The Kingfish was a con-man, Algonquin Calhoun was a crooked lawyer, Andrew H.Brown was a ladies' man who swore he was a playa(well, he tried, anyhow). The only "Good Negro" on the show was Amos, who drove a cab(and I'm sure he took the scenic route from the Airport). The show was no worse than any other as stereotypes go, but I'm sure the NAACP thought A&A was showing Black folks to be seamy as well as ridiculous, and that's why they wanted it pulled.
Perhaps if everybody would get their heads out of their dumb asses and just take people as they are, black, white, green, W H A T E V E R......we would be a HELL of a lot better off. But that will N E V E R happen.
The NAACP primarily objected to the TV series because they felt it wasn't "dignified" enough to feature an all-black cast. However, the "screwball" kind of situation comedy seen here was just as "demeaning" to white performers as well {think "I LOVE LUCY"}. Perhaps the NAACP felt something more along the lines of "THE GOLDBERGS" or "MAMA" (gentle comedy entwined with dramatic moments} would have been a better series to emulate. But this is PURE FARCE- just as it was on radio...
@usermikes Whites may have originated it, but black actors were on the television series. As a result, a lot of talented, black actors were kicked out of their jobs. They were reduced to occasional guest parts on other TV shows, which were few and far between. Therefore, it wasn't whites the NAACP hurt, but blacks instead.
I used to watch these shows from the age from age 5 until I was about 17. I always loved the way these guys bastardized the language. We used to copy certain things that they said.” Let me splain it tu ya ! “
Growing up in Washington DC, the reality was that blacks said things like mistigatin’ instead of instigating and ig'nant , aiight and axe instead of ask that are just part of the vernacular. It was funny but without malice and George Stevens was hilarious !
Okay...now I see where the term idiot box came from. Because that was pure stupidity. I mean you would have to turn your brain completely off to be entertained by something like that LMAO!!! ... Omg..
I remember this show when I was a kid....I loved it! My have we(no,the powers that be)gone backwards in race relations.This show was ALL AMERICAN in my book!
It's so classical? Also if is matta, then why not wot? Didn't Jesus tell his disciples they should learn to spell? I don't think multiple exclamation marks were popular back then either.
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
Im doing a paper on racism in the 1950's and this was very helpful. Although I am pretty sure I just blew out one of the speakers on my laptop. That was not helpful at all.
There is nothing racist or stereotypical about this program. It is really very funny. Archie Bunker and the Real McCoys were not racist or stereotypical toward white people.
I'll tell you what makes black people look ignorant, crude and violent: RAP MUSIC. I would like to see rap bannned from the airwaves. It is insulting towards black people.
Being white has nothing to do with an aversion to rap. Most of the musicians I listen to are black (primarily saxophonists). Rap is an insult to black people.
you sound like a white person whos afraid of being accused of being racist.............what do u have ta hide.........I hate this oppression bull making white people scared to call black people black WELL hell if im white than your black (opps i started to ramble)
I am not afraid of people calling me a racist, or anything else. I am just trying to make the point that Amos & Andy is not more racist than the Beverly Hillbillies or Hogan's Heroes. These are just comedies. The fact that they may be based on perceived cultural traits makes them funny. They are really not meant to insult any group. Intelligent people can tell the difference between comedy and reality.
Political Correctness dictates that we shun this type of humor. I disagree.
@rwk1983 Come on man, what you're saying is bullshit. I suppose that what rappers are saying, which isn't intelligible anyway, is okay and not stereotyped. Amos and Andy didn't call each other "niggas".
Loved watching these back in the mid-and late fifties! I would do nothing in the evening till I watched A 'n A!! Love em! Still do. Thanks for posting.
all this politically correct BS is just that, this was the best show I can remember as a kid, way better tha th jeffersons, and sanford n son...todays' BS doesn't compare...bring'em back!
well hey jigaboo1 you still keep your mommas old prison number huh? and the 'er' stands for early release (plenty of free fucks for the guards and the warden).
i wish you were over here so i could whip your black ass. you'd never be able to sit down and sign your welfare cheques again.
and call me 'MASSAH' from now on,y'hear boy?
now sweep my yard and shine my shoes. i've left you some chicken pieces that the dog vomitted up,they are next to the dog shit on the floor.
now i see you have only downloaded a handful of nigger stuff,so i'm guessing you are a wanna be nigger too!.
well if you start dealing in a bit of crack cocaine and mug a few defenceless old ladies you will find that you too can be a burden on the taxpayer when you are doing real time in prison.
but wait....be an uncle tom nigger,they do no harm to anyone and one or two of 'em are almsot human.
