Eric Monte is his own kind of black history icon. As a television and film writer, he brought 'The Jeffersons,' 'Good Times' and the classic 'Cooley High' to life. Monte created some of the most enduring black characters in television and film, for better or worse. He may have introduced white America to its first, three-dimensional black friends. "Is that why they hate us so much?" he deadpans.

He's a funny guy.

Monte's work still resonates today through reruns in living rooms all around the world. He is working on a book and finalizing preparations to bring 'Good Times' to the big screen. BlackVoices talked with him about his work, his struggles in Hollywood and the state of blacks on TV.

How did the 'The Jeffersons' get on TV?

Well, I was selling weed and writing poetry out in L.A. every weekend, and Mike Evans, who played Lionel Jefferson, came to my house one day and said, "What I want you to do is write a show that centers on my character, I'll put both our names on it and take it in to [producer] Norman [Lear], and we'll split the money." So I wrote a show in which I created the characters of Michael's mother and father, George and Louise Jefferson. Michael took it in to Norman. 'The Jeffersons' was the first spin-off of Lear's 'All in the Family.' One of the first things he said to me was "America will never buy a black man calling white people 'honky' in a sitcom." I crafted the characters and the storyline, but I didn't write for the show.

You then wrote 'Good Times,' correct?

I pitched 'Good Times' in 1971; it didn't go on the air until 1974. In those three years we had about 20 meetings. The one note I got in every meeting was, "Get rid of the father, a strong black man in a sitcom won't work." All the white writers on the show wanted to do stereotypes and I refused, so we'd argue and fight. They would ignore what I suggested and take all that "Yassuh Boss" stuff to the cast, and John Amos and Esther Rolle would have a fit. Then they'd give them what I wrote and the cast would like it, shoot it and it would go on the air. Originally I pictured J.J. as a street-smart hustler who drove his honest, hard-working parents crazy. His character became a buffoon.

How did you end up writing the screenplay for the 'Cooley High'?

This white producer named Steve Krantz and I would hang out and we went to see a movie called 'The Education of Sonny Carson.' After the movie he said, "Now that was real black life." I said, "No it wasn't." I told him the story about where I grew up and he filmed our talk and took it around to the studios. That became the pitch for 'Cooley High.' The movie was ripped off for a TV show called 'What's Happening!!' Even though they admit 'Cooley' inspired the TV show, I never got a dime for it.

You say that you were blackballed from the industry -- why and how so?

I pitched a show to [television producer] Marcy Carsey that eventually became the basis for 'The Cosby Show,' with a two-parent, middle-class family and a fine, professional wife. That was controversial, because back then Big Mama was the favored stereotype of black maternal figures. But no one was having it. I didn't want to fight white people, who had never been in a black neighborhood, let alone a black household, about how to depict blacks. I filed lawsuits against Norman Lear and others I didn't think were crediting or compensating me properly. I had run-ins with all the heavy people in TV about my work and black depictions on TV, and got labeled as being hard to work with.

So what have you done since those days?

Right now I'm in the process of publishing a book I wrote called 'Blueprint for Peace.' It tells how we can end war, eliminate taxes completely and reduce crime by 70 percent.

You've also done some TV here and there, correct?

Yes. I did an episode of 'The Wayans Brothers,' and 'Moesha.' That's it. I consider the 'Moesha' episode I did the absolute worst script I've ever written.

What do you think the future is for blacks on TV?

The current crop of black shows suck big time! But I'm getting ready to get back out there and since they've done nothing good, what I will do will blow minds and be big hits. There's no doubt about it.

About the Author

jimi izrael is a journalist and opinion writer living in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. His work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Philadelphia Enquirer. He blogs occasionally at www.jimiizrael.com.