Amos 'n' Andy debuted over Chicago's WMAQ on March 19, 1928 and moved onto NBC's Blue network beginning August 19, 1929. The show, a reworking of Sam 'n' Henry, quickly became the most popular program in the history of broadcasting. Each night, a third of the nation's populace tuned in to hear the comic misadventures of the proprietors of the Fresh Air Taxi Company. Amos 'n' Andy storylines dealt with the pursuit of love and money, age-old themes that struck a chord with Americans suffering through the Great Depression. Freeman Godsen and Charles Correll wrote all the programs until 1943, when the five-times-a-week serial was replaced by a weekly half-hour program. The duo also played all the roles, male and female, during the first decade of the series. In later seasons, Godsen doubled as Amos and George "Kingfish" Stevens to Correll's Andy, with a talented group of largely black actors rounding out the cast.
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