Amos 'N' Andy

[James A. Landau]

I picked up a copy of the 1995 edition of _The Complete Directory to Prime
Time Network and Cable TV Shows_ so if anyone needs a dating for a TV program,
just ask.

According to this book, the reason the TV version of Amos 'N' Andy
disappeared was somewhat convoluted.

<Begin quote>
Civil rights groups such as the NAACP had long protested the series as
fostering racial stereotypes, to little avail...The turning point came in 1963 when
CBS FIlms, which was still calling _Amos 'N' Andy_ one of its most widely
circulated shows, announced that the program had been sold to two African
countries, Kenya and Western Nigeria.  Soon afterward, an official of the Kenya
government announced that the program would be banned in his country.  This focused
attention anew on the old controversy and in the summer of 1964, when a
Chicago station announced that it was resuming reruns, there were widespread and
bitter protests.  CBS found it market for the films suddenly disappearing, and in
1966 the program was withdrawn from sale, as quietly as possible.
   As to whether the program was in fact racist...actor Alvin Childress
[Amos] was quoted as saying, "I didn't feel it harmed the Negro at all...[ellipsis
in original] Actually the series had many episodes that showed the negro with
professions and businesses like attorneys, store owners, and so on, which they
never had in TV or movies before"...Nevertheless the humor certainly derived
from the fact that these were shiftless, conniving, not-too-bright _blacks._
...As a result, it is unlikely that _Amos 'N' Andy_ will ever be seen again on
television.
<end quote>

In 1961 Gosden and Correll returned to TV with a cartoon series, _Calvin and
the Colonel_
<begin quote>
    This animated feature concerned the exploits of a bunch of animals from
the Deep South who had taken up residence in a large Northern city...If the
plot line sounds vaguely like that of _Amos 'N' Andy_, don't be surprised [since
it was created by Gosden and Correll].  The use of animals here avoided
creating what could have been a touchy racial situation in the early 1960s.
<end quote>

     - James A. Landau