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Christmas
Like many early television programs, the Amos 'n' Andy Show had it's beginning on radio originating on WMAQ in Chicago, March 19,1928, and it eventually became the longest-running radio program in broadcast history. Amos 'n' Andy was created by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, two white actors who portrayed the characters Amos Jones and Andy Brown by speaking in a Negro dialect. Thus the famous catch phrase: "Andy, I'se regusted! Amos 'n Andy, was first broadcast on television in June 1951, and continued for almost two years before the program was finally canceled in 1953 due to constant complaints of the so-called "black leaders" of the day. Amazingly enough Amos 'n' Andy was the first television series with an all-black cast and the only one of its kind to appear on prime-time, network television for another twenty years.
The adventures of Amos 'n Andy followed the antics and shenanigans of Amos Jones and Andy Brown, his caniving business associate; Kingfish Stevens, Algonquin J. Calhoun, the scheming lawyer; Lightnin,' a slow-moving janitor; Sapphire Stevens, The Kingfishs' wife, a loud interfering, domineering mother-in-law, and the infamous Madame Queen.
The controversy surrounding Amos 'n' Andy came to a boil in 1951 when the NAACP called for an official protest of the program. The organization outlined a list of specific items it felt were objectionable, for example, how "every character is either a clown or a crook," "Negro doctors are shown as quacks," and "Negro lawyers are shown as crooks." At the beginning of the 1951 season, the NAACP went into federal court seeking an injunction against its premiere. But to network executives, the show was harmless, not much different from Life with Liugi, The Goldbergs, or any other ethnically oriented show of the times and they were right. However, this was an attempt at censorship using the excuse of racism. It was the beginning of playing the "race card."
Unfortunately, censorship prevailed.
CBS eventually bowed to the pressure and canceled Amos 'n' Andy in 1953. They did so reluctantly because the show was a huge success with good writing, a very talented cast and great comedy. Even with so much crap and criticism Amos 'n' Andy remained in syndication well into the 1960s. It is currently available through limited sources on DVD.
Amos 'n' Andy Original Release Dates: June 28, 1951 - June 11, 1953 - Purchased Amos 'n' Andy on DVD.
Amos and Andy Radio Shows on CD.
Amos 'n' Andy Radio History
Amos and Andy Cast:
Alvin Childress as Amos Jones
Spencer Williams as Andrew Hogg Brown
Tim Moore as George 'Kingfish' Stevens
Johnny Lee as Algonquin J. Calhoun
Ernestine Wade as Sapphire Stevens
Nick Stewart as Lightnin'
Amanda Randolph as Sapphire's Mama
Lillian Randolph as Madame Queen
Sapphire
Lightnin'
Calhoun
Mama
Whatever happend to the cast:
Tim Moore died in 1958 of tuberculosis, Johnny Lee in 1965 of a heart attack, Amanda Randolph in 1967 of a stroke, Spencer Williams in 1969 of kidney disease, Lillian Randolph in 1980 of a stroke, Ernestine Wade in 1983, Alvin Childress in 1986 of Parkinson's disease and diabetes, Nick Stewart and Jester Hairston died in 2000.
