This was Television on February 8
1974: Good Times debuts
The Norman Lear-produced sitcom traced the lives of the Evans family, a working-class, African-American family living in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green project housing development. Esther Rolle and John Amos portrayed the heads of the Evans household, while Jimmie Walker’s boisterous J.J. became a breakout character. A spin-off of Maude (which itself was a spin-off of All in the Family), Good Times ran for six seasons on CBS until 1979. -A.D.
Today’s Birthdays: Creed Bratton, Dunder Mifflinite (70); Gary Coleman, wisecracking kid (d. 2010); Seth Green, werewolf (39); Robert Klein, comedian (71); Ted Koppel, anchor (73); Jack Larson, Superman’s pal (80); Jack Lemmon, playhouse player (d. 2001); Audrey Meadows, honeymooner (d. 1996); Mary McCormack, Marshal (44); Nick Nolte, horse trainer (72); Danny Tamberelli, kid brother (31); Bruce Timm, animator (52).
This Was Television 
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