082]

Trade schools always adding nothing but colors with that main prize over any well hidden obstacles big or small. They didn't just neglect to tell James about the age loophole.

[@Bree0074]

Thelma is so quiet in person lol.. looks the same tho! Met her in 2021.. she was on base signing autographs

[@milassekasozi9920]

Wow didn't know that was 🤷🏼 Stimmie😊

[@Mayaisawesome91]

😢😢😢

[@TheresaSmall-sl6kb]

❤❤for. God. So loved 😍😻. The . 🌎 That. Who. So ever. Believe in. Him. Should. Not. Die.

[@newhefner6212]

It died when he died

[@thomasbrown3356]

No it didn't. Everyone who says they stopped watching after 2 seasons is lying.

[@samuelgriffin4167]

A lot of jobs don't get bonuses including my job

[@researcherwriter6687]

Damn! Age Discrimination. Yes it existed in those years. It can be fought today.

[@JamesJones-zq7pc]

It was age discrimination however James was closed of getting hired but due to a computer glitch it was saying that James was 31 who was actually 41. The cut off age of the job program was 35.

[@freakboy40]

This show needed much better writing. It was entertaining. The actors were awesome. Especially James but it was very unimaginative as far as story lines go. I completely see why the actor who played James didn't want to be a part of it. He is a serious actor with immense talent.

[@freakboy40]

@Angel Johnson AND you need to stop talking to me like I give a shit what you want me to do. I gave my opinion. It's based on the fact that if you look at their careers nobody under 55 years old even knows who Jimmy Walker is. Everyone knows John Amos. What the hell has Bernadette done? NOTHING! I am speaking for myself. I sure didn't watch because of them.

[@freakboy40]

@Angel Johnson Watch your name calling. you don't know me. I can give my opinion like you can right? Amos is a respected actor that has been in a lot. Jimmie Walker and Bernadette? What have they done?

[@flowersandcandyflowersandc9093]

This was a sad episode........

[@samuelgriffin4167]

Even at age 40 you can still get a government job no matter what

[@darellbell605]

James said HOW MUCH OF THE RENT MONEY DID YOU SPEND FOR THEM?

[@milassekasozi9920]

Somebodys big mouth too old?

[@darellbell605]

Willona was right if a man have to ask how much you can't afford it. That is the TRUTH

[@1talldaddy]

yeah and messed up part is James told her to spend the money without knowing if he had the job or not.

[@darellbell605]

Government rules CAN'T BE BROKEN. UNLESS YOU,RE RUNNING THE GOVERNMENT

[@charlescain1727]

This is from the mid 70's and keeping racism alive...listen to J.J

[@Tbatbatba88]

Ageism

[@kingtigercrownestate9102]

A well written show like this was can't be nothing but comedy lines there has to be a balance of real life drama. A lot of new shows don't seem to get that...lose ratings and get cancelled the script is nothing but one punch line after another after another after another back to back to try to make you laugh endlessly at punch line humor without there being any balance of seriousness to the show's plot comedy and anger happiness and sadness good times and bad for the actors. Some new shows are just like watching clowns coming out of a circus car the whole time it gets boring and is not funny for very long it's way too much ongoing circus humor from episode to episode.

[@taytayippo2599]

Free Penny Lane Ippolito from DHS in fort Collins co.

[@visaormastercard]

Stfu

[@MrSlutt]

This was a depressing show!

[@visaormastercard]

They really acted like hood Boogas on this episode.🙄

[@cantlooseallofthem]

Respectfully, i wish Florida was cast to a prettier black woman. Just my personal opinion.

[@milassekasozi9920]

Somebodys big mouth too old?