You know, if someone ever got the "bright idea" to reboot "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," then I wonder who could play Mary.

 

I'm just saying.

On 8/5/2018 at 6:50 PM, Khan said:

You know, if someone ever got the "bright idea" to reboot "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," then I wonder who could play Mary.

 

I'm just saying.

 

You're gonna need a homely woman so I'd say Connie Britton!  She's a good actress too. 

10 minutes ago, ChitHappens said:

 

You're gonna need a homely woman so I'd say Connie Britton!  She's a good actress too. 

LMAO 

Connie Britton isn't homely in most universes.

I had a Talking Alf, Alf Watch, Alf Sheets, Alf Blankets, Alf Curtains, Alf Jammies, Alf Trapper Keeper, everything was Alf. 

 

But not sure if I want to see a reboot.

Too bad there was no such thing as ALF pogs back then.

 

The ALF cartoon had one of the best cartoon theme songs ever. Such a drastic departure from that of the sitcom, it'll still randomly pop into my head.

On 8/5/2018 at 7:09 PM, Khan said:

 

Talk about "Florida Flips," lol!

 

In my mind, James Evans faked his death, because he had lost that cushy gas station managing gig that the rest of the family was relocating to Mississippi for.  He couldn't accept being a failure again to his family, so when a man who had stolen his wallet (with his driver's license) was struck down and killed by a car, he just...checked out.  (Which is ironic, since James had sworn he would never leave his family like his father had done when James was a boy.)

 

However, in another, ironic twist, James, now living under a new name, became the financial success he had always wanted to be for Florida and the kids, owning and managing a chain of hardware stores on the East Coast...but he reasoned that returning to his family at that point, after they had adjusted to his being (supposedly) dead, would be cruel, so he stayed away.

 

But the family finally knows the truth when they realize he's the new boss of Keith and Thelma's daughter, Florida (Anderson), a recent Harvard Business School graduate.  (By now, both Keith and Florida (Evans) have passed away; and Keith and Thelma's son, James Henry ("Jimmy") Anderson, has grown up to be a pro football player like his dad.)

 

Meanwhile...

 

Michael had a change of heart about going to law school, dropped out of college and ended up becoming a professional singer.  (He also married and divorced a white woman, by whom he had a son.)

 

J.J. moved to Hollywood to develop "Dyno Woman" as a successful TV series and movie franchise.  In fact, his success in that field finally allowed him the opportunity to pursue a career as a "serious" artist -- back in Chi-Town, back in the projects, where he can help promising young artists "paint their way out of the ghetto" -- without having to worry about finances.  (But he still isn't married.)

 

Despite doing everything she could to give Penny a more stable home life, Willona faced a real dilemma when her adopted daughter became pregnant at age fifteen, then abandoned the infant when the pressure of being an unwed teen mother with no education overwhelmed Penny (who began abusing her child like she herself had been abused).  However, with help and encouragement from the Evanses, Willona took in her granddaughter, and supported her all the way through medical school.  (And even though she and Frank Mason never married...well, let's just say they still get together from time to time.)

 

And Bookman...well, he's still Bookman...only there's not as much buffalo to old "Buffalo Butt," thanks to a healthier lifestyle he adopted (...sort of...) after quadruple bypass surgery and a Type II Diabetes diagnosis.

 

lol @ Florida flips! She'd probably tell him to get it! But seriously ... I'd be here for that. Amos, Walker, Stanis, Carter, DuBois ... all still with us. Brown seems retired. Not saying we'll be getting a Good Times revival but I wouldn't object after seeing how they handled One Day at a Time.

16 minutes ago, KMan101 said:

 

lol @ Florida flips! She'd probably tell him to get it! But seriously ... I'd be here for that. Amos, Walker, Stanis, Carter, DuBois ... all still with us. Brown seems retired. Not saying we'll be getting a Good Times revival but I wouldn't object after seeing how they handled One Day at a Time.

Are y'all serious??

 

The major difference is that none of the original ODAAT performers are in the new reboot, except for an occasional cameo from Phillips.

They used a totally different family with a new premise--a Latino family in the U.S. during the Trump era.

 

How does this compare to Good Times if people are proposing to use the same cast as the original series?  A family that we all saw move out of the ghetto in the last episodes? 

Sorry but I'm not for putting the Evans' back into the 'projects'.  The whole premise of the show was a family trying to get out of the projects.

Like ODAAT, you want to use a new family to tell the story.

