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As an actor, he was in both the radio and television versions of Amos 'n' Andy, where he was a foil for the title characters. He was held up both as an example of a black actor making good, and as an example of a black man helping to perpetuate demeaning stereotypes. "We had a hard time then fighting for dignity. We had no power. We had to take it, and because we took it the young people today have opportunities," Hairston said. And he took the jobs, working in movies from Tarzan's Hidden Jungle to Being John Malkovich and on TV, most prominently in recent times as Deacon Rolly Forbes on Amen. He was also well known as a singer and composer, and was the musical arranger for composer Dmitri Tiomkin starting with Lost Horizon (1937). He continued to work with Tiomkin for over 20 years. Hairston died January 18 in Los Angeles at 98. From This is True for 23 January 2000 Suggestions for further reading:
 List Price: $39.98 Amazon Price: $25.99  By: Melvin Patrick Ely List Price: $21.50 Amazon Price: $21.50  By: Elizabeth McLeod List Price: $55.00 Amazon Price: $55.00 Editorial Review: They were pioneers of modern entertainment: theirs was the first serial program specifically devised for broadcast, and the first to feature continuing characters. They invented the concept of broadcast syndication. At its height, their show was required nightly listening for a third of the nation. Many still remember it fondly—just not in polite company. Amos ’n’ Andy, the creation of Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden, has been excoriated as a “nightly racial slur,” an unpleasant artifact of America’s racist past. Most critical evaluations are based upon the show’s later television and radio episodes aired after Correll and Gosden had surrendered creative control, and ignore the bulk of their work—over 4000 radio episodes, carefully penned by the actors, which differ markedly from the later works. Their legacy is undoubtedly mixed, but a close examination of those early radio scripts, many the only surviving record of a show, offers surprising insight into Amos ’n’ Andy and begs for a fair assessment of Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden’s place in radio history. This critical reexamination of Amos ’n’ Andy, the pioneering creation of Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden, presents an unapologetic but balanced view lacking in most treatments. It relies upon an untapped resource—thousands of pages of scripts from the show’s nearly forgotten earliest version, which most clearly reflected the vision of its creators. Consequently, it provides fresh insights and in part refutes the usual blanket condemnations of this groundbreaking show. The text incorporates numerous script excerpts, provides key background information, and acknowledges the show’s importance to radio broadcasting and modern entertainment. A stunning group of photographs enhance the text, which includes an appendix of ratings and cast and crew information as well as notes, bibliography and index. American Folk Humor: Amos 'N' Andy By: Astor Books Audio List Price: $12.95 Amazon Price: $12.95 Amos N Andy 10,000th Broadcast List Price: $7.95 Amazon Price: $7.95 |
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