I used to watch this long ago when I was a kid, and loved it. As far as the cast is concerned they were all professional and so well cast, that you can stack them up against any other Comedy series and they would win hands down. Tim Moore, who portrayed the King Fish, possessed the most unbelievable sense of comic timing you will ever see anywhere.
Here's the deal. This show---a clone of The Honeymooners, or was it the other way around---is the same as Jackie Gleason's show, it's the same as The Flintstones, ---except it's funnier. It has better direction than JG's show, it has better sets, it has more cameras. It is far superior both technically and comedy-wise. Is it Racist? In today's world, I guess so. Is it funny--Yeah! Does that make me a Racist? NO! PCness has deprived all of us of the best.
Amos And Andy lived next door with people like George Burns, Jack Benny, ect and were brilliant geniuses. I recognized this as a white child in the 60s seeing them in reruns. Loved them then. Too bad that they were lost due to the 60s civil rights movement. They should have been upheld for their achievements during that time. Now revel at their greatness! ps weren't they also in some sort of cartoon?
Many people thought this show was detremental to African Americans..but as a young boy it taught me that there were Black Judges, lawyers, doctors and pharmacists to name a few professions that Blacks in this country were more than just entertainers..It was a comedy, it was supposed to make peoplke laugh...and it did...
As a young black comedic actor I owe All the so called "bad stereotype" actors and actresses a Huge debt,because had it not been for them paving the road for me and so many others to walk on,I know for a fact that I wouldn't be here. Thank you everyone. Hattie McDaniel,Lincoln Perry,Eddie Rochester,Willie Best,Louise Beavers,Ethel Waters. God bless you all!
As a young Black American adult female I have to say I will ALWAYS love Amos and Andy! I wish I could go back and give big hug and kiss to all the original television cast members. They helped to pave the way!!!
One of my FAVORITE shows. Always loved the schemes Kingfish would come up with and his expressions. Sapphire always knew Kingfish was up to something. Thank you for sharing this with us.
This show wasn't particularly offensive... it was rather like the "Honeymooners" (which, in retrospect, seemed FAR worse, with Ralph more or less saying he was going to beat up Alice).
This is the first time that ever seen Mr.Johnny Lee("Algonquin J.Calhoon")without his eyeglasses.Roy Glen went onto play "Dr.John Prentis'"(Sid Portier's)dad in the movie"Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?".
GROWING UP AS A KID, I LOOKED FORWARD TO THE GREAT HUMOR IN THE AMOS AND ANDY PROGRAM. NOW AT AGE 67 I AM THANKFUL THAT I AM ONCE AGAIN ENJOY THIS MEMORABLE GREAT PROGRAM OF THE PAST IN A VIDEO CD LIBRARY. I DON'T THINK THAT IT MADE THE BLACK COMMUNITY LOOK BAD IN ANY WAY, IT WAS JUST A GREAT SHOW. I CONTINUE TO ENJOY SANFORD AND SON EVERY NIGHT, ANOTHER GREAT BLACK CHARACTER PROGRAM WITH GREAT ENTERTAINING HUMOR.
GROWING UP AS A KID, I LOOKED FORWARD TO THE GREAT HUMOR IN THE AMOS AND ANDY PROGRAM. NOW AT AGE 67 I AM THANKFUL THAT I AM ONCE AGAIN ENJOY THIS MEMORABLE GREAT PROGRAM OF THE PAST IN A VIDEO CD LIBRARY. I DON'T THINK THAT IT MADE THE BLACK COMMUNITY LOOK BAD IN ANY WAY, IT WAS JUST A GREAT SHOW. I CONTINUE TO ENJOY SANFORD AND SON EVERY NIGHT, ANOTHER GREAT BLACK CHARACTER PROGRAM WITH GREAT ENTERTAINING HUMOR.
Jester Hairston (the first guy introduced and who was on TV in the show 'Amen') was a very talented man. This from Wikipedia...Hairston wrote the song "Mary's Boy Child" in 1956, possibly the only popular Christmas song written by an African-American. He also wrote the song "Amen", which he dubbed for the Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field (1963). He arranged traditional "Negro spirituals". Most of Hairston's film work was in the field of composing, arranging, and choral conducting).
everybody knows a Kingfish, he makes life more interesting. Whwn we were growing up, when Amos & Andy came on, things were quiet, and we laughed for 30 minutes. Fine and funny actors. Sure miss the show. Martin
@nicodagger Yeah. Inexcusable lingo now - inexcusable then too. But dude, realize that this is from decades ago forchristsakes! Horrible but normal back then. You must be young. I was alive when they were still saying "colored people".
You know there were no racist remarks made to make Spencer williams look bad, and the idea of the show being racist. Let's look at BET and come of the other crap they put out to day. Rap isn't rasict no not to the blacks but the whites, Amos N Andy had to be one of the funniest shows ever produced. To be able to go back in time when people weren't so up tight about the color of a persons skin.
we couldn't do a better job then the boy we found in ok city.....lol, what people don't know spencer williams was one of the first black film directors.
@skillvill Since his full name was Spencer Williams, Jr. I never have known if it was he or his father who was the great "black cinema" film director and actor. The old films from the 30s LOOK like this man who played Andrew H. Brown, but this COULD be his son. Does anybody know more about the black cinema than I to clear this up please for me. THANKS in advance. A film lover. AND an Amos 'N' Andy lover.
@Mendy7952 he was an Actor. American stage, motion picture, and television actor, writer, director, and producer of the 1920s through 1960s. He played Andy (Andrew Brown) in the television version of the "Amos 'n' Andy" show, check wikipedia com, you can get the full story on his life.
Gosden in introducing Spencer Williams(Andrew Brown)referred to him as "the boy from Oklahoma City"would be totally unacceptable in main stream America today, although is alive and well behind the scenes, as we all know to be a fact.
This was a brilliant show with brilliant script and brilliant and talented actors, period. A piece of extraordinary Americana, its own icon, simply beyond words. This, of course, before the vicious, ruinous cudgel of political correctness. Tragically, the darling NAACP and theirs increasingly were offended (no sense of humor, or intelligence) and saw to it that the show was pulled. You gotta love the darling NAACP and their cause ("PC", too), you really do. Wutta bunch of dickheads.
What a great piece of TV history! It is a tiny point uncomfortable, especially when Gosden talks about "finding this boy" while introducing Spencer Williams, albiet an unfortunate sign of the times. But nevertheless, such a funny, funny show played by great, great actors. It is an ironic shame that the NAACP protest that pulled the show off the network in 1953 took jobs away from this amazing ensemble- - cutting off ones nose to teach the face a lesson? Was any Tyler Perry stuff less offensive?
I watched this show on TV when I was in my early teens. I never saw it as a representation of blacks but just a funny show. In fact, if anything, it humanized black people. Amos n' Andy ran at the same time as I love Lucy. Lucy was by far the zaniest of all of them. Nobody ever complained that Lucy gave redheads a bad name, nor thought all Cubans sang Babaloo.
I always wondered why there was so much controversy around this show. So I decided to do my own research. I always read and heard that the show was racist, and the original radio version probably was. I bought the series on DVD and I thought it was totally hilarious. It was not racist at all. Although, I can see that during that time period, we were struggling to have positive images on TV. I think the name of the show plagued it the most. I still watch it, beats any reality show today. Good TV.
I wish they would air reruns of this show. I've only seen a couple epsisodes, but they were pretty funny. I like to watch reruns of Three's Company, Sanford and Son, and All in the Family.
If people think this show makes black people look bad, what about the movie, The Nutty Professor and many others? It is called comedy and the people acting are not dumb, they are acting. Think about Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy.
What a treat to discover these great actors again. It hurts to know these great actors have been removed for generations after mine. Considering the advances of black actors that had doors opened for them by Amos N Andy, I hope that once again we will see these skilled people making America laugh today. Years later, I was taught to fly by a black man. Possibly the show helped me realize that blacks can be talented. Google "L C Amos San Antonio Lightning" to see another great one!
Obviously, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Hispanics...we all have issues and unique/specific stereotypes. However, "black stereotypes" are perpetuated more than any other culture/race. THAT'S THE DAMN ISSUE! The view of blacks in every realm is beyond lopsided. The middle class, proper speaking, intelligent, eloquently dressed blacks, of all cultures, are rarely shown which allows this natural disdain, hate, and bigotry to supersede rationality. The US has institutionalized generational racism.
