Origin of the phrase "good times, good times..." ?

April 27, 2004 12:13 PM

What is the origin of the phrase "good times, good times..." (said in a mock wistful tone)?
posted by mkultra to Writing & Language (24 answers total)

I know it from the mock-NPR show "The Delicious Dish" from Saturday Night Live.
posted by biscotti at 12:18 PM on April 27, 2004

I got it from the late, great Phil Hartman as Bill McNeil in "NewsRadio."
posted by keswick at 12:21 PM on April 27, 2004

Ditto biscotti.
posted by loquax at 12:23 PM on April 27, 2004

I'd say The Delicious Dish sketch popularized it, but I could swear there were other comedians doing a similar thing 10+ years ago, where you tell a dark horrible story that ends with you being beaten verbally or physically, then you add "Good times." afterwards.
posted by mathowie at 12:36 PM on April 27, 2004

The Boston Sports Guy was using it in his columns in 1998, and I've no reason to think that he invented it.
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:40 PM on April 27, 2004

I second the Phil Hartman reference, and I can't believe he'd be using Public Domain Comedy, so I say we give to him as a posthumous tribute.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 12:43 PM on April 27, 2004

Response by poster: God, I love this site. Thanks, everyone!
posted by mkultra at 1:18 PM on April 27, 2004

Didn't billy crystal and christopher guest use that when they would do the construction workers on SNL? It's a long time ago, but i remember they would say something like, "remember when you drove that 2-inch nail up into your brain?" "yeah, that really hurt", "remember when you welded your arm to the girder?", "oh yeah, that smarted", etc.. etc...and then "good times, good times" (i'm probably misremembering tho)
posted by amberglow at 1:18 PM on April 27, 2004

amberglow, I thought they ended every quip with "I hate it when that happens"
posted by mathowie at 1:31 PM on April 27, 2004

mathowie: I know what you mean.
posted by waxpancake at 1:47 PM on April 27, 2004

SNL is quite the catchphrase factory. I wonder if those writers get paid bonus money each time their catchphrase gets used, the way Gartner Group analysts get paid for getting quoted in the media. It certainly makes for a contrived, grasping flavor of "comedy."
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:59 PM on April 27, 2004

Adam Carolla has been saying it on Love Line for quite a while. Urban Dictionary says SNL was first, but I think it was Love Line first.
posted by turbodog at 2:01 PM on April 27, 2004

I seem to remember it from the Drew Carey show (his two friends, Lewis and Oswald, would say it). Their usage pre-dated and was 47% more wistful than the “Delicious Dish” sketch on snl.
posted by Gary at 2:05 PM on April 27, 2004

I second Adam Carolla / LoveLine as the place I heard it first.
posted by falconred at 2:27 PM on April 27, 2004

I don't know whether Adam Carolla developed it, but he's where I heard it first, and his typical usage is by far the most amusing. ("So, caller, you're 13, got your 19-year old girlfriend pregnant, and now she's working two jobs as a carpenter in the middle of her third trimester while you're smoking a joint before your algebra exam? Good times.")
posted by evinrude at 2:45 PM on April 27, 2004

"I hate it when that happens"

Yeah! that's the ticket! ; >
posted by amberglow at 3:08 PM on April 27, 2004

Mark another down for Adam Carolla and Loveline.
posted by 4easypayments at 3:13 PM on April 27, 2004

Yet another vote for Adam Carolla on Loveline. Among the best radio has to offer - don't let the 'man show' affiliation put you off.
posted by adamkempa at 9:09 AM on April 28, 2004

Phil Hartman may not have done it first, but he did it best. By the way, when will NewsRadio come out on DVD? It just has to. Please? Who has the power?
posted by kmel at 9:23 AM on April 28, 2004

An answer to my own question. Yay!
posted by kmel at 10:41 AM on April 28, 2004

Thanks for asking this, mkultra. I always thought it was a way of recognizing fellow NewsRadio fans, but in the last year I've heard it said all over the place. Good to know the true source (although it will always a Bill McNeil line to me).
posted by jess at 10:55 AM on April 28, 2004

I don't remember ever hearing this phrase before. But I avoid loveline at all costs, so maybe that's why.
posted by bingo at 10:59 AM on April 28, 2004

Response by poster: jess- My pleasure :) I've been hearing it more and more often over the past year, and have even started saying it myself, despite having no idea where it came from... UNTIL NOW!
posted by mkultra at 11:57 AM on April 28, 2004

despite having no idea where it came from... UNTIL NOW!

Where would that be? I heard about twenty different answers here with no 'first-aired' proof. Corolla? Hartman? NPR sketch?
posted by dgaicun at 4:07 AM on April 29, 2004