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|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ernie, as played by Thalmus Rasulala | ||||
| Personal Information | ||||
| Gender: | Male | |||
| Birthplace | Cartersville, Mississippi, U.S. | |||
| Occupation/ Career: |
Professional gambler | |||
| Character description: |
Arrives at the Evans' apartment claming to be in the public relations business, until a visit from two armed hoods demanding he repay a gambling debt reveals his true job, as James reveals it the rest of the family | |||
| Character information | ||||
| Appeared on: | Good Times | |||
| Episodes appeared in: | "The Houseguest" (Season 2) | |||
| Character played by: | Thalmus Rasulala | |||
Ernie Harris is a character who appears in the Season 2 episode of Good Times titled "The Houseguest". The part of Ernie is played by Thalmus Rasulala, who also appears as Oscar Harris, Willona's boss, in the Season 3 episode titled "Florida the Women".
About Ernie[]
James welcomes his childhood pal Ernie into the Evans household, as Ernie quickly regales the family with old childhood stories of he and James, whom he used to call "Patches" growing up, as James claimed that he was "the poorest kid on the block", as he said while other kids had "patches on their clothes", he had "patches on his patches!"
Ernie also boasts of his success in the, as he claims to be, "public-relations business". That Ernie may be slightly exaggerating becomes clear when a pair of unsavory-looking hoodlums show up at the apartment, demanding immediate payment for an enormous gambling debt, $5,000 to be exact.
When James, who was able to get the hoods to leave by telling him that Ernie had dropped by briefly then spilt confronts him, Ernie makes as if it's no big deat, saying "For $10,000 they'd kill you, but for $6,000, they'd only break your arm!"
Ernie claims that "no one understands him", or his gambling career, not even his wife (he had, at first, claimed to be single), that she had left him because of his gambling addiction.
James reveals Ernie's true career, a problem gambler, to Florida, as they confront him here about some missing silver salt/pepper shakers in scene from "The Houseguest".
When James, who said that he couldn't have any of Ernie's gambling influence around his family, tells Ernie to leave; but, before Ernie leaves, James goes into his briefcase, only to find some sterling silver salt and pepper shakers which was a family heirloom, worth about $80, that Florida and James got as a wedding present, that had all of a sudden wound up missing upon Ernie's visit earlier in the day. As he reveals Ernie's true occupation "gambler, aka, loser", to the family, but insists that if he takes the shakers, as he tells Ernie, "It'll only prove you're sick!", in that he has a problem with his gambling addiction.
As Ernie goes to the door, he turns back, and takes the shakers, claiming "I'll bring them back, with interest!"