Customer Reviews

Good Times - The Complete Second Season

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James, Florida, J.J, Thelma, Michael, & Willona are back! Finally the second season of Good Times is here, following the first season release by at least a year!! Well, it was worth the wait and more because Season 2 includes almost double the episodes of the first season and the packaging is a colorful and fun double-fold case featuring great photos of the entire cast! What's better is the set can be purchased at a very reasonable price. The second season of Good Times ran from Sept. '74 to March '75 and consists of the 24 episodes included here uncut and commercial free! The only extra features are trailers for similar sitcoms and the blessed "play all episodes" feature! Hey, having Good Times on DVD in season form is special enough! It is, pardon me, Dynomite! Here's the episodes included:

Disc 1:
01. Florida flips
02. Crosstown buses run all day, doodah, doodah
03. J.J. becomes a man, part 1(J.J. is arrested, part 1)
04. The man I most admire
05. J.J. becomes a man, part 2(J.J. is arrested, part 2)
06. The encyclopedia hustle
07. The I.Q. test
08. Thelma's young man
Disc 2:
09. Florida, the matchmaker
10. The windfall
11. The gang, part 1
12. The gang, part 2
13. Sometimes there's no bottom in the bottle
14. Florida's big gig
15. Florida goes to school
16. The nude
Disc 3:
17. The family business
18. The debutante ball
19. The dinner party
20. The houseguest
21. My girl, Henrietta
22. The enlistment
23. Thelma's scholarship
24. The lunch money rip-off

Trivia:

*When Good Times started (1974), J.J and Thelma, who were supposed to be in high school, were in real life, 27 and 21 respectively! Michael was actually 13.

*Esther Rolle and John Amos were actually 19 years apart. Esther was 54 and John was 35.

*John Amos (James Evans) left the show after the 3rd season. He was written off the show as having died in a car accident while in Mississippi where he found a good job. The character of Carl Dixon (Moses Gunn) that is introduced in late season 4, proposes to Florida and she accepts.

*Esther Rolle left Good Times during season 5 because of unhappiness with the show's direction and of the J.J. character. She was written out of the season as being away on her honeymoon with Carl. She returned as Florida, the rock of the Evans family, for season 6, which was the final season.

Esther Rolle (1920-1998)
Moses Gunn (1929-1993)

Also highly recommended on DVD:

Good Times (Season 1)
All in the Family (Seasons 1 & 2, 3 coming soon!)
The Jeffersons (Seasons 1 & 2)
Sanford & Son (Seasons 1, 2, & 3, 4 coming soon!)
What's Happening!! (Season 1)
Barney Miller (Season 1)

I ordered the second season of the hit sit-com series Good Times. I just wanted to submit a bit more detailed information on the DVD. Below is an episode guide listing the shows(in chronological order)for those who are considering to buy the DVD. This info was very helpful for me in finding my favorite episodes, most of which ran in season two.

Season Two-Episode List

Florida Flips.
JJ Becomes a Man part 1.
JJ Becomes a Man part 2.
Crosstown Buses Run All Day--Doodah Doodah.
The Windfall.
Thelma's Young Man.
The IQ Test.
The Encyclopedia Hustle.
The Gang part 1.
The Gang part 2.
The Matchmaker.
The Man I Most Admire.
Sometimes There's No Bottom in the Bottle.
Florida's Big Gig.
Florida Goes To School.
The Nude.
The Family Business.
The Debutante Ball.
The Dinner Party.
The Houseguest.
My Girl Henrietta.
The Enlistment.
Thelma's Scholarship.
The Lunch Money Rip Off.

What an eventful and hilarious year it was as Good Times cruised through its second season. The show had settled in to its unique groove by this point, with each character and his/her place in the show well-defined. There was an evident focus on J.J. and his comedic genius, but it never came close to the extremes that we would witness in later years. Michael doesn't get quite as much screen time or lines as J.J. and Thelma, but everyone, including Willona, made their mark on the show in Season Two. Florida is the central figure who often steers the action and dialogue from point to point, but clearly James Evans is the real star of the show. When I was young, I didn't like James very much because he always seemed to be yelling, and that scared me (hey, I was very young at the time). I thought I knew all about this show, having seen so many episodes in syndication 10-15 years ago, but I have really been amazed by John Amos' performance as I revisit the Evans household today. He truly was the heart and soul of this show in its first three seasons.

How eventful was Season Two? Well, to start things off, Florida flips out with the housewife blues and later decides to go back to school and get her high school diploma. Michael gets selected to attend a better school across town but refuses to go, opening a debate on the merits of busing; in the same vein, Michael later refuses to take an IQ test in what is the only weak episode of the season. Hold on, I'm getting to the big stuff. How's this? J.J. gets arrested for robbing a liquor store on his eighteenth birthday, gets forcefully recruited into a gang and winds up getting shot, starts dating a rich girl whose parents do not approve of his lack of monetary means, decides to enlist in the Army, and seriously considers getting married. Thelma wins a scholarship to a fancy school for girls, perfects the art of burning oatmeal, and brings home the biggest surprise of all - a fiancée who is old enough to be her father. Along the way, the family has to deal with an alcoholic relative as well as an old friend who turns out to be a gambler on the lam, and James and Florida get the shock of their lives when they finally get to meet J.J.'s main squeeze Henrietta. James delivers some amazing performances, especially during times of crisis when someone in the family is in danger, either physically or emotionally. He should have won an Emmy just for the second episode of J.J. Becomes a Man, but he proved himself to be the consummate actor each and every episode. Sure, James yelled a lot, but he was a good husband and father in every sense of the words and always put his family first.

There are some unforgettably hilarious episodes in Season Two. The Windfall, an episode in which James becomes a celebrity after returning a bag full of stolen money (only to get the least of rewards for his noble deed) is a classic. Then there's The Nude, in which J.J. plans to paint a nude portrait of the new head-turning neighbor upstairs, and The Enlistment, featuring J.J.'s incredibly funny physical exam in preparation for his enlistment in the Army. The prize, of course, goes to The Dinner Party. In this memorable episode, an older neighbor is suffering through some hard times financially and, as the Evans family learns, has resorted to eating dog food. They invite her to eat dinner with them, only to see her show up with a special meatloaf she cooked herself. Watching the family try to avoid taking a single bite of that meatloaf makes for one of the funniest scenes in television history.

Even through all the histrionics and non-stop laughter, Good Times dealt with some serious issues in a very constructive manner. This was about as reality-based a sit com as TV would ever offer. While it was not truly realistic of ghetto life in the 1970s, the characters and problems the Evans family had to deal with week in and week out were rooted in reality, and the strong bond that held this family together made them a model family whom audiences of all sorts could relate to, look up to, and enjoy bringing into their homes each and every week. You don't get any special features with the 3-DVD set, but these 24 episodes are more than enough to delight those of us who grew up with Good Times and to win the show many a new fan among those who are too young to have been exposed to this timeless sit com before. The show just gets funnier and funnier as time goes by.

After a hilarious first season,Good Times return for a second go round.With a full 24 episodes unlike season one's 13,which means nearly double the laughs
Classic episodes includes Florida Flips, Crosstown Buses Run All Day, Doodah, Doodah (Michael gets bussed), The Gang (Mad Dogg), The Nude (The Wiggler), and the classic episode The Dinner Party about the Evans' neighbor who's loss of income has her resorting to eating dog food.After the family invites her to dinner,she brings over meatloaf(!!!).
All the cast are in top form which would carry over into the third season which would be John Amos last season.And when that set comes out,it'll be all you need of this great series.

Good times is like an urban history lesson. I've watched the show as a kid(20 years ago) and now when I watched the DVD again, caught many details that I've missed as a kid. It's trully a feel good show that hits on so many important issues, which many sitcoms toda fail to do so. I recommend this dvd set to everyone...

The Good Times Season 2 DVD box set will be a great addition to your collection. The three DVD set is nicely packaged and includes a booklet that describes each episode. I have no complaints. There are no real extras but most of these new DVD on TV box sets don't have extras. I am very pleased with this purchase and hope to complete my 70's sitcom DVD collection soon. The picture quality of the episodes is awesome considering and I have no complaints whatsover. It's a D-Y-N-O-M-T-E set and the price is just right.

Great TV Show. Loved this show and bought season 1,2,3 Loved John Amos role in this show but it was not the same after He left. Shows today could take a lesson on good family entertainment like this show. Jimmy Walker (JJ) was a great actor and comedian. The show dealt with hard times growing up in the projects but as hard as it was the Evans household hung in and took care of each other and dealt with all the problems that came as a family.

The second season keeps the laughs coming at you big time. In the second season opener we get a chance to see that Florida wants to be more than just a housewife and mother, she wants her own life too. All the episodes are great in season 2 so you better buy it.

I am a huge fan of "Good Times".I wasn't born until 1979, however I still love the show.Even 30 years later I can relate to the Evans family struggles to pay the bills. They kept it real, and did not try to sugarcoat anything. I used to catch the reruns on tv, which are few. I am so gald it's on DVD. I absolutely loved James Evans, he is the type of father that is needed in 2005 to keep kids in line! I recommend Season 2, and all the seasons.Truly funny, with good messages mixed in! Add this to your cart, you'll be glad you did!

Thank goodness....they FINALLY put out Good Times S. 2! It only took a year!!! This show has become one of the 1970s classic hits...and with good reason! It conveys the plight of the poor in a light, airy manner....coping with hard issues by using a smile and a laugh. Even though it may seem dated at times, the things that Good Times addresses are still somewhat prevalent today...and of course...that's why it is considered a classic.

In this new season, the characters are more defined...and the actors seem more at ease with their roles. Of course, the highlights are Michael "the militant midget" and JJ.

So, go ahead, get yourself some Good Times while you can! I sure hope the third season will come a little quicker though!!