@wbrutus22 The problem is: middle class, proper speaking, intelligent, eloquently dressed blacks of all cultures aren't FUNNY. They're just plain, boring folks trying to get along with and like everyone else. Try a silly giggle occasonaly, it relieves the stress of belonging to ANY culture. This was a great tv show, as was Cosby, Sanford and Son, and Archie Bunker.
why does the person who has this clip say something about the actor being called boy not to go against him but thats one of the few times i have heard it used in old clips like this and it sounded more like a compliment or friendly gesture than something demeaning
@angelganon Yeah, I heard that word "boy" and winced immediately. But I am going to say that the people in the clip are from their own time, from their own pasts and from their own perspectives. And I agree that "boy" is not that far from "my boy" or "m'hijo" or "ok, boys" and probably not _here_ at all demeaning. OF COURSE there ways in which the word was used and is used where it was meant to be demeaning. Let's all go forward arm in arm, okay? :)
"boy" yeah, I winced at it too. However, I don't think that the show itself was racist. One could compare Sanford and Son. This series made the funniest TV shows I ever saw. What a shame that it was pulled from the air. However, the pulling of the show does at least demonstrate that there were those in the USA, people even in power, who objected strongly to racisim. & after a brief flirtation w/ integration, we went back to segregation by the new name, "multiculturalism."
What years did Amos and Andy air. I'm 59, and I remember it only in reruns in like '62 or '63. Any help out there? Also, didn't Amos narrate the show, who played him, and wasn't he rarely seen?
as a 55 yr old male i enjoy any and all the shows whether " race " movies or tv shows shown on the local networks. this stuff kept me going as a youth coming up during the late 50's early 60's. with no role models seen on the tube i can appreciate viewing blacks in any capacity, know what i mean vern/
Amos and Andy Show was a comedy. They made me laugh when I was kid. They still do. The NAACP was wrong to persude CBS to take it off. No show can represent one race. But one show can represent a part of humanity that we can laught at. I still love to watch The Amos and Andy Show.
The NAACP said it showed blacks in a bad light but if you will notice all the parts, with a rare exception are played by blacks. Judges, policemen, realtors, attorneys as well as porters, & janitors. I believe this is the "I Love Lucy" of earlier TV programming. Well thought out, well written, well played, & well liked by everyone except the dreaded NAACP. An orginazation that raises funds for.......itself.
Yes I agree. The NAACP owes the families of the actors millions in lost income by their actions to prevent the program from reaching it's full potential. It could have run for years just as Sanford & Son did. What a shame.
I don't believe the NAACP owes any monotary damages but they should have kept their noses out of peoples careers, especially since all were weel paid & loved doing the shows. I may be wrong but I think Amos n Andy were on from the early 50's to the early 60's making it certainely landmark TV. I have all the episodes on disc & still laugh @ them. Whites could have flipped out over Archie Bunker but it was his bigotry that made him so ridiculously funny & most ppl understand this.
when you think about it, the show portrayed blacks as professionals, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and small businesspeople. and it was almost entirely an all-black cast. this back in the days when even Nat King Cole couldn't keep his TV show because affiliates in the south objected.
People need to chill about this racism shit. This was a great show and all of the actors deserve emmys for the outstanding performances they gave. C'mon, is this any worse than Sanford and Son??? I feel bad for the actors as they have never been properly recognized for their great work. I thank the producers, writers and actors/actresses for making us all laugh while this program aired.
Well, I Look At Amos & Andy As Tributes To Black Folks.......And Sanfrd & Son Was As Well, Sure Beats The Vulgarity Of Black (ouch, rappers ? ).....Thats NOT Music, Its Trash. Oh, By The Way, Im Working On Doin An Amos & Andy Tribute Myself, I Can Do ALL The Voices, And Write The Scripts, So THERE..LQQK For It Soon...............James : )
On the actor who plays Andy, "the boy that we found..." Honestly, I can't watch this stuff without cringing. No one should be able to watch this blatant racism without cringing.
Both Gosden and Correll had nothing but positive things to say about all of the characters who, ultimately, would take over the show that they originated decades before. True, they referred to the man who played 'Andy' as 'boy' - but it wasn't malicious; it was simply a term that, thankfully, is no longer used. Society has taken great strides to eliminate demeaning terms...but the hyper-criticism of 'Amos N' Andy' since the 1960's has been absurd.
Yeah man, I (a black man) would watch this with my grandparents as a kid, and we enjoyed it. People want to say that this show made black people look so dumb and pathetic...what about half the shit you see in the movies and BET??
I remember the first time I watched the movie 'Holiday Inn' with Bing Crosby. Crosby performed a number in 'blackface' - and I'll have to admit, I winced when I first saw it...but then I realized that the performance wasn't making fun of blacks - it was saluting them (a song about the Emancipation Proclamation), but we're taught that ALL of that entertainment was demeaning....so, I have to ask: what's more demeaning? Crosby in 'blackface' - or 'gansta' rappers' singing vulgarity?
Too right mate, if you think about it, people on the show like Kingfish was so smart that he was always hustling people hahaha, and what's racist about that? Tyler Perry's shows give black people a more stereotype than this.
Everybody can understand the sympathies of blacks with regards to being stereotyped in roles associated with shows like 'Amos N' Andy' - because there WERE no other roles for blacks at that time. Because of that, 'Amos N' Andy' has been banned, sadly, from the airwaves. I've never seen ANY of the shows other than snippets.
Blacks now have all sorts of roles available - and yet so many of the entertainment centers on the vulgar 'gangsta' rap' persona - far worse than 'Amos/Andy' characters.
@dcollegeboy Same here. My folks told me about Amos and Andy and I thought it would not be funny since it was made 60 years ago but I love the show. I have been watching over the net and I bought the first 75 shows. These great actors did more for the black population than Jesse Jackson, Sharpton and Obama all pressed together. It is ashamed that racism for being a black actor caused the show to fail when it was the number one show. I am black and I love this type of comedy.
@dcollegeboy good point, not to mention most of the hip-hop videos!!!! Spike Lee called many of them nothing more than modern-day "coon shows", and I agree.
@nicodagger Why do black people do hip-hop videos then. Don't they have a choice? Did white people create hip-hop music and videos and just shove unsuspecting black folk into them to give them a bad rap? Are you also suggesting that white people like Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsey Lohan are depicted on TV as intellectually superior? Are you kidding me? Everyone looks like idiots on TV!!
it's not really that racist, things were different back then. how is this any different than the stuff they have now, 30 years from now they are going to look back at what we found funny and think "that's not right, what's so funny about that"
One of the first TV shows I saw. Great, funny show. Banned (the syndicated reruns) in the early 60's.
Several years later Sanford & Son came on. Funny show, but just as stereotypical. .. Fred Sanford was just as conniving and dumb as the Kingfish , but he had Lamont to keep him straight, as Kingfish & Andy had Amos. And if Aunt Esther isn't an exact parody of Kingfish's wife Sapphire, I miss my guess. Finally, none of the A&A characters used the "N" word, but Fred Sanford did on several shows.
Ha Ha, I'm only 14 and my gym teacher said as he would call my name "Amos" (last name) he would always think of the show. I got confused so I decided to take a look and I'm still confused.
I guess they felt proud that they hired black people. I see things a little different as my husband and my daughter are black and I am white. Racism still exhists, just very differently. We live in an affluent area so my husband and daughter are "spectacles" that people go out of their way to talk to and make over (mind you, our daughter is just 8 months old) But it is like they are special projects or something.
There is nothing racial about the Amos and Andy show, it's the same as the Laurel and Hardy show, the Abbot and Costello show , the three stooges, the little rascals, etc. these all are just good innocent entertainment. I wish people would stop trying to keep discrimination and racism alive.
Looks strange to me that the Producers & Actors don't shake hands as the Actors come out on stage. I guess an Interracial handshake was a big deal back then.
I have to tell you truth2. This show is what made me realize that black people were just people with problems and just trying to get by in life. I was raised in a very predjudiced family. letting me watch Amos n Andy backfired on them. I LIKED the people on the show and I laughed because it was great comedy acting. For the people my age, this show did more for civil rights then 20 marches could have. I brought home to me that we are all floating in the same ocean in the same leaky boat.
