And who could forget Fonzie’s black friend, Sticks, on “Happy Days”?
Sticks only appeared in two episodes, but I’ll never forget him. Soon thereafter, comic actor John-Anthony Bailey co-starred in a kiddie show called “Wonderbug.” He was also in the memorable “Big Jim Slade” sketch from “Kentucky Fried Movie.”Between 1984 and 1994, Mr. Bailey starred in a lot of pornos under the name “Jack Baker.” Movies such as “The Adventures of Dick Black, the Black Dick,” “Ubangis on Uranus” and “Slut Safari.”
Bailey died of bladder cancer in 1994. Let us remember him now with the latest installment of... Before They Were Porn Stars.
The top clip below is from John-Anthony Bailey’s first appearance on “Happy Days” in 1975.
The bottom clip is a (non-sex) scene from “New Wave Hookers,” a mid-’80s classic which included such X-rated all-stars as Ginger Lynn, Traci Lords, Jamie Gillis and Peter North.
OMG! i'm scared...before reading your prose, i saw the picture and thought...THAT'S STIX!!!!
ReplyDeletesay it isn't so...
OK, now i'm really messed up. he was the black guy on wonder bug!!! that show so irritated me...proto-feminist. the girl would say something to save the day , and the white guy would restate, with the black guy telling him he was right. errrr. electo-woman and dyno-girl. and the mad scientists. i forgot their deal. and there was some white dude in the "lead" band named "jive turkey" with a afro. oh, and wasn't the lead guy of this same band the actor who's character married valerie b. on "one day at a time"?
ReplyDeletegee, thank you UBM...i thought i had blocked this memory... :)
I think you showed about the only 2 minutes you could on that New Wave Hookers clip
ReplyDelete^ Well, Dick, it was the only bit up on YouTube, so you must be right.
ReplyDelete:^)
Sticks was a porno star? Holee sh*t! Such a shame for the only Black person I ever remember seeing on "Happy Days"...he was like Jackie Robinson, haha
ReplyDeleteUtterly brilliant. I bow before your genius.
ReplyDeleteChauncey DeVega
Interesting! I remember him from the Dark Brothers' movies, but for some reason I never made the connection to Sticks... or to Wonderbug (one of my faves... damn, now I'm thinking I gotta holler at a Sid & Marty Kroft DVD this weekend!)
ReplyDelete^ Note to self: idea for future comedy sketch... "Sid & Marty Dark... the other Dark Brothers."
ReplyDeleteHe'll always be "C.C." to me.
ReplyDeleteThat's really depressing.
ReplyDeleteChauncey: Thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteOMG! I remember him. He did porno? Oh boy.
ReplyDeleteThe flip side is that I remember when there were white people on black shows like "Good Times" and "Sanford and Son."
ReplyDeleteI remember when Florida's nephew (your boy John-Anthony Bailey) was being pursued by the FBI for robbery. Michael thought he was innocent and being targeted for his black nationalist activities. When they found out he was a plain old thug trying to get his, I remember a little light going out in Michael's eyes. Tee-heedy...tee-heedy.
... I remember when there were white people on black shows like "Good Times"...
ReplyDeleteLike the white chick who wanted Thelma to join her sorority (to be the token black)? I feels you, JamPlain.
I remember when Florida's nephew (your boy John-Anthony Bailey)...
ReplyDeleteHe was also in the famous blackout/looting episode of "The Jeffersons." Young dude had something.
I've long been curious about dude's story; I wish somebody would make a cheesy tv movie about him.
ReplyDeleteNice Jack Baker post! BTW, I'm the guy that posted that New Wave Hookers clip. When I'm not feeling so lazy, I'll get around to some more!
ReplyDelete-Matt
^ Cheers, Matt! Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDelete