AMOS 'N' ANDY

created 02/08/00
Thank's Bill

Fri, 04 Feb 2000 I found your web page today, and have to let you know that I lived with Amos 'n Andy as a young boy. My father was Paul West, who, among many credits over a 60 year career in radio and TV, wrote a number of the Amos n' Andy episodes in collaboration with Jay Sommers. We lived in a two story house at that time, in Flintridge My father was successful, and the family was large, including an eccentric grandmother and a black housekeeper named Cora. Jay and my father would work out the scripts verbally in the living room until all hours of the night, laughing hysterically, acting out the potential swindle. My brother and sisters and I would sneak to the banister and listen when we were supposed to be in bed. Cora loved it, as I recall, and would give advice on speech patterns. Actually, she fancied herself somewhat of a technical advisor. She was part of our family, as she had none of her own, and because of her we all were raised color blind. Much of that seems to be rushing back after spending some time on your wonderful site. But I simply wanted to introduce myself, thank you for the site, and offer any remembrances or other stuff as it bounces to the surface after all these years. With great respect and gratitude. Bill Hersey (Dad's name Paul West was a nom de plume)

Tue, 08 Feb 2000 David, Great to get your e.mail. I have a lot of dad's stuff, but a lot of it was donated to the Academy and to UCLA. I suppose you know that at that time, most of the writers and producers were all pals from the radio days. Connely and Mosher were regular visitors to the house, as were Hal Perry from the Great Gildersleeve, Ozzie and Harriet, and others. They were the "West Coast" radio gang who were all friends as well as creative colleagues, and moved into TV. There was something else that is rarely mentioned: the McCarthy era had not really closed as far as Hollywood was concerned, and I remember my dad telling me that CBS had been privately warned that Hoover thought Amos 'n Andy was being written and shown by the same group who had not been brought to light as Communists. He saw it as pro black and dangerous. My father was never a man to embellish, particularly on a subject like this. He believed, as did many of his cohorts, that it was a scare from the FBI that really put CBS execs in the mood to initially cancel the show. The same thing happened with a radio series pilot titled "Little David" which my father created for CBS, starring Jeff Chandler, I believe in 1952. I will be interested if you ever heard anything similar about A'nA. Bill Hersey

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