Amos and Andy Music Hall

Today it is hard to imagine the popularity that Amos 'n' Andy enjoyed in their early days. Remember that this occurred in the very early days of network radio. Movie theaters would interrupt their features so that patrons could listen to the program on the theater's loudspeakers. Restaurants would stop serving during the program so that customers listening wouldn't miss any of the stories.

Almost amazing as the show's popularity was its longevity.Amos 'n' Andy began as a 15 minute daily serial in 1929. In 1943 the format was changed to a weekly half hour program. In the fall of 1954 the most of the supporting characters were let go, leaving just Gosden and Correll, and the program returned to a daily format, but recorded rather than a live broadcast.

The new daily program, Amos 'n' Andy Music Hall used the premise that the Kingfish had set up a radio station in the Lodge Hall of the Mystic Knights of the Sea. They played records with comic sketches between the selections. Occasionally they would be joined by a guest celebrity who would be featured in the sketches, and also given a chance to make a plug for their personal (usually NBC related) projects.

Amos 'n' Andy left the air on Nov 25, 1960, the day the network cancelled the last of its daytime radio serials. It wasn't so much a case of the show losing popularity; rather it was a sign that the whole medium of network radio was giving way to television.

This collection is part of the larger Minstrel Show Collection.  For other similar series, see also Amos And Andy Music Hall, Beulah, Johnson Family, Black Crows, Johnson Family, and Sam n' Henry. See also: article on the history of Minstrel Shows and Old Time Radio.