@dandamagetoo My feelings exactly! And how many comedy shows have had such an excellent ensemble of actors? This little video left out Calhoun, Lightning, Sapphire, and Mama. These guys set the bar very high way back when and I don't believe we've seen anyone reach those heights again.
I listen to this show on radio at night in the wee hours of the morning and I can't help but laugh out loud....sometimes laughing so hard that my partner wants to know "what's so darn funny"?
this show was an opportunity for white people to be exposed to real living negros perhaps for the first time in the comfort and safety of their own homes. Of course they had to be made stumbling and bumbling to reassure the viewer that these were harmless negroes
You're forgetting that Amos and Andy was INITIALLY PRAISED by veteran black actors. Why? Because, along with the COMEDIC ACTORS, blacks were for the first time, portrayed as doctors, lawyers, etc, and with great dignity. They just weren't the main characters! But then the militant, angry, revisionists took over and, well, you were either with them or an "Uncle Tom."
All comedy is based on having "stock characters" of one form or another. They are (con't)
Newsflash! To all who come across (truth2masses) He presents himself as a black man. He is a fraud! He is a 22 year old white bitch living a posh lifestyle in chicago. Don't let this bitch fool you with his racist rederick
...they are predictable, hence, "stock." You find them from the ancient Greeks through, Commedia Dell'Arte, through Chaplin, Gleason, Carney and most recently, Kramer. All use the same theatrical tricks, a type of costume, or make-up, to speak to the audience.
Was it demeaning to Irish Brookynites for Gleason and Carney to be so stupid? Should the show be banned?? Suppose ONE person finds it offensive?
As I read the comments I think can't one just state opinions without resorting to name calling? C'mon guys, grow up. This is the same mentality that caused the demise of this show.
1953. Repeated of these episodes continued on CBS until 1966 when NAACP came down on programs that stereotype minorities. This is why to this day,why "Amos and Andy" will NEVER ever be shown on television. Its banned.
Yes, that is Ernestine Wade playing Sapphire. I think she was extremely talented as an actress. I don't know if she ever did anything else after the show ended. I read that the Kingfish was well respected in the Hollywood and when he died his funeral was attended by a long list of Hollywood "royalty."
Is that Ernestine Wade (the actress who plays Sapphire) in the background? You'd never know it from the show, but what a strikingly beautiful woman she is.
Forcing this show off the air was a major set back for black TV actors at that time. Several of these characters were very talented and funny even by today's standards and not because of racial stereotyping. The Kingfish, Andy, Calhoun, and Sapphire were consistently funny and would be memorable characters in any era - talent is talent.
Was this show actually forced off the air? I know the syndication was discontinued in the mid-60s due to political pressure, but I never heard that production was canceled for that reason.
Whatever the case, I think the biggest setback for black actors may have been from TV producers being reluctant to create any new series for fear of stirring opposition. There was a long drought in black sitcoms that stretched for 2 decades.
Good question I am not sure if the original production was cut off under pressure or if only the reruns were cutoff. I suspect only the reruns otherwise why would the reruns have been able to run for several years? Maybe network cut them off and local stations ran the reruns not being under as much pressure. I have not idea where the truth lies with this.
Unfortunately, Spencer Williams (Andy) was introduced by saying "we found this boy in Oklahoma". Seems like the "boy" was in his 30s. Nevertheless, A&A was a great show.
I agree - he SEEMS like he was in his 30's. Believe it or not, though, Spencer Williams was born in 1889 and was in his early 60's when this show started.
I too find the use of the word 'boy' troubling. Especially so because, after having seen about 20 episodes of Amos 'n Andy, it seems to me the producers went out of their way to promote racial equality.
I realize the word was somehow still 'acceptable' in that day, but I suspect it must have grated on the nerves of some audience members.
How about someone being a "good ol' boy"? Would it have the same Connotation used about Whites, as opposed to Blacks? I feel sorry for those of you who can't look at things in thecontext of the times, as opposed to with todays values.
When Black folks quit using the "N" word, maybe we will all have thicker skin.
I agree about seeing things in the context of the times. For instance, I find it to be the height of ignorance when ppl criticize the use of the words "colored" or "Negro" in the first half of the 1900's. Or even Huck Finn referring to his friend Jim as "nigger". Still, notwithstanding the innocence of terms like "good ol' boy" or "me & the boys", I seriously doubt that a 60 year old white man would have been introduced as "boy" even then. And I'm sure it was seen as condescending, at least.
Every situation comedy through the years has been based on stereotypes. The Andy Griffith Show was the number one show on TV for years based on exaggerated Southern stereotypes. Other shows stereotyped northerners as rude, blondes as dumb, Irish as drunks, Mexicans as lazy, and so on. If they pulled every stereotype laden comedy show off TV, they woudl all be gone.
Amos 'n' Andy did many things right. While the characterizations were stereotypical, there was not another television network program with so many African American characters for more than 20 years. When Amos and Andy disappeared from television, with very few exceptions, so did black performers and characters. The lone regular character was Rochester, Jack Benny's butler. It was not until the late 1960s and early 1970s that we saw the reappearance of regular African American characters.
In other words, this is the only way that you can survive as a black person in Hollywood. Doing stereotypical roles. Antaganistic characters & dark individuals. sad..
Lets see.. either i can put food on the table and come home everyday feeling dejected and dehumanized, Or I can keep my dignity and peace of mind and starve.. Hard decision for black actors
If anybody who takes offence at images of the characters with their faces painted black took the trouble to download some of the shows and listen to them, I think it would be clear that the characters had an intimate knowledge of the black american experience and character. That is only possible by them having had an affinity and affection for it.
I disagree..Many actors that did black face spoke of how they really felt off stage. Its dehumanizing, and for anyone to belittle the emotional and mental anguish is somewhat barbaric.
Let's analyze it. It's true that The Kingfish didn't have an articulable "job". On the other hand, Ralph Kramden "Brove a Dus". Similarly, Andy's profession is obscure. Norton worked in the sewer. I'd call that about even. All of the other characters on the "white" show either were wives of these losers, or co-workers. On A&A, there were lawyers, cab company owners, etc.
So---who is hurting who? Lightenin' may have been slow, funny, but if you think that's racist, look in the mirror.
At the risk of repeating myself: This franchise was, objectively, the finest comedic enterprise in the history of television. It was a clone (although which came first, I don't know) of "The Honeymooners", but it was funnier, it was more televisionally sophisticated, better leads, better scripts, better actors, it was the finest "sitcom" maybe ever---certainly in the 50's. The idiots that have rallied to ban this are themselves racist,ignorant and should be ashamed!
I agree with everything you said--I've always loved this show--it's better quality comedy than most any other American sitcom. It's easy for people to forget that A&A was one of few shows in the '50s which provided jobs for black actors. The idiots you mentioned succeeded mainly in hurting these actors by eliminating their jobs. How ironic!
Isn't it a shame how "political correctness" can ruin high quality---cutting edge, really---entertainment. You are right, the very fine comedic actors on this show were ultimately ostracised as being Uncle Toms, and to my knowledge, nobody will put it on the air. That---not the woncerful show---is shameful.
As an aside, there is an older white guy who works at the local "7-11" kind of place. The slowest human I have ever seen. I call him "Lightenin'" and he loves it. True fact.
How sad that the tripe on TV these days has to suffice for entertainment while shows like this will likely never be aired! There is a DVD I saw on Amazon which has most of the episodes, though. I think some of the earlier radio shows are still available,too. "The Rare Coin" is my favorite episode from the TV show!
I like your mention of the guy at the 7-11 place! Was he familiar with "Lightnin'" from the show?
I don't think I used either phrase, but if pressed, I'd say real entertainment, as in "that's great, that's real entertainment". I think those sentiments ought to be reasonably clear from my posts.
which one is better, a stereotypical dehumanizing job, or your dignity, self respect, and a positive role model. There was a split in black communities everywhere. Some liked it, and others hated it. If it was one of five black shows on at the time, then parents would have a positive show for their kids to watch. this was not the case..
Jester Hairston also played Sapphire's brother Leroy and the adoption official investigating Kingfish's financials. (Kingfish claimed to be head of the Acme Corp....thet "made acmes"))
I'm so glad that Amos and Andy was available when I was growing up, Because it was about the only program on TV that featured black Americans. It opened the way for other black television programs. Looking at it now only confirms how much we have matured since the early 50's, when men were 'boys'. We can learn from watching this series again, to make us thankful for who we are now, compared to then.
