MovieChat Forums > The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951) Discussion > This Show Has The Highest Rating of Any ...

This Show Has The Highest Rating of Any Black Movie or TV Show

posted 14 years ago by whedd3
8 replies | jump to latest

Unfortunately a mean-spirited, stereotypical, racist television show that portrays black people as idiots gets the highest rating of any other black featured movie or television show on IMDB. This speaks more of our society than anything else. Some white people get comfort from seeing African-Americans as a group of "less than" fools. Some white people find the show objectionable. Yes, I know Amos 'n Andy is funny, but the humor comes from a false place. The humor is there to ridicule a people, to present an image of this group as basically ignorant, humorously-criminal people unworthy of respect. In the world of Amos 'n Andy even a African-American lawyer is unworthy of his title. He made it through law school because he copied or stole some White person's law exam and put his name on it. Even his name is spelled wrong. In the courtroom attorney Calhoun is a perfect idiot. "Well, it's only a tv show."

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] prettyD2368 13 years ago

Show was hillarious, yes their were some negative stereotypes but most of the comedy show's back than had negative stereotypes. And Roots is rated just as high as Amos N Andy.

[–] eljefe320 13 years ago

Yeah, because there aren't any TV shows where white people are portrayed as idiots. Ever watch The Honeymooners? Gilligan's Island? Or any one of hundreds of others?

[–] ItsEddieHaskellBeyotch 12 years ago

IMDB unfortunately is made up of mostly white movie geeks and cinema snobs...so the high rating for somethng that most black folks disagree with isnt surprising in the least.

"Fair is fair!"~ Billie Jean Davy

[–] bradford-1 11 years ago

As much as I enjoyed A&A, I realize what the criticism of the time was: it was pretty much the ONLY represntation of blacks on American TV, except for sports and variety shows.
I'm old enough to remember a time when blacks didn't appear as characters on most dramatic shows or sitcoms, except as menials. Blacks didn't appear in commercials, either. And I think it's safe to say blacks were mostly barred from behind-the-scenes jobs, too (directors, camera operators, script writers, producers, makeup artists, etc.) In 1953-54-55, you did not see black detectives, schoolteachers, mail carriers, corporate executives, et al. Of course, someone will be able to find an episode of I MARRIED JOAN where a black truck driver appears. There are exceptions to every rule.

"May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?"

[–] james_age 11 years ago

Eljefe320, well put. The NAAWP should've banned I Love Lucy, Get Smart, Three's Company, Married with Children, Three and a Half Men etc etc etc for making white people look dumb. That was sarcasm.

This is serious. Amos & Andy was a great, well written show with likable, engaging characters. So much for the cast's well deserved, but lost, residuals due to the decades-long ban by the NAACP.

[–] asimov13647-123-474736 9 years ago

Shouldn't you be choppin' de cotton or hoein' de corn?