Have you seen Stanis lately? Saw a picture of her from the "Good Times" reunion. She looks really, really good!! Thelma is still fine at 53! And did you know she's an accomplished dancer and graduate of Juilliard? Just goes to show how limited roles have been for Black women whose talents far outshine their opportunities. -------------- Original message -------------- From: "Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: BERNADETTE STANIS: Still Enjoying the Good Times Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2006 06:13:25 -0400 From: C V <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: GIRLFRIEND <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] THE EUR Q & A WITH BERNADETTE STANIS: Still Enjoying the Good Times By Kevin Jackson (August 2, 2006) Actress BernNadette Stanis caught the attention of television viewers in the 1970s when she played the role of Thelma on Good Times. Her consistent catfights and arguing with television brother JJ (played by Jimmie Walker) were among the highlights of the iconic black comedy television series which ran from 1974 to 1979. Good Times which was very popular back then (today repeats of the show can be seen on the cable network TV Land) followed the challenges and joys of the close-knit Evans family--patriarch James (John Amos) mother Florida (Esther Rolle) eldest son and accomplished amateur painter J.J. (Jimmie Walker), the brainy and beautiful daughter Thelma, and youngest son Michael (Ralph Carter) a political and social activist--who lived together in a high-rise housing project on the South Side of Chicago. Created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans (the original Lionel from All in the Family and The Jeffersons) and produced by Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear, Good Times was remarkable on many levels. In a television landscape populated almost exclusively by prosperous white characters living in idealized settings, and where black families were always presented as somehow broken or fractured, Good Times was the first prime-time series that featured a strong black man at the head of a close-knit lower-middle-class black family. The show took an honest look at the reality of life in the urban Projects, and tackled social and political issues around race, poverty, unemployment, inflation, crime and addiction--topical issues that cut across 1970s America. Even the most serious storylines were handled with great comic skill. While the show was extremely successful at handling controversial topics with humor, a battle between co-stars and producers ensued for control over the show's direction. Amos left the sitcom after two seasons. Rolle departed the show in 1977, but returned for the final season. With ratings in decline, Good Times was pulled from the CBS schedule, and the last original episode aired on August 1, 1979. In an interview recently with this writer, the now 53 year old BernNadette Stanis (real name Bernadette Stanislaus) whose grandparents were originally from Grenada spoke about her career, her life and the ground breaking Good Times show which made her an overnight star. Kevin Jackson: What have you been doing since Good Times went off the air? BernNadette Stanis: I've produced plays off Broadway, and I'm doing speaking engagements. I have also made guest appearances on various television shows. I just recently wrote a book called Situations 101 On Relationships.the good the bad and the ugly. It's a very interesting book to read and persons can check out my website at www.thelmaofgoodtimes.com or email me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] KJ: In terms of current projects, what do you have in the pipeline? BS: I am currently working on new projects. I have also completed a book of poetry called For Men Only. Now I am creating a book for younger audiences ages 9 to 18 years old. The book is about getting what you want and deserve out of your life. The drive to win starts when one is young. This is what I wanted to share with my new and young audiences. KJ: How did you manage to get the role of Thelma on Good Times? Did a lot of people audition for the role? BS: I was in a beauty pageant in New York and the managers saw me and said I would be perfect for this new television show that was coming out called Good Times that was being produced by Norman Lear. I then auditioned and yes, there were thousands of young girls who tried out for the role of Thelma. With God's blessings they decided on me. KJ: What kind of impact did Good Times have on viewers at the time? BS: The world was a changing place at that time in history. There were not a lot of African American people on television at all at this time. There were no African American families with a mother and a father and three children sticking together working through the good and the bad times. I often get many women coming up to me telling me that I was the first young African American woman they had ever seen on television who had hopes, and dreams of becoming something special in life, especially someone from the ghetto. They told me that they modeled themselves after me, or the character Thelma. KJ: What kind of grounds did the show break? BS: Good Times broke many grounds with the subjects that it touched on. We talked about teen pregnancy, venereal diseases, drugs, gangs, pimps in the neighborhood and many more subjects. No other show at that time dared to touch on those subjects. KJ: Why did John Amos and Esther Rolle leave the show, and did their departure have any ripple effect on the show's success? BS: Mrs. Esther Role and John Amos left the show for reasons I don't totally know all about. But the show survived because we the children being much older by then held the family together along with some supervision from our neighbor Willona Woods (Ja'Net Dubois). Like many families must do when one or both parents are absent. The public stayed with us the whole time because like I said, there were also many families out there with similar circumstances. Therefore, I think the audiences wanted to see how we the Evans family handled a crisis like this. KJ: Do you stay in touch with your former cast members of Good Times? BS: Yes, we as cast members still stay in touch with each other. Everyone is pretty much still busy with different things of their own. KJ: Before Good Times, what were you doing? BS: I was a student at the Juilliard School of Music in New York before the show. I was in the drama department and studied under the direction of Mr. John Houseman. After the show, I did mostly stage work across the country. I have been in a number of plays. KJ: Do you have any children and where do you live? BS: I live in Los Angeles and I have two daughters, Dior Ravel and Brittany Rose Cole. KJ: Good Times was ahead of its time and it was very popular back in the 1970's and now its attracting a whole new audience with its showing on the TV Land network. How do you feel about being a part of such a ground breaking television show? BS: Thank you for recognizing that Good Times was ahead of its time. The show was so popular with viewers because it was so real. So many people identified with our struggle. The show is even as popular today as it was then because we have viewers in 2006 and they too can relate to the struggle