Laughter comes from the soul and i don't believe souls have color. I also like Andy Griffin and Leave it to Beaver. When i was a kid that was all we had, now with the violence, sex ect tv land is a breath of fresh air.
Amos and Andy are a guilty pleasure for me. I can see how blacks could take offense but the radio shows are hilarious. They are actually laugh out loud by yourself funny.
I am black and have the entire collection of the Amos & Andy Series. I have been told by many of my friends that Amos & Andy was degradeing to black people. I don't see it that way. I am also a fan of he Honeymooners and when you look at the show many are them were very much alike. King fish mother in law was the same as Ralph's mother in law. It was comedy. Kinfish had his lodge and so did Ralph. I think married with children is as insulting to whites as the Wyanas is to blacks.
thank you! my uncle and my parents have the whole collection of Amos and Andy, and me also being black think that this is a great dipiction of blacks. You have every character even in our own families, working class, shady folk, and professionals, i mean really really where are we being degraded in this? ... and the same thing in white families. I don't see where we are being cast down upon either. I watched an episode last week of Good times and to me, that's degrading.
At one time Amos and Andy was two white guys painted black minstrel show sytle. For TV they got blacks. But this was at a time when blacks were lynched for entertainment in the south and wanted a postive image of themselves. This was a time when whites screamed of blacks being inferior and self respecting blacks didn't want to be seen as clowns for whites. The time that it came out has a lot to do with the NAACP's attacks of Amos and andy I belive.
Iv'e seen them in blackface. It seems that ethnic humor was such a hit on radio that they came out with "Duffy's Tavern" (Eddie the black cook is smarter than the extremely dumb Irish) "Life with Luigi" (Italians--especally imigrants, poked fun of ) "The Golbergs" (You guessed it) "Lum n' Abner" (Two eldery red necks) Should a black person feel guilty if he laughs at whites, Ian?
I know, that sucked. Some critics said it sterotyped blacks as hustlers, stupid, slow, etc. Some said it put blacks in a light that you never saw, like lawyers, taxi cab company owners, barber shop owners, etc. All of that civil rights junk gets on my nerves. They should bring it back anyway.
oh wow. you actually know how to spell. a rare accomplishment for someone who is a product of inbreeding. what a surprise. who taught you to use a computer? don't you have a Nascar race to watch and cousins to try to have sex with?
oh my god. you called me a "negro" I think I'm going to kill myself now. better than being a product of inbreeding tho. by the way, are you going to be disappointed if I tell you that I'm not black? I hope not. with this level of intelligence I highly doubt it.
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Something about those WASPy announcers that make the whole thing creepy.
andy42x 1 month ago
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andy42x 1 month ago
Bring em back to T.V. They were soooo....far ahead of their time. Great actors and cast members.
SLBenzo 1 month ago
I used to watch this long ago when I was a kid, and loved it. As far as the cast is concerned they were all professional and so well cast, that you can stack them up against any other Comedy series and they would win hands down. Tim Moore, who portrayed the King Fish, possessed the most unbelievable sense of comic timing you will ever see anywhere.
victrolaman 1 month ago
Here's the deal. This show---a clone of The Honeymooners, or was it the other way around---is the same as Jackie Gleason's show, it's the same as The Flintstones, ---except it's funnier. It has better direction than JG's show, it has better sets, it has more cameras. It is far superior both technically and comedy-wise. Is it Racist? In today's world, I guess so. Is it funny--Yeah! Does that make me a Racist? NO! PCness has deprived all of us of the best.
bigmarty56 2 months ago
Amos And Andy lived next door with people like George Burns, Jack Benny, ect and were brilliant geniuses. I recognized this as a white child in the 60s seeing them in reruns. Loved them then. Too bad that they were lost due to the 60s civil rights movement. They should have been upheld for their achievements during that time. Now revel at their greatness! ps weren't they also in some sort of cartoon?
1etetetet1 2 months ago
Many people thought this show was detremental to African Americans..but as a young boy it taught me that there were Black Judges, lawyers, doctors and pharmacists to name a few professions that Blacks in this country were more than just entertainers..It was a comedy, it was supposed to make peoplke laugh...and it did...
lnefouse 3 months ago
1. This was the funniest show EVER on TV.
2. There was absolutely nothing racist about the show.
3. The "stereotypes" weren't based on race, they were based on ordinary human beings.
4. All of the actors, with the exception of the guy who played Amos, were great.
5. I consider the actor who played the "Kingfish" to be as great as George C. Scott.
theoriginalbadbob 5 months ago
As a young black comedic actor I owe All the so called "bad stereotype" actors and actresses a Huge debt,because had it not been for them paving the road for me and so many others to walk on,I know for a fact that I wouldn't be here. Thank you everyone. Hattie McDaniel,Lincoln Perry,Eddie Rochester,Willie Best,Louise Beavers,Ethel Waters. God bless you all!
BCoriginal1 6 months ago
Long live Amos And Andy...an all time classic...an everlasting credit to the cast, writers, and production crew.
mdw188lga 6 months ago 2
As a young Black American adult female I have to say I will ALWAYS love Amos and Andy! I wish I could go back and give big hug and kiss to all the original television cast members. They helped to pave the way!!!
treemonisha2006 6 months ago in playlist amos and andy red deer alberta canada rcmp beep 2
Racist cracka ass crackaz!
xIIxRUExIIx 7 months ago
what the fukk all yall stupid this shit racist then a hoe fukk you white hoes
djshawtyg 8 months ago
One of my FAVORITE shows. Always loved the schemes Kingfish would come up with and his expressions. Sapphire always knew Kingfish was up to something. Thank you for sharing this with us.
antronig 8 months ago
This show wasn't particularly offensive... it was rather like the "Honeymooners" (which, in retrospect, seemed FAR worse, with Ralph more or less saying he was going to beat up Alice).
shmuli9 8 months ago
Is that Ernestine Wade (Sapphire) in the background?
kkhoefert 9 months ago
This is the first time that ever seen Mr.Johnny Lee("Algonquin J.Calhoon")without his eyeglasses.Roy Glen went onto play "Dr.John Prentis'"(Sid Portier's)dad in the movie"Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?".
TheStanbabe 9 months ago
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GROWING UP AS A KID, I LOOKED FORWARD TO THE GREAT HUMOR IN THE AMOS AND ANDY PROGRAM. NOW AT AGE 67 I AM THANKFUL THAT I AM ONCE AGAIN ENJOY THIS MEMORABLE GREAT PROGRAM OF THE PAST IN A VIDEO CD LIBRARY. I DON'T THINK THAT IT MADE THE BLACK COMMUNITY LOOK BAD IN ANY WAY, IT WAS JUST A GREAT SHOW. I CONTINUE TO ENJOY SANFORD AND SON EVERY NIGHT, ANOTHER GREAT BLACK CHARACTER PROGRAM WITH GREAT ENTERTAINING HUMOR.
DADDY D
Doogie1372 11 months ago
GROWING UP AS A KID, I LOOKED FORWARD TO THE GREAT HUMOR IN THE AMOS AND ANDY PROGRAM. NOW AT AGE 67 I AM THANKFUL THAT I AM ONCE AGAIN ENJOY THIS MEMORABLE GREAT PROGRAM OF THE PAST IN A VIDEO CD LIBRARY. I DON'T THINK THAT IT MADE THE BLACK COMMUNITY LOOK BAD IN ANY WAY, IT WAS JUST A GREAT SHOW. I CONTINUE TO ENJOY SANFORD AND SON EVERY NIGHT, ANOTHER GREAT BLACK CHARACTER PROGRAM WITH GREAT ENTERTAINING HUMOR.
Doogie1372 11 months ago
I used to watch this with my mom,,very funny show,,I am Black American
lcolby11 11 months ago
Jester Hairston (the first guy introduced and who was on TV in the show 'Amen') was a very talented man. This from Wikipedia...Hairston wrote the song "Mary's Boy Child" in 1956, possibly the only popular Christmas song written by an African-American. He also wrote the song "Amen", which he dubbed for the Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field (1963). He arranged traditional "Negro spirituals". Most of Hairston's film work was in the field of composing, arranging, and choral conducting).
blkchk 11 months ago
People want to complain about "Amos 'n' Andy." What about those degrading rap/hip hop videos? They are far more demeaning.
snoops71 1 year ago 2
Holy mackerel!
