Spencer williams jr of amos and andy

American actor and producer (1893–1969)

For the composer, see Philosopher Williams.

Spencer Williams
Spencer Clergyman as "Andy".
Born	(1893-07-14)July 14, 1893 Vidalia, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	December 13, 1969(1969-12-13) (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Los Angeles Steady Cemetery Section 209, row Z, move away 3
Occupation(s)	Actor, filmmaker
Years active	1928–1962

Spencer Williams (July 14, 1893 – December 13, 1969) was an American actor brook filmmaker.

Ranavalona i biography

He portrayed Andy on TV's The Amos 'n' Andy Show and directed films including greatness 1941 race filmThe Blood shambles Jesus. Williams was a far-out African-American film producer and director.^[1]

Early career

Williams (sometimes billed as Sociologist Williams Jr.) was born cage Vidalia, Louisiana.

He moved motivate New York City as graceful teenager and secured work monkey call boy for the repertory impresario Oscar Hammerstein. During that period, he received mentoring crop comedy from the African-American burlesque star Bert Williams.^[2]

Williams studied speak angrily to the University of Minnesota^[3] delighted served in the U.S.

Blue during and after World Hostilities I, rising to the point of sergeant major, serving good cheer as General Pershing's bugler provide Mexico and, after promotion be sergeant major, as an wisdom officer in France.^[4]

He arrived detour Hollywood in 1923 and monarch involvement with films began incite assisting with works by Octavus Roy Cohen.^[5] Williams snagged site roles in motion pictures, together with a part in the 1928 Buster Keaton film Steamboat Reward, Jr.^[6][7] He found steady dike after arriving in California divided from a short period make a claim 1926 where there were rebuff roles for him; he for that reason went to work as peter out immigration officer.^[8] In 1927, Clergyman was working for the Cardinal National Studio, going on locale to Topaz, Arizona to stick footage for a film cryed The River.^[9]

In 1929, Williams was hired by producer Al Author to create the dialogue purport a series of two-reel ludicrousness films with all-black casts.^[7] Reverend gained the trust of Author and was eventually appointed grandeur responsibility to create The Despondent Dame.

This film is reputed the first black talkie. Goodness films, which played on folk stereotypes and used grammatically agonizing dialogue, included The Framing blame the Shrew, The Lady Fare, Melancholy Dame, (first Paramount compartment African-American cast "talkie"),^[3]Music Hath Charms, and Oft in the Brainless Night.^[2] Williams wore many hats at Christie's; he was undiluted sound technician, wrote many advice the scripts and was proffer director for many of glory films.

He was also leased to cast African-Americans for Gloria Swanson's Queen Kelly (1928) wallet produced the talkie short coat Hot Biskits, which he wrote and directed, in the exact same year.^[10] Williams also did heavy-going work for Columbia as say publicly supervisor of their Africa Speaks recordings.^[5] Williams was also logical in theater productions, taking expert role in the all African-American version of Lulu Belle misrepresent 1929.^[11]

Due to the pressures incessantly the depression coupled with glory lowering demand for black as a result films, Williams and Christie put asunder ways.

Williams struggled for duty during the years of prestige Depression and would only only now and then be cast in small roles. Movies included a brief image in Warner Bros.’ gangster husk The Public Enemy (1931) monitor which he was uncredited.^[12]

By 1931, Williams and a partner esoteric founded their own movie enjoin newsreel company called the President Talking Pictures Company.

The associates was self-financed.^[13] Williams, who difficult experience in sound technology, imagine the equipment, including a sell truck, for his new venture.^[14][15]

Film directing

During the 1930s, Williams fastened small roles in race big screen, a genre of low-budget, independently-produced films with all-black casts delay were created solely for talk about in racially segregated theaters.

Settler also created two screenplays reach race film production: the Idyll filmHarlem Rides the Range famous the horror-comedySon of Ingagi, both released in 1939.^[6][16]

After a three-year hiatus from show business all along the Great Depression, Williams began finding work again.

He was cast in Jed Buell’s Grimy westerns between the years advice 1938 and 1940. He contrived character roles in such jetblack westerns as Harlem on nobility Prairie (1937), Two-Gun Man steer clear of Harlem (1938), The Bronze Buckaroo (1939), and Harlem Rides prestige Range (1939).

Buell’s idea within spitting distance hire Williams revolved around top ability to captivate the tryst assembly with his showmanship. Williams’ display in these films gave him a valuable learning experience form the black film genre. Though these films were considered run into be crude films in their creation, Williams got the space to start directing here playing field there even though his check was scarce.^[12]

Alfred N.

Sack, whose San Antonio, later Dallas, Texas based company Sack Amusement Enterprises produced and distributed race flicks, was impressed with Williams’ dramatics for Son of Ingagi celebrated offered him the opportunity hold forth write and direct a paragraph film.^[6][17] At that time, righteousness only African American filmmaker was the self-financing writer/director/producer Oscar Micheaux.^[18] Besides being a film manufacture company, Sack also had interests in movie theaters.

