MovieChat Forums > Good Times (1974) Discussion > 17yo Thelma's 43-year-old boyfriend.

17yo Thelma's 43-year-old boyfriend.

posted 8 years ago by MandrasAndPelagia
5 replies | jump to latest

Was 17 the legal age of sexual consent in Chicago at this time?

When Thelma brought her older boyfriend to meet the family, James never made any reference that he was doing something illegal. He never made any reference to him being a "pedophile," an insult we throw around today if someone courts a late teen. Nowadays, in states where the legal age is 18, most fathers would turn to violence if they found out there 17yo daughter was dating an old man, or call the police. James actually befriended the dude, his only beef with him that was he too old for her.

Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

[–] rerunwatcher 8 years ago

When I was 17 and if I had a boyfriend that old I KNOW my father would have killed him.

[–] uoflcardfan2003 8 years ago

Don't think James wasn't tempted

[–] joannabaroncelli 8 years ago

I am sure they realized that when it came down to it that Thelma would back out on her own which she did.

[–] MandrasAndPelagia 8 years ago

But I considered James' reaction to be quite passive...especially considering how angry and violent-tempered and intimidating he is on the show. His reaction seems more appropriate if Thelma was dating a 21 year old or something. But a 43 year old? In today's era, I would expect James to throw the fisticuffs, and call him a creep, pedophile, loser, etc. But he seemed relatively okay with the guy as a human being. They must have viewed this situation differently in the 70s than today.

You're never fully dressed without a smile.

[–] QOK (1504) 6 years ago

Louis Gossett Jr looked terrible in the episode. He looked much younger and healthier after he shaved his head.