"Amos 'n Andy" was an extremely popular radio and television show that is all but forgotten today. Why? Well, back in the radio days, the parts were all played by white actors pretending to be VERY stereotypical black men...and I am sure some folks were horrified by it. Then, in the early 50s, they decided to bring the show to TV but realized they needed to find a new, all black cast*. These TV shows were later attacked in the late 50s and 60s...not so much because the shows were obviously racist but because they were among the ONLY images on television...and the leads in the show were pretty much idiots. I can understand the concerns and am glad such images would later become the exception...not the rule. Because of this controversy, the show hasn't been shown on TV in decades and it's difficult to find the show even on video or DVD. Fortunately, I was able to recently get a DVD collection of the shows...and they are quite funny when understood in their context.
This episode finds Kingfish and his wife getting along a lot better these days...thanks to the "Happy Harrington" radio show**. The niceness of the on-air couple rubs off on the Stevenses and life is looking great for them....for about 2 minutes!! However, Kingfish is tired of all the arguing and is determined to have a happy home. But this is easier said than done!
This is a very funny episode....especially the last few minutes. You just have to see it to believe it...but it involves an actual meeting between the Stevenses and the Harringtons! Well worth seeing.
*In the early 1930s, the original voice actors (in black-face) made a movie, "Check and Double Check" and it was god-awful and unfunny! Trust me on this one!!
**"The Happy Harrington Show" was a real radio show, produced by Hal Roach Studio....just as "Amos 'n Andy" was.
This episode finds Kingfish and his wife getting along a lot better these days...thanks to the "Happy Harrington" radio show**. The niceness of the on-air couple rubs off on the Stevenses and life is looking great for them....for about 2 minutes!! However, Kingfish is tired of all the arguing and is determined to have a happy home. But this is easier said than done!
This is a very funny episode....especially the last few minutes. You just have to see it to believe it...but it involves an actual meeting between the Stevenses and the Harringtons! Well worth seeing.
*In the early 1930s, the original voice actors (in black-face) made a movie, "Check and Double Check" and it was god-awful and unfunny! Trust me on this one!!
**"The Happy Harrington Show" was a real radio show, produced by Hal Roach Studio....just as "Amos 'n Andy" was.
