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THIS CDS CONTAINS A COLLECTION OF RADIO TRANSMITIONS OF THIS PROGRAM IN MP3 FORMAT. Beulah was the first television sitcom to star an African American. The Beulah Show ran on radio from 1945 to 1953. On television, Beulah ran for three seasons from 1950 to 1953 on ABC. History Beulah is a housekeeper and cook for the Henderson family: father Harry, mother Alic and son Donnie. Most of the comedy in the series is derived from the fact that Beulah, referred to as "the queen of the kitchen" [1], has the ability to solve the problems that her Caucasian employers cannot figure out. Beulah's catch phrase, said whenever she noticed her employers in trouble, was "Somebody bawl fo' Beulah?" Other characters included Beulah's boyfriend Bill Jackson, a mechanic who is constantly proposing marriage, and Oriole, a befuddled maid for the family next door. Originally portrayed by Caucasian actor Marlin Hurt, Beulah first appeared in the early 1940s as a supporting character on the popular Fibber McGee and Molly radio series. In 1945, Beulah was spun off into her own radio show, The Marlin Hunt and Beulah Show, with Hurt still in the role. After he died of a heart attack in 1946, he was replaced by another Caucasian actor, Bob Corley, and the series was retitled The Beulah Show. African American actress Hattie McDaniel took over the role in 1947, continuing in The Beulah Show until she became ill in 1952. In 1950, with the title shortened to simply Beulah, Roland Reed Productions adapted the property into a TV situation comedy for the ABC. Ethel Waters was seen in the title role from 1950 to 1952. McDaniel filled in briefly in 1952, and was succeeded by Louise Beavers the same year, who in turn was succeeded by Amanda Randolph for the show's final 1953 episodes. Butterfly McQueen portrayed Oriole, a similar character to her Gone with the Wind role, with Ruby Dandridge (the voice of So White in Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs and siste