I was looking forever for these guys.Great humor.How could anyone think these shows were showing "black"humor in the negative...come on,these comedians were the best.Inteligent and talented .God bless
Too bad some narrow minded people had these shows banned...They were some of the most funny TV shows of all time...and nothing to do with stereotyping blacks..I have many of the radio Amos n' Andy shows on tape and they are still a pleasure to listen to and bring plenty of laughs still today.....
@Labaron26 this show is defintiely racist, but the major problem with this show was it was the only representation of black people on television. I agree, accents asside, you could replace the cast with white people and it would still keep the same comedic value
JizCAR the show was harmless, not different from Life with Liugi,The Goldbergs,or any other ethnically oriented show of the times,even later on sanford & son,all in the family & the jeffersons.so it happened on both b&w ends. however they would understand the folly of their ways like w,archie or g.jefferson. besides it is fictional ppl knew this in 1951,1971 & 2011. so get over it. btw speak out against that movie "white chicks" also, if your going to identify racism.be thorough not biased. twit
@Labaron26 The radio series was done by white guys but when they went to TV that wouldn't work. People who claim stereotyping are not only narrow minded, I believe they have a complex of some kind.
@erbeesr Yes, the main characters were white, however many of the supporting ones on radio were black. Shorty the Barber and Calhoun, and later Gabby, the Lawyer were played by blacks, as well as Saphire, and her Mama. Eddie Green, (Shorty), who also worked on "Duffy's Tavern" was an accomplished actor and musician.
What a pleasure seeing the great Tim Moore again. This was a great show and simply the black version of the Honeymooners--an oafish type with a sidekick always getting into trouble.
As far as it portraying negative stereotypes--I never bought it. These are comic characters. It is no more racist than the Honeymooners were. Plus, many black actors thought the show great because it also portrayed blacks as doctors and lawyers!
Thank You Condensedclassics for the memories. I loved Amos N Andy. If they were White people, I would still Love them! Comedy Is Comedy! I am sure that the Actors would not take any amount of money, not to do this show! They were all Professionals and did an excellent job! I hope they were Paid Well! God Rest their Souls, for giving this Sad World a Laugh or Two. I Am White and Polish, and I Love Polish Jokes! If anyone has any Good Ones, Please send them to me!
I'm black and although show was stereotypical of certain groups of us. I loved it. It made me laugh. Hey, what about Archie Bunker? That was a great show. Jeffersons? Great!
hey, i'm an african american amd i love this show. i thought it was funny but more importantly young people should see the perpetuated stereotype. we stereotype ourselves with whole do rag baggy pants thing now and the only difference is that young black kids revel in it. so i guess it's ok for us to stereotype ourselves. that whole n word thing is a laugh we can say it but white folks can't. what a laugh
And the other reason that the show is no longer on TV is because Bill Cosby bought the rights to the show. He refuses to put the episodes back on the air because, like you said, he feels it represents a negative stereotype about black people. I just think the show is funny and entertaining, so most of the posters here will agree.
The show, however phenominal, and it was to say the least (!!!) - between the brilliant scripts and the extraordinary actors, was the victim in reruns by the darling naacp and its wise leaders. Good old naacp and its shared community......, no sense of humor or being able to laugh at one's self. But their eternal pejoratives against other elements of society never ceases.
Hi Solomonadam, This also took me back to my childhood. I would love to also get the dvd but I waiting for the price to go down some. The price that its selling for lets you know how people were so into which should let them know people are still into them. What is your favorite episode?
There are plenty of white crooks on tv especially on Seinfeld, so why is this show so bad?
Casey5693 1 month ago
Then the molecule breaks down into neutrons, protons, fig newtons, and morons. HAHAHA!
Casey5693 1 month ago
I don't care what sterotyping someone might think, it is still funny.
lakekerr1 3 months ago
The Kingfish was a con-man, Algonquin Calhoun was a crooked lawyer, Andrew H.Brown was a ladies' man who swore he was a playa(well, he tried, anyhow). The only "Good Negro" on the show was Amos, who drove a cab(and I'm sure he took the scenic route from the Airport). The show was no worse than any other as stereotypes go, but I'm sure the NAACP thought A&A was showing Black folks to be seamy as well as ridiculous, and that's why they wanted it pulled.
therealjoebloggs 6 months ago
Perhaps if everybody would get their heads out of their dumb asses and just take people as they are, black, white, green, W H A T E V E R......we would be a HELL of a lot better off. But that will N E V E R happen.
