beretta smith shomade: black life had not been shown in any kind of fashion. it was important that people were feeling recognized todd bridges: it proved that black shows can be just as successful, as long as people can relate to it. fred: i m dying! hear that elizabeth, i m coming to join ya honey. oh! [knock on door] fred: maybe that s elizabeth. ernest lee: with all in the family, sanford and son.. norman lear owned the airwaves tracy: and then there was good times. james: well, let s see i ll pay this one, stall this one, gotta argue about this one, and this one imma put in the funny papers. diana depasquale: shows like good times and sanford and son took a great step forward in that we see more depictions of black families, but those families are also squarely in the working-class. jimmie walker: we were people that work 60 hours a week and