Did you know that America has been fascinated with the perceived hilariousness of African Americans and Jews since the mid 1920’s?
You can verify it, yourself.
On January 12, 1926, a bizarre two man comedy show entitled “Sam ‘n’ Henry” debuted on Chicago’s WGN radio station. Two years later, after it changed its name, it would become one of the most popular and highest rated comedy shows in American radio history.
The show?
Amos n Andy.
What was it?
It started as a 15 minute radio serial sitcom voice by 2 white actors, familiar with minstrel traditions, who voiced the 2 title characters, as well as other, primarily, black characters on the show.
The main characters, 2 rural farm workers from the South head north in search of a better life and prosperity in the urban jungles of Chicago (later changed to Harlem).
Clearly out of their element the plot line found it's footing in the problems the pair faced in their day to day pursuit of success in the big city.
The reason why?
Using elaborate and suspenseful plot lines, the show had mastered the trick of creating listener suspense (open loops to you diehard copywriting and persuasion porn nerds).
Though most would say it resembled a soap opera, the truth of the matter is that soap operas, as we know them, had not yet been invented.
Considered the mother of soap operas (so named for the soap manufacturers that sponsored these “shows”), Irna Phillips created the first radio soap called “Painted Dreams” and 3 other well known soaps in the 1930’s, after Amos ‘n’ Andy had, already, been on the air for some time.
So, in reality, soap operas copied Amos ‘n’ Andy (who, coincidentally were sponsored by toothpaste manufacturer, Pepsodent).
Though controversial at the time (and of course, even more so, today), it was definitely a case study lesson in commercial mass persuasion success.
One historian, Erik Barnouw, remarked in 1966: “In retrospect it is easy to see the stories and Amos and Andy as part of the ghetto system. All of it was more readily accepted and maintained if one could hold onto this: ‘they’ were lovely people, essentially happy people, ignorant and somewhat shiftless and lazy in a lovable, quaint way, not fitting in with higher levels of enterprise, better off where they were.” (source: Erik Barnouw, A Tower in Babel: A History of Broadcasting in the United States to 1933, Vol. 1)
3 key profound and unexpected findings came about as a result of the shows success that is important to note as it relates to mass persuasion and influence:
1. NBC discovered that it was now, clearly, in the business of selling the predictable attention of enormous audiences at a premium. Something most platforms strive to emulate, today.
The power of the “style” or “type” of entertainment offering that was Amos ‘n’ andy and its ability to bring in giant audiences willing to hear advertising. Before this it was believed that advertising and entertainment didn’t mix well.
In 1931 “The Rise of the Goldbergs” debuted, which was another serial short, but this one about a Jewish family living in the Bronx (yes, a loose remake, still on tv debuted in 2013…).
2. With better rating monitoring systems in place, this shows further success, hereby helped prove the ideas that America was fascinated with this sort of stuff.
Entertainment laced with controversy and “not normal” plot lines.
These characters were experiencing things that were not normal to the listeners. It was a whole different world to them, which, I suppose was the origination of the fascination.
3. Amos ‘n’ Andy proved that an industry could, in effect, wholly “own” part of the day (the show aired at 7pm sharp, every day, across America) and could do so in the coveted and personal space of their listening audience, a once inconceivable to infiltrate their target, inside their homes.
Yes, Amos ‘n’ Andy was trojan AF and it paved the way to success for other broadcast media companies to model.
Daytime soap operas, targeting women at home (housewives, if you will), who were understood to have the most influence in at home buying decisions, followed the serial template used by Amos ‘n’ Andy.
Soap opera plots, however, centered on family relationships among the white middle class, the target customer, which were, thus, even more natural selling tools than the minstrel shows were.
The methods used to “sell” stuff in daytime radio were more overt and effective because the target listener could see themselves in the characters used as proxies on the show and were influenced and subliminally urged to use what the characters on the show used.
Ninja.
Though I understand just how perverse the show was in light of the mass normalcy of racism acceptance in America, at the time, I still think it is useful, if nothing more, than as Robert Greene (author of the 48 laws of power) might put it, than to understand how to either safe guard yourself from it (make yourself immune to its negative effects on you) or figure out how to put it to use in a more positive and ethical way (perhaps?).
What do you think?
Useful info or should I have just posted something about 9/11 like everyone else is probably doing, today?
I’m pretty sure there is a tie in to 9/11 in here somewhere, somehow.
Maybe it’s all the apocalyptic media coverage on how America has to ban together to fight the forces of evil trying to destroy us?
Isis told N. Korea to send Irma this way to forewarn us of what’s to come. The storm before the storm. We must all ban together.
