John Amos, actor in groundbreaking TV roles, dies at 84 (msn.com) This is a sad sad day for a lot of us Black Fathers who stood up and did what we had to do to support our family. The progenitor of this was none other than John Amos. John passed on today and stood as a shining example of what Responsible Black Men are about. James Evans was a Black Man's, Black Man in every sense of the word.. RIP Mr. Amos.. You will be missed.. Role Model Extraordinaire..
He was a really good actor. If I recall, he got super pissed over his salary on Good Times and said I'm outta here.
It wasn't the salary Jeto. John Amos got pissed because of how JJ was being portrayed and the message that sent to black kids. Norman Lear didn't want to highlight the other two kids. Michael I think wanted to go into medicine. Not sure what Thelma Evans wanted. Maybe that's backwards as its been a very long time. Lear wanted the clown character instead and that's what got John Amos fired. Neither John Amos nor Esther Rolle wanted anything to do with JJ in real life or on set. Must have been pretty tense. James Evans was the original stern Black Father figure long before Cosby. TV has made sure there hasn't really been many since.
Good times was a great show--I seem to recall he had a contract problem at one time--for at least a season--show suffered without him although it was still entertaining. I still remember the moment Florida got the letter that he passed. That sucked.
Loved John Amos....Good Times was a shell of itself when he left because of a feud with Norman Lear. Those early episodes where he is the tough-as-nail black father trying to hold his impoverished family together....great stuff. Check out the scene of him standing up to the gang leader trying to draft JJ into a rumble.
This is correct. He didn’t like the Steppin Fetchit stereotype JJs character was turning into and thought it demeaned all the other positive character development he was very proud of. Jimmy Walker’s career never recovered after the show ended. Amos knew what he was talking about.
I saw Jimmy Walker doing a Medicare Part C commercial just last year. Brace for the revival. If I were John Amos, I’d have jumped ship for the traumatizing theme song alone. 1970’s inner-city malaise scored with Baptist gospel music.
