"The Amos 'n Andy Show" (1951) TV series 1951-1953

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Creators:

Freeman F. Gosden
Charles J. Correll

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

28 June 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Stories mostly centered on The Kingfish's schemes to get rich, often by duping his brothers in the Mystic Knights of the Sea Lodge...

Plot Keywords:

Controversial | African American | Canned Laughter | Cult TV | Based On Radio Show

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Alvin Childress	...	Amos Jones (60 episodes, 1951-1952)
Spencer Williams	...	Andrew 'Andy' Hogg Brown / ... (60 episodes, 1951-1952)
Tim Moore	...	George 'Kingfish' Stevens (60 episodes, 1951-1952)
Johnny Lee	...	Algonquin J. Calhoun / ... (26 episodes, 1951)
Ernestine Wade	...	Sapphire Stevens (25 episodes, 1951)

Also Known As:

"Amos 'n Andy" (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

30 min (78 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Trivia:

In order to assemble their dream cast, the producers enticed veteran performers Tim Moore (George "Kingfish" Stevens) and Spencer Williams (Andrew Brown) with very lucrative (for the time) offers, as both had already retired after long careers in show business.

Quotes:

Sapphire's Mama: George, why do you need a clock? You ain't got nowhere to go and there ain't nobody gonna care if you get there.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Women of the House: Miss Sugarbaker Goes to Washington: Part 1" (1995)

Funny stuff!

This was ( and still is) a funny show. It was removed from the air waves because the NAACP felt is was degrading. The truth is, it was not degrading to Black folks. The NAACP has managed to keep it off the air to this day. It is possible to rent some of these shows at local video stores. If you want to laugh, just rent them. They offer a timeless brand of humor, just as I Love Lucy & The Andy Griffith Show. Sadly, they are banned from modern television. The actors on this show were comedy legends. The people who like to rewrite history love to say that Julia was first TV show with blacks, yadda, yadda, yadda.... It gave everyday, regular work to loads of Black actors, who never had it before or after. Even Jesse Jackson pronounced it as non-racist in the PBS documentary "Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy"(1986). If Jesse Jackson himself says it is not racist, then what more can be said?