Check and Double Check

Check and Double Check (1930)

HERE THEY ARE! ON THE SCREEN! in THEIR FIRST ALL-TALKING MOTION PICTURE

Amos and Andy trying to make a go of their "open-air" taxi business while they get caught up in a society hassle, involving driving musicians to a fancy party.

Date of release
1930-10-02
TMDB
5.7 / 10 (7)
Runtime
1h 17m
Genres
Comedy
Director
Melville W. Brown

Casting

Interesting facts

Check and Double Check is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film produced and released by RKO Radio Pictures, based on the Amos 'n' Andy radio show. The title was derived from a catchphrase associated with the show. Directed by Melville W. Brown, from a screenplay by Bert Kalmar, J. Walter Ruben, and Harry Ruby, it starred Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll in blackface, in the roles of Amos Jones and Andy Brown, respectively, which they had created for the radio show. The film also featured Duke Ellington and his Cotton Club Orchestra.

Production

The making of the picture posed several problems. Perhaps foremost was that the characters of the program were portrayed as African Americans but were in fact entirely voiced by whites. This had posed no problem on the radio, but obviously would not be suitable for a film where the actors could be seen as well as heard.

Another problem was the attempt to base a full-length picture on a 15-minute-long radio program. The film's producers decided to flesh out the story with a love triangle involving white characters, essentially making Amos and Andy minor characters in what was marketed as a film about them.

Duke Ellington and his band were invited to be a part of the film, not just to provide the music but also to appear performing in the film itself. This helped propel Ellington into a national spotlight.

The director did not want to give audiences the impression that Ellington's band was racially integrated, and was worried that two band members were too light-skinned. So valve trombonist Juan Tizol, who was Puerto Rican, and clarinetist Barney Bigard, a Creole, wore stage makeup to appear as dark as Amos and Andy on film.

"Three Little Words" – Music by Harry Ruby, lyrics by Bert Kalmar; performed by Duke Ellington and His Cotton Club Band, vocals by The Rhythm Boys (Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker) (band members lip synched to the Rhythm Boys vocals)

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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