Why Judy Pace is One of the Flyest Black Women on Earth
Ask anyone familiar with my eccentricities and they will tell you I’ve got this weird obsession for “Sanford and Son”. I can quote lines from episodes verbatim, tell you exactly what kind of drug Lamont, Fred, or Rallo are on in each season, and still get all tingly inside every time I watch the episode “The Way to Lamont’s Heart.” And why’s that? Two words people — THIS WOMAN:
That, ladies and gentlemen and gender non-conforming pixies is Judy Pace, hands down one the finest black women ON Earth. Everything from her supernova eyes to her sexy country drawl made my heart do double dutch whenever I saw her grace my TV screen. And can you blame me?
There’s more to Judy Pace than just her good looks and Southern Californian charm. The Pacemaker was way ahead of her time, breaking barriers that she’s often unrecognized for. Did you know she was referred to as “the Black Greta Garbo”? Before she started her career as an actor she was a model who left the industry after failing to win in a single category!
Judy Pace wasn’t just a pretty face but a powerhouse of talent. In the late ’60s and early ’70s, she dominated the screen alongside queens like Pam Grier and Tamara Dobson with roles that flipped the script on how Black women were portrayed in Hollywood.
In the late 60s and early 70s Pace was in shows like Peyton Place, Good Times, Sanford and Son and movies like Cotton Comes to Harlem, showing off her range and depth, and paving the way for future generations of actresses. Unfortunately, her stint in Hollywood was short-lived, and she left the industry in the late 70s.
So, yes, when I say I dig Judy Pace, it’s not just because she lit up my adolescent mind with her visions of sugar plums on the set of “Sanford and Son”, it’s because she’s a legend, an icon. Judy Pace was, and forever will be, a remarkable force in black film and television!
