Freeman Fisher "Gozzie" Gosden (May 5, 1899 – December 10, 1982) was an American

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

, actor and pioneer in the development of the

situation comedy A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

form. He is best known for his work in the ''

Amos 'n' Andy ''Amos 'n' Andy'' was an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago then later in the Harlem section of New York City. While the show had a brief life on 1950s television with black actors, the 1928 to 1960 radio sho ...

'' radio series.

Life and career

Gosden was born in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, the son of Emma L. (Smith) and Walter W. Gosden Sr. While attending school in Richmond, Gozzie worked part-time in Tarrant's Drug Store at 1 West Broad Street. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

as a wireless operator, which prompted his great interest in the young medium of radio. During 1921, Gosden first teamed with

Charles Correll Charles James Correll (February 2, 1890 – September 26, 1972) was an American radio comedian, actor and writer who was best known for his work in the radio ''Amos 'n' Andy'' radio series with Freeman Gosden. Correll voiced the main character, ...

to do radio work, presenting comedy acts and hosting variety programs. They had met in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

, both working for the Joe Bren Producing Company. Their first regular series bagan in 1925 with their WEBH

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

program, ''Correll and Gosden, the Life of the Party''. For this program, the two told jokes, sang, and played music (Correll played

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

and Gosden

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

). In 1926, Gosden and Correll, who were both

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, had success with their radio program, ''

Sam 'n' Henry ''Sam 'n' Henry'' was a radio series performed by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll that aired on Chicago radio station WGN from 1926 through 1928. The ten-minute program is often considered the first situation comedy. Gosden and Correll rewo ...

'', in which the two actors portrayed

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

characters. The show originated on Chicago radio station WGN. From 1928 to 1960, Gosden and Correll, broadcast their program, ''

'' – again portraying black characters – which quickly became one of the most famous and popular radio series of the 1930s, nationwide. Gosden voiced the characters "Amos Jones", "George 'Kingfish' Stevens", "Lightning", "Brother Crawford", and some dozen other characters. To celebrate the show's 30th anniversary, the broadcast of March 19, 1958, was done by Correll and Gosden using their real voices and calling each other by their real names; this had never been done for the program before. During 1961–1962, Gosden and Correll provided the voices for the animated television series ''

Calvin and the Colonel ''Calvin and the Colonel'' is an American animated sitcom about Colonel Montgomery J. Klaxon, a shrewd fox, and Calvin T. Burnside, a dumb bear. Their lawyer was Oliver Wendell Clutch, who was a (literal) weasel. The colonel lived with his wife ...

'' broadcast by

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...

-TV.Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 154. In 1969, Gosden was honored with a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

for his work in radio. In 1974, Gosden was living in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

and, in 1976, he was the best man for

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

's wedding to

Barbara Marx Barbara Ann Sinatra (formerly Oliver and Marx, Blakeley; October 16, 1926 – July 25, 2017) was an American model, showgirl, socialite, and philanthropist and the fourth and last wife of Frank Sinatra. Early life Sinatra was born as Barbara ...

. In 1977, Gosden was inducted into the

National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame The NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame is a yearly honor from the National Association of Broadcasters. One inductee from radio and one from television are named at the yearly NAB conference. Radio For a list of award winners, see footnote * 1977: ...

along with Correll.

Personal life

Gosden was the father of four children: Virginia, Craig, Freeman Jr., and Linda. Gosden was a charter member of the

Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta National, Augusta, or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. It is known for hosting the annual Masters Tournament. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Rob ...

, joining the club at its inception in 1932. He was a long-term good friend of

Clifford Roberts Clifford Roberts (March 6, 1894 – September 29, 1977) was an American investment dealer and golf administrator. Early years Born in Morning Sun, Iowa, Roberts had a financially troubled family life as a boy. He and older brother, John Dario ...

's, who, along with famed golfer Bob Jones, co-founded the club. He was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

at Petersburg Lodge No. 15 in Virginia. Gosden died from

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on December 10, 1982, at the age of 83.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gosden, Freeman 1899 births 1982 deaths 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors American Freemasons American male comedians American radio personalities American male radio actors American male voice actors Blackface minstrel performers Comedians from California Male actors from Richmond, Virginia Male actors from Palm Springs, California 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers Comedians from Virginia