we went through living in the ghetto. I believe the show will reach audiences for years to come because we dealt with real life issues and real life issues keep happening no matter what year it is. It is a show that all people, whether black, white, brown and in between can identify with. Good Times is a show I am very blessed to have been a part of. About the other Good Times cast members Esther Rolle (Florida Evans) was born in 1920 in Pompano Beach, Florida, the 10th child in a family of 18. Rolle graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia in 1942, and honed her acting skills as a member of the critically acclaimed theater group The Negro Ensemble Company. She received acclaim for her performances in Blues for Mister Charlie, The Amen Corner, A Raisin in the Sun and A Member of the Wedding. It was in one such production that Norman Lear noticed her immense talent and cast her as the feisty maid Florida in the television sitcom Maude (1972). The straight-talking maid was so popular that Lear thought Florida could be the focus of her own show. After Good Times, Rolle went on to perform in numerous television series and specials. She won an Emmy Award for her outstanding performance in the TV film, Summer of My German Soldier, and several other awards including multiple NAACP Image Awards. On the big screen, Rolle appeared in Driving Miss Daisy (1990), Rosewood (1997) and Down in the Delta. Rolle struggled with diabetes for many years, and complications from the disease claimed her life on November 17, 1998. She was 78 at the time of her death. John Amos (James). Originally from Newark, New Jersey, 67 year old John Amos is a pioneer in television history. Amos starred as weatherman Gordy Howard for three seasons on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, one of the first major co-starring roles played by a black actor on a non-black sitcom. After leaving The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Amos landed the role of James Evans, the struggling but loving husband on Good Times. Unfortunately, Amos grew increasingly dissatisfied with the sitcom when on-going behind-the-scenes battles over the direction of the show occurred between cast and producers. After two seasons, Amos quit the show over personal and professional complaints, suggesting the sitcom's focus on the antics of the J.J. character was taking the show off-course, and was not a positive portrayal of black life. Though producers decided to kill off his character, Amos' career was hardly dead. In 1977, Amos was a part of another historical event - he started as the adult Kunta Kinte in Alex Haley's critically acclaimed epic, Roots. Amos is still going strong as an actor, and has appeared in many movies and TV series, including Coming to America, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, In the House, The District and The West Wing. Jimmie Walker (JJ) was born in 1947 in South Bronx, New York. For better or for worse, Walker is still instantly recognizable as J.J. Evans, the man who in the 1970s gave new meaning to the word "Dy-No-Mite!" Walker was working as a stand-up comedian when he landed the role of J.J., and as his fame grew he generously helped out fellow comedians whenever he could. (For example, he hired two out-of-work stand-up comics named Jay Leno and David Letterman to lend their writing talents to the show.) In spite of the controversy that surrounded Good Times and the perceived buffoonery of his character in particular, Walker is proud of the sitcom. Today, when many actors want to distance themselves from the roles that made them stars, Walker remains thankful for the success that Good Times brought him. In recent years, Walker has continued to perform stand-up and was the host of his own syndicated radio talk-show. Walker appeared in Airplane, Home Alone 2, and Bustin Loose. His TV credits include In the House, George Lopez, Scrubs, ER, and he remains a favorite guest on Late Night with David Letterman. Ralph Carter (Michael) who is now 45 years old, is originally from New York City. An accomplished stage actor, Carter earned a 1974 Tony nomination for his role in Raisin - a musical based on the play A Raisin in the Sun. At the height of his Good Times fame Carter was groomed for a teen-idol singing career. Mercury Records released Carter's 1976 album Young and in Love and two singles - Extra Extra (Read All about It) and When You're Young and in Love. The disco tracks reached number one on Billboard's Disco charts but failed to scale the pop charts. Carter, a reluctant participant, refused to pursue the teen-idol route and another release was not forthcoming. When Good Times ended Carter all but disappeared from the entertainment business. He made occasional guest appearances on TV in the early 1980s, but for the most part has stayed out of the spotlight. These days he is writing plays and he just completed a new book. Ja'net Dubois (Willona). Philadelphia native Ja'net Dubois is now 61 years old. A born again Christian, she began her career as a model. Dubois had a modest acting career before being cast as the fun but meddlesome neighbor Willona on Good Times. Dubois has appeared on many television shows including The Steve Harvey Show, Moesha, ER, Martin, Home Improvement, One on One, Boomtown, and can be heard as the voice of Mrs. Patterson on the animated series As Told by Ginger. She also starred as Mama Bosley in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Dubois is a talented vocalist, and was the co-writer and singer of the theme song for another hit sitcom - The Jeffersons. Janet Jackson (Penny). Janet, who is the youngest member of the musical Jackson family, was cast as abused child Penny on Good Times in 1977. After the cancellation of the show, Jackson surfaced once again as the innocent girlfriend Charlene on Diff'rent Strokes. During her short-lived time playing a dancing and singing student on the TV show Fame, Jackson released an album, Dream Street, which was a commercial disaster. But soon Jackson discovered that the key to her success was collaboration with mega-hit producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Her third album, Control brought her international success. Control sold 5 million copies worldwide and produced six hit singles including When I think of You. Since then, Jackson's career has been unstoppable, with the release of Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet, Design of a Decade, Velvet Rope, All for You and Damita Joe. Between hit albums, Janet has been married and divorced twice. Her second marriage to longtime love Rene Elizonda didn't become public until they announced their divorce after eight years of marriage. Jackson has also had moderate success in films, co-starring as a brooding hairdresser in Poetic Justice and starring opposite Eddie Murphy in Nutty Professor 2 . With numerous awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and pop cult status, Jackson was been the icon of the 1990s. In 2001, MTV honored her with the first MTV Icon Award. She has a new single on the charts featuring rapper Nelly and her forthcoming album to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her ground breaking 1986 album Control, is due out later this year. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/