jimblue39 7 months ago
LOL@5:33 Mmmmmmmmmm .....Yeeaaaahhhhh
Pimp2O11 8 months ago
The NAACP primarily objected to the TV series because they felt it wasn't "dignified" enough to feature an all-black cast. However, the "screwball" kind of situation comedy seen here was just as "demeaning" to white performers as well {think "I LOVE LUCY"}. Perhaps the NAACP felt something more along the lines of "THE GOLDBERGS" or "MAMA" (gentle comedy entwined with dramatic moments} would have been a better series to emulate. But this is PURE FARCE- just as it was on radio...
fromthesidelines 9 months ago
What the NAACP didn't like was white's came up with the idea. If blacks came up with Amos & Andy, nothing would of been said. NAACP, racist!
usermikes 1 year ago
@usermikes Whites may have originated it, but black actors were on the television series. As a result, a lot of talented, black actors were kicked out of their jobs. They were reduced to occasional guest parts on other TV shows, which were few and far between. Therefore, it wasn't whites the NAACP hurt, but blacks instead.
snoops71 1 year ago
Thes guys were reall great, they were on tv and had jobs.... so just enjoy comedy and lol.
cheyenne86 1 year ago
I discombobulate every time I see the Kingfish in action
TheZerocinco 1 year ago
great script! Kingfish is a broke schemer!
parisel313 1 year ago
I used to watch these shows from the age from age 5 until I was about 17. I always loved the way these guys bastardized the language. We used to copy certain things that they said.” Let me splain it tu ya ! “
Growing up in Washington DC, the reality was that blacks said things like mistigatin’ instead of instigating and ig'nant , aiight and axe instead of ask that are just part of the vernacular. It was funny but without malice and George Stevens was hilarious !
42marisol1 1 year ago
love this show.
inab777 1 year ago
Okay...now I see where the term idiot box came from. Because that was pure stupidity. I mean you would have to turn your brain completely off to be entertained by something like that LMAO!!! ... Omg..
HateMillions 1 year ago
I remember this show when I was a kid....I loved it! My have we(no,the powers that be)gone backwards in race relations.This show was ALL AMERICAN in my book!
doowaditti 1 year ago
It's so classical? Also if is matta, then why not wot? Didn't Jesus tell his disciples they should learn to spell? I don't think multiple exclamation marks were popular back then either.
35westst 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
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
Sorry so many people are soooo narrow minded - this was plain funny!!
morbius45 1 year ago
Im doing a paper on racism in the 1950's and this was very helpful. Although I am pretty sure I just blew out one of the speakers on my laptop. That was not helpful at all.
samwow49 1 year ago
I miss them!!! They were just plain hillarious.
RoseyinWonderland 1 year ago
Redd Foxx's favorite show. They were the best. Of all the sit coms I would rather watch this over any of them. Simply put they make me laugh.
hajune 2 years ago 4
God, this was just great comedy. Put them on re-runs.
rusty44mag 2 years ago 2
Originally telecast on December 11, 1952.
fromthesidelines 2 years ago 2
There is nothing racist or stereotypical about this program. It is really very funny. Archie Bunker and the Real McCoys were not racist or stereotypical toward white people.
I'll tell you what makes black people look ignorant, crude and violent: RAP MUSIC. I would like to see rap bannned from the airwaves. It is insulting towards black people.
abukamoon 2 years ago
they partly make rap music to piss off white people like you...............im white but i pay no mind too it
rwk1983 2 years ago
Being white has nothing to do with an aversion to rap. Most of the musicians I listen to are black (primarily saxophonists). Rap is an insult to black people.
abukamoon 2 years ago
you sound like a white person whos afraid of being accused of being racist.............what do u have ta hide.........I hate this oppression bull making white people scared to call black people black WELL hell if im white than your black (opps i started to ramble)
rwk1983 2 years ago
I am not afraid of people calling me a racist, or anything else. I am just trying to make the point that Amos & Andy is not more racist than the Beverly Hillbillies or Hogan's Heroes. These are just comedies. The fact that they may be based on perceived cultural traits makes them funny. They are really not meant to insult any group. Intelligent people can tell the difference between comedy and reality.
Political Correctness dictates that we shun this type of humor. I disagree.
abukamoon 2 years ago 4
@rwk1983 Come on man, what you're saying is bullshit. I suppose that what rappers are saying, which isn't intelligible anyway, is okay and not stereotyped. Amos and Andy didn't call each other "niggas".
furtherdefinitions 1 year ago
Now you know that Frank loved him some Kingfish!!
Frank and Dean and Sam was always doin da Kingfish!!
tirayi 2 years ago
This is when Comedy was Comedy. Nothing was force, just nature entertainment.
bev750 2 years ago
Judge: How did you meet the Kingfish?
