Beulah was a popular radio show of the 1940s that later became the first television sitcom to star an African American. The Beulah radio show ran from 1945 to 1953; the television show ran for three seasons from 1950 to 1953 on ABC. Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s Years: 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Events and trends Technology First nuclear bomb First cruise missile, the V1 flying bomb and the first ballistic missile, the... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The ABC Circle logo, designed by Paul Rand in 1962. ...

History

Beulah is a housekeeper and cook for the Armstrong family: father Harry, mother Alice, and son Donny. Most of the comedy in the series is derived from the fact that Beulah, referred to as "the queen of the kitchen" [1] (http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/B/htmlB/beulah/beulah.htm), has the ability to solve the problems that her Caucasian employers cannot figure out. Beulah's catch phrase, said when she noticed her employers in trouble, was "Somebody bawl fo' Beulah?" Other characters included Beulah's boyfriend Bill, a mechanic who is constantly proposing marriage, and Oriole, a befuddled maid for the family next door. A housekeeper is a person responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of (usually residential premises. ... Cook can refer to Cook the profession, see also Cooking Cook is the title of a 1975 album by Premiata Forneria Marconi. ... A kitchen is a room used for food preparation. ... Caucasian is originally a geographical term, meaning relative or pertaining to the Caucasus region of Eastern Europe and West Asia. ... A Mechanic is a person who fixes things (generally machinery) or works to keeps things operating properly. ... Marriage is a relationship and bond, most commonly between a man and a woman, that plays a key role in the definition of many families. ...

The character of Beulah first appeared in the early-1940s on the popular Fibber McGee radio program. She was originally portrayed by Caucasian actor Marlin Hurt. In 1945, Beulah was spun off into her own radio show, with Hurt still in the role. African American actress Hattie McDaniel won the role in 1946 and would continue to perform in the radio version of Beulah until she died in 1953. Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s Years: 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Events and trends Technology First nuclear bomb First cruise missile, the V1 flying bomb and the first ballistic missile, the... Jim and Marian Jordan, aka Fibber McGee and Molly Fibber McGee and Molly was a long-running comedy program on United States radio which played a major role in determining the form of what is now called old-time radio, and also a major role in defining American culture of... Caucasian is originally a geographical term, meaning relative or pertaining to the Caucasus region of Eastern Europe and West Asia. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1895 - October 26, 1952) was an American singer and actress. ... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

In 1950, Roland Reed Productions turned Beulah into a situation comedy for the ABC television network. Ethel Waters portrayed the character from 1950 to 1952. McDaniel filled in briefly in 1952, and was succeeded by Louise Beavers the same year, who in turn was succeeded by Amanda Randolph for the show's final 1953 episodes. Butterfly McQueen portrayed Oriole, a similar character to her Gone With the Wind role, with Ruby Dandridge (the voice of So White in Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs and sister to Dorothy Dandridge) as a fill-in during the third and final season. Percy "Bud" Harris originally portrayed Bill, but walked out on the part during the first season, accusing the producers of forcing him to portray an "Uncle Tom" character. The show was directed by Jean Yarbrough. 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The ABC Circle logo, designed by Paul Rand in 1962. ... Ethel Waters, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1938 Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an African American blues vocalist who frequently performed jazz, big band, gospel, and popular music, on Broadway and off. ... 1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Louise Beavers (March 8, 1902 - October 26, 1962) was a prolific African-American film actress. ... Amanda Randolph (September 2, 1896 - August 24, 1967) was an African American actress and singer. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Butterfly McQueen (January 7, 1911 _ December 22, American television actress. ... Gone With the Wind was an instant success. ... Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs was an animated cartoon directed by Bob Clampett for Warner Bros. ... Dorothy Dandridge Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) was an American actress. ... Uncle Tom is a pejorative term for a black person who is obsequiously servile to white authority; eager to win the approval of white people; or, who rubber stamps white supremacist notions about the inherent superority of whites and its corollary, the inherent inferiority of blacks. ...

Like contemporary television program Amos 'n' Andy, Beulah came under attack from many critics, including the NAACP, who accused the show of supporting stereotypical depictions of black characters. Beulah became one of the characterizations of the stereotypical "mammy", and her name is sometimes used as a racial slur towards African American women, similar to "Aunt Jemima". Amos & Andy (also rendered as Amos n Andy) was a situation comedy popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s. ... The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States. ... For the term used in Computing, see Stereotype (computing). ... Mammy is an alternate spelling of mother, used most prominently by African American slaves during the 1800s. ... Terms of disparagement are pejorative terms such as yid, kike, nigger, whore, slut, fag and queer whose use usually arouses painful feelings in the target, members of the targeted group or sympathizers. ... An early depiction of Aunt Jemima Aunt Jemima is a trademark for pancake flour, syrup, and other pancake-related comestibles. ...

After Beulah was cancelled at the end of the 1952-1953 television series, black characters virtually disappeared from television, with only small and infrequent roles surfacing. The next television program to star a black woman came in the form of Julia in 1968, starring Diahann Carroll. Julia was a groundbreaking television series which was the first to show an African American main character in a non-stereotypical role. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Diahann Carroll, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1955 Diahann Carroll (born July 15, 1935) is an American actress and singer. ...

Cast

1950-1951

• Ethel Waters: Beulah
• Wiliam Post, Jr.: Harry Henderson
• Ginger Jones: Alice Henderson
• Clifford Sales: Donnie Henderson
• Percy "Bud" Harris: Bill Jackson (Sept 1950 to early 1951)
• Ernest Whitman: Bill Jackson (early 1951 on)
• Butterfly McQueen: Oriole

Ethel Waters, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1938 Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an African American blues vocalist who frequently performed jazz, big band, gospel, and popular music, on Broadway and off. ... Butterfly McQueen (January 7, 1911 _ December 22, American television actress. ...

1951-1952

• Ethel Waters: Beulah
• Hattie McDaniel: Beulah (some episodes)
• Wiliam Post, Jr.: Harry Henderson
• Ginger Jones: Alice Henderson
• Clifford Sales: Donnie Henderson
• Ernest Whitman: Bill Jackson
• Butterfly McQueen: Oriole

Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1895 - October 26, 1952) was an American singer and actress. ...

1952-1953

• Louise Beavers: Beulah
• Amanda Randolph: Beulah (some episodes)
• David Bruce: Harry Henderson
• Jane Frazee: Alice Henderson
• Stuffy Singer: Donnie Henderson
• Ernest Whitman: Bill Jackson
• Dooley Wilson: Bill Jackson (some episodes)
• Butterfly McQueen: Oriole
• Ruby Dandridge: Oriole (some episodes)

Louise Beavers (March 8, 1902 - October 26, 1962) was a prolific African-American film actress. ... Amanda Randolph (September 2, 1896 - August 24, 1967) was an African American actress and singer. ... Arthur Dooley Wilson (April 3, 1886 - May 30, 1953) was an African American actor and singer. ...

Reference

• Bodroghkozy, Aniko. Beulah (http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/B/htmlB/beulah/beulah.htm). The Museum of Broadcast Communications.

External Links

• Beulah (http://imdb.com/title/tt0042081/) at the Internet Movie Database