FREEMAN "AMOS" GOSDEN - AUTOGRAPH - HFSID 52242

FREMAN GOSDEN. Signature: "Best wishes/from/Freeman Gosden/Amos 'n' Andy'", 5x3 index card. Amos n' Andy, originally titled Sam n' Henry, debuted on Chicago's WGN on January 12, 1926. The storyline was about two Alabama Black men who came to Chicago to find their fortunes. Its two stars, FREEMAN GOSDEN (1898-1982) and CHARLES CORRELL, both white, wrote the scripts and played all of the parts. The Chicago "Daily News" radio station, WMAQ, offered them a contract that included distribution rights. The two accepted, but WGN refused to give up the name Sam n' Henry, so two new but similar characters were created called Jim n' Charlie, then Tom n' Harry and, finally, Amos n' Andy. The show debuted over WMAQ on March 19, 1928. The characters came from Atlanta instead of Alabama and were members of the Mystic Knights of the Sea Lodge instead of the Jewels of the Crown, but everything else remained the same. Amos n' Andy premiered on the NBC radio network on Thursday night, August 19, 1929 at 11:00 P.M. EST, and was broadcast an unprecedented six days a week. It was so popular, that it was moved to 7:00 P.M. EST to reach a broader audience. There were protests on the west coast because it would be aired there at 4 P.M. so, for the first time in radio history, NBC did a repeat broadcast for its west coast affiliates. Amos n' Andy hit its peak of popularity in the 1930s, but the show remained on radio until 1958. Gosden, who also starred in the 1930 film, Check and Double Check, also provided the voice for George "Kingfish" Stevens. Slightly worn at corners. Fine condition.