John Donley
- Ninfa O. Barnard
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
During his time in Hollywood, script writer John Donley worked with industry superstars like Bill Cosby, Sinbad, and Curtis Mayfield. In the 1970s and 1980s, he also wrote groundbreaking episodes for popular television shows like Good Times, Diff’rent Strokes, Who’s the Boss, Benson, Sanford and Son, and The Jeffersons.
Image Credit: arblackhalloffame.org
John Donley grew up on a farm in Gould, Arkansas. Donley describes himself as "... a cotton picker from Arkansas. I spent my childhood working on the farm beside my mother and father.” Despite his humble upbringing, Donley always had big dreams. Initially, he dreamed of being a major league baseball player so after high school he moved to Chicago, Illinois to pursue that dream. While in Chicago, he tried out for the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, but his baseball dreams didn’t materialize like he hoped so he moved on.
Donley briefly served in the military, before moving to Los Angeles, California, and enrolled in classes. Concurrently, he took gigs as a standup comic and a singer while working as a dishwasher and taxi driver. After realizing that there were limited roles for African American actors, Donley concentrated all his efforts on scriptwriting. He sold his first script to the comedy series Good Times which had just begun airing. In 1974, his script was utilized in the first season of Good Times, in the second episode entitled “Black Jesus.” During the “Black Jesus” episode the Evans family experiences a run of seeming good luck after they hang J.J. 's painting of Black Jesus. Still, Florida refuses to entertain the notion that the painting is responsible.
Donley went on to write almost 100 episodes for popular television shows in the 1970s and 1980s which include Diff’rent Strokes, Who’s the Boss, Benson, Sanford and Son, and The Jeffersons. In the many scripts for popular television shows that he wrote, Donley always aimed to make his audience not only laugh but think deeply as well. This writing style paid off when he won a NAACP Image Award for the Best Situation Comedy Episode of 1984 for a Diff’rent Strokes episode entitled “Roots.” The storyline follows Willis and Arnold, young African American brothers adopted by a wealthy Caucasian man as they try to convince their friends from their old neighborhood in Harlem that they haven’t lost their connection to their Black heritage.
In season one of Good Times, Donley also wrote a groundbreaking episode entitled “The Check Up” which featured James’, the patriarch of the Evans family, reluctance to have some of his health issues checked out by a doctor. The episode was later screened in African American communities to combat a similar distrust of medical intervention in cases of high blood pressure.
During his time in Hollywood, Donley worked with industry superstars like Bill Cosby, Sinbad, and Curtis Mayfield. He wrote three network pilots and has worked for ABC and CBS. He formed his production company after getting a developmental deal with Universal Studios. He created and produced “The Comedy Game Show” starring Mother Love.
Nowadays, Donley spends his time encouraging young Black people to pursue creative careers. He also works with organizations dedicated to representation and equity for minorities in film and television. In a 2019 interview with KATV, Donley stated that people should, "Dream your dreams with passion. Whatever they are. Never give up!"
In 2019, Donley was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.
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Written by: Ninfa O. Barnard
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