Does anyone remember The Amos 'N' Andy Show? I know all about how they say it was racist.?

Question

I think it was a great show with excellent comedy.

Remember Saphire's Mamas hats?

Answer 1

I never looked at the show as racist...I liked the slap stick humor of it......I will never forget "Kingfish" telling "Andrew H. Brown",...."If all the women in Texas are as ugly as Sapphires momma, then the Lone Ranger gonna stay the Lone Ranger"........The show would not even begin to compare with "In Living Color", or "Gangstah Rap"............

Answer 2

I loved Amos and Andy on the radio as a kid . Also Rochester, and Al Jolson in blackface and others of that kind. It may be racist, but it was of the times, history, and I think it helps us understand where we are now. I also loved Tom Sawyer, and Huckleberry Finn, and Little Black Sambo, and I don't think any of history should be deleted! We might not agree with facsim, and Hitler, but no one is deleting that. I don't think any history should be ignored, racist or not.

Maybe we should wipe out part of Gone with the wind, and any stories about black slavery, if we are to eliminate anything about racism.

Otherwise, how will we learn, if we don't know why?

Ridiculous.

Answer 3

OK - I identify as mixed race, but African American is by far LARGELY included and proud of it!

Back in the day, my father and mother were not happy with Amos N Andy for many of the reasons already noted above, but particularly for the radio show and the Caucasian men 'representing' persons of color, and later for the stereotypical portrayal on TV.

The TV show was demeaning [though albeit funny to many]. Shows back then portrayed Blacks as loud, stupid, lazy, slack of appropriate linguistic skills etc.Both the men and women were caricatures and NOT representative of Blacks in real life. It smacked of the era when Blacks could only play roles of servitude, dancing,singing or 'less than'. Same for Native Americans [who played two-word speaking savages] and Asians [who were always portrayed only as evil military torture givers or martial arts folk]. However, these were the ONLY ROLES available to actors back them, and for that I do understand.


Frankly, I feel the same about Caucasians from West Va. being portrayed as mentally challenged, in-breeding hateful folk [e.g. the movie Deliverance]

People are people, regardless of race or circumstance and we all have the same ills, foibles, challenges, and joys.

Wish the world was different, but alas it is not.

Answer 4

I remember laughing at it. I did not think it was racist at the time. A lot of things we laughed at could not be done today. Racist, homophobic, sexist. I enjoyed it. Leave it to Beaver was not my life but it was a good show. I think we have forgotten the simple things are best. There were so many things I can remember laughing at that would not be seen today. Laughter rules.

Answer 5

I still hear those shows on inernet old time radio. They were funny shows, and still are. What they show on TV now is not comedy and most not fit for family viewing.

I'm a "hillbilly", but I'm not offended at the shows like Beverly Hillbillies, etc.. It's all in fun, and laughing is good for the soul.

Answer 6

The radio show began as a fifteen minute show, then expanded to half an hour. Most of the criticism comes from the fact that both Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll were white and were portraying black men. The TV show had black actors, but they even portrayed blacks in a demeaning way.

Answer 7

yes , I remember Amos and Andy , now a days people try to say it portrayed blacks in a negative way. I don't agree. It was a comedy show .most comedy shows were about whites so actually the were getting the same treatment as everyone else. nobody complains about Fibber McGee and Molly portraying whites in a bad light.

Answer 8

Ohhhh Andy. Does the name Ruby Begonia ring a bell.

Answer 9

It was a great show!!! First on radio and then TV. We never missed it. I suppose it was racist, but we never thought about it. It was just a funny show. The actors could have pink, blue, or white for all we cared.

Answer 10

I barely remember it. I imagine it was racist. In the last few years I have also come to notice how racist the old westerns were toward Blacks, Native Americans and Mexicans. They were portrayed as either evil or stupid and childish. There was also a lot of male chauvinism in those old movies and sitcoms.
I agree with ''shermynewstart'' about the Blazing Saddles movie on the cable channel the other day. My husband was watching it and pointed that out to me.