Lockbar 1 year ago
everybody knows a Kingfish, he makes life more interesting. Whwn we were growing up, when Amos & Andy came on, things were quiet, and we laughed for 30 minutes. Fine and funny actors. Sure miss the show. Martin
mfhom 1 year ago
"BOY"???????????
nicodagger 1 year ago
@nicodagger Yeah. Inexcusable lingo now - inexcusable then too. But dude, realize that this is from decades ago forchristsakes! Horrible but normal back then. You must be young. I was alive when they were still saying "colored people".
ticklebug 1 year ago
You know there were no racist remarks made to make Spencer williams look bad, and the idea of the show being racist. Let's look at BET and come of the other crap they put out to day. Rap isn't rasict no not to the blacks but the whites, Amos N Andy had to be one of the funniest shows ever produced. To be able to go back in time when people weren't so up tight about the color of a persons skin.
sixnightsaweek 1 year ago 2
we couldn't do a better job then the boy we found in ok city.....lol, what people don't know spencer williams was one of the first black film directors.
skillvill 1 year ago
@skillvill Since his full name was Spencer Williams, Jr. I never have known if it was he or his father who was the great "black cinema" film director and actor. The old films from the 30s LOOK like this man who played Andrew H. Brown, but this COULD be his son. Does anybody know more about the black cinema than I to clear this up please for me. THANKS in advance. A film lover. AND an Amos 'N' Andy lover.
Mendy7952 6 months ago
@Mendy7952 he was an Actor. American stage, motion picture, and television actor, writer, director, and producer of the 1920s through 1960s. He played Andy (Andrew Brown) in the television version of the "Amos 'n' Andy" show, check wikipedia com, you can get the full story on his life.
skillvill 6 months ago
I don't think they intended to be racist, but the show did enforce many of the silly stereotypes white had of blacks at the time.
jvarela965 1 year ago
Gosden in introducing Spencer Williams(Andrew Brown)referred to him as "the boy from Oklahoma City"would be totally unacceptable in main stream America today, although is alive and well behind the scenes, as we all know to be a fact.
shadhom 1 year ago
This was a brilliant show with brilliant script and brilliant and talented actors, period. A piece of extraordinary Americana, its own icon, simply beyond words. This, of course, before the vicious, ruinous cudgel of political correctness. Tragically, the darling NAACP and theirs increasingly were offended (no sense of humor, or intelligence) and saw to it that the show was pulled. You gotta love the darling NAACP and their cause ("PC", too), you really do. Wutta bunch of dickheads.
equinoxranch 1 year ago
What a great piece of TV history! It is a tiny point uncomfortable, especially when Gosden talks about "finding this boy" while introducing Spencer Williams, albiet an unfortunate sign of the times. But nevertheless, such a funny, funny show played by great, great actors. It is an ironic shame that the NAACP protest that pulled the show off the network in 1953 took jobs away from this amazing ensemble- - cutting off ones nose to teach the face a lesson? Was any Tyler Perry stuff less offensive?
bobbygoode 1 year ago
I watched this show on TV when I was in my early teens. I never saw it as a representation of blacks but just a funny show. In fact, if anything, it humanized black people. Amos n' Andy ran at the same time as I love Lucy. Lucy was by far the zaniest of all of them. Nobody ever complained that Lucy gave redheads a bad name, nor thought all Cubans sang Babaloo.
moralimpact 1 year ago
I always wondered why there was so much controversy around this show. So I decided to do my own research. I always read and heard that the show was racist, and the original radio version probably was. I bought the series on DVD and I thought it was totally hilarious. It was not racist at all. Although, I can see that during that time period, we were struggling to have positive images on TV. I think the name of the show plagued it the most. I still watch it, beats any reality show today. Good TV.
hoouwit1 1 year ago
I wish they would air reruns of this show. I've only seen a couple epsisodes, but they were pretty funny. I like to watch reruns of Three's Company, Sanford and Son, and All in the Family.
If people think this show makes black people look bad, what about the movie, The Nutty Professor and many others? It is called comedy and the people acting are not dumb, they are acting. Think about Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy.
ICRed05 1 year ago
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ICRed05 1 year ago
What a treat to discover these great actors again. It hurts to know these great actors have been removed for generations after mine. Considering the advances of black actors that had doors opened for them by Amos N Andy, I hope that once again we will see these skilled people making America laugh today. Years later, I was taught to fly by a black man. Possibly the show helped me realize that blacks can be talented. Google "L C Amos San Antonio Lightning" to see another great one!
bubbarayspeaks 1 year ago
I was wondering since I am young to ever watch this show, was it like a 50's Mad TV or In Living Colors?
williambrown007 1 year ago
Seinfeld anyone!
shaswords 1 year ago
The radio show was white guys acting like black guys. The TV show was black guys acting like white guys acting like black guys.
warrenclarkable 1 year ago
Obviously, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Hispanics...we all have issues and unique/specific stereotypes. However, "black stereotypes" are perpetuated more than any other culture/race. THAT'S THE DAMN ISSUE! The view of blacks in every realm is beyond lopsided. The middle class, proper speaking, intelligent, eloquently dressed blacks, of all cultures, are rarely shown which allows this natural disdain, hate, and bigotry to supersede rationality. The US has institutionalized generational racism.
wbrutus22 1 year ago
@wbrutus22 The problem is: middle class, proper speaking, intelligent, eloquently dressed blacks of all cultures aren't FUNNY. They're just plain, boring folks trying to get along with and like everyone else. Try a silly giggle occasonaly, it relieves the stress of belonging to ANY culture. This was a great tv show, as was Cosby, Sanford and Son, and Archie Bunker.
MarvinPGardens 1 year ago
why does the person who has this clip say something about the actor being called boy not to go against him but thats one of the few times i have heard it used in old clips like this and it sounded more like a compliment or friendly gesture than something demeaning
angelganon 1 year ago
@angelganon Yeah, I heard that word "boy" and winced immediately. But I am going to say that the people in the clip are from their own time, from their own pasts and from their own perspectives. And I agree that "boy" is not that far from "my boy" or "m'hijo" or "ok, boys" and probably not _here_ at all demeaning. OF COURSE there ways in which the word was used and is used where it was meant to be demeaning. Let's all go forward arm in arm, okay? :)
TuboEspectador 1 year ago
"boy" yeah, I winced at it too. However, I don't think that the show itself was racist. One could compare Sanford and Son. This series made the funniest TV shows I ever saw. What a shame that it was pulled from the air. However, the pulling of the show does at least demonstrate that there were those in the USA, people even in power, who objected strongly to racisim. & after a brief flirtation w/ integration, we went back to segregation by the new name, "multiculturalism."
Thunkful2 1 year ago
Funny and true..............................
dithbmine1 1 year ago
i don't get it...what's so funny...so true???
krimzondestine 1 year ago
Need to bring this back,,,,ASAP
dithbmine1 1 year ago
This is one of the best shows of all time. Every member of the cast deserves to be on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They were awesome!
CAU98 1 year ago 3
What years did Amos and Andy air. I'm 59, and I remember it only in reruns in like '62 or '63. Any help out there? Also, didn't Amos narrate the show, who played him, and wasn't he rarely seen?
gotch09 1 year ago
1951-1953
CAU98 1 year ago
WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wish I could see the film!!
Thanks so much for posting it...
ywmpg 1 year ago 2
horriable!!
carbin15 1 year ago
as a 55 yr old male i enjoy any and all the shows whether " race " movies or tv shows shown on the local networks. this stuff kept me going as a youth coming up during the late 50's early 60's. with no role models seen on the tube i can appreciate viewing blacks in any capacity, know what i mean vern/
jacieware 1 year ago
Amos and Andy Show was a comedy. They made me laugh when I was kid. They still do. The NAACP was wrong to persude CBS to take it off. No show can represent one race. But one show can represent a part of humanity that we can laught at. I still love to watch The Amos and Andy Show.
vkorchnoifan 2 years ago 5
The NAACP said it showed blacks in a bad light but if you will notice all the parts, with a rare exception are played by blacks. Judges, policemen, realtors, attorneys as well as porters, & janitors. I believe this is the "I Love Lucy" of earlier TV programming. Well thought out, well written, well played, & well liked by everyone except the dreaded NAACP. An orginazation that raises funds for.......itself.