Andy: Well you hono, I was at a carnival 8 years ago and reached in my back pocket for my wallet and shook hands with the Kingfish!
IMBakz 2 years ago
These shows were great, I remember them as a kid. Its a shame they took them off-it was great comedy.
rusty44mag 2 years ago 2
These were the best shows ever.
2ukes
2ukes 2 years ago
Loved watching these back in the mid-and late fifties! I would do nothing in the evening till I watched A 'n A!! Love em! Still do. Thanks for posting.
blackngoldgal65 2 years ago
all this politically correct BS is just that, this was the best show I can remember as a kid, way better tha th jeffersons, and sanford n son...todays' BS doesn't compare...bring'em back!
emptymind56 2 years ago 4
I love this show!!!! It's so classical!!
JESUS SAVES!!! EVERYBODY!!1
KEEP GOD 1ST NO MATTA WHAT!!!
B2kcookies 2 years ago 7
I wish they'd show the full episode, cuz all they're showin' is main excerpts from the full episode.
B2kcookies 2 years ago
Great, great show. Far better than the drivel that passes for comedy on TV today.
CarlDuke 2 years ago
Old enough to remember this show, GREAT comedy...about PEOPLE...before politically correct BS took hold.
BEST Black comedy show...ever. Compared with Jeffersons, others..
DVD were avail in Blockbuster, but no longer...
ajbruno14 2 years ago 2
your first edit was too tight on the untucked line.
sclogse1 2 years ago
well hey jigaboo1 you still keep your mommas old prison number huh? and the 'er' stands for early release (plenty of free fucks for the guards and the warden).
i wish you were over here so i could whip your black ass. you'd never be able to sit down and sign your welfare cheques again.
and call me 'MASSAH' from now on,y'hear boy?
now sweep my yard and shine my shoes. i've left you some chicken pieces that the dog vomitted up,they are next to the dog shit on the floor.
i spoil you sooty.
nuipret 2 years ago
Only the hurt like to hurt like you. Stay away from machinery.
sclogse1 2 years ago
thank y' kindly.
ill do my best.
nuipret 2 years ago
what's "bigoted" about brilliance?
jballard459 2 years ago
This is my first time seeing this. Fantastic. Better than anything I see on today's TV.
HAHAHA!!! All that trouble and the guy didn't want to sell the shop because he thought business started going great. LOL
TKGB2006 2 years ago
i loved this show in england in the 50's when i wass a small boy.
i had never seen a black guy or woman except on the tv.
it makes me long for the good ol' days of the deep south and the plantations.
that was when the blacks knew their places.
good ol' amos n andy. uncle tom niggers are the best in the world. bless 'em.
nuipret 2 years ago
punk, u need to your place
BUCO53 2 years ago
hey moron,what the fuck does your message mean?
now i see you have only downloaded a handful of nigger stuff,so i'm guessing you are a wanna be nigger too!.
well if you start dealing in a bit of crack cocaine and mug a few defenceless old ladies you will find that you too can be a burden on the taxpayer when you are doing real time in prison.
but wait....be an uncle tom nigger,they do no harm to anyone and one or two of 'em are almsot human.
yeah, like me you find 'em funny!
nuipret 2 years ago
YOU BIGOT FUCK!!!!!!!!!!
taurickb 2 years ago
Comment removed
namvet12 2 years ago
A they say in Uncle tom...you gotta let 'em get used to the bag.
How is it in there?
sclogse1 2 years ago
Hey nuipret..Glad your in England.
6749er 2 years ago
I was looking forever for these guys.Great humor.How could anyone think these shows were showing "black"humor in the negative...come on,these comedians were the best.Inteligent and talented .God bless
rugerAK 3 years ago
yeah, some people won't watch cuz of what they think they know about it.
they are depriving themselves from some masterpieces of humor.
jesusdetoledo 3 years ago 2
i totally agree. hilarious. not racist.
jesusdetoledo 3 years ago 3
"In the future, instead of putting the turkey in the stove, they're going to put the stove in the turkey."
That whole bit was hilarious.
bobshmow 3 years ago
Too bad some narrow minded people had these shows banned...They were some of the most funny TV shows of all time...and nothing to do with stereotyping blacks..I have many of the radio Amos n' Andy shows on tape and they are still a pleasure to listen to and bring plenty of laughs still today.....
