Accordingly, the fact that the show keeps its regular roles one-dimensional - surface traits, no capacity for growth - becomes even more imprudent, for this only exacerbates the inherent racial concerns. I hoped that I would come to agree with the many fans who call Amos ‘n Andy a lost gem: one of the smartest and funniest of TV’s early sitcoms, unfairly treated because of its unavoidable racial assumptions, which, depending on who you ask, are either legitimately troublesome or erroneously feared. But I’m afraid that I simply don’t think that’s a valid narrative - not only is the series NOT on that top shelf of its era’s comedies ( I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Phil Silvers Show), because its character work is not up to those standards, it’s also impossible to wrest Amos, Andy, the Kingfish, Sapphire, Calhoun, etc., from the minstrel tropes and stereotypes that had defined African Americans in entertainment up to that point, an issue made more glaring when we note that the creative team was all white. You see, many first season scripts for The Amos ‘n Andy Show were written by Leave It To Beaver‘s two creators, Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, and I thought this connection would inform my looks at both series… However, after examining the 74/78 episodes that circulate (they’re all on YouTube as of this writing), I’m afraid I can’t really give this show my usual critical attention. Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I planned to cover the television adaptation of the long-running radio hit Amos ‘n’ Andy, which ran for two years (1951-1953) of 52 episodes on CBS-TV, with another 26 added that decade in first-run syndication.
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