Amos n Andy started as a radio show created and starring two white men.
The success made it possible for it to evolve into a TV sitcom, which featured the first all black cast show on American TV in 1951. It proved ridiculously popular.
The series has been no stranger to controversy! In 1930 and later in the 60’s and 70’s many blacks petitioned to get it off the air. But the show was more popular with black audiences than white audiences which extended to its eventual television debut and popularity.
Throughout the years, fans of the show from Jesse Jackson to Redd Foxx have crossed swords with Bill Cosby, who reportedly led the charge to get Amos ‘n’ Andy removed from television. The fact that Amos ‘n’ Andy is still popular although it has not been on television since 1966 is a testament to its popularity and comedic genius.
To this day the show remains a much debated, largely unseen chapter in TV history.
This classic and controversial series is now available on DVD.
Starring: Alvin Childress, Spencer Williams Jr., Tim Moore, Ernestine Wode, Amando Randolph, Johnny Lee and. Horace Stewar, and much more.
