Amos 'n Andy TV Show
(Amos and Andy)
1951 - 1953

Key Cast:
Amos Jones - Alvin Childress
Andy Brown - Spencer Williams
"Kingfish" Stevens - Tim Moore
Sapphire Stevens - Ernestine Wade
Sapphire's Mama - Amanda Randolph

"Amos 'n Andy" was the first Black television show. It has also been the most controversial.

The NAACP led protests against the "Amos 'n Andy" show because they believed that racial stereotyping
permeated the program. However, there were others who felt that "Amos and Andy" was simply a funny
comedy sitcom showcasing some of the best Black comedy talent of the time.

Consequently, "Amos and Andy" lasted only two seasons on television - from 1951 to 1953. The show
continued briefly on TV in syndication afterwards, but because of ongoing protests against it,
"Amos 'n Andy" was taken off the air.

The Storyline
The "Amos 'n Andy" show was centered around the funny, get-rich-quick schemes of George "Kingfish" Stevens
(Tim Moore) who often ensnared Andy Brown (Spencer Williams) in his plans. The voice of reason was
usually Amos Jones (Alvin Childress), who also narrates some of the episodes.

Full of laughs, but extremely controversial, "Amos 'n Andy" does have its place in Black television
history.

• "Amos 'n Andy" began a s radio program. The show was created by Frank Gosden and Charles Correll.
It began in 1926 as the "Sam 'n Henry" show. When Gosden and Correll moved the program to another radio
station, they changed the name to "Amos 'n Andy." Because of the show's tremendous radio popularity, the
next natural progression was to make it a television program (which was a newly emerging medium at the time).
Since Gosden and Correll were White, it was decided not to use them for the TV program. Thus, the TV show
was launched with an all-Black cast.

• Spencer Williams, who stars as Andy, was also a well-known Race Movie director and writer. His 1941 film,
"The Blood of Jesus" is a Top 100 Black Classic Movie. There is a DVD set containing a collection of his films
called "The Spencer Williams Collection." Click here for details.

Buy the "Amos 'n Andy" Platinum Deluxe DVD Set
with Top Episodes
This DVD set contains 44 of the funniest episodes from the
"Amos 'n Andy" TV show. This entertaining program has
also been one of the most controversial Black comedy shows, too.

This special set contains 9 DVDs with 19 hours of comedy entertainment.

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to get purchase details.  

Ebay Sellers
You can find this "Amos 'n Andy" DVD set and others
for sale at Ebay, too. Some sellers are offering the sets
containing all of the episodes.

Buy "Amos & Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy" on DVD
This DVD goes through the entire history of the "Amos and Andy"
show starting from its inception on radio. There are numerous
interviews, including some with former TV cast members.

This DVD aptly explores the controversy that surrounds this
historic Black TV program.

 
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for purchase details.