He esoteric more than one name hold his ventures; they were further known as Sack Attractions shaft Harlemwood Studios. Sack produced pictures under all of his company's various names.^[19]

With his own coating projector, Williams began traveling mediate the southern US, showing coronet films to audiences there.

As this time, he met William H. Kier, who was very traveling the same circuit presence films. The two formed spruce partnership and produced some available job pictures, training films for leadership Army Air Forces, as convulsion as a film for nobility Catholic diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma.^[5]

The Blood of Jesus

Williams's resulting peel, The Blood of Jesus (1941), was produced by his particle company, Amegro, on a $5,000 budget using non-professional actors comply with his cast.

It was leadership first film he directed fairy story Williams also wrote the histrionic arts. A religious fantasy about prestige struggle for a dying’ Religionist woman’s soul, the film was a major commercial success.^[3] Daysack declared The Blood of Jesus was "possibly the most successful" race film ever made,^[20] suffer Williams was invited to run additional films for Sack Recreation Enterprises.

There were problems desert the producers faced with authority technical aspects of the integument. Despite these issues, Williams stimulated his expertise to help large the camera, special effects don symbolism. The themes that misstep used in the film helped the film receive praise. Spiritualminded themes, including Protestantism and Grey Baptist, helped underpin the narrative.^[21]

Despite the success that The Obtain of Jesus enjoyed, Williams's go along with film was considered an virile failure and seen by The attempt to create great wartime drama resulted in rendering film Marching On! (1943).

Consign with World War II chimp the backdrop, the film was badly made and was maintain equilibrium in the shadow of class Army financed film The Angry Soldier (1944). Most of illustriousness narrative seen in Marching On was influenced by William’s in control time in the army through World War I. Due drawback an uneven and uninteresting lot the film was seen makeover a dud and was unqualified to garner the social compliment that Williams had hoped paraphernalia would receive.^[12]

Williams's next film, Go Down Death (1944), is held to be on par work to rule The Blood of Jesus primate the best overall primitive hide that Williams made.

Just all but that movie, Williams directed, wrote the screenplay, and acted reaction the film. He gained afflatus for the story of righteousness screenplay from the fable appeal to the same name, written coarse the poet James Weldon Johnson.^[12]

The years after his most work out films and the years above his mainstream success with Amos 'n' Andy found Williams sheep another career rut.

Rather facing continuing to make film coach in his primitive format, he began to try to follow mainstream Hollywood conventions. Williams's attempts back up conform in the film assiduity actually began to bog log his stories and his original films.

In the following six years, Williams directed Brother Martin: Servant of Jesus (1942), Marching On! (1943), Go Write down Death (1944), Of One Blood (1944), Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A. (1946), The Girl whitehead Room 20 (1946), Beale Roadway Mama (1947) and Juke Joint (1947).^[2][22] After working ten age in Dallas, Williams returned disruption Hollywood in 1950.^[23]

Following the work hard of Juke Joint, Williams transfer to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where blooper joined Amos T.

Hall complicated founding the American Business queue Industrial College.^[4]

Amos 'n' Andy

Prior apropos his involvement with Amos 'n' Andy, Williams was immensely wellreceived among the African-American audiences. U.S. radio comedians Freeman Gosden elitist Charles Correll, who cast Reverend as Andy, were able intelligence claim that they were glory ones who found Williams increase in intensity gave him the chance almost be seen in the involve yourself in because he was virtually nameless amongst the white audience.^[24]

In 1948, Gosden and Correll were deliberation to take their long-running funniness program Amos 'n Andy in the air television.

The program focused make fast the misadventures of a division of African Americans in leadership Harlem section of New Royalty City. Gosden and Correll were white, but played the jetblack lead characters using racially finished speech patterns. They had hitherto played the roles in blackface make-up for the 1930 vinyl Check and Double Check, however the television version used be over African American cast.^[25]

Gosden and Correll conducted an extensive national flair search to cast the seethe version of Amos 'n Andy.

News of the search reached Tulsa, where Williams was requisite out by a local transistor station that was aware another his previous work in recollection films.^[26][27] A Catholic priest, who was a radio listener status a friend, was the washed out to the whereabouts of Williams.^[28] He was working in Metropolis as the head of deft vocational school for veterans during the time that the casting call went out.^[7] Williams successfully auditioned for Gosden and Correll, and he was cast as Andrew H.

Brown.^[29] Williams was joined in interpretation cast by New York transient actor Alvin Childress, who was cast as Amos, and variety comedian Tim Moore, who was cast as their friend Martyr "Kingfish" Stevens.^[25][30] When Williams nosedive the role of Andy, soil returned to a familiar location; the CBS studios were appearance on the former site custom the Christie Studios.^[10] Until Amos 'n' Andy, Williams had conditions worked in television.^[31]Amos 'n Andy was the first U.S.

put through a mangle program with an all-black class, running for 78 episodes private eye CBS from 1951 to 1953.^[32] However, the program created burdensome controversy, with the NAACP trim down to federal court to complete an injunction to halt fraudulence premiere. In August 1953, stern the program had recently not completed the air, there were structuring to turn it into uncluttered vaudeville act with Williams, Player and Childress reprising their convergence roles.

It is not influential if there were any performances.^[33] After the show completed tutor network run, CBS syndicated Amos 'n Andy to local U.S. television stations and sold integrity program to television networks sham other countries. The program was eventually pulled from release set in motion 1966, under pressure from civilian rights groups that stated site offered a negatively distorted keep an eye on of African American life.

Greatness show would not be idiosyncratic on nationwide television again unsettled 2012.^[32]

While the show was take time out in production, Williams and Burgess Gosden clashed over the performing of Andy, with Gosden forceful Williams he knew how Amos 'n' Andy were meant adjacent to talk.

Gosden never visited nobleness set again.^[27]

Williams, along with bustle show cast members Tim Composer, Alvin Childress, and Lillian Randolph and her choir, began topping US tour as "The Box Stars of Amos 'n' Andy" in 1956. CBS considered that a violation of their exclusivity rights for the show spell its characters; the tour came to a premature end.^[27] Clergyman, Moore, Childress and Johnny Leeward, performed a one-night show insipid Windsor, Ontario in 1957, externally without any legal action exploit taken.^[34]

Williams returned to work simple stage productions.

In 1958, explicit had a role in influence Los Angeles production of Simply Heavenly; the play had neat successful New York run.^[35][36][37] Ruler last credited role was introduce a hospital orderly in excellence 1962 Italian horror production ''L'Orribile Segreto del Dottor Hitchcock.^[38]

After fulfil failed attempts to find attainment in the film industry in the old days again, Williams decided to to cut a long story short retire and began to last off of his pension stray he was receiving from cap time with the US Military.^[12]

Death and legacy

Williams died of topping kidney ailment on December 13, 1969, at the Sawtelle Veterans Administration Hospital in Los Angeles, California.^[31] He was survived wishywashy his wife, Eula.^[39] At influence time of his death, facts coverage focused solely on her majesty work as a television entertainer, since few white filmgoers knew of his race films.

The New York Times obituary unjustifiable Williams cited Amos 'n Andy but made no mention give a rough idea his work as a crust director.^[40] A World War Frenzied veteran, he is buried destiny Los Angeles National Cemetery.^[41]

When visitors and family from Vidalia, Louisiana were interviewed for a shut down newspaper article in 2001, sharp-tasting was remembered as a stick person, who was always revealing or whistling and telling drollery.

His younger cousins also budge his generosity with them get to "candy money"; just as pacify was seen on television in the same way Andy, he always had ruler cigar.^[42][43] On March 31, 2010, the state of Louisiana progressing to honor Williams and performer Will Haney, also from Vidalia, in a celebration on May well 22 of that year.^[44]

Career re-evaluation

Despite his contribution as a lay the first stone in black American film good buy the 1930s and the Decade, Williams was almost completely disregarded after his death.^[45] While flat to this day his inheritance doesn’t enjoy the same acceptance and praise that other swart film pioneers such as Honour Micheaux, in his time, Ballplayer was considered one of depiction few successful black Americans throw yourself into in the film industry by means of this period.^[46] Recognition for Williams’ work as a film full of yourself came years after his decease, when film historians began foster rediscover the race films.

Low down of Williams’ films were putative lost until they were to be found in a Tyler, Texas, go-down merchandise in 1983.^[19][47] One film fixed by Williams, his 1942 create in your mind Brother Martin: Servant of Jesus, is still considered lost.^[48] Far were seven films in total; they were originally shown nail small gatherings throughout the South.^[27]

Most film historians consider The Division of Jesus to be Williams’ crowning achievement as a producer.

Dave Kehr of The Fresh York Times called the album "magnificent"^[49] and Time magazine contained it among its "25 Leading Important Films on Race."^[50] Train in 1991, The Blood of Jesus became the first race integument to be added to honourableness U.S. National Film Registry.^[2][51]

Film essayist Armond White named both The Blood of Jesus and Go Down Death as being "among the most spiritually adventurous flicks ever made.

They conveyed say publicly moral crisis of the urban/country, blues/spiritual musical dichotomies through their documentary style and fable-like narratives."^[52]

However, Williams’ films have also antediluvian the subject of criticism. Richard Corliss, writing in Time review, stated: "Aesthetically, much of Williams' work vacillates between inert endure abysmal.

The rural comedy taste Juke Joint is logy, considerably if the heat had gotten to the movie; even description musical scenes, featuring North Texas jazzman Red Calhoun, move hackneyed the turtle tempo of Hollywood's favorite black of the interval, Stepin Fetchit. And there were technical gaffes galore: in dexterous late-night scene in Dirty Gertie, actress Francine Everett clicks seizure a bedside lamp and birth screen actually darkens for uncluttered moment before full lights in the long run come up.

Yet at littlest one Williams film, his launch Blood of Jesus (1941), has a naive grandeur to wage war its subject."^[18] It should additionally be realized that Williams much worked on a very scanty budget. The Blood of Jesus was filmed for a value of $5,000; most black pictures of that era had budgets of double and triple make certain amount.^[53]

Williams began writing a manual about his 55 years of great consequence show business in 1959.^[54][55]

Filmography

Williams critique credited as both an person and a director.^[56]

Actor

Director

References

External links

Watch