Randolph began her professional career singing on local radio inCleveland andDetroit.[4][8] AtWXYZ inDetroit,[10] she was noticed byGeorge W. Trendle, station owner and developer ofThe Lone Ranger. He got her into radio training courses, which paid off in roles for local radio shows. Randolph was tutored by a white actor for three months on racial dialect prior to obtaining any radio roles.[11]
Randolph and her sister Amanda were continually looking for roles to make ends meet. In 1938, she opened her home toLena Horne, who was in California for her first movie role inThe Duke Is Tops (1938); the film was so tightly budgeted, Horne had no money for a hotel.[16]
Randolph played the role of the maid Birdie Lee Coggins inThe Great Gildersleeve, aradio comedy and subsequent films,[19] and as Madame Queen on theAmos 'n' Andy radio show and television show from 1937 to 1953.[19][20] She also portrayed Birdie in the television version ofThe Great Gildersleeve.[21] She was cast in theGildersleeve job on the basis of her wonderful laugh.[22] Upon hearing theGildersleeve program was beginning, Randolph made a dash toNBC. She tore down the halls; when she opened the door for the program, she fell on her face. Randolph was not hurt and she laughed, which got her the job.[8]
TheWest Adams district ofLos Angeles was once home to lawyers and tycoons, but during the 1930s, many residents were either forced to sell their homes or take in boarders because of the economic times. The bulk of the residents who were earlier members of the entertainment community had already moved to places such asBeverly Hills andHollywood. In the 1940s, members of the African-American entertainment community discovered the charms of the district and began purchasing homes there, giving the area the nickname "Sugar Hill".Hattie McDaniel was one of the first African-American residents. In an attempt to discourage African-Americans from making their homes in the area, some residents resorted to adding covenants to the contracts when their homes were sold, either restricting African-Americans from purchasing them or prohibiting them from occupying the houses after purchase.[30] Lillian and her husband, boxerJack Chase,[31] were victims of this type of discrimination.[32]
In 1946, the couple purchased a home on West Adams Boulevard with a restrictive covenant that barred them from moving into it.[33] The US Supreme Court declared the practice unconstitutional in 1948.[30] After divorcing Chase, Randolph married railroaddining car server Edward Sanders, in August 1951.[3] The couple divorced in December 1953.[34]
Like her sister, Amanda, Lillian was also one of the actresses to play the part ofBeulah on radio. Randolph assumed the role in 1952 when Hattie McDaniel became ill; that same year, she received an "Angel" award from the Caballeros, an African-American businessmen's association, for her work in radio and television for 1951.[35] She played Beulah until 1953, when Amanda took over for her.[36]
In 1954, Randolph had her own daily radio show in Hollywood, where those involved in acting were featured.[37] In the same year, she became the first African American on the board of directors for the Hollywood chapter of theAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Artists.[38]
InWilliam Hanna andJoseph Barbera'sTom and Jerry cartoons at theMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio during the 1940s and early 1950s, she was uncredited forvoicing the maid character,Mammy Two Shoes. The character's last appearance in the cartoons was inPush-Button Kitty in September 1952. MGM, Hanna-Barbera and Randolph had been under fire from theNAACP, which called the role a stereotype. Activists had been complaining about the maid character since 1949. The character was written out entirely. Many of these had a white actress (June Foray) redubbing the character in American TV broadcasts and in the DVD collections.[39]
This was not the only time Randolph received criticism. In 1946,Ebony published a story critical of her role of Birdie onThe Great Gildersleeve radio show. Randolph and Sam Moore, a scriptwriter on the program, provided a rebuttal to them in the magazine.[4][40] Lillian Randolph believed these roles were not harmful to the image or opportunities of African-Americans. Her reasoning was that the roles themselves would not be discontinued, but the ethnicity of those in them would change.[41]
In 1956, Randolph and her choir, along with fellowAmos 'n' Andy television show cast membersTim Moore,Alvin Childress, andSpencer Williams set off on a tour of the US as "The TV Stars ofAmos 'n' Andy". However,CBS claimed it was an infringement of its rights to the show and its characters. The tour soon came to an end.[42]
By 1958, Lillian, who started out as a blues singer, returned to music with a nightclub act.[43]
Randolph was selected to playBill Cosby's character's mother in his 1969 television series,The Bill Cosby Show.[8] She later appeared in several featured roles onSanford and Son andThe Jeffersons in the 1970s. She also taught acting, singing and public speaking.[44]
Randolph made a guest appearance on a 1972 episode of the sitcomSanford and Son, entitled "Here Comes the Bride, There Goes the Bride" as Aunt Hazel, an in-law of the Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) character who humorously gets a cake thrown in her face, after which Fred replies "Hazel, you never looked sweeter!".[45] HerAmos 'n' Andy co-star,Alvin Childress, also had a role in this episode.[46][47] She played Mabel inJacqueline Susann's Once Is Not Enough (1975) and also appeared in the television miniseries,Roots (1977),[48]Magic (1978) andThe Onion Field (1979).[49]
In March 1980, she was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.[50]
Choosing to adopt her mother's maiden name,Barbara Randolph appeared in her mother's nightclub acts, including with Steve Gibson and the Red Caps, and had a role inGuess Who's Coming to Dinner in 1967.[52][53] She decided to follow a singing career.[54][55][56]
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