@asalmog Just to make myself clear here (if anyone actually reads this)- I am not criticizing Mr. Guillaume. He's a great actor, and Benson was a great character. I just didn't think of this angle; I actually considered Benson a black character who was unique for the day it that he was more universal and not preoccupied with racial undertones. I haven't seen SOAP or BENSON in years, so maybe I don't remember correctly...
Wow, this is a very interesting interview. I always thought of Benson as perhaps the first black character I saw that "blackness" wasn't really a significant part of. To me he was just a servant mad with some of his employers, with no strong racial connotation (I won't lie, of course I was aware of the black-white issue, but is seemed insignificant to me).
The fact that he says he wanted to make the audience understand that this is a person who hates working for whites... I didn't get that.
Robert G. has to be one of the most amazing actors there has or ever will be. But even so, his singing would knock your socks off. Type in benson sings christmas carols and listen to him sing O Holy Night. OMG!!!!! 27 years ago and it still is the most moving christmas song ever. There are literally thousands of people who loved that episode of Bensonl Robert!!!! You Rock!!!!! God bless
@thedrknghtno1 Yeah, the one on Good Times, he was named "Fishbone"
knightclassic1 1 month ago
@asalmog Just to make myself clear here (if anyone actually reads this)- I am not criticizing Mr. Guillaume. He's a great actor, and Benson was a great character. I just didn't think of this angle; I actually considered Benson a black character who was unique for the day it that he was more universal and not preoccupied with racial undertones. I haven't seen SOAP or BENSON in years, so maybe I don't remember correctly...
asalmog 9 months ago in playlist Robert Guillaume - Archive of American Television Interview
Wow, this is a very interesting interview. I always thought of Benson as perhaps the first black character I saw that "blackness" wasn't really a significant part of. To me he was just a servant mad with some of his employers, with no strong racial connotation (I won't lie, of course I was aware of the black-white issue, but is seemed insignificant to me).
The fact that he says he wanted to make the audience understand that this is a person who hates working for whites... I didn't get that.
asalmog 9 months ago
@susan50reid I agree with you. I think he's a treasure. Very underated.
nyccola 1 year ago
Robert G. has to be one of the most amazing actors there has or ever will be. But even so, his singing would knock your socks off. Type in benson sings christmas carols and listen to him sing O Holy Night. OMG!!!!! 27 years ago and it still is the most moving christmas song ever. There are literally thousands of people who loved that episode of Bensonl Robert!!!! You Rock!!!!! God bless
susan50reid 2 years ago
Love this guy... spot on humor, razor-sharp intellect.
pastymorant 2 years ago
The episode he's talking about the lush who died wasnt the Jeffersons, it was Good Times.
thedrknghtno1 3 years ago 2