Rating: 
Summary: Amos and Andy is a part of history
Review: Yes, the movie is [bad]. The comedy is embarrassing where it isn't hopelessly lame. The characters are the worst stereotypes of African-Americans, ranging from the stooping pickaninny to the stiftless bum to the slack-jawed moron.However ... if you're into vintage jazz, "Check and Double-Check" gives a chance to see the young Duke Ellington just as he and his Famous Orchestra was bursting onto the national scene. Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, and other sidemen are astonishingly young and vigorous. The music isn't as subtle or interesting as it would become when Billy Strayhorn joined the band, it's wonderful nonetheless. Very few African-American performers made it into white movies in those days; the only exception I can think of is Cab Calloway's singing "Reefer Man" in the W. C. Fields comedy "International House". We have to take it where we can find it. So, the movie is [bad], but it has some moments that are pure gold.
| 
