Amos & Andy radio transcript

[Sweet Leilani]

I just purchased an Amos & Andy radio show script at a tag sale. It's not an original script, but a transcript fans could order through the mail. It comes complete with a picture of A & A and a little bio info, and is in the original envelope. The date of the broadcast was Dec. 12th 1935.

I'm not a huge fan of that show (the racial typecasting is just too unnerving) but the price was right (10 cents). Is there a market for this type of thing, or would I be better off just holding onto it?

 

[carter]

Your best bet is to check EBay. They pretty much make the market for all kinds of vintage paper goods.

 

[Sweet Leilani]

That's the thing, though- unless I'm not putting in the right keywords, I haven't found anything like this. I'm sure someone here must have seen something somewhere, but there's nothing on ebay right now that is really similar.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

LizzieMaine will know..

she will see this and answer....just wait.

 

[scotrace]

Yes. I daresay no one knows more about the A&A broadcasts.

 

[LizzieMaine]

This was a premium put out by the Pepsodent Company at the end of 1935 -- the script in question is a very famous episode, the wedding ceremony of Amos Jones and Ruby Taylor, and many listeners had asked for a printed copy as a keepsake -- thus this booklet was made available to anyone who would write in for it. About a million copies were distributed, and they're still abundant today. When found with the original mailing envelope, they'll generally bring $10-$15 on the memorabilia market.

The content of this particular script is very, very different from anything familiar to most OTR collectors today who only know A&A from the later half-hour shows -- the ceremony and the dialogue are honest, dignified, and quite touching. The wedding came as the climax to a storyline which had gone on for over seven years -- Amos and Ruby became engaged on Christmas Night 1928, but their plans for marriage were beset by repeated economic and personal obstacles, so the wedding was something very special to the many millions of people who followed the serial every night.

 

[Sweet Leilani]

Thanks Lizzie- I knew you'd come through! What a touching story- to me I think that's worth more than the $. I think I'll hold on to it.

 

[panamag8or]

Thanks Lizzie- I knew you'd come through! What a touching story- to me I think that's worth more than the $. I think I'll hold on to it.

Definitely. It's a keeper. Now, you just need to find an old Pepsodent ad with the offer, and maybe a recording of the show.