Where are the GT Fans who feel that James was funnier than J.J?

[TVFactFan]

I was having this debate atwork and my co-worker said that J.J was funnier. I was shocked to hear that. James was funny as hell without trying and never had to act like a goofball to generate laughs. One of James memorable statements

Sweet Daddy: Why the hostile attitude?

James: This ain't no attitude, I'm Hostile


LOL

[Adamantium]

I think James is funnier.

I own the first three seasons on DVD and I don't think J.J. is that funny at all. I know he was the breakout character, but I don't think he was that great of an actor either. And I know "Dy-No-Mite" was his big catchphrase, but I felt they threw it in at odd times. Anytime J.J. said "Kid Dy-no-mite" it was at an odd time. And anytime he was saying a sentence and something rhymed with "ite", I knew "Dy-no-mite" was coming.

[Skywalker]

I always thought James was funnier than J.J. I admit J.J. could be funny, ONCE IN A WHILE, but James was the star of the show as far as I'm concerned and he always made me laugh.

[Lady T]

Comparing JJ and James is hard to do, since they were very different when it came to comedy; I perfer James, and his character always made me laugh, but then again comparing these two is like comparing an apple to an orange, because their style of delivery was at different ends of the board when it came to being funny.

[Jefffalan]

I definitely thought James was funnier, but I like the way J.J. and James interacted, because they were SUCH different characters. James was the lovable hot-head who had a look that could KILL, while J. J. was a young goofball who didn't take life serious AT ALL. Seeing these two interact was funny as hell to me.

[Jrnygrl]

Oh no doubt James (John Amos) was funnier than J.J. J.J. was a clown and the writers decided they would rather write for a clown.

[Moonlight Lady]

James is funnier than J.J. without trying. J.J. was annoying with the "Kid Dynomite" thing.

[knl9674]

Here is one fan that agrees with you.

James: Pretty soon we're going to be down to poke and grits.
Michael: What's poke and grits, Daddy?
James: That's when you don't have nothing to eat so you poke yo mouth out and grit your teeth.

LOL

James hands down, no question. James was naturally funny and never broke character. I think that there were more people laughing AT the JJ character, then actually what he was saying or how he was delivering his lines.

[dandelion wine]

Originally Posted by knl9674

Here is one fan that agrees with you.

James: Pretty soon we're going to be down to poke and grits.
Michael: What's poke and grits, Daddy?
James: That's when you don't have nothing to eat so you poke yo mouth out and grit your teeth.

LOL

Good one.

Yeah, JJ was funny but James didn't (as everyone has already stated) have to try. To me, he was much funnier than JJ.

[GARFIELDKOOL]

Simply put it, J.J. tried toohard to be funny, and he wasn't. James was being himself and he was funny and wasn't trying to be funny. James was funnier.

[Brian Damage]

Like Lady T said, they were both different. I think they were both funny in different ways. JJ was a great comedic foil for James' anger.

[pscisme]

Originally Posted by GARFIELDKOOL

Simply put it, J.J. tried toohard to be funny, and he wasn't. James was being himself and he was funny and wasn't trying to be funny. James was funnier.

this quote has a lot of truth in it, but i think the point has been missed by the theme of this thread: fact is, J.J. was turned into a COMEDIC character, a mugging, over-the-top laugh getting machine (which almost always falls short of the mark in sitcoms) as opposed to James, a real character played with honesty by an extremely skilled actor.

ironically, "Good Times" didn't need J.J. to turn into the clown he became. this show had a lot going for it and would have gotten all the laughs and audience appreciation it needed just by staying true to the characters and their situation as it did in the beginning.

that said, I do think people on the GT board are unnecessarily harsh regarding Jimmie Walker. maybe it's a case of the show not aging well, but i watched this show first-run as a kid and thought he was unique and a lot of fun-so did millions of others, which is why he and his character became such a "break out" sensation.

when i watch the show now. i enjoy the whole package and write off the excesses of J.J.'s behavior to the demands of the time.

i think it's easier to believe that "james was funnier than j.j." because james' character didn't have to try as hard or as often to get a laugh-his laughs came naturally from the writing and the skill of the actor, whereas jimmie walker was required to go for a comic layup with practically every line, which made it a guarantee he would miss at least as often as he made it.

for me, the "funniest" sitcom characters were Barney Fife of "The Andy Griffith Show," and both Kramer and George Costanza of "Seinfeld."

i think in all these cases, the success of the characters came from scripts that allowed very talented actors to develop characters that reacted honestly in funny situations as opposed to "zany goofballs" who were supposed to be grabbing guffaws no matter what was going on around them.

[GCW]

James was funnier, although JJ was funny too but the main thing that annoyed me after awhile was JJ's catchphrase DYNO-MITE!

[Brian Damage]

Originally Posted by GCW

James was funnier, although JJ was funny too but the main thing that annoyed me after awhile was JJ's catchphrase DYNO-MITE!

Yeah, that got old after awhile.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by GCW

James was funnier, although JJ was funny too but the main thing that annoyed me after awhile was JJ's catchphrase DYNO-MITE!

J.J was funny sometimes, i would say 15% of the time. On the flipside, James was funny 85% of the time