The legacy of `Amos and Andy'. Blacks in TV, radio, film

Holy Mackerel, by Bart Andrews and Ahrgus Juilliard. New York: Dutton. 188 pp. $15.95.

George Bernard Shaw once said -- as only he could -- that three things he most remembered about America were the Rocky Mountains, Niagara Falls, and ``Amos and Andy.'' ``Holy Mackerel'' might not please Mr. Shaw, as it is an informative survey about blacks in popular entertainment, and, in particular, the situation comedy that is second in popularity to ``I Love Lucy'' among rented videos. At the same time it was one of the few programs canceled while it was still a popular success.

The characters created in 1928 as a radio serial by two white radio performers, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, has since been seen as a racist entertainment that had its origins in the blackface and antics of the minstrel shows. Although it was never intended as a depiction of Negro life, it was nevertheless a time of racism and violence against blacks, a country living in the shadow of ``Birth of a Nation,'' and even Al Jolson would wear blackface in a film called ``The Jazz Singer.'' It was a time in history when there were few positive black images.

``Holy Mackerel'' is not an in-depth study of racism, popular culture, or ``Amos and Andy''; it is a readable but objective look at blacks in TV, radio, vaudeville, and film. It is here where the book is most valuable as it recounts the history of many performers who are not known as entertainers and who no doubt were pioneers who led the way for the personalities we take for granted today, from Bill Cosby to Eddie Murphy. We are reminded that many black actors had to learn how to ``sound Negro,'' or that the radio show ``Beulah'' had as its star a white male actor playing the part of a black woman domestic.

``Holy Mackerel'' will not add fuel to the controversy surrounding ``Amos and Andy'' but may give some insights into the values and accomplishments of performers both black and white that made entertainment out of the lives and stereotypes of black Americans. But most important, readers might be interested in looking at some of the ``Amos and Andy'' programs talked about in ``Holy Mackerel'' to see what the talk is all about, as well as to discover the fine comic talents of the actors who were a part of the television programs.