Check and Double Check (1930)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Melville W. Brown

Writers:

Bert Kalmar (story) and
Harry Ruby (story) ...

Release Date:

25 October 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Miracle Stars of the Radio in Their First Feature Motion Picture

Plot:

Typical Amos 'n Andy storyline has the boys trying to make a go of their "open-air" taxi business while they get caught up in a society hassle...

Plot Keywords:

Fraternity | Deed To House | Amos And Andy | New York City | Haunted House

Cast

Freeman F. Gosden	...	Amos
Charles J. Correll	...	Andrew 'Andy' Brown
Sue Carol	...	Jean Blair
Irene Rich	...	Mrs. Blair
Ralf Harolde	...	Ralph Crawford
Charles Morton	...	Richard Williams (as Charles S. Morton)
Edward Martindel	...	John Blair
Rita La Roy	...	Elinor Crawford (as Rita LaRoy)
Russ Powell	...	Kingfish
Roscoe Ates	...	Brother Arthur (as Rosco Ates)
Duke Ellington	...	Himself, Duke Ellington
Cotton Club Orchestra	...	Themselves, Cotton Club Orchestra

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

USA:Approved

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Credited with introducing Duke Ellington to white audiences.

Movie Connections:

Featured in That's Black Entertainment: Comedians (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Three Little Words

the controversy continues

There are those who like Amos & Andy and those who don't. The controversy has been expertly chronicled in African-American director George Kirby's fine documentary Amos & Andy: Anatomy of A Controversy. That film also captures the deep affection that fans of all races have for Amos & Andy. These characters continue to be important and beloved. Recently a play about Amos & Andy was performed at the Black Forum in New York. The revolutionary Amos & Andy radio program, which featured a racially diverse cast which included the wonderful Ernestine Wade, is still listened to all these many decades later. The Amos & Andy TV program is also still fondly remembered by people of all races. Amos & Andy continue to endure and there would be no Amos & Andy without the artists who started it all: Correll and Gosden. These two men were masters at creating characters on radio that many people could connect with. Check and Double Check isn't the best vehicle for Correll and Gosden's beloved characters, but I can understand why many Amos & Andy fans appreciate Check and Double Check.

There are many ways to interpret a film. Check and Double Check is no exception. Some detractors claim the haunted house humor is an example of racism. Other viewers see it as a spooky comedy routine like that of the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, or Don Knotts. Some detractors claim that Amos's comments about a lost loved one are pro-Jim Crow. Other viewers see the same scenes as Amos as being sentimental for a lost loved one. Some critics cite Amos & Andy's behavior towards a white police officer as a negative example. Other viewers see Amos & Andy's behavior as a survival technique often employed by individuals of various minority groups in the past to protect themselves against further potential negativity from intolerant abusers. When analyzing this film it's important to keep in mind that it was inspired by a radio program that was revolutionary for it's time. It featured black characters in both comedic and dramatic situations. The audience, both black and white, could identify and care about Amos & Andy. They were kept on the edge of their seats because they cared about what would happen next to these characters. Amos & Andy went on to make radio history by featuring a racially mixed cast of extremely talented individuals like the wonderful Ernestine Wade. Then Amos & Andy made television history by becoming the very first situation comedy on American television with an all African-American cast. These are important and very beloved characters.

George Bernard Shaw once said, "There are three things I'll never forget about America - Niagra Falls, the Rocky Mountains and Amos 'n Andy." To learn more about the history of Amos and Andy I strongly recommend watching George Kirby's documentary Amos & Andy: Anatomy of A Controversy. I also strongly recommend Elizabeth McLeod's book about the original Amos & Andy. Henry Louis Gates wrote in his memoir Colored People "Everybody loved 'Amos and Andy'. The day they took 'Amos and Andy' off the air was one of the saddest days in Piedmont. As far as we were concerned the foibles of Kingfish or Calhoun were the foibles of individuals who happened to be funny." That's the same way that many Amos & Andy fans perceive Check and Double Check. I'm fortunate to be able to share my love for Amos & Andy with a racially diverse group of fans on a daily basis. Racism has nothing to do with why we love Amos & Andy.