While the Three Stooges and I Love Lucy only depicted "black" actors as servants, Amos n Andy showed black actors portraying black judges, lawyers, police officers, business owners, home owners, and yet, also moronic individuals who had trouble pronouncing and using proper English.
AMOS AND ANDY TV EPISODES SERIES
The series cast a all black cast to depict its characters. At the time, and to its credit, Amos n Andy was the first and only depiction of a "black community" on national television. "Amos 'n' Andy" originally aired on CBS from June 1951 to June 1953 and was a huge hit, but was yanked off the air under tremendous pressure from the NAACP who felt it was racist. Now, over 30 years later, the opinion on Amos n Andy is still divided.
In fact, CBS has totally washed their hands of the show that they actually gave bootleggers permission to sell the show without any legal issues.įor 1983, this documentary reminds its modern audience about the dawn of television and how the "black" community was showcased to the world. It's funny to note that this show hasn't been seen since 1966 and remains so untouchable today. Especially when you consider the highest paid black actor was Al Jolson who was white! This documentary runs just under an hour so they never go into great details but there's an interesting story to be told here and hopefully something better will come along. As it states in the documentary, this show put black people to work in front of and behind the camera so to take these jobs away is just downright stupid IMO. This was the first and I guess it paid the price as being the first black show. I think it's a damn shame that the NAACP had this show canceled considering there were no other shows to feature a black cast. Having gone through some of the race films from this period I've gotten a better understand of why some would be offended but I personally can't see the issue with this show. The show was made for laughs and as a comedy it worked. As the host says, Amos and Andy weren't calling each other the "N" word nor was this show meant to be some sort of documentary. Redd Foxx, Jesse Jackson and various others are interviewed about the show and we see clips from several episodes and I must say that I found the show pretty innocent and at times downright funny. I highly recommend you see this show the next time it's telecast and judge for yourself.Īmos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy (1986) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Interesting if brief documentary about the history of Amos 'n Andy from their radio show to the controversial 1951 CBS show, which was eventually canceled two years into its run due to the NAACP protest. So, to sum it all up, 'guys, what's the problem? Why make a mountain out of a little molehill?' That mountain has grown for almost four decades.let's appreciate "Amos N' Andy" in a positive light. Kirby's example, perhaps CBS will change their minds and release it officially on video. Controversy may still keep reruns of the "Amos N' Andy" show off the air, but if everyone in the world followed Mr. The narrator, George Kirby, is right.we should see "Amos N' Andy" for what it is.a show that paved the way for the African-American television shows that have followed since the show's original cancellation. Even in its condensed form, this episode is just a little reminder of classic television at its best.this, of course, was before "I Love Lucy" went on the air and became a success of its own.
AMOS AND ANDY TV EPISODES MOVIE
This program contains a condensed version of a selected series episode where Kingfish buys what turns out to be a movie lot. There are enough clips from the original show to remind you of a time when life was so innocent, when all we can do is just watch a show and laugh without looking at the negative issues that surround this show even to this very day. Seeing this show today as I did in a recent rerun on the TRIO network, those voices still speak to us. The show was produced in 1986, involving some of the then-surviving cast. This program tells you only the basics of the history of the legendary television show, but it is enough to make you think. I'm surprised there has not been any other documentary about a television show that I see today as being years ahead of its time.
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