Kingfish, Amos n' Andy: Out of the Vault
and Onto The Stage

The Black Spectrum Theatre which has been in existence for nearly 36 years, and located in Roy Wilkins Park in Jamaica, New York, has revived a piece of controversial radio and television history and brought it before the public once again, this time, on stage. The play "Kingfish, Amos, 'n Andy," which is performed on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and on Sundays at 4:00 p.m., has been well received by an appreciative audience. The show is slated to run until June 11th . Therefore, Amos 'n Andy aficionados may wish to find their way to Baisley Boulevard and 177th Street near Merrick Boulevard in St Albans to view it before it closes.

"Kingfish, Amos 'n Andy" gives the audience and particularly younger viewers, an opportunity to view a piece of African American history and slapstick comedy. It was a widely popular show in its day, featured both on radio and then later on television, and religiously supported by both blacks and whites alike. The TV show version of Amos 'n Andy marked the first black comedy show to air on television and kept many African American comedians and actors employed at a time when employment was not readily available to black performers. However, during the 1950's, Roy Wilkins, the then head of the NAACP, launched a boycott against the show declaring it offensive to black people. Wilkins alleged the show depicted black folks in typical negative stereotypes i.e., lazy, shiftless, uneducated buffoons. Paradoxically, it is opinioned that Wilkins himself had enjoyed the radio version. How ironic is it then that Kingfish, and Amos 'n Andy should reappear years later as a play featured in a theatre housed within Roy Wilkins Park.

Interestingly enough, the original creators of the radio version of Amos 'n Andy were two white actors/comedians, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll who fashioned their characters from a real life black man known to them as Snowball. In 1926, Gosden and Correll hit with their situation comedy Sam & Henry which aired on Chicago radio station WGN. On March 19, 1928, Gosden and Correll refashioned it into their popular Amos 'n Andy show, which was one of the longest-running and most famous shows on radio. The radio version ran 30 years. Given the fact the two white actors dressed in black face and used black idiom and dialect, when Amos 'n Andy was first broadcast on radio, CBS television saw the wisdom in June 1951 of hiring black actors for the television version. Alvin Childress played the role of Amos Jones; Spencer Williams, Jr., played Andy Hogg Brown; Tim Moore portrayed George "Kingfish" Stevens; Johnny Lee starred as Lawyer Algonquin J. Calhoun; Ernestine Wade played Kingfish's wife Sapphire; Horace Stewart was the character Lightin'; Amanda Randolph played Sapphire's mother and mother-in-law Madame Queen was portrayed by Lillian Randolph. The show was produced by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll. 78 episodes were broadcasted from June 1951 to June 1953 before its cancellation amidst protest from the black community and the network's fear of the withdrawal of white advertising dollars. Although Amos 'n Andy continued to run in syndication until 1966 and is currently available in video.

Carl Clay the Executive Producer/Playwright, Founder and CEO of Black Spectrum Theatre commented "Having grown up watching Amos n' Andy on television, it hasn't surprised me that there are thousands, if not millions, of people that loved the show. What is surprising is the amount of Black people now willing to admit they liked the show. Clearly, the NAACP move to block the show in the early 1950s was not a unanimous move. In fact, there are a number of African American figures who have gone on record saying they liked the TV version of Amos n' Andy, folks such as Jesse Jackson and Red Foxx.

Clay went on to say "The big question we all have to ask ourselves is how far we have come in our acceptance of Black TV Programming. With the booty calling, gangster antics of today's music videos to the slap stick reruns of "Martin," "The Jefferson's" "Good Times" and the new batch of 21st century Black TV drama mama's and Yo' Dogs showcasing; given that, we have to ask ourselves just how far have we come? And, how far is enough?"

The present production of Kingfish, Amos 'n Andy is most humorously and delightfully portrayed by cast members Michael Leonard James (Amos); Andrew R. Cooksey (Andy); Todd Davis (Kingfish); Arlene A. McGruder (Sapphire); Fulton C. Hodges (Lightning); Leon Rogers (Calhoun) and Marcha Tracey (Mama). Playwright Carl Clay manages to keep much of the integrity of the original shows while formulating the hypothesis that Kingfish's trademark penchant to avoid work was because he suffered from post-traumatic slavery syndrome.

Amos n' Andy was staged and directed by director Betty Howard. The set, recreated by Harlan Penn, is a pretty accurate depiction of the original set and serves as a venue for some of the hilarious antics that are ongoing throughout the production. Life is once again breathed into these lovable characters and from what I saw it's a wonderful reservoir of nostalgia that is no more offensive than what we see on our television screens and hear in rap music today. In fact, in this reviewer's opinion even less offensive. After all, it is a part of our history and whether we like it or not fits within the framework of our experiences as black people in America; whether they are negative or positive they are part and parcel of who were are. Sometimes we merely have to laugh at ourselves. The Black Spectrum Theatre's mirthful depiction of Amos 'n Andy, is certain to guarantee you that hearty laugh. Go see it!

For ticket information call 718-723-1800.

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