Amos 'n Andy Show, the

Originating at WGN in Chicago, The Amos ‘n Andy Show was one of the longest-running and most successful radio shows in the history of American broadcasting. At the peak of its popularity the show attracted between 30 million and 40 million listeners a night, six nights a week. It was required listening for legions of faithful followers. But the historical significance of the radio show is often overshadowed by debates regarding the racial politics surrounding the television version of Amos ‘n Andy, which was created in 1951 and aired for two years until 1953. The legacy of both the radio and television programs is a contentious subject for many people who argue about the show's racial representations and the program's influence on listeners and viewers.

Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, the creators of Amos ‘n Andy, first met in Durham, North Carolina, where they began their lifelong relationship as professional collaborators and close friends. Gosden, originally from Richmond, Virginia, and Correll, from Peoria, Illinois, worked together for the Joe Bren Producing Company traveling the country as performers. By 1926, they capitalized on this experience by creating and starring in the Sam ‘n Henry radio show for WGN in Chicago. The two white actors played the roles of black men. They created these characters because they felt strength in their performance abilities rested in imitating the black southern voices they had become familiar with through their travels.

Sam ‘n Henry became a popular radio show in Chicago, and Gosden and Correll wanted to expand the show's reach to additional areas of the country. After proposing the new concept of national syndication to WGN, they were turned down and decided to move on after their contract expired. The pair then teamed up with WMAQ, which was willing to take a chance on syndication. The characters of Sam and Henry were the property of WGN so the pair developed two new characters—Amos Jones and Andy Brown. Despite initially tough reviews, Amos ‘n Andy gained popularity and in 1929 the program expanded to a national audience on NBC, becoming the first nationally syndicated radio show.

The stories of Amos ‘n Andy were centered on the two men, who had relocated from Atlanta, Georgia, to Chicago, Illinois. In 1929, when the show went national, the location was changed to the Harlem section of New York City. Plot lines varied over the years, focusing on different characters and story lines that ranged from the romantic to the comically absurd. The main characters have been classified as stereotyped caricatures of African Americans. They included Amos Jones, a cab-driving family man; Andrew “Andy” Hogg Brown, his gullible friend; George “Kingfish” Stevens, a schemer and con man; Algonquin J. Calhoun, a shyster lawyer, Lightnin’, a slow-moving and slow-talking janitor; Sapphire Stevens, wife of Kingfish; Sapphire's Mama, a domineering mother-in-law; and Madame Queen, Andy's girlfriend.

The historical significance of the radio program can be attributed to several facets of the show. Amos ‘n Andy was groundbreaking radio because of its use of the serial format. It is credited as being the first radio program to use a continuing storyline in addition to continuing characters. Gosden and Correll devised new storytelling techniques that captivated audiences. Additionally, the show and its creators were pioneers in the concept of syndication, which is still in use today.

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