Amos 'n Andy

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

I know that this was a very controversial show back in the day and the NAACP got it taken off the air and it has never returned to TV. I also know that in those days we as Black People had to pretty much settle for these type of roles, but it does not take away from how talented this cast was, they did what they had to do. I see no difference from this show then shows like the Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres. I applaud this cast of wonderful actors and actresses for paving the way. You have to admit that they are very funny...

AMOS 'N ANDY

Adapted to television, The Amos 'n Andy Show was produced from 1951 to 1953 with 78 filmed episodes. The TV series used African-American actors in the main roles, although the actors were instructed to keep their voices and speech patterns as close to Gosden and Correll's as possible. Produced at the Hal Roach Studios for CBS, it was one of the first television series to be filmed with a multicamera setup, four months before the more famous I Love Lucy used the technique. The classic theme song was "The Perfect Song."

The main roles in the television series were played by the following African-American actors:

Amos Jones - Alvin Childress
Andrew Hogg Brown (Andy) - Spencer Williams
George "Kingfish" Stevens - Tim Moore
Sapphire Stevens - Ernestine Wade
Ramona Smith (Sapphire's Mama) - Amanda Randolph
Madame Queen - Lillian Randolph
Algonquin J. Calhoun - Johnny Lee
Lightnin' - Nick Stewart (aka, Nick O'Demus)

This time, the NAACP mounted a formal protest almost as soon as the television version began, and that pressure was considered a primary factor in the video version's cancellation. The show was repeated in syndicated reruns until 1966 when CBS acquiesced to pressure from the NAACP and the growing civil rights movement and withdrew the program. Until recently, the television show had been released only on bootleg videotape versions, but by 2005, 72 of the 79 known TV episodes were available in DVD sets.

Many of the TV episodes were devoted to comedian Tim Moore as Kingfish, without the participation of Alvin Childress and Spencer Williams as Amos 'n' Andy. This is because the Kingfish-only episodes were really a spin-off series, The Adventures of Kingfish, which first aired on CBS on January 4, 1955. When the Amos 'n' Andy half-hours went into syndication, The Adventures of Kingfish shows were added to the syndicated package, under the Amos 'n' Andy series title.

In 1978, a one-hour documentary film, Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy, aired in television syndication (and in later years, on PBS). It told a brief history of the franchise from its radio days to the CBS series, and featured interviews with then-surviving cast members. The film also contained a select complete episode of the classic TV series that had not been seen since it was pulled from the air in 1966.

In 2004, the now-defunct Trio network brought Amos 'n' Andy back to television for one night in an effort to re-introduce the series to 21st century audiences. Its festival featured the Anatomy of a Controversy documentary, followed by the 1930 Check and Double Check film.

Although the series is suggested to be in the public domain, the trademarks and copyrights to Amos 'n' Andy are controlled by CBS. Any official video/DVD release, if it ever does happen, will be handled via Paramount Home Entertainment/CBS DVD.


AMOS 'N ANDY...CALL LEHIGH 4-9900 (PART 1)



AMOS 'N ANDY...CALL LEHIGH 4-9900 (PART 2)



AMOS 'N ANDY...CALL LEHIGH 4-9900 (PART 3)

[Edie Antoinette]

Unbelievable 2 year old memories that I have. Yep, I remember them when I was 2!!!!

[KnightD12]

I could understand the NAACP`s position on this show. It surely did show black people in a bad light. BUT.....It was one of the funniest TV shows EVER on TV!! It was not a good image to broadcast when it was the only image of blacks that people saw, along with Rochester from the Jack Benny show. But now blacks are portrayed on TV as everything , from President to rocket scientist. I wish they would re-broadcast the show. "Hello Brother Andy, have I got a deal for you!" LOL

[Edie Antoinette]

Check this out! I also posted it in Cinema Treasures:
Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy Of A Controversy

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

Thank you Mama Edie, i'll look at that in the morning