Beulah TV and Radio - Classic TV from the 1950s

The Beulah Show was the first television sitcom to star an African American. The Beulah Show ran on radio from 1945 to 1954. The Beulah TV show ran concurrently for three seasons, Tuesday nights at 7:30 ET from October 3, 1950 to September 22, 1953, on ABC. Beulah is a housekeeper and cook for the Henderson family: father Harry, mother Alice and son Donnie. Most of the comedy in the series is derived from the fact that Beulah, referred to as "the queen of the kitchen,", has the ability to solve the problems that her white employers cannot figure out. Other characters included Beulah's boyfriend Bill Jackson, a handy-man who is constantly proposing marriage, and Oriole, a befuddled maid for the family next door.

Originally portrayed by Caucasian actor Marlin Hurt, Beulah first appeared in the early 1940s as a supporting character on the popular Fibber McGee and Molly radio series. In 1945, Beulah was spun off into her own radio show, The Marlin Hurt and Beulah Show, with Hurt still in the role. After he died of a heart attack in 1946, he was replaced by another Caucasian actor, Bob Corley, and the series was retitled The Beulah Show. African American actress Hattie McDaniel took over the role in 1947, continuing in The Beulah Show until she became ill in 1952 and was replaced by Lillian Randolph, who was in turn replaced for the 1953-1954 radio season by her sister Amanda Randolph.

In 1950 Roland Reed Productions adapted the radio show into a TV sitcom for ABC. Ethel Waters was seen in the title role from 1950 to 1952. Hattie McDaniel filled in briefly in 1952, and was succeeded by Louise Beavers the same year. Butterfly McQueen portrayed Oriole, a role similar to her character in the film Gone with the Wind. Ruby Dandridge replaced McQueen when the entire television cast was overhauled upon the arrival of Hattie McDaniel. 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. He was succeeded in the role by Casablanca pianist Dooley Wilson until until Ernest Whitman followed radio co-stars McDaniel and Dandridge to TV in April of 1952. T

Like the contemporary television program Amos 'n' Andy, Beulah came under attack from the NAACP, which accused the show of supporting stereotypical depictions of black characters.

After Beulah was cancelled at the end of the 1952-1953 television season, black characters virtually disappeared from television, with only small and infrequent roles surfacing. More Classic TV shows are available at Nostalgia Merchant.