Holy Mackerel! The Amos and Andy Story

"Amos 'n' Andy" had one of radio's all-time highest ratings, was a television landmark, and had an extraordinary impact on our society for nearly fifty years. Now Holy Mackerel! tells the story of one of the most popular, acclaimed, talked about, and controversial programs ever produced. "Amos 'n' Andy" at the time this book was published was second only to "I Love Lucy" in popularity as a video rental and is firmly embedded in the hearts of millions of Americans. Based on extensive interviews with dozens of people involved in the show and written in a bright, upbeat style, Holy Mackerel! is certain to stir both memories and emotions. From the very first meeting of Charles J. Correll and Freeman Fisher Gosden, Amos 'n' Andy's creators, we see how Gosden and Correll became a success in radio by portraying the real-life problems that blacks from the South were experiencing when they arrived in urban areas of the North, and how the show's continuing storyline captured its audience as surely as if it had involved real people. Amos Jones and Andy Brown, as well as such characters as the rapacious Kingfish and his no-nonsense wife, Sapphire, kept the laughs rolling along in their fantastically successful radio show and, later, on television. Complete with synopses of all seventy-eight television episodes, and with many never-before-seen photographs, Holy Mackerel! is a delightful reminiscence for any Amos 'n' Andy fan, as well as a great introduction for those who have not previously had the pleasure of experiencing this legendary show.