Evening Star Newspaper, April 6, 1930, Page 101

- s TR F IS S S e N T TS TRSS : THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGION, D. C, APRIL 6, 1930. 11 AMOS AND ANDY—"Double-Check” Here Is the Life Story of the World’s Highest-Paid Radio Comedians—Two Unspoiled Youths, Amazed at Their Popularity—Up From Amateur Roles to $100,000 Contracts. | BY LILLIAN G. GENN. OU don't need to have your ear to the ground these days to know that it isn’t politics or prohibition that's palpitating the hearts of the pzople. It's the trials and tribulations of Amos ‘n’ Andy. Not since Lindbergh flew to Paris and Babe Ruth began batting home runs has anything 0 captured the interest of the public as these blackface radio comedians. Wherever you go you hear about them. Should you miss a broadcast of this pair, in all probability al- most any person in the street oould tell you the latest wrinkle of the proprietors of the Fresh-Air Taxicab Company of America, In- corpolated, or what Amos said to his sweot- heart, Ruby Taylor. This dusky lady, despite the fact that she never appears on the scene and her voice is never heard, has an appeal for radio audiences that Clara Bow might well envy. It is perhaps no exaggeration to say, tco, that the financial troubles of the Presh-Air Taxi- cab Company of America, Incorpolated, did more to make people forget about their own deficit, caused by the Wall Street crash, than anything else, More than a thousand letters a day pour into radio stations for this team. People want to know what's geing to happen next to this pair; they write in to soold Andy for con- tinually browbeating Amos and warn him to “lay off.” The suggestions that are offered for naming the dog, for buying Ruby a ring, telling Amos 'n’ Andy what to do with their eamings of $7 or how they should extricate themseives from situations would fill several wvolumes. And these letters come in from all types and classes of people. Bankers, school teachers, children, train conductors, porters, grandfathers, housewives, state officials, doc- tors, debutantes’ and bootblacks, both white and Negro, are well represented. Here are three taken at random: PORTLAND. Ore. Dear Amos 'n’ Andy—I was just so tickled when you decided to keep your money in the bank and disappointed the Battle-ax in re- finishing her living room. A. N H YOKIMA, Wash. Dear Sirs—We think Amos 'n’ Andy are wonderful. My youngest daughter would like to know what kind of a dog Amos has, as she wants to gt the same kind. Where can Amos ‘n’ Andy be seen in person? Mr. L. C. NEW YORK Gentlemen—If I'm not interfering in your buziness, plese name Amos 'n’ Andy’'s new do; Pinky. For this reeson. My dog got burned up and his name happened to be Pinky. So since Amos 'm’ Andy can't give a name for the dog, I thought I would give one. Plese. As Sver, DONALD. HEN Amos 'n' Andy made some personal 3 appearances a short time ago, they were 80 mobbed at the station and at their hotel D that the police had 1o heip. ‘The eivic and club receptions that were given them rivaled in enthusiasm and numbers those rendered to national heroes and high Government officers. Another and more vivid indication of their tremendous popularity was evidenced recent- ly when an attempt was made to change the hour of their broadcast. More than 100,000 people from all sections of the country wrote, telegraphed or phoned Amos ’'n’ Andy must be reinstated on a suitable hour or they would discontinue using the sponsor's product. After arrangements were made to broadcast the fea- ture over a more extensive network, it was discovered that any hour chosen would either ruin the sleeping habits of the Easterners or speil the dispcsition of the Westerners who could not get homes in time to hear the broad- cast. The National Broadcasting Co. was quite perplexed and not a little upset by this un- usual situation—the first in its annals—and it was finally solved by having the broadcast given twice every evening in order to appease all zones of the country. This conflict and threatened battle of the radio fans conclusive- iy brought home to every one that Amas 'n’ Andy were indeed great national favorites. Any one who tunes-in for the first time wonders just what it is that makes this fea- ture go over sc strongly. It has no wisecracks or brilliant witticisms, no risque stuff and nothing uproariously funny or unusual in it. Amos 'n’ Andy are just lovable, human char- acters who meet life's difficulties im the best way they can. There'’s pathos and humor In the episodes, and through them runs the thread of a definite and mnteresting story. Both Amos 'n’ Andy have the remarkable ability to use a variety of volces and {0 in- terpret different kinds of characters. Naturally there is a widespread curiosity as to who Amos 'n’ Andy are. More question- are asked about them than of any other national idol. Their announcer, Bill Hay, has written a book telling all about them, yet, from the latest reports, he's still answering questions from the fans. IN real life, domineering Andy is Charles J. Correll, and simple, hard-working, imposed- upon Amos is Freeman F. Gosden. Both are good-looking young white men. Correll is of medium height, brcad and stocky, with a genial, good-natured, placid temperament. Gosden is tall and blond and he seems