I dunno.
You can verify it, yourself.
On January 12, 1926, a bizarre two man comedy show entitled “Sam ‘n’ Henry” debuted on Chicago’s WGN radio station. Two years later, after it changed its name, it would become one of the most popular and highest rated comedy shows in American radio history.
The show?
Amos n Andy.
What was it?
It started as a 15 minute radio serial sitcom voice by 2 white actors, familiar with minstrel traditions, who voiced the 2 title characters, as well as other, primarily, black characters on the show.
The main characters, 2 rural farm workers from the South head north in search of a better life and prosperity in the urban jungles of Chicago (later changed to Harlem).
Clearly out of their element the plot line found it's footing in the problems the pair faced in their day to day pursuit of success in the big city.
The reason why?
Using elaborate and suspenseful plot lines, the show had mastered the trick of creating listener suspense (open loops to you diehard copywriting and persuasion porn nerds).
Though most would say it resembled a soap opera, the truth of the matter is that soap operas, as we know them, had not yet been invented.
Considered the mother of soap operas (so named for the soap manufacturers that sponsored these “shows”), Irna Phillips created the first radio soap called “Painted Dreams” and 3 other well known soaps in the 1930’s, after Amos ‘n’ Andy had, already, been on the air for some time.
So, in reality, soap operas copied Amos ‘n’ Andy (who, coincidentally were sponsored by toothpaste manufacturer, Pepsodent).
Though controversial at the time (and of course, even more so, today), it was definitely a case study lesson in commercial mass persuasion success.
One historian, Erik Barnouw, remarked in 1966: “In retrospect it is easy to see the stories and Amos and Andy as part of the ghetto system. All of it was more readily accepted and maintained if one could hold onto this: ‘they’ were lovely people, essentially happy people, ignorant and somewhat shiftless and lazy in a lovable, quaint way, not fitting in with higher levels of enterprise, better off where they were.” (source: Erik Barnouw, A Tower in Babel: A History of Broadcasting in the United States to 1933, Vol. 1)
3 key profound and unexpected findings came about as a result of the shows success that is important to note as it relates to mass persuasion and influence:
1. NBC discovered that it was now, clearly, in the business of selling the predictable attention of enormous audiences at a premium. Something most platforms strive to emulate, today.
The power of the “style” or “type” of entertainment offering that was Amos ‘n’ andy and its ability to bring in giant audiences willing to hear advertising. Before this it was believed that advertising and entertainment didn’t mix well.
In 1931 “The Rise of the Goldbergs” debuted, which was another serial short, but this one about a Jewish family living in the Bronx (yes, a loose remake, still on tv debuted in 2013…).
2. With better rating monitoring systems in place, this shows further success, hereby helped prove the ideas that America was fascinated with this sort of stuff.
Entertainment laced with controversy and “not normal” plot lines.
These characters were experiencing things that were not normal to the listeners. It was a whole different world to them, which, I suppose was the origination of the fascination.
3. Amos ‘n’ Andy proved that an industry could, in effect, wholly “own” part of the day (the show aired at 7pm sharp, every day, across America) and could do so in the coveted and personal space of their listening audience, a once inconceivable to infiltrate their target, inside their homes.
Yes, Amos ‘n’ Andy was trojan AF and it paved the way to success for other broadcast media companies to model.
Daytime soap operas, targeting women at home (housewives, if you will), who were understood to have the most influence in at home buying decisions, followed the serial template used by Amos ‘n’ Andy.
Soap opera plots, however, centered on family relationships among the white middle class, the target customer, which were, thus, even more natural selling tools than the minstrel shows were.
The methods used to “sell” stuff in daytime radio were more overt and effective because the target listener could see themselves in the characters used as proxies on the show and were influenced and subliminally urged to use what the characters on the show used.
Ninja.
Though I understand just how perverse the show was in light of the mass normalcy of racism acceptance in America, at the time, I still think it is useful, if nothing more, than as Robert Greene (author of the 48 laws of power) might put it, than to understand how to either safe guard yourself from it (make yourself immune to its negative effects on you) or figure out how to put it to use in a more positive and ethical way (perhaps?).
What do you think?
Useful info or should I have just posted something about 9/11 like everyone else is probably doing, today?
I’m pretty sure there is a tie in to 9/11 in here somewhere, somehow.
Maybe it’s all the apocalyptic media coverage on how America has to ban together to fight the forces of evil trying to destroy us?
Isis told N. Korea to send Irma this way to forewarn us of what’s to come. The storm before the storm. We must all ban together.
I dunno.
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