The Amos and Andy Griffith Show

From TeeVeePedia, the Internet TV Encyclopedia.

The Amos and Andy Griffith Show was the top-rated show on television back in 1952. Considered the height of comedy when originally broadcast, The Amos and Andy Griffith Show told the story of Andy Griffith (Andy Griffith), a young Caucasian police officer from South America who moved to New York City following World War II, only to find himself assigned to foot patrol in Harlem by the N.Y.P.D. Each week, Officer Andy did his best to survive the mean city streets with the help of his friend, an older African-American man named Amos (Al Jolson). The sophisticated humor of a white southerner trying to get along in the mostly black Harlem was considered hilarious by the TV viewers of the day.

Controversy

Almost immediately after the initial airing of The Amos and Andy Griffith Show, protesters began to demand its cancellation. Both the NAACP and the League of Southern Gentlemen said that The Amos and Andy Griffith Show was unrealistic in its portrayal of racial conflict, misrepresented the people of both New York and South America, and furthermore wasn't funny in the least. Bowing to pressure from sponsors, CBS put the show on hiatus in the mid 1950's.

Attempts At Revival

Although The Amos and Andy Griffith Show never appeared again in its original format, CBS made two attempts to revive it. The first revival, titled Car 54, Where Are You?, was moderately successful and ran for 3 years during the late 1950s. The second attempt, titled simply The Andy Griffith Show (co-starring Don Knotts in the "Amos" role following the death of Al Jolson), was a complete flop and was soon cancelled.