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

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

 (Series Cast Summary - 5 of 42)

Alvin Childress	...	Amos Jones (69 episodes, 1951-1953)
Spencer Williams	...	Andrew 'Andy' Hogg Brown / ... (69 episodes, 1951-1953)
Tim Moore	...	George 'Kingfish' Stevens / ... (69 episodes, 1951-1953)
Johnny Lee	...	Algonquin J. Calhoun / ... (48 episodes, 1951-1953)
Ernestine Wade	...	Sapphire Stevens (46 episodes, 1951-1953)

Also Known As:

Amos 'n Andy (USA) (short title)
The Adventures of Kingfish (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min (78 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Trivia:

In the documentary Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy (1983) (TV), Charles J. Correll's son Richard Correll stated that one of the reasons Spencer Williams was cast in the role of Andrew H. Brown was because he looked a lot like Charles Correll in blackface.

Quotes:

[Kingfish had told Andy he can teach him to fly a plane]
George 'Kingfish' Stevens: You see, Andy; the first thing you need to fly is excellent eyesight. Now, how much is 10 plus 10?
[writes problem on the board]
Andrew Hogg Brown: 20.
George 'Kingfish' Stevens: Ok; now, what is ten times 2?
Andrew Hogg Brown: 20.
George 'Kingfish' Stevens: Oh, you see Andy; you has twenty-twenty vision.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The John Cleese Interview (1998) (V)

Top notch sit-com, on par with any other.Is as Immortal as 'The Honeymooners.'

After 2 years on the CBS Television Network, the video version of 'Amos 'n' Andy' found itself without a sponsor. The series was canceled. This was truly a shame, for it is indeed as funny as anything that has been on TV before or since.

Following an extensive industry wide hunt for the most talented and fittingly cast players to bring the longtime favourite radio series to the small screen, a special program featuring Hal Roach, Jr. and the creators Freeman Gosden and Charles Corell(all whites), was telecast to introduce us to the actors now playing the characters.

Pressure from the NAACP, whose position that the series, with its comical characters, was demeaning to Black Americans. The sponsor, Blatz Beer of Milwaukee, did not renew its sponsorship.We have always contended that Amos 'n' Andy no more represented a true picture of Black Americans than The Honeymooners' Kramden & Norton were meant to be an accurate portrayal of White Americans. They were both designed to make us LAUGH!!

The series was over, but went into syndicated re-runs which made most of us aware of these very funny episodes featuring such a great and talented cast.

I don't know of anyone who took the show 'seriously', for we all knew that Andy, Kingfish,Calhoun, Saphire, Momma, Madame Queen, Lightnin', etc. were all played for laughs, with Amos, his family and others providing a strong level-headed,serious counter balance.

Meanwhile, the Radio series continued, never seeming to attract any real criticism.

In the end, we the public were the losers; along with Alvin Childress, Spencer Williams, Jr., Tim Moore, Ernestine Wade, Amanda and Vivian Randolph, Johnny Lee, 'Nicodemas' Stewart and other Black players. They were picked from the best available talent, only to suffer a premature termination.