Edited August 7, 20187 yr by DramatistDreamer

7 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

Are y'all serious??

 

The major difference is that none of the original ODAAT performers are in the new reboot, except for an occasional cameo from Phillips.

They used a totally different family with a new premise--a Latino family in the U.S. during the Trump era.

 

How does this compare to Good Times if people are proposing to use the same cast as the original series?  A family that we all saw move out of the ghetto in the last episodes? 

Sorry but I'm not for putting the Evans' back into the 'projects'.  The whole premise of the show was a family trying to get out of the projects.

Like ODAAT, you want to use a new family to tell the story.

Do you think that could work in 2018?  I'm not saying it won't, but it's hard for me to picture it. TV and the world has changed so much since this show premiered. 

30 minutes ago, Juliajms said:

Do you think that could work in 2018?  I'm not saying it won't, but it's hard for me to picture it. TV and the world has changed so much since this show premiered. 

 

As long as there are low-income families still living in neglected public housing, yes, it could actually work.  The concept of JJ, however wouldn't, however.  Ain't nobody got time for that level of buffoonery.

Also, the family couldn't be located in the same Chicago housing project because Cabrini-Green, which is the housing development that Good Times' building was based on, no longer exists.  It was demolished quite some time ago.

There are certainly other 'projects' in America that have a similar notorious reputation.  Miami, FL (ever seen Moonlight?) and Brooklyn, NY (Marcy Projects where Jay-Z grew up) immediately come to mind.

Edited August 7, 20187 yr by DramatistDreamer

45 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

Are y'all serious??

 

The major difference is that none of the original ODAAT performers are in the new reboot, except for an occasional cameo from Phillips.

They used a totally different family with a new premise--a Latino family in the U.S. during the Trump era.

 

How does this compare to Good Times if people are proposing to use the same cast as the original series?  A family that we all saw move out of the ghetto in the last episodes? 

Sorry but I'm not for putting the Evans' back into the 'projects'.  The whole premise of the show was a family trying to get out of the projects.

Like ODAAT, you want to use a new family to tell the story.

 

Well of course. I don't expect them to use the old cast and I don't know if I'd want them to. Was just pointing out they're all still alive and seemingly able to participate should it so happen. Not that it will.

 

It'd need to be like you said, like ODAT, with a new cast and a fresh take, but it's still got the feel of the original. They really nailed it with that one. IMO, of course. I think if done right Facts of Life could work just the same. Good Times too, but that's where I'd draw the line. We don't need What's Happening!! or Diff'rent Strokes to suddenly make a comeback. All in the Family, to me, is too tied to the original cast I really don't know if they could with that one, but again, if it's like ODAT, why not?

 

But I think they have to draw the line somewhere.

7 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

 

As long as there are low-income families still living in neglected public housing, yes, it could actually work.  The concept of JJ, however wouldn't, however.  Ain't nobody got time for that level of buffoonery.

Also, the family couldn't be located in the same Chicago housing project because Cabrini-Green, which is the housing development that Good Times' building was based on, no longer exists.  It was demolished quite some time ago.

There are certainly other 'projects' in America that have a similar notorious reputation.  Miami, FL (ever seen Moonlight?) and Brooklyn, NY (Marcy Projects where Jay-Z grew up) immediately come to mind.

Yeah, I guess it could.  I guess I just have a hard time seeing public housing as the setting for a comedy, although I guess Good Times was a dramedy. 

10 minutes ago, Juliajms said:

Yeah, I guess it could.  I guess I just have a hard time seeing public housing as the setting for a comedy, although I guess Good Times was a dramedy. 

 

Good Times, when it was great (and it wasn't always great) was especially adept at lampooning the power structures as being particularly ridiculous:

shady politicians who make but cannot deliver promises yet always show up, without fail, come election times trying to court votes--

shady pastors claiming to deliver people anew when all they want to do is make a fast buck,

hustlers who claim to only want to make a living and be productive members of their community while cheating members of their community.

I'm seeing corrupt politicians, megachurch pastors like Creflo Dollar (that writes itself) and your neighborhood local grifters.

Don't these types still exist?  They were integral to the original Good Times landscape.  They were the main the butt of jokes (the ones that didn't involve JJ's silly catchphrases).

FTR, I was only imagining where the members of the Evans family would be today.  I wasn't suggesting that was what I wanted to see in a "Good Times" revival, should there be one.