History Trivia / GoodTimes

* IndeciperableLyrics: The loose enunciation on the theme song's "Hangin' in and jivin'!" lyric completely incomprehensible to many, to the point where it was even misquoted on the first season's box set. A common incorrect guess at the line is "Hangin' in a chow line!"

* TheDanza: Two episodes featured [[Series/DiffrentStrokes Gary Coleman]] as Penny's classmate Gary.

* HostilityOnTheSet: Jimmie Walker (J.J.) often clashed with the actors playing his onscreen parents, John Amos (James) and Esther Rolle (Florida), as they felt his slapstick comedy reeked of UncleTomfoolery. Amos disliked the show's direction, feeling it was steering away from family values, focusing instead on J.J.'s antics, and Rolle felt that J.J., being womanizing, illiterate, unemployed, and less-than-honest, was a bad role model for blacks. However, Walker had the producers -- who encouraged his [[{{Catchphrase}} dy-no-mite]] behavior -- on his side, because J.J. had become the show's BreakoutCharacter. Amos was released from his contract after the third season due to his disagreements, with the explanation that James [[DroppedABridgeOnHim died offscreen]]. Rolle went into fourth season, thinking J.J. -- now as man of the house -- would mature a bit, but -- if anything -- he only got worse, leading to her leaving after the fourth season, with her own disappearance explained as her [[PutOnABus remarrying and moving to Arizona]] with her new husband. When ratings sank due to viewers feeling the show had JumpedTheShark without its two original leads, the producers begged Rolle to come back, but one of her demands was for J.J. to grow up and become the man of the house. The producers acquiesced, but Rolle and Walker still had a chilly relationship for the remainder of the series. Even when Rolle passed away in 1998, Walker was the only former ''Good Times'' castmember not to attend her funeral.

* DawsonCasting: Thelma and J.J. were supposed to be 15 and 16, respectively, when the series began. [=BernNadette=] Stanis was actually 21, and Creator/JimmieWalker was 26. [[YoungerThanTheyLook John Amos was 34 years old]] when he started playing the middle-aged James Evans Sr., making him 8 years older than the actor playing his eldest son and 19 years younger than the actress playing his wife.
* HostilityOnTheSet: Jimmie Walker (J.J.) often clashed with the actors playing his onscreen parents, John Amos (James) and Esther Rolle (Florida), as they felt his slapstick comedy reeked of UncleTomfoolery. Amos disliked the direction of the show, feeling it steering away from family valyes, focusing rather than J.J.'s antics, and Rolle felt J.J., being womanizing, illiterate, unemployed, and less-than-honest, was a bad role model for blacks. However, Walker had the producers on his side, who encouraged his [[{{Catchphrase}} dy-no-mite]] behavior because J.J. had become the show's BreakoutCharacter. Amos was released from his contract in the third season due to his disagreements, with the explanation that James [[DroppedABridgeOnHim died offscreen]]. Rolle went into fourth season, thinking J.J., now as man of the house, would mature up a bit, but, if anything, he only got worse, leading to her leaving after the fourth season, her own disappearance explained as her [[PutOnABus remarrying and moving to Arizona]] with her new husband. When ratings sank due to viewers feeling the show had JumpedTheShark without its two original leads, the producers begged Rolle to come back, but one of her demands was for J.J. to grow up and become the man of the house. The producers acquiesced, but Rolle and Walker still had a chilly relationship for the remainder of the series. Even when Rolle passed away in 1998, Walker was the only former ''Good Times'' castmember not to attend her funeral.
* TheRedStapler: When J.J. went and got a library card, within days hundreds of viewers, primarily African-American, went and did the same

* DawsonCasting: Thelma and J.J. were supposed to be 15 and 16, respectively, when the series began. [=BernNadette=] Stanis was actually 21, and Creator/JimmieWalker was 26. [[YoungerThanTheyLook John Amos was 34 years old]] when he started playing the middle-aged James Evans Sr., making him [[PlayingGertrude 8 years older]] than the actor playing his eldest son and 19 years younger than the actress playing his wife.

* McLeaned: James' death followed actor John Amos' dismissal from the show over negative comments he made in ''Ebony'' magazine concerning its direction.

* DawsonCasting: Thelma and J.J. were supposed to be 15 and 16, respectively, when the series began. [=BernNadette=] Stanis was actually 21, and Jimmie Walker was 26. [[YoungerThanTheyLook John Amos was 34 years old]] when he started playing the middle-aged James Evans Sr., making him [[PlayingGertrude 8 years older]] than the actor playing his eldest son and 19 years younger than the actress playing his wife.

* HostilityOnTheSet: Jimmie Walker (JJ) often clashed with the actors playing his onscreen parents, John Amos (James) and Esther Rolle (Florida), as they felt his slapstick comedy reeked of UncleTomfoolery. However, Walker had the producers on his side, who encouraged his [[{{Catchphrase}} dy-no-mite]] behavior because JJ had become the show's BreakoutCharacter. As a result, Amos was released from his contract in the third season due to his disagreements, with the explanation that James [[DroppedABridgeOnHim died offscreen]]. Rolle, having lost her ally in the cast, left the show after the fourth season, her own disappearance explained as her [[PutOnABus remarrying and moving to Arizona]] with her new husband. When ratings sank due to viewers feeling the show had JumpedTheShark without its two original leads, the producers begged Rolle to come back, but one of her demands was for JJ to grow up and become the man of the house. The producers acquiesced, but Rolle and Walker had a chilly relationship for the remainder of the series. Even when Rolle passed away in 1998, Walker was the only former ''Good Times'' castmember not to attend her funeral.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
** JJ's denim cap
** In the opening credits video montage, the 6000 series [[UsefulNotes/ChicagoL Chicago "L"]] train cars shown running are a treat for rail enthusiasts (these cars were in use until 1992).
** The notorious Cabrini-Green housing projects where the series was set were all torn down by 2011.

* [[NamesTheSame Names Not The Same]]: James was called 'Henry' for John Amos's appearences on ''Series/{{Maude}}''.

* YouLookFamiliar : Theodore Wilson, the actor who played local gangster "Sweet Daddy" Williams, also played a club owner in season four.

* TheCastShowoff: Michael sings. A lot. Ralph Carter's pre- and post-''Good Times'' career was mostly musical theatre. In fact, at the time Carter began playing Michael, he was actually co-starring in a Broadway musical called ''Raisin'', which an adaptation of ''Theatre/ARaisinInTheSun''.

* RetroactiveRecognition : A very young Philip Michael Thomas. And Conchata Ferrell.
** Also Penny, played by a ''very'' young Music/JanetJackson.

* Ron Glass made two appearances in the show--once as Michael's school principal, and once as an encyclopedia salesman pulling a scam. Remarkably, these episodes aired only a month apart from each other.

** The Cabrini-Green housing projects shown in the opening/closing credits were all torn down by 2011.

** The Cabrini-Green housing projects that the show was set in were all torn down by 2011.