RangerAlways 2 years ago 3
@RangerAlways
Yes I agree. The NAACP owes the families of the actors millions in lost income by their actions to prevent the program from reaching it's full potential. It could have run for years just as Sanford & Son did. What a shame.
scabeba 2 years ago
I don't believe the NAACP owes any monotary damages but they should have kept their noses out of peoples careers, especially since all were weel paid & loved doing the shows. I may be wrong but I think Amos n Andy were on from the early 50's to the early 60's making it certainely landmark TV. I have all the episodes on disc & still laugh @ them. Whites could have flipped out over Archie Bunker but it was his bigotry that made him so ridiculously funny & most ppl understand this.
RangerAlways 2 years ago
I have the episodes on DVD and they have me laughing out loud!
CAU98 1 year ago 2
when you think about it, the show portrayed blacks as professionals, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and small businesspeople. and it was almost entirely an all-black cast. this back in the days when even Nat King Cole couldn't keep his TV show because affiliates in the south objected.
5BGVO4 2 years ago
People need to chill about this racism shit. This was a great show and all of the actors deserve emmys for the outstanding performances they gave. C'mon, is this any worse than Sanford and Son??? I feel bad for the actors as they have never been properly recognized for their great work. I thank the producers, writers and actors/actresses for making us all laugh while this program aired.
mrkeysfla 2 years ago 2
Well, I Look At Amos & Andy As Tributes To Black Folks.......And Sanfrd & Son Was As Well, Sure Beats The Vulgarity Of Black (ouch, rappers ? ).....Thats NOT Music, Its Trash. Oh, By The Way, Im Working On Doin An Amos & Andy Tribute Myself, I Can Do ALL The Voices, And Write The Scripts, So THERE..LQQK For It Soon...............James : )
JamesMatchboxLee 2 years ago
On the actor who plays Andy, "the boy that we found..." Honestly, I can't watch this stuff without cringing. No one should be able to watch this blatant racism without cringing.
berneta2002 2 years ago
This is not 'blatant racism.'
Both Gosden and Correll had nothing but positive things to say about all of the characters who, ultimately, would take over the show that they originated decades before. True, they referred to the man who played 'Andy' as 'boy' - but it wasn't malicious; it was simply a term that, thankfully, is no longer used. Society has taken great strides to eliminate demeaning terms...but the hyper-criticism of 'Amos N' Andy' since the 1960's has been absurd.
johnlorican 2 years ago 3
Yeah man, I (a black man) would watch this with my grandparents as a kid, and we enjoyed it. People want to say that this show made black people look so dumb and pathetic...what about half the shit you see in the movies and BET??
dcollegeboy 2 years ago 27
Exactly.
I remember the first time I watched the movie 'Holiday Inn' with Bing Crosby. Crosby performed a number in 'blackface' - and I'll have to admit, I winced when I first saw it...but then I realized that the performance wasn't making fun of blacks - it was saluting them (a song about the Emancipation Proclamation), but we're taught that ALL of that entertainment was demeaning....so, I have to ask: what's more demeaning? Crosby in 'blackface' - or 'gansta' rappers' singing vulgarity?
johnlorican 2 years ago 4
Too right mate, if you think about it, people on the show like Kingfish was so smart that he was always hustling people hahaha, and what's racist about that? Tyler Perry's shows give black people a more stereotype than this.
dcollegeboy 2 years ago
Everybody can understand the sympathies of blacks with regards to being stereotyped in roles associated with shows like 'Amos N' Andy' - because there WERE no other roles for blacks at that time. Because of that, 'Amos N' Andy' has been banned, sadly, from the airwaves. I've never seen ANY of the shows other than snippets.
Blacks now have all sorts of roles available - and yet so many of the entertainment centers on the vulgar 'gangsta' rap' persona - far worse than 'Amos/Andy' characters.
johnlorican 2 years ago
It's called comedy. It's okay.
Spike Lee calls In Living Color, UPN, WB, and anything by Tyler Perry, coonery and buffoonery. I would say relax.
bambizzoozled 2 years ago
@dcollegeboy Same here. My folks told me about Amos and Andy and I thought it would not be funny since it was made 60 years ago but I love the show. I have been watching over the net and I bought the first 75 shows. These great actors did more for the black population than Jesse Jackson, Sharpton and Obama all pressed together. It is ashamed that racism for being a black actor caused the show to fail when it was the number one show. I am black and I love this type of comedy.
brians2000 1 year ago
@dcollegeboy good point, not to mention most of the hip-hop videos!!!! Spike Lee called many of them nothing more than modern-day "coon shows", and I agree.
nicodagger 1 year ago
@nicodagger Why do black people do hip-hop videos then. Don't they have a choice? Did white people create hip-hop music and videos and just shove unsuspecting black folk into them to give them a bad rap? Are you also suggesting that white people like Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsey Lohan are depicted on TV as intellectually superior? Are you kidding me? Everyone looks like idiots on TV!!
ticklebug 1 year ago
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ticklebug 1 year ago
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@nicodagger And what explains white hip-hop video and musical artists..??? Or are whites hip-hoppin about calculus or something?
ticklebug 1 year ago
@dcollegeboy No honky can moonwalk like Michael Jackson. Honk if you love the King of Pop goes the weasels.
etbella3 1 year ago
@dcollegeboy Well said.
blkchk 11 months ago
it's not really that racist, things were different back then. how is this any different than the stuff they have now, 30 years from now they are going to look back at what we found funny and think "that's not right, what's so funny about that"
Friendlyinternetspid 2 years ago 2
Yeah, well take a minute to lay the blame on all those Black folks you see up there getting paid.
bambizzoozled 2 years ago
One of the first TV shows I saw. Great, funny show. Banned (the syndicated reruns) in the early 60's.
Several years later Sanford & Son came on. Funny show, but just as stereotypical. .. Fred Sanford was just as conniving and dumb as the Kingfish , but he had Lamont to keep him straight, as Kingfish & Andy had Amos. And if Aunt Esther isn't an exact parody of Kingfish's wife Sapphire, I miss my guess. Finally, none of the A&A characters used the "N" word, but Fred Sanford did on several shows.
106732 2 years ago
Ha Ha, I'm only 14 and my gym teacher said as he would call my name "Amos" (last name) he would always think of the show. I got confused so I decided to take a look and I'm still confused.
NickoliAN87 2 years ago
well are u black?
Jakoby88 2 years ago
Nope, mainly arabic. Amos is my last name, which is German.
NickoliAN87 2 years ago
I guess they felt proud that they hired black people. I see things a little different as my husband and my daughter are black and I am white. Racism still exhists, just very differently. We live in an affluent area so my husband and daughter are "spectacles" that people go out of their way to talk to and make over (mind you, our daughter is just 8 months old) But it is like they are special projects or something.
TheBeautifulone2 2 years ago
yes, the racism of Reverse Discrimination through Affirmative Action laws....two wrongs never made a right.
3dartistguy 2 years ago
There is nothing racial about the Amos and Andy show, it's the same as the Laurel and Hardy show, the Abbot and Costello show , the three stooges, the little rascals, etc. these all are just good innocent entertainment. I wish people would stop trying to keep discrimination and racism alive.
Wearethechildren1 2 years ago 2
like our current President.
3dartistguy 2 years ago
Looks strange to me that the Producers & Actors don't shake hands as the Actors come out on stage. I guess an Interracial handshake was a big deal back then.
g1wilson 2 years ago
I have to tell you truth2. This show is what made me realize that black people were just people with problems and just trying to get by in life. I was raised in a very predjudiced family. letting me watch Amos n Andy backfired on them. I LIKED the people on the show and I laughed because it was great comedy acting. For the people my age, this show did more for civil rights then 20 marches could have. I brought home to me that we are all floating in the same ocean in the same leaky boat.
dandamagetoo 2 years ago 24
Same here. I'm 61 yrs old and watched the show as
a kid, and just thought the characters were funny.
Thought they were living the same life and fighting
the same battles as everyone I knew. I learned later
that their battles were more severe. I think however
that using the word "boy" in the intro's was probably
a bad idea. No way was this show demeaning to
blacks.
