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He was a better actor than Demond Wilson was, that's for sure.

"It was a time and an era — just to be on TV as a black man, it was an honor," said Kaedi Taylor, who works in the television and film industry behind the scenes.

There were a LOT of shows that had black people as the main characters then. Some of them were actually pretty funny/or good. Besides Sanford and Son, there was The Jeffersons, Benson, Different Strokes, What's Happenin'!, Good Times, That's My Mamma, and major players in shows like Welcome Back, Kotter (Boom-Boom), Grady, Mod Squad (Linc) and going a bit farther back I-Spy (Cosby) and Julia (the lovely Dihann Carroll). That's just off the top of my head. No need for boycotts or threats, just make a normal storyline where black people are a natural part of the story.

And with the exception of the undercurrent in Good Times, none of these shows really questioned the basic decency of America or Americans, ewven when there was racial humor (the clueless white cop in Sanford and Son).

I rewatched the first episode of I-Spy with my children, and Bill Cosby (I know, I know ...) was personally affronted by a black Olympic athlete who made a high profile defection to Red China for money. Cosby's character was offended by the betrayal, and acted on core patriotic, freedom loving principles. Bad a man as he is, Cosby was actually a VERY good actor, even in TV drama.

The Dihann Carroll character (a nurse) turned down a promotion and raise to work in another hospital when she realized that she was to be an affirmative action hire with no real expectation or responsibility. (Michelle Obama, anyone?)

He was a better actor than Demond Wilson was, that's for sure.

I don't think so. Lamont was great in that role.

I happened to love Good Times and will forever admire Esther Rolle for standing up to Norman Lear when he tried to force the storyline on her about James leaving the family to cover the contract issue John Amos had with Lear.

None of those were as good as Amos and Andy.