good people

[Tom Kysilko]

Add the movie "Steel Magnolias" (1989).  Olympia Dukakas' character
says "Sounds like good people to me," referring to an individual, Shelby's
fiance.  From context it's pretty clear that she is praising the man's decency,
not his lineage.  The movie is set in Louisiana, and I believe the
screenwriter, Robert Harling, is a native of Louisiana.
--Tom Kysilko

Quoting Tom Dalzell <slangman at PACBELL.NET>:

>  My citations include Goldin (1950), Motley (1958), 'High School
> Confidential' (1958), HST's 'Hell's Angels' (1966), Braly's 'On the
> Yard' (1967), Electric Kool-Aid (1968), Ringlevio (1972), 'Serpico'
> (1973), 'After Hours' by Torres (1979), Herbert Huncke, the movies 'True
> Romance' (1993) and 'Copland' (1997).
>
> Tom Dalzell
>
> Benjamin Barrett wrote:
>
> >Does the expression "s/he is good people" have wide currency? I would like
> >to use it in some new contexts, but have heard it only in Alaska.
> >
> >Also, does the plural (they're good people) work with the same meaning? or
> >is there another form that is used?
> >
> >Benjamin Barrett
> >Baking the World a Better Place
> >www.hiroki.us
> >
> >
> >