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To: MrLucky who wrote (216378)	8/20/2007 11:51:51 PM
From: KLP	Respond to of 794032

That list made me remember several of the old wonderful programs. And mentioned one I loved, but forgot to mention another... I really loved Amos n' Andy, even if today most people don't know that it was the first program that starred all black actors, and was popular for years.... geocities.com The original Amos n' Andy Web site: geocities.com From the grandson of Charles Correll I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for taking the time to set up this site. As Charles Correll's (Andy) grandson, I have grown up with a generation who was told that this show was degrading to African Americans and held up as an example of racism rather than classic comedy. The tremendous success this show attained made it an easy target for the civil rights movement. Unfortunately, what is lost to the new generation is fact that this comedy team entertained millions in the most popular show of its time (or any time for that matter). They pioneered the "situation comedy" which has become the bread and butter for network television and syndication. The television show was the first all black cast, this at a time when jobs for black actors were limited at best. This show was not about racism, but about entertaining a nation that wanted and needed to laugh. It was a different time in America, that is true, however Amos 'n Andy is not deserving of the scrutiny it has recieved for 40+ years. Has the premis for programming such as Sanford and Son, Chico and the Man, Good Times, All in the Family, Married with Children, etc. been so dramatically different that it should be fine for American broadcast standards, while Amos 'n' Andy is held in a vault under lock and key so as to protect the public? It is a real travesty knowing the men who created the laughter, who entertained a nation, and lived life with only the highest regard for all men and women, that their body of work, their love of comedy and talent to entertain should be surpressed from my generation and generation to come over racism. I assure you my Grandfather was always a comedian and never a racist. Period. Again, thank you for setting up this forum, it is a pleasure to see so many fans still love Amos 'n Andy.

To: MrLucky who wrote (216378)	8/20/2007 11:53:47 PM
From: KLP	Respond to of 794032

The other one was Omnibus....Alistair Cooke was the host....I was young, but always tried to see it every week.... Snip>>>>>>>>Cooke's first notoriety was in Great Britain with his weekly series on the BBC, Letter from America. The program continued for many decades, providing British audiences with perspectives unavailable from other sources and perhaps some appreciation for the American ethic. But his real influence came with his efforts to bring a refinement to American television. The program was Omnibus and Cooke served as host and narrator. The program turned out to be the longest running cultural series on U.S. commercial television. First seen on CBS in 1953, the show was scheduled for late afternoon and early evening on Sundays. In the era before Sunday afternoon/evening football and other sports Omnibus served as a respite from the commercial chatter of the week days. It offered time to reflect in a non-hurried pace on the cultural, historical and artistic heritage of American society, aspects of American life rarely noticed by television. Later Omnibus moved to ABC, which scheduled the program from 9:00-10:00 P.M. on Sunday. Yet later, NBC picked up the series and programmed it earlier, on Sunday afternoons. Cooke remained the host on one of the few programs that made the rounds to all three commercial networks. Although the program never achieved high ratings, it proved that a portion of the American television audiences could appreciate program elements different from most television fare, elements traditionally thought of as part of high culture. Omnibus ended in 1957, having established an image of thoughtfulness and wisdom for Cooke and earned him enormous respect. Cooke returned as narrator and sometimes writer for the NBC program, America. The program, a series of 13 one-hour documentaries, told the fascinating story of the growth of a country from its inception during Colonial times into the then-current scene of the 1970s. Cooke regarded the series as a "personal history of America," and he told it in a way that was both entertaining as well as educational. He made it a point to examine events, individuals, locations, and controversies from both close and distant perspectives. He insisted on being on the scene, walking the paths where history was made. We see his face, we look at his hands handling objects; it was, indeed, a personal history. It carried his trademarks, his reminiscences, his feelings about his memories and his knowledge. <<<<<<<<snip museum.tv