| OCR Text |
Show Esther Rolle says: Goodbye to Good Times by Gary Deeb Chicago Tribune Writer Esther Rolle, the superb actress who for four seasons lent dignity and credibility to the CBS comedy series Good Times, is relaxing at her Los Angeles home these days. Shes preparing some speeches on topics that deeply interest her, such as education, black history, and the problems of the elderly, And shes weighing the possibility of a new weekly television series. But Rolle never will return to Good Times, in which she played the mother of the Evans family. Since quitting the show last month, high blood pressure has stopped bothering her. I feel better, lighter, and more productive without that emotional strain, she said. I just had to be relieved of any sense of responsibility for the kind of idiocy that program was perpetuating. In an exclusive interview Rolle said she left Good Times because the show had becoome in its depiction of black family life, derogatory, particularly its relentless emphasis on the repugnant J. J. character, who she believes is having a destructive influence on youngsters who watch the ptugram. The emotional pressure of the job was making me ill, she said. My health is fine now. It was job pressure that did it. When you become so unhappy that you get uptight as soon as you get to work, then its time to leave. I didnt want to jeopardize other members of the cast, so I tried to stay on. But the first script they gave me for the new season was so depressing that I just said No way. You see, its possible to do a comedy show without destroying our youth or misshapping the lives of our viewers. But I was weary of carrying on the fight alone. I had some help when John Amos was there. At the end, I was the only one fighting. LIKE ROLLE, AMOS felt that Good Times was degenerating into the slapstick comedy, and that the J. J. character, as played by the obnoxious Jimmie Walker, simply was confirming every racist stereotype that have traditionally saddled blacks. In the spring of 1976, Amos departed in what most His observers describe as a father character was killed off, and Good Times went from from bad to worse. When the show started in 1974, Rolle recalled, we dealt with important issues that come up in peoples everyday lives. For a while, the program was helping to weld us together as Americans. But now its just a joke show. Since John left, the values have steadily gone downhill. Rolle believes Good Times began slipping when Norman Lear, the boss of the show, and his producers succumbed to the temptation of using the J. J. character for cheap and easy laughs. It was during this period that J. J. incessantly wailed and behaved like a jackass. I DONT APPRECIATE teaching people that itd all right to talk like especially black boys an idiot, wear outrageous clothes, and wear a silly hat all the time, Rolle said. You ruin your credibility when you portray a particular kind of family and then bring in anof alien element that you know could never be a part that family. The J. J. character may be able to exist on "Sanford and Son or The Jeffersons. But he never belonged in a decent family like Good Times. Here we had the father working two jobs in order to keep the family together, and we had a boy doing absolutely nothing. I resented that. Its not true that in the average black home, a boy sits around at that age and doesnt work. What kid of imagery is that for our young people? I dont not with my name on it. It was outright like that half-quittin- half-firin- idiocy. One scene in an episode a couple of years ago called for the Evans family to observe the traditional ! prayer at the dinner table. Only one thing was wrong Walker, As J. J., was wearing his stupid hat. Rolle demanded that Walker remove the hat for the prayer scene. She rightly argued that a family as decent as the Evans would be disgusted by the sight of their oldest son wearing a hat during the dinner blessing. SHE RECALLED THE dispute! I said Arent FREE ESTIMATES Dents -r- ust -b- ody work ex- pertly done. We can repaint your entire car tor about what others charge to paint two major panels. Participating dealers only See how nice your car can look Paint services available ni5 Ambassador ti ta tlTA35 Presidential 9r The MAACO Supreme. 570 S. State St., S.l.C. 3403 532-604- 9 a ..$189.95 S. 300 487-997- West, S.LC 8 ALSO IN OGDEN Hours: Mon. thru Fri. 7:30-5:3- Saturday 9-- 1 with Good Times, series was the heavy emphasis being placed on the role of J.J. (Jimmie Walker), with whom she warred continually. you going to take that hat off? He said, No, its part of my character. Im known for this. And he refused to take it off. Now Florida Evans never would allow her son to wear his hat during the blessing, and John Amos supported me. It went all the way up to Norman Lear. Lear eventually decreed that Walker should remove the hat for that scene. When the program was being taped before a studio audience, however, Walker tried to pull a fast one by keeping the hat on. But Rolle ad libbing as Florida, verbally intimidated him into taking it off. Viewers never realized they confrontation between two were seeing an on-aperformers. Despite that victory and a few others, Rolle came to realize that she was fighting a losing battle. THEY KEPT ELEVATING the character of J. J. and they kept chipping away at the characters of Florida and James, she said. I insist that you can be funny without being derogatory. But I got tired of the pressure of having to fight for what I thought was right. end-afor me. Naked Money is not the did I come and naked shall I leave. Something as inanimate as money must never be the main criteria of my life, so I decided to get out. And I feel very good about it. I MUST SAY Im really disappointed with Norman Lear. I thought his taste was geared more toward good television programming. Ill always have the greatest respect and admiration for him. He opened up my career. He was my hero. And I still think hes a brilliant man of great worth. I hold no animosity for anyone. I was hurt by the way we parted, but I feel good about what I did. The only reason Im saying anything publicly is that I dont want to seem ungrateful to all of my wonderful fans. SOMETHING TELLS ME that Esthers fans Heres a ought to return that gratitude splendid actress who was making a ton of money, but walked away from it because of her enlightened concern for the havoc that a bad TV show can wreak on our society. (Tl ir be-al- l, . X& o &N p jo Vooo;n The Salt ll ten-fol- Lake Sunday, 1 P& acTOcV o 9, 1977 II 1 ft |
