On January 12, 1926, the two-man comedy series “Sam ‘n’ Henry” debuted on Chicago radio station WGN. Two years later, after changing its name to “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” the show became one of the most popular radio programs in American history.
Though the creators and the stars of the new radio program, Freeman Gosden and Charles Carrell, were both white, the characters they played were two Black men from the Deep South who moved to Chicago to seek their fortunes.
By that time, white actors performing in dark stage makeup— or “blackface”—had been a significant tradition in American theater for over 100 years.
Gosden and Carrell, both vaudeville performers, were doing a Chicago comedy act in blackface when an employee at the Chicago Tribune suggested they create a radio show.
All in the Family is an sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes.
All in the Family has been ranked as one of the best TV series. The show became the most watched show in the U.S.during the summer reruns of the first season, and topped the yearly Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976, the first television series to have held the position for five consecutive years.
1971
Sally Anne Struthers (77) was born in Portland, Oregon.