to be the emotional nervous one. The bond of af- fection between the two men is quite obvious; and they, with their wives, spend much time together. Judging from their manner and conversa- tion, they aren't at all spoiled by their suecess. If anything, they are somewhat amazed at being so much in the limelight. They can give no particular reasons for the popularity of their feature except that they give them- selves wholeheartedly to the writing of the material and to the interpretation of the parts. Amos, at left, who in every day life an- swers to the name of Free- man F. Gos- den, is a native son of Vir- ginia, and his familiarity with negro characters and situations aids the pair con- siderably in planning their acts. * x ¥ % Andy, in real life Charles J. Correll, went into the con- struction busi- ness with his father, but the lure of the stage caught him and he di- rected a travel- ing company, through which work he later met Amos. ° They do everything they can to keep it and inoffensive, and it is a matter of with them that they have a large followin among the Negroes both of the North and South. “The Negroes of the North, though” sal Correll, “are not so keen about our way pronouncing words. But, then, any person is apt to mispronounce his words, and it helps us to get a more humorous effect. When we put on our act at a theater, patronized ex- clusively by Negroes, we received such an ova- tion from the packed house that we didn’t know what to do. I think that shows bow the Negroes really feel about Ames 'n’ Andy. “Mr. Gosden and I mingle as much as we can with the Negroes, especially those down South, in order to keep the characters and situations true to life. Since Mr. Gosden, was born in Virginia, his background helps us con- siderably. “The episodes are writien a few days ahead. We start talking the situation from one episode to th2 next just as though it were an actual conversation. We say the things that eome to us. One of us is at the typewriter putting down the lines. Sometimes the conversation goes easily and it takes only half an hour to do an episode, but there are many occasions when it takes us more than half a day to get it where we want it and to have it seem natural. “Then we put the script aside and we don't fook at it again until the time of the broadcast. In that way it seems fresh and new to us and we can get into the spirit of it better.” The boys feel their paris so they are playing that in the ments the tears stream down their cheeks. Mr. Gosden in particular shows the effects of it for quite a while. Other times they are convulsed with laughter by the antics of Amos i g2 Ra Jlention. They sit at a table with the micro- phone between them. Correll talks right close to the “mike” ‘to get the deep tone effect of Andy’s voice. Gosden gets guite a way back from it and talks in a high thin voice. they assume the voices of the other characters, they have to keep changing the distance from the “mike.” In real life the voices of the boys are so much alike that, when heard over the telephone, their wives don't know one from the other. Neither Mr. Gosden nor Mr. Correll appear- ed on the stage professionally until after they had made their first broadcast. Both of them, when very young, had been smitten with the desire to act and they appeared in several den amazed a Bouthern audience by diving' into Annette Kellerman's tank and (W -years later he aroused envy im-the, Rearts of the i I ;i r'f g Fe house, and one day when he returned to his home in Richmond he learned that a Chicage company was producing a minstrel show tisere with home talent. He at once went (o the manager and asked to play in it. He did some clogging and acted as end man. The manager was impressed with his work and offered him a job directing one of the units. His first assighment was in Durham, N. C, and it was Correll who was born in Peoria, I, bed he hankered very much (o get into the wai ' professionally. However, his father -persuaded him to go into the construction busineds with him and Correll tried it out. He soon gave # up, though, to direet a traveling eompany and it was in the course of that work .that ke came to know his future Amos ~ “wz spent our spare time together,” Cog- we went to Chicago, we shared an apartment. We found that our voices biended well to- gether and we used to harmonise for our owm amusement. Then, in 1925, we thought we'd try a harmeny number on the air. We got an audition and #t went over pretty good.. The manager told us we could go on once 3 week, if we wanted to, but without pay. That was all right with us, a5 we were only doing & Ser fun. A “Socn our act got to be known and a Chicage newspaper station offered us a place on the staff. ‘They asked us whether we oouldnt try to do a comic-sirip serial over the radie, and since we were both familiar with Negre characters, we started one called ‘Sam 'w’ Henry! That was such a hit that when their com- tract expired they were given a better offer by another station. Since the characters of Sam 'n’ Hemry already become the prop- o3 gfl g R Ei (] popularity,. With every b they made new friends, who developed the habit of listeme E § nally their big moment came when they wepe : given the opportunity to go on a national -in to these two characters every day. Fie :