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  • Comedy

"Beulah" aired on CBS Radio from 1945 to 1954 and on ABC Television from 1950 to 1953. It was the first sitcom to star an African American actress, becoming ABC TV's first hit situation comedy and the first hit TV sitcom without a laugh track. The show revolved around the character Beulah Brown, a housekeeper and cook for the Henderson family. Initially portrayed by white male actor Marlin Hurt, African American actress Hattie McDaniel took over the role in 1947, becoming the first black woman to star in a network radio program. McDaniel was later replaced by Lillian Randolph and then by Amanda Randolph. The show started as a spin-off of the "Fibber McGee & Molly" series and gained popularity for Marlin Hurt's unique portrayal of a black woman, despite controversy surrounding the caricatures of African Americans.