Amos 'n' Andy (was: PC and Dialects in fiction)

[Wilson Gray]

On Aug 16, 2004, at 3:37 PM, Mullins, Bill wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: Amos 'n' Andy (was: PC and Dialects in fiction)
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>>  Even Redd Foxx was considered to be risque, solely
>> because he did a bit involving two brands of household
>> detergent, "Fuggit" and "Suggit," with the punch line, "If
>> you can't Fuggit, then Suggit!"
>
> Having heard some of Redd's old "party records", I can say
> with some confidence that this is not the sole reason to
> consider Redd Foxx "risque".
>

You are correct, sir. "Solely" is far to strong an adverb. It's just
that, in the the '50's, this bit was the one that *everybody* - well,
everybody black, anyway; because of the Jim Crow of the day, there was
no way thatI could know what European-Americans knew - was hip to. I
knew that bit before I knew who Redd Foxx was.

BTW, do you know his bit re having a moustache and fighting fire? It's
barely a couple of lines:

That's a lovely moustache that you have there, sir. Going to fight fire
with fire, no doubt.

-Wilson Gray