In the beginning, “Good Times” actor John Amos enjoyed bringing the Evans family patriarch, James, to life on television.
But when the show’s creators turned Black dreams into a joke, Amos flipped out!
“I felt too much emphasis was being put on J.J. and his chicken hat and saying ‘dy-no-mite’ every third page, when just as much emphasis and mileage could have been gotten out of my other two children[‘s career aspirations],” Amos explained in an interview with the American Archive of Television.
When Amos refused to play along with the script’s shuckin’ and jivin’, he received the shock of his life.
Show producers, including creator Norman Lear, weren’t happy with Amos’ defiance and went on to FIRE him from the cast!
His character was killed off the show in a rushed, hurtful plotline that left both cast members and viewers stunned and confused.
Florida Evans (played by Esther Rolle) wails “Damn! Damn! Damn!” after reading of her husband’s untimely departure in a letter!
The scene’s melodramatic execution only reinforces Amos’ point.
Amos demanded our television portrayals include nuanced humanity and aspirations that reflected how Black people behave in real life! He refused to accept white fairytales of Black life as expressed by the Good Times writers.
He got the last laugh, though. The Black community continues to admire the dignity he proudly displayed by walking away from a project only invested in embarrassing caricatures of Black people.