MultiDKenny 2 years ago 5
@dandamagetoo My feelings exactly! And how many comedy shows have had such an excellent ensemble of actors? This little video left out Calhoun, Lightning, Sapphire, and Mama. These guys set the bar very high way back when and I don't believe we've seen anyone reach those heights again.
LesbianVampireLover 9 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
The term "boy" didn't have bad connotations until some hot headed Afro Americans decided to make an issue of it.
CalJennings 2 years ago
an ocean of teleprompters didn't help his predecessor!
truth2masses 2 years ago
I listen to this show on radio at night in the wee hours of the morning and I can't help but laugh out loud....sometimes laughing so hard that my partner wants to know "what's so darn funny"?
maureenmocus 2 years ago 2
this show was an opportunity for white people to be exposed to real living negros perhaps for the first time in the comfort and safety of their own homes. Of course they had to be made stumbling and bumbling to reassure the viewer that these were harmless negroes
JacksonPerdue 2 years ago
Bullshit.
You're forgetting that Amos and Andy was INITIALLY PRAISED by veteran black actors. Why? Because, along with the COMEDIC ACTORS, blacks were for the first time, portrayed as doctors, lawyers, etc, and with great dignity. They just weren't the main characters! But then the militant, angry, revisionists took over and, well, you were either with them or an "Uncle Tom."
All comedy is based on having "stock characters" of one form or another. They are (con't)
LazlosPlane 2 years ago
bull shit it was buffonery that shaped you racist's warp fucked up stereotypes of us!
truth2masses 2 years ago
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Newsflash! To all who come across (truth2masses) He presents himself as a black man. He is a fraud! He is a 22 year old white bitch living a posh lifestyle in chicago. Don't let this bitch fool you with his racist rederick
92badhatch 2 years ago
...they are predictable, hence, "stock." You find them from the ancient Greeks through, Commedia Dell'Arte, through Chaplin, Gleason, Carney and most recently, Kramer. All use the same theatrical tricks, a type of costume, or make-up, to speak to the audience.
Was it demeaning to Irish Brookynites for Gleason and Carney to be so stupid? Should the show be banned?? Suppose ONE person finds it offensive?
Are you people fucking nuts? This is COMEDY.
COMEDY.
LazlosPlane 2 years ago 2
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Coffeeforevah 2 years ago
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Coffeeforevah 2 years ago
Great show, great fun to watch. Too bad it's no longer available.
MisterUrl 2 years ago
they all seemed so glad to be working ....it must have been terrible swallowing their pride
bblaxx 2 years ago
i know for sure that bill cosby bought the rights to this series and will not allow them to be shown on tv as reruns, too bad !
Astroptx 2 years ago 2
3:02- "than the boy"???
KDSD86 2 years ago
It was a funny show, but degrading and racist.
airjor1 2 years ago
As I read the comments I think can't one just state opinions without resorting to name calling? C'mon guys, grow up. This is the same mentality that caused the demise of this show.
cpkphil 2 years ago
This was comedy at it's finest.
Boomer1947 2 years ago
The series ran on CBS-TV from 1951 until
1953. Repeated of these episodes continued on CBS until 1966 when NAACP came down on programs that stereotype minorities. This is why to this day,why "Amos and Andy" will NEVER ever be shown on television. Its banned.
rayssonation 3 years ago
Yes, that is Ernestine Wade playing Sapphire. I think she was extremely talented as an actress. I don't know if she ever did anything else after the show ended. I read that the Kingfish was well respected in the Hollywood and when he died his funeral was attended by a long list of Hollywood "royalty."
BiologyHouse 3 years ago
She was magnificent as Sapphire. I have 60 episodes of this show on video tape and I won't ever part with them, it's hilarious comedy.
A side note, Ernestine Wade's son was quite well known as a musician. His name was Bill Preston, and he was often referred to as the fifth Beatle.
Ken4Pyro 2 years ago
Is that Ernestine Wade (the actress who plays Sapphire) in the background? You'd never know it from the show, but what a strikingly beautiful woman she is.
TroyOi 3 years ago
Forcing this show off the air was a major set back for black TV actors at that time. Several of these characters were very talented and funny even by today's standards and not because of racial stereotyping. The Kingfish, Andy, Calhoun, and Sapphire were consistently funny and would be memorable characters in any era - talent is talent.
BiologyHouse 3 years ago 2
Was this show actually forced off the air? I know the syndication was discontinued in the mid-60s due to political pressure, but I never heard that production was canceled for that reason.
Whatever the case, I think the biggest setback for black actors may have been from TV producers being reluctant to create any new series for fear of stirring opposition. There was a long drought in black sitcoms that stretched for 2 decades.
TroyOi 3 years ago
Good question I am not sure if the original production was cut off under pressure or if only the reruns were cutoff. I suspect only the reruns otherwise why would the reruns have been able to run for several years? Maybe network cut them off and local stations ran the reruns not being under as much pressure. I have not idea where the truth lies with this.
BiologyHouse 3 years ago
Unfortunately, Spencer Williams (Andy) was introduced by saying "we found this boy in Oklahoma". Seems like the "boy" was in his 30s. Nevertheless, A&A was a great show.
MROSEN62 3 years ago
I agree - he SEEMS like he was in his 30's. Believe it or not, though, Spencer Williams was born in 1889 and was in his early 60's when this show started.
I too find the use of the word 'boy' troubling. Especially so because, after having seen about 20 episodes of Amos 'n Andy, it seems to me the producers went out of their way to promote racial equality.
I realize the word was somehow still 'acceptable' in that day, but I suspect it must have grated on the nerves of some audience members.
TroyOi 3 years ago
How about someone being a "good ol' boy"? Would it have the same Connotation used about Whites, as opposed to Blacks? I feel sorry for those of you who can't look at things in thecontext of the times, as opposed to with todays values.
When Black folks quit using the "N" word, maybe we will all have thicker skin.
RickMyrtue 2 years ago 3
I agree about seeing things in the context of the times. For instance, I find it to be the height of ignorance when ppl criticize the use of the words "colored" or "Negro" in the first half of the 1900's. Or even Huck Finn referring to his friend Jim as "nigger". Still, notwithstanding the innocence of terms like "good ol' boy" or "me & the boys", I seriously doubt that a 60 year old white man would have been introduced as "boy" even then. And I'm sure it was seen as condescending, at least.
TroyOi 2 years ago 3
Oops, amend that. Williams was born in 1893. He was 58 when A&A went on the air.
TroyOi 3 years ago
Every situation comedy through the years has been based on stereotypes. The Andy Griffith Show was the number one show on TV for years based on exaggerated Southern stereotypes. Other shows stereotyped northerners as rude, blondes as dumb, Irish as drunks, Mexicans as lazy, and so on. If they pulled every stereotype laden comedy show off TV, they woudl all be gone.
Tarheel1000 3 years ago
They were such wonderful actors! I always enjoy seeing the reruns whenever possible. Thanks soooo much!
mem56 3 years ago
exploitation & stereotypical Hollywood at its best....
steeko7071 3 years ago
Amos 'n' Andy did many things right. While the characterizations were stereotypical, there was not another television network program with so many African American characters for more than 20 years. When Amos and Andy disappeared from television, with very few exceptions, so did black performers and characters. The lone regular character was Rochester, Jack Benny's butler. It was not until the late 1960s and early 1970s that we saw the reappearance of regular African American characters.
mshodge0489 3 years ago
In other words, this is the only way that you can survive as a black person in Hollywood. Doing stereotypical roles. Antaganistic characters & dark individuals. sad..
steeko7071 3 years ago
Lets see.. either i can put food on the table and come home everyday feeling dejected and dehumanized, Or I can keep my dignity and peace of mind and starve.. Hard decision for black actors
steeko7071 3 years ago
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Nanoha1287 3 years ago
If anybody who takes offence at images of the characters with their faces painted black took the trouble to download some of the shows and listen to them, I think it would be clear that the characters had an intimate knowledge of the black american experience and character. That is only possible by them having had an affinity and affection for it.
The world is really getting petty and stupid.
PhotoBruin 3 years ago
I disagree..Many actors that did black face spoke of how they really felt off stage. Its dehumanizing, and for anyone to belittle the emotional and mental anguish is somewhat barbaric.
steeko7071 3 years ago
Really? Are you talking about black actors who wore blackface, or white actors?
