The Beulah Show  

(1945-1954)

Comedy

Cast: Marlin Hurt, Bob Corley, Hattie McDaniel, Lillian Randolph, Hugh Studebaker, Mary Jane Croft, Henry Blair, Sammy Ogg, Ruby Dandridge, Ernest Whitman, Marvin Miller and Johnny Jacobs

The Beulah Show was the first situation comedy radio show to star an African American actress, Hattie McDaniel.  The show ran from 1945 to 1954, but the character of Beulah had spots on shows such as Hometown Incorporated and Fibber McGee and Molly starting as early as 1939.

The character of Beulah was started by Marlin Hurt, a white male who voiced the character from its creation to the time of his death in 1946 by a heart attack.  CBS replaced Marlin Hurt with another white actor, Bob Corley, who voiced her from 1946 to 1947.  On November 24th, 1947, African American actress Hattie McDaniel began doing the voice of Beulah.  The fact that the show was the first radio show to star an African American actress doubled the ratings and the show received critical acclaim from the NAACP.

In 1950 the Beulah show made the transition from radio to TV on ABC and ran for three seasons.