Mr. Blog's Tepid Ride

January 1, 2010

It is the New Year, a time for reflection. I find myself thinking back on the many things I did and did not accomplish over the past twelve months. One thing sticks out, and for my own peace of mind, it is time to answer the question

Who is the best 1970’s television role model?

Round One

MABEL KING VS. ESTHER ROLLE

WHAT’S HAPPENING? Vs. GOOD TIMES

Mama was the semi-rotund mother of Dee and Raj, and by extension the mother of their friends, Dwayne and Rerun, who smelled so bad that his odor lingered in a room ten minutes after he left, hence his name. Mama worked as a housekeeper during the day and exotic dancer at night. Mama’s style of parenting was the “threaten to kill” style, and Dee would often taunt Raj with “ohhhhhh, Mama’s gonna kill you and dismember your corpse!” (Raj, by the way, is short for Rajer. Sigh.) Her husband, played by Thalmus Rasulala, had walked out on her years earlier. He was a womanizer and a gambler. He is seen here, sexing it up with Pam Grier.

On the other hand, he did manage to destroy Blacula in the film named, coincidentally, Blacula. Any man who could banish the immortal William Marshall could not have been that bad a husband.

NOTE: When searching for Mabel King, do not confuse her with professional wrestler King Mabel, though there is a slight resemblance.

Esther Rolle played Miami Florida, and her biggest challenge was her son JJ:

In some episodes JJ delivered chicken for a restaurant and he wore a chicken on his head. No stereotype there, mover along.

Miami also had an absent husband. James had died some years earlier when working on the Alaskan Pipeline. During a freak snowstorm, James drove his truck into the lair of an angry polar bear and neither made it out alive. It was a very close thing, however, as this is what the bear had to face:

His body was never recovered, and many suspect a CIA cover-up, as months later an “Admiral James” took a high level cabinet position.

It was never clear what Miami did for a living, though she sometimes left the house early in the morning and returned late at night. Eventually she remarried this man,

known on the professional golf circuit as Buffalo Woods.

In the final analysis, the contest between Mabel King and Esther Rolle comes down to intelligence, and Esther Rolle was smart enough to leave her show, at least until the producers lured her back with more money.

WINNER: ESTHER ROLLE

Coming Soon: Round Two: “The Man” Vs. Epstein

Barnaby Jones

Abe Vigoda

Crest Cavity Creeps

Tags: 1970, 1970's, Blacula, bmj2k, Dwayne, Esther Rolle, Florida, Good Times, Jimmy Walker, JJ, John Amos, Johnnie Brown, King Mabel, Mabel King, Mama, Men on a Mission, Mr. Blog, Mr. Blog's Tepid Ride, Pam Grier, Raj, Rerun, Television, Thalmus Rasulala, TV, What's Happening, William Marshall