TroyOi 3 years ago
Let's analyze it. It's true that The Kingfish didn't have an articulable "job". On the other hand, Ralph Kramden "Brove a Dus". Similarly, Andy's profession is obscure. Norton worked in the sewer. I'd call that about even. All of the other characters on the "white" show either were wives of these losers, or co-workers. On A&A, there were lawyers, cab company owners, etc.
So---who is hurting who? Lightenin' may have been slow, funny, but if you think that's racist, look in the mirror.
mrmesq53 3 years ago
At the risk of repeating myself: This franchise was, objectively, the finest comedic enterprise in the history of television. It was a clone (although which came first, I don't know) of "The Honeymooners", but it was funnier, it was more televisionally sophisticated, better leads, better scripts, better actors, it was the finest "sitcom" maybe ever---certainly in the 50's. The idiots that have rallied to ban this are themselves racist,ignorant and should be ashamed!
mrmesq53 3 years ago
I agree with everything you said--I've always loved this show--it's better quality comedy than most any other American sitcom. It's easy for people to forget that A&A was one of few shows in the '50s which provided jobs for black actors. The idiots you mentioned succeeded mainly in hurting these actors by eliminating their jobs. How ironic!
galoon 3 years ago
Isn't it a shame how "political correctness" can ruin high quality---cutting edge, really---entertainment. You are right, the very fine comedic actors on this show were ultimately ostracised as being Uncle Toms, and to my knowledge, nobody will put it on the air. That---not the woncerful show---is shameful.
As an aside, there is an older white guy who works at the local "7-11" kind of place. The slowest human I have ever seen. I call him "Lightenin'" and he loves it. True fact.
mrmesq53 3 years ago
How sad that the tripe on TV these days has to suffice for entertainment while shows like this will likely never be aired! There is a DVD I saw on Amazon which has most of the episodes, though. I think some of the earlier radio shows are still available,too. "The Rare Coin" is my favorite episode from the TV show!
I like your mention of the guy at the 7-11 place! Was he familiar with "Lightnin'" from the show?
galoon 3 years ago
are you trying to say reality entertainment or real entertainment? please clarify...
steeko7071 3 years ago
I don't think I used either phrase, but if pressed, I'd say real entertainment, as in "that's great, that's real entertainment". I think those sentiments ought to be reasonably clear from my posts.
mrmesq53 3 years ago
which one is better, a stereotypical dehumanizing job, or your dignity, self respect, and a positive role model. There was a split in black communities everywhere. Some liked it, and others hated it. If it was one of five black shows on at the time, then parents would have a positive show for their kids to watch. this was not the case..
steeko7071 3 years ago
These guys made me laugh when I was growning up. God Bless them all.
vkorchnoifan 3 years ago
Legend has it that long-time announcer Jackson Beck was approached for a co-starring role, by the producers in their
earliest conception of the TV adaptation.
They actually intended to have white actors
in black-face doing this! Beck, a consummate
professional, eager to take on new projects,
indignantly refused, and knocked some sense into their heads about the dangerous mistake
they almost made.
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BrianMcCannSlipknot 3 years ago
Thanks for locating this old material!
atozandbackagain 3 years ago 2
the character henry van porter also played ralle on the Tv show Amen
skillvill 3 years ago
Jester Hairston also played Sapphire's brother Leroy and the adoption official investigating Kingfish's financials. (Kingfish claimed to be head of the Acme Corp....thet "made acmes"))
evjefwil 3 years ago
Fuck bill cosby
avoglerprods 3 years ago 2
Fuck you too
mike7743 3 years ago
I'm so glad that Amos and Andy was available when I was growing up, Because it was about the only program on TV that featured black Americans. It opened the way for other black television programs. Looking at it now only confirms how much we have matured since the early 50's, when men were 'boys'. We can learn from watching this series again, to make us thankful for who we are now, compared to then.
oldstarpunk 3 years ago 2
I don't think i'm a racist, i like to laugh.
Laughter comes from the soul and i don't believe souls have color. I also like Andy Griffin and Leave it to Beaver. When i was a kid that was all we had, now with the violence, sex ect tv land is a breath of fresh air.
teenmajor 3 years ago
Amos and Andy are a guilty pleasure for me. I can see how blacks could take offense but the radio shows are hilarious. They are actually laugh out loud by yourself funny.
Ian7570 3 years ago
I am black and have the entire collection of the Amos & Andy Series. I have been told by many of my friends that Amos & Andy was degradeing to black people. I don't see it that way. I am also a fan of he Honeymooners and when you look at the show many are them were very much alike. King fish mother in law was the same as Ralph's mother in law. It was comedy. Kinfish had his lodge and so did Ralph. I think married with children is as insulting to whites as the Wyanas is to blacks.
teenmajor 3 years ago 3
thank you! my uncle and my parents have the whole collection of Amos and Andy, and me also being black think that this is a great dipiction of blacks. You have every character even in our own families, working class, shady folk, and professionals, i mean really really where are we being degraded in this? ... and the same thing in white families. I don't see where we are being cast down upon either. I watched an episode last week of Good times and to me, that's degrading.
aar41093 3 years ago
At one time Amos and Andy was two white guys painted black minstrel show sytle. For TV they got blacks. But this was at a time when blacks were lynched for entertainment in the south and wanted a postive image of themselves. This was a time when whites screamed of blacks being inferior and self respecting blacks didn't want to be seen as clowns for whites. The time that it came out has a lot to do with the NAACP's attacks of Amos and andy I belive.
000266617 3 years ago
Not sure is Gosden and Correl painted themselves black but definitely did the vocal impersonations of stereotypical uneducated black men.
Ian7570 3 years ago
Iv'e seen them in blackface. It seems that ethnic humor was such a hit on radio that they came out with "Duffy's Tavern" (Eddie the black cook is smarter than the extremely dumb Irish) "Life with Luigi" (Italians--especally imigrants, poked fun of ) "The Golbergs" (You guessed it) "Lum n' Abner" (Two eldery red necks) Should a black person feel guilty if he laughs at whites, Ian?
000266617 3 years ago
yes they did go black-faced in their movie check and double check
skillvill 3 years ago
You racist....liking The Honeymooners!!!!! :)
jackbnimble714 3 years ago
Do they have this on DVD? I'd buy it in a heartbeat!
EnemyAce88 3 years ago
Bill Cosby bought up all the rights to this show years ago. So no one could re-air the show.
avoglerprods 3 years ago 3
Not true. CBS withdrew the reruns in 1966 after civil rights groups complained that the characters stereotyped blacks.
frankftw 3 years ago
I know, that sucked. Some critics said it sterotyped blacks as hustlers, stupid, slow, etc. Some said it put blacks in a light that you never saw, like lawyers, taxi cab company owners, barber shop owners, etc. All of that civil rights junk gets on my nerves. They should bring it back anyway.
luv4shorty 3 years ago
civil rights junk? wow! pure ignorance.
KAriel3 3 years ago
You should only speak when spoken to, that way you'll know what the conversation is really about
luv4shorty 3 years ago
like your inbreed self not making any sense?
mike7743 3 years ago
My "inbreed" self? I think the word you're looking for would be "inbred" but only an true inbred would make that kind of mistake.
luv4shorty 3 years ago
oh wow. you actually know how to spell. a rare accomplishment for someone who is a product of inbreeding. what a surprise. who taught you to use a computer? don't you have a Nascar race to watch and cousins to try to have sex with?
mike7743 3 years ago
and you probably meant "a true" not "an true"
dummy
mike7743 3 years ago
That was a little 'ebonics' for you. negro.
luv4shorty 3 years ago
oh my god. you called me a "negro" I think I'm going to kill myself now. better than being a product of inbreeding tho. by the way, are you going to be disappointed if I tell you that I'm not black? I hope not. with this level of intelligence I highly doubt it.
mike7743 3 years ago
yeah, but I am. :-) Oh yeah, and with your level of intelligence, I knew you weren't. lol.
luv4shorty 3 years ago
Some saw it as a modern televised minstrel show, and for one time, with blackfaced actors, it was exactly that.
000266617 3 years ago
Great stuff! My family used to watch Amos& Andy every
day at 5:30 as we sat for dinner. Its all good.
giveabighand 3 years ago