Labaron26 3 years ago 13
@Labaron26 this show is defintiely racist, but the major problem with this show was it was the only representation of black people on television. I agree, accents asside, you could replace the cast with white people and it would still keep the same comedic value
JETCAR223 1 year ago
JizCAR the show was harmless, not different from Life with Liugi,The Goldbergs,or any other ethnically oriented show of the times,even later on sanford & son,all in the family & the jeffersons.so it happened on both b&w ends. however they would understand the folly of their ways like w,archie or g.jefferson. besides it is fictional ppl knew this in 1951,1971 & 2011. so get over it. btw speak out against that movie "white chicks" also, if your going to identify racism.be thorough not biased. twit
JRussoBuffaloNY 10 months ago
@JETCAR223 Vaudeville.
ljphilp 4 months ago
@Labaron26 The radio series was done by white guys but when they went to TV that wouldn't work. People who claim stereotyping are not only narrow minded, I believe they have a complex of some kind.
erbeesr 1 year ago
@erbeesr Yes, the main characters were white, however many of the supporting ones on radio were black. Shorty the Barber and Calhoun, and later Gabby, the Lawyer were played by blacks, as well as Saphire, and her Mama. Eddie Green, (Shorty), who also worked on "Duffy's Tavern" was an accomplished actor and musician.
Labaron26 1 year ago
@Labaron26 The portrayal of blacks in this show are a hell of a lot better than many of the modern portrayals today.
McNabbulous 11 months ago
@McNabbulous so true
math1202 10 months ago
What a pleasure seeing the great Tim Moore again. This was a great show and simply the black version of the Honeymooners--an oafish type with a sidekick always getting into trouble.
As far as it portraying negative stereotypes--I never bought it. These are comic characters. It is no more racist than the Honeymooners were. Plus, many black actors thought the show great because it also portrayed blacks as doctors and lawyers!
LazlosPlane 3 years ago 4
Thank You Condensedclassics for the memories. I loved Amos N Andy. If they were White people, I would still Love them! Comedy Is Comedy! I am sure that the Actors would not take any amount of money, not to do this show! They were all Professionals and did an excellent job! I hope they were Paid Well! God Rest their Souls, for giving this Sad World a Laugh or Two. I Am White and Polish, and I Love Polish Jokes! If anyone has any Good Ones, Please send them to me!
jburawski 3 years ago
I'm black and although show was stereotypical of certain groups of us. I loved it. It made me laugh. Hey, what about Archie Bunker? That was a great show. Jeffersons? Great!
originrcl 3 years ago 4
I agree. People today are too hypersensitive on all levels.
BobbyBars14 3 years ago
"The other one is in The Metropolitan Museum of Jewelry."
"I'll give you 25 cents for it."
"Sold!"
logansGT 3 years ago 5
Hot dog.
sclogse1 3 years ago 2
will we ever be able to recapture those golden days of yesteryear?seeing htere is really no more black comedy shows worth watching?
sammyslutrock 3 years ago
the neutron proton stuff is pure genius.
maximuscomfort 3 years ago 3
hey, i'm an african american amd i love this show. i thought it was funny but more importantly young people should see the perpetuated stereotype. we stereotype ourselves with whole do rag baggy pants thing now and the only difference is that young black kids revel in it. so i guess it's ok for us to stereotype ourselves. that whole n word thing is a laugh we can say it but white folks can't. what a laugh
originrcl 3 years ago
This show was taken off the air by the NAACP because it presented a negative image of Negroes.
Oldbluehere 3 years ago
And the other reason that the show is no longer on TV is because Bill Cosby bought the rights to the show. He refuses to put the episodes back on the air because, like you said, he feels it represents a negative stereotype about black people. I just think the show is funny and entertaining, so most of the posters here will agree.
BobbyBars14 3 years ago 2
i find that interesting coming from the man who produced Fat Ablert and the Jukyard Gang.
beersgood7 3 years ago 4
whoever edited this edited the punch lines cleen-out. holy makadil
benjaminBarr 4 years ago
The show, however phenominal, and it was to say the least (!!!) - between the brilliant scripts and the extraordinary actors, was the victim in reruns by the darling naacp and its wise leaders. Good old naacp and its shared community......, no sense of humor or being able to laugh at one's self. But their eternal pejoratives against other elements of society never ceases.
Yet another American jewell destroyed.
equinoxranch 4 years ago 2
Lol, the conversation about the oven and turkeys was hilarious. I totally would miss this show when it went off the air if I was around back then. :(
DirtyScab 4 years ago
shit that took me wayyyyy back life was much different then amans word was all you needed
miamied1001 4 years ago
Hi Solomonadam, This also took me back to my childhood. I would love to also get the dvd but I waiting for the price to go down some. The price that its selling for lets you know how people were so into which should let them know people are still into them. What is your favorite episode?
vvleahvv 4 years ago
I have always loved this show and was so sad to see it go off the air for nothing. So glad to find it here.
vvleahvv 4 years ago 3