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Alvin Childress

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Actor

The Resume

    (September 15, 1907-April 19, 1986)
    Born in Meridian, Mississippi
    Birth name was Emory Alvin Childress
    Portrayed Amos on The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951 - 53)
    Acted in 'Anna Lucasta (1958),' 'Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974),' 'The Day of the Locust (1975),' and 'Darktown Strutters (1975)'

Why he might be annoying:

    He was divorced.
    He was the show's moral compass, voice of reason, its most upstanding character - and also its most boring.
    Despite its title character, he went entire episodes without even appearing, rarely had an episode storyline centered on him, and even more rarely ever actually appeared 'with Andy.'
    Most of the show's plots centered on the exploits of Tim Moore and Spencer Williams (it may as well have been called 'The Kingfish and Andy').
    He originally auditioned for the role of The Kingfish (and was later tasked with finding the actor to play him, interviewing Cab Calloway for the part).
    He was cast as Amos because his natural voice sounded very close to Freeman Gosden's minstrelsy blackface imitation.
    His last two film roles were in 'The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings' and 'Cheech and Chong's Next Movie.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He began as an actor with Harlem's Lafayette Players.
    He received acclaim as Jacques opposite Rex Ingram in the Federal Theatre Project production of 'Haiti.'
    He couldn't get film roles for years after Amos 'n Andy went off the air, and briefly ended up parking cars at an upscale Beverly Hills restaurant.
    The NAACP getting it pulled from syndication also meant he was unable to benefit from rerun residuals.
    He said in the documentary 'Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy' that he never felt the show was a negative depiction, because it was the only place on TV you could see black doctors, lawyers, and businessmen.
    Amos Jones himself was honest, hardworking, and ran his own cab company.
    Redd Foxx and Marla Gibbs were huge fans - he later guest starred on two episodes each of Sanford and Son and The Jeffersons.
    Amos explaining the Lord's Prayer to his daughter at the end of the 'Christmas Story' episode is a major highlight of the show as a whole.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying