Original subtitles

HELP EVERYONE EXPLORE NEW WORLDS

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- THERE'S NO QUESTION, EVER,

ABOUT WHO

THE GREATEST COMEDIAN IS.

IT'S NEVER ANYTHING OTHER

THAN RICHARD PRYOR.

- THEY CREATED

THE FIVE-SECOND DELAY

ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

BECAUSE OF RICHARD PRYOR.

THEY SAID HE WAS A LOOSE CANNON.

- DO YOU EVER NOTICE HOW NICE

WHITE PEOPLE GET

WHEN THERE'S

A BUNCH OF NIGGAS AROUND?

RIGHT? THEY GET OUTSIDE.

THEY TALK TO EVERYBODY.

RIGHT?

THEY SAY, "HI, HOW YOU DOING?

I DON'T KNOW YOU,

BUT HERE'S MY WIFE. HELLO!"

- HE WAS NOT TRYING

TO BE THE PROPER BLACK MAN.

RICHARD PRYOR WAS VERY MUCH

TRYING TO BE A NIGGA.

- RICHARD PRYOR WAS BORN

ON THE EDGE.

IMAGINE BEING BORN

IN A BROTHEL.

PEOPLE WEREN'T COMFORTABLE

WITH WHERE HE WAS COMING FROM.

AND RICH WAS LIKE,

"WELL, THIS IS WHERE I'M FROM.

"THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH.

THIS IS MY LIFE.

I'M GONNA TELL IT."

- RICHARD PRYOR,

THE COMEDIAN,

WAS BADLY BURNED

IN AN ACCIDENT

AT HIS HOME IN CALIFORNIA

LAST NIGHT.

THEY ARE SEVERE ENOUGH

TO ENDANGER HIS LIFE.

- I DON'T KNOW,

WAS IT ATTEMPTED SUICIDE?

WAS IT AN ACCIDENT?

INCIDENT, WHATEVER.

IT HAPPENED,

AND IT MADE HIM EVEN BIGGER.

[bright music]

♪ ♪

female announcer: THIS PROGRAM

IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART

BY CONTRIBUTIONS

TO YOUR PBS STATION

FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.

[rock music]

- RICHARD PRYOR WALKED YOU

THROUGH HIS LIFE

AND YOU SAW IT.

HE PUT YOU RIGHT THERE.

YOU WAS ON THE CORNER

WITH THE WINO.

YOU WAS ON THE CORNER.

MY GOVERNMENT NAME

IS TRACY MORGAN,

I'M A HUMAN BEING,

AND I'M FUNNY.

HE NEVER LIED TO US.

WHEN YOU LISTEN

TO RICHARD PRYOR TALK ONSTAGE,

IT WAS JUST

A FUNNY CONVERSATION,

AND THAT'S WHAT ATTRACTED ME

TO STAND-UP.

IF I'MA TELL A STORY ONSTAGE,

IT'S GONNA BE WITH DETAIL

AND COLOR.

- HERE, I LEARNED MY HONESTY,

AND I LEARNED MY ABILITY

TO CONNECT WITH AUDIENCES

AND TO BE VULNERABLE

THROUGH WATCHING

RICHARD PRYOR.

I'M NOT VERY RELIGIOUS,

BUT I DON'T HANG

ON THE POPE'S EVERY WORD.

I KNOW PEOPLE THAT DO,

AND THAT MUST BE

WHAT THAT'S LIKE.

YOU KNOW, TO HAVE SOMEBODY

THAT YOU SEE

THAT BECOMES A KIND OF

A GUIDING LIGHT FOR YOU.

- WELL, RICHARD PRYOR

IS THE COMEDY ICON.

HE WAS KNOWN EVERYWHERE,

AND HE WAS A TRUE AMBASSADOR

TO COMEDY.

HE IS MENTIONED

IN THE SAME LOVING REVERENCE

AS ALL THOSE OTHER

GREAT HUMANITARIANS

THAT WEREN'T COMEDIANS.

- WHAT OTHER COMEDIANS

DO I THINK RICHARD PRYOR

INFLUENCED?

ARE YOU CRAZY?

YOU NAME ME A COMEDIAN

WHO HADN'T, THROUGH SOME WAY,

HAVE BEEN INFLUENCED

BY RICHARD PRYOR,

BECAUSE WE CALL HIM THE KING.

WE CALL HIM THE GREATEST.

FROM ROBIN WILLIAMS

TO ROBIN HARRIS,

J ANTHONY BROWN,

BRUCE BRUCE,

LOUIS CK,

GEORGE CARLIN,

DON RICKLES,

I KNOW JERRY SEINFELD.

YOU NAME ME A COMEDIAN--

CARROT TOP.

EVERYBODY WAS INFLUENCED

BY RICHARD PRYOR.

male narrator:

FOR RICHARD PRYOR,

HIS STIRRING JOURNEY

THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

BEGAN THE FIRST TIME

HE APPEARED ON TELEVISION--

SOMETHING A COMEDIAN

NEVER FORGETS.

- ON BROADWAY TONIGHT,

FOR THE FIRST TIME

IN TELEVISION,

RICHARD PRYOR.

[applause]

- THE VERY FIRST TIME

I WAS EVER ON TV DOING STAND-UP,

IT HAPPENED SO QUICK

THAT I DIDN'T EVEN

HAVE TIME TO GET NERVOUS.

- I'M GONNA TELL YOU

A FEW THINGS ABOUT MYSELF,

BECAUSE A LOT OF YOU

PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ME.

I'M NOT A NEW YORKER.

MY HOME'S IN PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

- THEY ASKED ME

DID I HAVE SEVEN MINUTES,

SO I SAID "YEAH,"

AND THEY SAID,

"GO OUT ONSTAGE,"

AND I WAS ONSTAGE,

SO I DIDN'T HAVE TIME.

- I'M FROM

A AVERAGE-TYPE FAMILY.

11 KIDS.

NO MOTHER OR FATHER.

JUST KIDS.

- WHEN YOU WALK ONSTAGE NOW,

AND YOU KNOW

THESE PEOPLE HAVE PAID

TO COME SEE YOU.

- I GRABBED THE CROOK.

THAT WAS THE WRONG MOVE.

- I ALREADY KNOW EVERY NIGHT,

BEFORE I GO ONSTAGE,

I'M GONNA HAVE A GOOD TIME,

WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.

- HE THREW ME DOWN.

I GOT UP.

HE KNOCKED ME DOWN.

I GOT UP.

HE KICKED ME DOWN.

HE SAID, "GET UP."

I SAID,

"HA HA HA."

- AND THE NEXT

FIVE TO SEVEN MINUTES

IS A COMPLETE BLUR.

IT'S OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE.

I REMEMBER, AT ONE POINT,

I WAS UP ABOVE MYSELF

LOOKING DOWN AT ME

DOING STAND-UP.

- THEN MY WIFE

THREW HIM ACROSS THE FURNITURE.

SHE SLAPPED ME.

THE POLICE CAME.

SHE BEAT THEM UP.

THEY TOOK HER AWAY.

ME AND THE CROOK

LIVING HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

THE END.

GOOD NIGHT.

- AND IF YOU DID WELL,

THE NEXT DAY, YOU KNOW,

IT ALL CHANGES.

- EVEN WHEN HE WAS SUPPOSEDLY

SQUARE AND LEGIT,

HIS HEART WAS STILL

IN THE STREETS.

DR. TODD BOYD,

PROFESSOR OF CRITICAL STUDIES,

USC SCHOOL

OF CINEMATIC ARTS.

THIS SORT OF PERSPECTIVE

OF A BLACK MAN

FROM THIS GENERATION

WHO'S CONNECTED TO THE STREETS

AND HOW YOU USE LANGUAGE

TO SORT OF COMMUNICATE THIS

WAS VERY FAMILIAR TO ME.

RICHARD PRYOR'S INTERESTING

BECAUSE HE'S SOMEONE

WHO'S FROM THE MIDWEST

AND SORT OF MOVED THROUGH

VARIOUS LOW-LEVEL CIRCLES

IN THE MIDWEST.

EVENTUALLY MADE HIS WAY

INTO NEW YORK.

- AT EASE.

AT EASE.

THAT'S RIGHT.

I'M TIRED

OF TELLING YOU THIS, GUYS.

OVER AND OVER, EVERY TIME I TURN

AROUND, I GOT TO TELL YOU.

THE TORPEDO TUBES

ARE ON THE LEFT.

THE LAVATORY'S ON THE RIGHT.

- YOU CAN TAKE

ALL THE RANCOR OUT OF IT,

YOU CAN TAKE THE--

ALL THE MISOGYNY OUT OF IT,

AND YOU STILL HAVE

A VERY, VERY FUNNY MAN.

MY NAME IS CECIL BROWN.

I AM A FRIEND OF RICHARD PRYOR.

THE COMEDY OF RICHARD PRYOR

IS UNIVERSAL,

AND THAT KIND OF HUMOR ADDRESSES

THE NEW MILLENNIUM VERY WELL.

VERY WELL.

THE TYPE OF COMEDY RICHARD

WAS DOING WHEN I FIRST MET HIM

WAS CALLED "WHITE BREAD HUMOR."

NO CURSE WORDS.

NO REFERENCES TO ANYTHING

SUCH AS RACE, SEX, OR DRUGS.

- LAST WEEK

WE'S WATCHING TELEVISION.

I HEARD A KNOCK ON THE DOOR.

I SAID TO MY WIFE,

"THERE'S A KNOCK ON THE DOOR."

- RICHARD STARTS OUT

AS A PERSON

IMITATING BILL COSBY.

- TO BE GREAT,

YOU GOT TO STUDY THE GREATS.

BILL COSBY WAS INSPIRATION

FOR RICHARD PRYOR.

- YOU KNOW, THIS SKINNY GUY,

AND HIS, LIKE, YOU KNOW,

SUIT IS TOO BIG.

RICHARD PRYOR WAS TRYING TO BE

THE BEST HE COULD BE.

- I LIKE NEW YORK CITY.

I'VE BEEN WORKING IN THE VILLAGE

IN COFFEE HOUSES,

AND I LIKE IT, BECAUSE THEY

DON'T SERVE ANY BOOZE,

JUST COFFEE, ICE CREAM,

WEIRD PILLS,

AND IT'S PRETTY WILD.

- AND THEN RICHARD

PROBABLY THOUGHT

THAT HE HAD TO BE LIKE BILL

TO BE IN.

- HE'S NOT, SORT OF, TAKING

A STRONG POLITICAL STAND.

HE'S NOT ATTEMPTING

TO BE CONFRONTATIONAL.

HE'S QUITE THE OPPOSITE.

- [groaning]

AMEN.

- AND HE STARTED BACK IN THE DAY

WHEN THERE WERE NO BLACKS ON TV,

AND IT WAS SO LONG AGO,

IT WAS ONLY BLACK-AND-WHITE TVs,

SO YOU HAD TO BE

EITHER BLACK OR WHITE.

EITHER WAY,

YOU HAD NO CHOICE.

- I THINK

HE WAS JUST FINDING HIS WAY.

YOU WANT TO SELL TICKETS

AND YOU WANT TO BE POPULAR.

- OH, YOU GUYS ARE FACETIOUS.

[laughter]

WHAT'D HE SAY, MAN?

I DON'T KNOW.

YOU WANT TO KILL HIM?

- WHAT CAN I DO TO GET

SOME OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES

THAT ARE POTENTIALLY AVAILABLE?

- HERE HE IS, OUR OWN LITTLE

RICHIE PRYOR.

RICHIE!

narrator: PRYOR'S NON-OFFENSIVE

PHYSICAL STYLE

IS GAINING LOTS OF ATTENTION.

HE IS NOW A RISING

STAND-UP COMIC STAR

AND A FREQUENT GUEST

ON THE MERV GRIFFIN

SYNDICATED TALK SHOW.

- EVERY BLACK PERSON IN AMERICA

WATCHED RICHARD PRYOR.

- HOW YOU DO THAT, RICHARD?

YOU JUST--

- [in high-pitched voice]

I DON'T KNOW.

I JUST KIND OF GO OUT THERE

AND I JUST DO IT.

I DON'T KNOW HOW.

- BECAUSE THAT'S ALL WE DID.

WE NEVER SAW

ANY BLACK PEOPLE BACK THEN.

EVERYBODY WOULD CALL

ON THE TELEPHONE.

EVERYBODY WOULD GO

TO EVERYBODY'S HOUSE.

IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE A TV,

YOU SHOWED UP AT SOMEBODY'S HOME

WITH A TELEVISION.

[laughter]

- OH, THAT'S IN MY TEETH.

YOU'RE UNDER ARREST.

- NOW WHAT DO WE DO?

- SMOKE A CIGARETTE.

THEY TASTE GOOD.

MAYBE THEY SMOKE WELL.

- AND HE'S FUNNY,

BUT THAT RICHARD PRYOR'S

VERY DIFFERENT

THAN THE RICHARD PRYOR WHO

BECOMES POPULAR IN THE 1970s.

THAT'S ALMOST A DIFFERENT GUY.

narrator: DESPITE HIS METEORIC

RISE TO SUCCESS,

RICHARD PRYOR IS RESTLESS.

HE'S BEGINNING

TO FEEL CONSTRAINED ONSTAGE.

- HE'S NOT FULLY

EXPRESSING HIMSELF

IN THE WAY THAT HE WOULD LIKE.

HE'S REALLY AN IMITATOR

OF OTHER COMICS.

narrator:

AS PRYOR CONTINUES TO PERFORM

A BILL COSBY STYLE OF COMEDY,

THE TASTE

OF AMERICAN POP CULTURE

IS NOW REFLECTING

THE SWELLING TIDES

OF SOCIAL CHANGE AND UNREST.

NOWHERE IS THIS REFLECTED MORE

THAN IN NEW YORK CITY.

- RICHARD TAUGHT ME

A LOT OF WHAT NOT TO DO.

[laughs]

HE WAS DEFINITELY A ROLE MODEL

OF WHAT NOT TO DO.

HE THOUGHT I WAS,

LIKE, THE SQUAREST...

[laughing]

GUY ON THE PLANET.

- IT WAS A VERY VIBRANT TIME

IN NEW YORK.

THERE WAS SOCIAL ACTIVISM

IN THE STREETS.

IF YOU WEREN'T DOING

SOCIALLY RELEVANT MATERIAL,

YOU WEREN'T

REALLY RELEVANT YOURSELF.

- NOW, WHAT'S HAPPENING IS

HIS MOVE AWAY

FROM, SAY,

PURELY PHYSICAL COMEDY--

GAGS AND STUNTS AND SKITS--

TO WHAT WE MIGHT CALL

MORE INTELLECTUAL COMEDY,

MORE POLITICAL COMEDY.

- RICHARD TRIED TO BE SAFE

IN THE BEGINNING.

I DON'T THINK

HE FOUND MUCH HAPPINESS

IN TRYING TO BE SOMEBODY ELSE.

narrator:

IN SEPTEMBER 1967,

PRYOR HAS WHAT HE WOULD LATER

CALL AN EPIPHANY.

PRYOR WAS PERFORMING

AT THE ALADDIN HOTEL

IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA.

- AND HE WOULD MENTION

SOME OF THE RAT-PACK PEOPLE

WERE SITTING AND WATCHING HIM.

- HE WAS ONSTAGE,

AND EVERYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE

SITTING IN JACKETS.

YOU COULDN'T GO TO A SHOW

UNLESS YOU HAD A JACKET ON

AND A SHIRT AND TIE.

HE WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE FEW

BLACK PEOPLE IN THE CLUB.

- AND RICHARD SORT OF REALIZES

THAT HE'S IMITATING THIS

VERY SQUARE GUY IN BILL COSBY.

HE'S NOT FOUND HIS OWN VOICE.

- AND HE THOUGHT

THE IDEA OF HIM

WAS OF A JOKE,

A RIDICULOUS PERSON.

- COMICS WANT

TO ENTERTAIN PEOPLE,

BUT THEY ALSO WANT

TO KEEP THEIR SELF-RESPECT.

- KIND OF BOILED OVER,

AND WHEN HE LOOKED

IN THE AUDIENCE

AND SAW HIM TELLING JOKES

TO PEOPLE

THAT LOOKED AT HIM ODD--

I MEAN, IF THEY'RE

GONNA LOOK AT YOU,

AT LEAST HAVE THEM

LOOK AT YOU AS A MAN.

- YOUR SELF-RESPECT

IS BEING CHALLENGED,

AND YOU TAKE IT VERY PERSONAL.

- AND RICHARD SAID

HE WAS SO EMBARRASSED

THAT HE WALKED OFF THE STAGE.

- A VERY IMPORTANT TURNING POINT

IN HIS CAREER,

BECAUSE THIS IS THE MOMENT

WHEN HE DECIDES

THE OLD RICHARD PRYOR

IS GOING TO BE LAID TO REST.

- HE WALKED OFF THE STAGE

IN THE WRONG DIRECTION,

AND THEY TOLD HIM, "YOU GOT

TO GO BACK ACROSS THE STAGE."

HE SAID, "NO, I'M NOT GOING BACK

ACROSS THAT STAGE."

- IT'S ALMOST POETIC

THAT THIS GUY

WHO, IN THE NEXT DECADE

WILL BECOME THIS HUGE STAR,

ARRIVES AT THIS POINT

BY WALKING AWAY

FROM SOMETHING--IT'S WORKING.

IT'S A COMING-TO-CONSCIOUSNESS.

IT'S A TRANSITION

FROM ONE PHASE TO THE NEXT.

narrator: RICHARD FRANKLIN

LENNOX THOMAS PRYOR

WAS BORN DECEMBER 1, 1940,

IN PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

- PEORIA, ILLINOIS, IS ONE

OF A NUMBER OF MIDWESTERN TOWNS

THAT WOULD DEVELOP

A SIZEABLE BLACK POPULATION.

narrator: PRYOR'S FATHER,

LEROY "BUCK CARTER" PRYOR,

WAS A FORMER GOLDEN GLOVES BOXER

AND A PIMP.

HIS MOTHER, GERTRUDE THOMAS,

WAS A BOOKKEEPER

AND A PROSTITUTE.

- NOW, I DON'T THINK ONE HAS

TO THINK TOO FAR AND TOO LONG

TO IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE

TO BE THE SON OF A PROSTITUTE.

narrator: BOTH PARENTS

WERE VIOLENT AND ALCOHOLIC.

HIS FATHER RARELY SAW HIM,

AND HIS MOTHER ABANDONED HIM

WHEN HE WAS TEN.

PRYOR WOULD LATER

RECONCILE WITH HER.

[applause]

- SO MY REAL MOTHER

CALLS ME UP ON THE TELEPHONE,

AND SHOCKS ME, MAN,

AND SHE COMES UP,

AND I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT IT,

YOU KNOW.

THAT'S MY MOTHER.

- IS SHE HERE?

- COME ON, MOM.

DON'T HIDE YOUR FACE.

RIGHT THERE.

- I DIDN'T KNOW THAT.

[applause]

- SHE'S BEAUTIFUL, MAN,

AND I JUST DON'T KNOW.

SHE USED TO--SHE'S BEEN TRYING

TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ME

AND STUFF LIKE THAT,

AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT.

narrator:

HIS GRANDMOTHER WOULD BE

HIS SOLE MEANS OF SUPPORT

AS A CHILD.

- RICHARD'S GRANDMOTHER

RAN A BROTHEL,

WHAT RICHARD WOULD CALL

A HO HOUSE.

HIS MOTHER WORKED

IN THE BROTHEL

AS A PROSTITUTE.

RICHARD JUST HAPPENED TO GROW UP

IN ONE OF THOSE MANY BROTHELS.

narrator: PRYOR'S GRANDMOTHER,

MARIE CARTER,

WAS A VIOLENT WOMAN

WHO WOULD BEAT HIM

FOR ANY OF HIS MISCHIEF.

- THE ENVIRONMENT IS ONE,

YOU KNOW,

DEFINED BY ABUSE OF ALL SORTS.

- SELFISHLY,

WE WANTED MORE FROM HIM.

YOU KNOW,

WE BEGAN TO GET IT NOW,

AND YOU WANT SOMEONE

THAT WAS THAT HONEST WITH YOU,

AND NOW THAT IT'S NOT IN,

YOU ALWAYS

MISS THE WATER

WHEN THE WELL IS DRY.

MY NAME IS RASHON KHAN,

AND I'VE BEEN CALLED

RICHARD'S BODYGUARD,

BUT I WOULD LIKE

TO REFER TO IT AS

ONE OF HIS FRIENDS.

THE RICHARD PRYOR STORY,

FOR ME,

BEING TOLD

AND WHO WOULD TELL IT

AND HOW WOULD IT BE TOLD,

BECAUSE IF IT DOESN'T

REFLECT RICHARD'S HONESTY,

IT'S A BULL[bleep] STORY.

FOR HIM TO SAY, "THE MOUTH

THAT WOULD KISS ME GOOD NIGHT

JUST PERFORMED THIS ACT."

JUST TO HAVE THAT THOUGHT

AS A KID,

AND HOW MANY

GOOD NIGHT KISSES DID YOU GET?

HOW MANY ACTS DID YOU SEE?

- SEEING THE ONLY WHITE GUYS

COMING TO YOUR HOUSE

ARE GUYS LOOKING TO GET LAID,

YOU KNOW,

AND BEING A LITTLE KID

AND LOOKING UP

AND SEEING THESE PEOPLE

HAD TO BE TRAUMATIC.

- YOU GOT TO UNDERSTAND,

RICHARD PRYOR

NEVER HAD A NORMAL LIFE.

OF COURSE

IT'S GONNA BE DIFFICULT.

narrator: LIVING IN ONE OF

THE WORST SLUM AREAS IN PEORIA,

YOUNG PRYOR OFTEN FOUND HIMSELF

THE TARGET OF GANGS.

HIS SENSE OF HUMOR

WAS HIS ONLY DEFENSE MECHANISM,

AND PRYOR SOON

DEVELOPED THE REPUTATION

AS A CLASS CUTUP.

HIS DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD

WOULD PROVIDE

A WEALTH OF MATERIAL

HE WOULD LATER MINE

FOR STAND-UP ROUTINES.

- THERE ARE AFTER-HOURS JOINT.

THE COPS

WHO COME IN THESE PLACES

AND THE NUMBERS RUNNERS

AND VARIOUS AND SUNDRY

OTHER INDIVIDUALS

AND THE WAY

IN WHICH THEY SPOKE--

THESE WERE THE PEOPLE

RICHARD GREW UP AROUND.

THESE WERE THE VOICES

HE HEARD AS A CHILD.

THIS IS THE BLUEPRINT

FOR EVERYTHING

HE WOULD DO GOING FORWARD.

- WITH COMEDY, I ALWAYS

TELL PEOPLE IT'S A STEW.

THAT, FOR THE FIRST 18 YEARS

OF YOUR LIFE,

IT'S SITTING ON THE STOVE,

AND ALL YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES

GET PUT INTO IT,

AND IT'S BUBBLING,

AND IF IT COOKS

AT THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE--

YOU KNOW, LIKE,

SOMETIMES IT GETS TOO HIGH,

SOMETIMES IT'S TOO LOW--

WHAT YOU END UP WITH

AT THE END OF THAT 18 YEARS

OR HOW MANY YEARS

FOR YOUR DEVELOPMENT,

I THINK THAT'S

WHAT MAKES YOU WHO YOU ARE.

narrator: AS A CHILD, PRYOR'S

ESCAPE FROM HIS TROUBLED LIFE

WAS THE SILVER SCREEN.

WHILE SEATED IN THE BLACK-ONLY

SEATS IN LOCAL CINEMAS,

HE ESPECIALLY LOVED WESTERNS,

STIRRING WITHIN THE YOUNG CHILD

A WILD AMBITION

TO BECOME A STAR.

[gunshots]

ANOTHER UNLIKELY HOLLYWOOD ICON

FUELED PRYOR'S PASSION

TO PERFORM.

- MY GRANDMOTHER,

WHEN WE MOVED,

SHE HAD A BUNCH

OF RECORDS UPSTAIRS--

OLD DORIS DAY RECORDS--

AND I'D GO UPSTAIRS

AND, YEAH, LISTEN TO THOSE,

AND IMAGINE I WAS IN A PLAY

AND IMAGINE I WAS IN HOLLYWOOD.

- FOR RICHARD, HIS CIRCUMSTANCES

WERE SO DIRE

THAT IT WAS MOTIVATION.

CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?

HOW DO I GET OUT OF HERE?

WELL, IF YOU'RE SOMEONE

WHO'S MOTIVATED,

THAT CAN BE A VERY GOOD,

YOU KNOW,

INSTIGATOR OF CHANGE

IN YOUR LIFE,

AND I THINK FOR RICHARD PRYOR

IT WAS.

[marchers chanting]

narrator: LOOKING TO ESCAPE

THE NEIGHBORHOOD HE GREW UP IN,

PRYOR JOINED THE ARMY

IN 1958.

LIKE BILL COSBY,

PRYOR SAW THE ARMED FORCES

AS AN OPPORTUNITY

OF ADVANCEMENT.

HOWEVER, DUE TO

A RACIALLY CHARGED INCIDENT,

HE SPENT VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE

TWO YEARS OF HIS ENLISTMENT

IN AN ARMY PRISON IN EUROPE

FOR SLASHING A SOLDIER

WITH A SWITCHBLADE.

UPON HIS DISCHARGE

FROM THE ARMY,

PRYOR GOT HIS FIRST CABARET GIG

AT AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN

NIGHTCLUB IN PEORIA,

WHERE HE SANG

AND PLAYED THE PIANO.

- IN SOME WAYS,

IT SORT OF TAUGHT HIM

A RANGE OF DIFFERENT

SHOW BUSINESS STYLES.

RICHARD'S FROM AN ERA WHEN YOU

MIGHT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING.

MAYBE THAT NIGHT,

YOU NEEDED TO SING.

MAYBE THIS NIGHT,

YOU NEED TO TELL JOKES.

SO YOU HAD TO BE FAMILIAR

WITH ALL THESE THINGS.

narrator: REALIZING THAT

AUDIENCES PREFER HIS JOKES

TO HIS SINGING,

PRYOR BEGAN TO WORK AS A COMIC

IN MIDWESTERN,

ALL-BLACK COMEDY CLUBS.

IN 1963, FUELED BY HIS AMBITION

TO BECOME A STAR,

HE LEFT THE MIDWEST

FOR NEW YORK CITY.

HE WOULD HONE HIS ACT

IN GREENWICH VILLAGE NIGHTCLUBS

ALONGSIDE A YOUNG

GEORGE CARLIN

AND RICHIE HAVENS.

BUT GROWING UP

AS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN

IN A PEORIA, ILLINOIS, BROTHEL

WOULD BE THE BLUEPRINT

OF A LIFE

RICHARD PRYOR

COULD NEVER ESCAPE.

- IF YOU GROW UP

IN A WHOREHOUSE,

IT'S A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE

THAT, YOU KNOW,

YOU'RE GOING TO BEAR SOME SCARS

OF THAT, YOU KNOW,

AS YOU GROW UP

AND BECOME AN ADULT.

- SO I THINK,

WITH RICHARD PRYOR,

HE WAS THE ALCHEMIST

THAT WAS ABLE TO TRANSFORM

ALL OF THE TRAGEDY

INTO A--INTO A DRINK

THAT EVERYBODY

WANTED A SIP OF.

narrator: AFTER WALKING OFF

THE STAGE IN LAS VEGAS

IN SEPTEMBER OF 1967,

RICHARD PRYOR FOUND HIMSELF

BANNED FROM MANY NIGHTCLUBS,

ALLEGEDLY DUE TO OFFENDING THE

MOB-CONNECTED NIGHTCLUB OWNERS.

- NOBODY WALKS OUT

ON DEAN MARTIN

AND THESE BIG GUYS, AND ALL

THESE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE.

- BACK THEN, IT WAS IN VARIETY,

AND IN VEGAS, THEY WERE LIKE,

"WE DON'T WANT HIM."

narrator:

NOW BROKE, HE HITCHED A RIDE

TO BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

- TO TAKE THAT AND LEAVE,

KNOWING THAT THAT WAS

THE WAY YOU MADE YOUR LIVING,

AND JUST SAID,

"I'M NOT DOING THIS,"

AND GO AND FIND YOURSELF

WITH VERY LITTLE MONEY.

narrator:

PRYOR WAS IN THE EPICENTER

OF THE AMERICAN COUNTERCULTURE.

- FREE SPEECH MOVEMENT.

THE SDS MOVEMENT AT BERKELEY,

AND THEN, LATER,

THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY.

- YOU HAD THE WHITES

PROTESTING THE WAR IN VIETNAM.

- AND IT'S THE HEIGHT OF,

SORT OF, RACIAL CONFLICT,

ATTEMPTS AT ENDING

RACIAL SEGREGATION IN THE SOUTH,

THE PASSING

OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT

FOLLOWED BY

THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT--

A VERY POLITICALLY CHARGED ERA.

- IN ADDITION TO THAT,

YOU HAD THE RESURGENCE OF DRUGS.

- RICHARD'S IN THE MIDST

OF ALL THIS.

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE THERE

AND NOT BE TOUCHED

BY THESE THINGS.

HE MEETS HUEY P. NEWTON,

HEAD OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY.

RICHARD TALKS ABOUT READING

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X

AND HOW MUCH

THAT INFLUENCED HIM.

- YOU COULDN'T SEPARATE RICHARD

FROM THE TIMES.

- I THINK

WHAT RICHARD EXPERIENCED

WAS, IN SOME WAYS,

A KIND OF, LIKE,

A SPIRITUAL CONVERSION.

HE, YOU KNOW, REALIZED

WHO HE HAD BEEN,

AN IMITATOR,

SOMEONE WHO WAS VERY GOOD

AT IMITATING OTHER PEOPLE,

BUT WHEN YOU'RE IMITATING

OTHER PEOPLE,

YOU'RE NOT BEING

YOUR TRUE SELF.

narrator: WHILE AT BERKELEY,

PRYOR CAME TO THE REALIZATION

THAT HE COULDN'T SIT

ON THE SIDELINE

AND WATCH THE SOCIAL AND RACIAL

INEQUALITY THAT SURROUNDED HIM

CONTINUE UNOPPOSED.

HE NEEDED TO BE INVOLVED.

HE NEEDED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

WITH HIS COMEDY.

- YOU EVER NOTICE

HOW NICE WHITE PEOPLE GET

WHEN THERE'S

A BUNCH OF NIGGAS AROUND?

RIGHT? THEY GET OUTSIDE.

THEY TALK TO EVERYBODY.

RIGHT?

THEY SAY, "HI, HOW YOU DOING?

I DON'T KNOW YOU,

BUT HERE'S MY WIFE. HELLO!"

narrator: WHILE ON SABBATICAL

IN BERKELEY,

RICHARD PRYOR

FINDS HIS VOICE.

- WELL, THIS IS

FUN PART FOR ME,

WHEN THE WHITE PEOPLE COME BACK

AFTER INTERMISSION

AND FIND OUT NIGGAS

DONE STOLE THEIR SEATS.

YOU NIGGAS TAKING A CHANCE

BEING IN LONG BEACH,

THOUGH, JACK.

I SAW THE POLICE

HAD SOME BROTHER JACKED UP

WHEN WE WAS COMING IN HERE.

NIGGA'S HANDS WAY UP HERE,

TALKING 'BOUT,

"HUH? WHAT?"

AND THEY'RE SEARCHING

AND [bleep].

BET THEY TAKE HIM AWAY TO JAIL.

- WHEN HE CAME TO BERKELEY,

HE SAID HE WANT TO DO SOMETHING

COMPLETELY DIFFERENT,

OTHERWISE HE WAS GONNA FINISH

WITH DOING COMEDY.

- THERE WAS TIMES

I HAD TO THROW MY WHOLE ACT AWAY

AND SAY, "YOU KNOW,

I'MA DO THIS--

"I'M GONNA DO MY MATERIAL

THE WAY I--THIS IS MY LIFE.

"THIS IS WHAT I DIG.

THIS IS WHAT IT WAS

BEFORE SHOW BUSINESS."

- AND WHAT HE DID IN BERKELEY--

WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT--

WAS TO INVOKE

ALL OF THOSE TABOO SUBJECTS

LIKE RACE, SEX, POVERTY--

ALL THE THINGS HE COULDN'T

TALK ABOUT ON TELEVISION.

- I REMEMBER THINKING

THAT WAS GOOD,

YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I THINK COMICS

ARE MOSTLY ANARCHISTS.

YOU KNOW, I'M ALL FOR ANARCHY

AS LONG AS I CAN KEEP

ROOM SERVICE.

narrator: PRYOR LEFT BERKELEY

WITH A REJUVENATED CAREER.

- I THINK HIS CAREER WAS OVER

WHEN HE WALKED OFF

THE STAGE OF THE ALADDIN,

BUT THAT CAREER

HE WANTED TO BE OVER.

I THINK A NEW RICHARD PRYOR

WAS BORN,

AND I THINK ALL THOSE PEOPLE

THAT WERE MAD

BECAUSE HE WALKED OFF--

I THINK THEY'D

NEVER BOOK HIM AGAIN

UNTIL THEY WERE MADE

TO BOOK HIM AGAIN

BECAUSE HIS POPULARITY

HAD SUPERSEDED THEIR PREJUDICE,

YOU KNOW, THEIR IGNORANCE

AND THEIR STUPIDITY,

BECAUSE RICHARD PRYOR

BECAME A MAN THAT DAY,

A COMIC'S COMIC, YOU KNOW,

A COMEDY GENIUS.

- HE HIT ROCK BOTTOM

WITH NO MONEY

AND HAD WHITE GIRLFRIENDS

IN BERKELEY

AND HUNG OUT

WITH THE BLACK PANTHERS,

AND THEN CAME BACK

RICHARD PRYOR.

- AND ONCE RICHARD

DISCOVERED HIS VOICE,

THE GENIE WAS OUT OF THE BOTTLE,

AND HE WAS NOT GOING BACK IN.

narrator:

THE NEW RICHARD PRYOR

WAS GOING TO WAR

WITH THE STATUS QUO.

- YEAH, TWO GRAB YOUR LEGS,

ONE GRAB YOUR HEAD,

THEY'LL SNAP--

"OH, [bleep], HE BROKE.

"CAN YOU BREAK A NIGGA?

IS IT OKAY?

"LET'S CHECK THE MANUAL.

YEP, PAGE EIGHT.

'YOU CAN BREAK A NIGGA,'

RIGHT THERE."

narrator: AND HIS WEAPON

OF CHOICE WAS HIS VOCABULARY.

- THE POINT WAS TO USE

THE LANGUAGE AS A WEAPON,

TO USE THE LANGUAGE

TO DRAW ATTENTION

TO, YOU KNOW,

THESE LARGER SOCIAL ISSUES,

AND, YOU KNOW,

AS IS OFTEN THE CASE,

A LOT OF TRUTH IS SAID IN JEST.

- THE WORD "NIGGA"

IS NOT A PERSON.

IT'S A PERSONALITY,

AND THAT'S WHAT

HE WAS TALKING ABOUT.

RICHARD PRYOR SAID,

"THE WORD NIGGA DESCRIBES

OUR OWN WRETCHEDNESS."

- I THINK

HE WAS SPEAKING THE SPEAK

HE HEARD IN HIS HEAD,

AND I THINK

IT WAS AUTHENTIC TO HIM,

BUT I DON'T THINK

IT WAS VULGAR.

I DON'T THINK

HE WAS TRYING TO BE VULGAR.

I DON'T THINK

HE WAS TRYING TO SHOCK ANYONE.

I THINK HE PROBABLY SPOKE

LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME.

- YOU KNOW, PLANNED PROFANITY

IS NOT COMEDY.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S A SPONTANEITY

THAT IT JUST SLIDES IN.

IT JUST--IT JUST IS,

AND IT'S NOT PLANNED.

- BUT RICHARD, WHEN HE DID IT,

THERE WAS SOME SUBSTANCE THERE.

THERE WAS A MEANING

AND A REASON WHY HE USED IT.

- THERE'S A FILTER

OF FRUSTRATION IN THE PROJECTS.

POVERTY, FRUSTRATION--

IT'S A POWDER KEG.

THAT'S WHERE IT COMES FROM.

PEOPLE USE THOSE WORDS

WHEN THERE'S FRUSTRATION

AND ALL THAT AND POVERTY.

I'M FROM THAT.

RICHARD WAS FROM THAT.

- BLACK FUNERALS ARE DIFFERENT

THAN WHITE FUNERALS, RIGHT?

BLACK PEOPLE LET IT HANG OUT

AT THE FUNERAL.

THEY DON'T CARE, THEY'RE--

WAH!

[wailing]

TAKE ME, GOD,

TAKE ME, TAKE ME, TAKE ME.

RIGHT, AND THEN THEY FALL

ALL ON YOUR ASS.

RIGHT, IT'S LIKE,

"GODDAMN, BABY.

GET YOUR BIG ASS UP."

narrator: PRYOR'S NEW ACT

WAS A POTENT MIX

OF COLORFUL EPITHETS,

PAINFULLY ACCURATE CHARACTER

STUDIES OF STREET TYPES,

AND HILARIOUS HOSTILITY

OF BLACK-WHITE INEQUITIES.

- WHEN YOU WAS IN HIS WORLD,

IT WAS A CIRCUS,

AND HE TALKED ABOUT IT.

THE GOOD, THE BAD,

AND THE UGLY.

- BUT REALLY, WHAT HE'S DOING

IS THE SAME THING CATS STANDING

ON THE STREET CORNER ARE DOING,

CATS IN THE POOL HALL ARE DOING,

CATS ON THE BANDSTAND ARE DOING.

THIS IS ALL HE'S DOING.

HE'S THE MOUTHPIECE,

BUT NOW, THIS WAY OF SPEAKING

CAN BE EXPRESSED

IN THE PUBLIC,

WHEREAS BEFORE,

IT WAS PRIVATE.

narrator:

PRYOR HAD STRUCK A RAW NERVE

IN THE PART OF AMERICA

THAT WAS STILL LIVING IN DENIAL

OVER ITS PREJUDICES.

- SO THE REASON PEOPLE ARE UPSET

IS BECAUSE

THESE PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS

THAT BLACK PEOPLE WERE HAVING

AMONGST THEMSELF

WERE NOW BEING BROADCAST

THROUGH THE PUBLIC.

RICHARD WAS LIKE THE MEGAPHONE.

- NOW, THAT MIGHT NOT

MAKE PEOPLE COMFORTABLE,

BUT THAT WAS RICHARD,

AND RICH WAS LIKE,

"WELL, THIS IS WHERE

THE [bleep] I'M FROM.

"THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH.

THIS IS MY LIFE.

I'M GONNA TELL IT."

narrator:

AND AUDIENCES ATE IT UP.

- YOU COULD DISAGREE WITH IT,

BUT YOU COULDN'T IGNORE IT.

HE MADE IT SO THAT YOU HAD

TO DEAL WITH THESE IDEAS

THAT, OTHERWISE, PEOPLE WOULD

PREFER TO SWEEP UNDER THE RUG.

HE WAS SO IN-YOUR-FACE,

HE WAS SO BLUNT,

HE WAS SO DIRECT, BUT THAT'S

PART OF THE POLITICS--

TO FORCE PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH IT

ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

narrator: MUCH TO THE SURPRISE

OF RECORD EXECUTIVES,

PRYOR'S CAREER SOARED.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN AUDIENCES

LOVED HIM,

BUT WHITE AUDIENCES

PURCHASED HIS ALBUMS AS WELL.

- YOU TELL THEM THE TITLE

OF THE ALBUM.

I CAN'T SAY THAT.

THE TITLE OF THE ALBUM IS...

- MY DADDY--

- THAT NIGGA'S CRAZY.

AND THEN DON'T

THAT NIGGA LOOK CRAZY?

THAT IS ONE CRAZY NIGGA.

- WELL, DON'T YOU GET--SEE, NOW,

YOU CAN JUST SAY THAT, AND...

- YEAH, WELL, LOOK.

- IF I SAID THAT,

WOULDN'T YOU GET MAD?

- I'D PUNCH YOU OUT.

[laughs]

[cheers and applause]

- BEFORE RICHARD PRYOR,

NO RAPPER

OR NO ONE COULD PUBLICLY

USE THE LANGUAGE

THAT JAY Z AND OTHERS HAVE USED

TO MAKE THEMSELVES MILLIONAIRES.

BEFORE RICHARD PRYOR,

NO ONE COULD EVEN BEGIN

TO USE LANGUAGE

IN THE WAY THAT RAPPERS DO.

RICHARD WAS THE PIONEER

ON THAT LEVEL.

narrator:

LOCKED AND LOADED

WITH THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL

AND PROFANE ACT

IN STAND-UP COMEDY,

RICHARD PRYOR IS

ON THE FAST TRACK TO STARDOM.

- HE BROUGHT

BLACK AND WHITE AUDIENCES

INTO THE SAME ARENA,

SITTING NEXT TO EACH OTHER,

WHILE HE DID IMPRESSIONS

OF WHITE PEOPLE,

AND NOT TOO MANY PEOPLE

HAD DONE IMPRESSIONS

OF WHITE PEOPLE AT THE TIME,

AND IT WAS

A VERY, VERY FUNNY THING.

- YEAH, COME ON, PECKER-HEAD.

SON OF A BITCH, COME ON.

narrator:

PRYOR GOES ON MULTIPLE TOURS

WHILE RELEASING A SERIES

OF GRAMMY-WINNING ALBUMS

THAT GO PLATINUM IN SALES.

- HE JUST CHANGED THE WORLD,

AND IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE

A RICHARD PRYOR ALBUM,

YOU HAD--YOU SHOULDN'T BE

IN COMEDY.

I MEAN, YOU SHOULD LISTEN

TO THOSE ALBUMS TODAY,

AND THEY'LL STILL

MAKE YOU LAUGH.

- I MEAN, HIS ALBUMS ARE, LIKE,

THE MOST POPULAR THING

IN THE WORLD,

AND HE BECOMES A FIGURE

WHO IS CUTTING ACROSS

THE CULTURE.

YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC

CAN'T SEEM TO GET ENOUGH OF HIM.

narrator:

IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME

BEFORE HOLLYWOOD COMES CALLING

TO CASH IN

ON PRYOR'S POPULARITY.

- RICHARD PRYOR'S TRANSITION

FROM STAND-UP TO MOVIES

IS A NATURAL PROGRESSION

IN HOLLYWOOD.

FUNNY IS MONEY.

narrator:

IN WHAT COULD BE CONSIDERED

THE BIGGEST BREAK IN HIS CAREER,

HE IS CAST

TO PLAY OPPOSITE DIANA ROSS

AND BILLY DEE WILLIAMS

IN LADY SINGS THE BLUES.

- RICHARD STOLE THE FILM

JUST WITH THAT LITTLE PIECE,

AND HE GOT ALL THE RECOGNITION,

AND IT DIDN'T GO BILLY'S WAY,

AND NOBODY REALLY WAS TALKING

ABOUT BILLY IN THE FILM,

EVEN THOUGH HE DID A GREAT JOB.

THEY WAS TALKING ABOUT

WHO WAS THIS NEW GUY,

RICHARD PRYOR.

AND FROM THERE ON, RICHARD--

THE MOMENTUM FOR MOVIES STARTED.

narrator: FOR HIS WORK

IN LADY SINGS THE BLUES,

PRYOR WOULD EARN

CRITICAL ACCLAIM.

- YOU KNOW, THE TRANSITION

FROM STAND-UP TO FILM

WASN'T HARD FOR HIM,

BECAUSE HE HAD A NATURALNESS

AND HE HAD A DEPTH THAT,

YOU KNOW, ACTORS TRY TO FIND.

- NOT EVERYBODY

CAN MAKE THAT TRANSITION

TO THE BIG SCREEN,

BUT RICHARD PRYOR COULD.

HE UNDERSTOOD

WHEN YOU DO IT ON THE SCREEN,

YOU GOT TO PLAY IT BIG.

HE UNDERSTOOD CAMERA ANGLES.

HE UNDERSTOOD HOW TO BE FUNNY

ONS--HE WAS BEING HIMSELF.

HE'D LET THE CAMERA FIND HIM.

narrator:

HE SOON HAS A THRIVING CAREER

AS A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN FILMS

INCLUDING UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT,

THE BINGO LONG TRAVELING

ALL-STARS & MOTOR KINGS,

AND THE 1976 RELEASE

SILVER STREAK.

- RICHARD PRYOR WAS A GREAT

ACTOR BECAUSE HE DIDN'T ACT.

THAT'S WHEN YOU KNOW

YOU GOT A GREAT ACTOR.

- THE GREATEST THING

ABOUT RICHARD PRYOR

IS THAT AS GREAT A COMIC

AS HE WAS,

HIS MOVIES

WERE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT,

LIKE HE WAS

A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON

IN THE MOVIES,

LIKE HE DIDN'T KNOW

HOW GREAT OF AN ACTOR HE WAS.

EVERY SINGLE MOVIE WAS

ITS OWN SWEET THING.

- WELL, RICHARD EXPANDED

THE VOCABULARY OF BLACK TYPES

AS FAR AS HOLLYWOOD

WAS CONCERNED.

narrator:

IN GREASED LIGHTNING,

HE PORTRAYS WENDELL SCOTT,

THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN

STOCK CAR RACER.

THEN HE AMBITIOUSLY

PLAYED THREE ROLES

IN WHICH WAY IS UP?

- AS I WAS DEVELOPING THE FILM

WITH RICHARD,

I REALIZED THAT HE COULD PLAY

NOT ONLY THE LEAD CHARACTER,

BUT HE COULD PLAY

TWO OTHER CHARACTERS:

HIS FATHER

AND A BOOTLEG PREACHER.

DEFINITELY THE FIRST BLACK FILM

THAT HAD MULTIPLE CHARACTERS

PLAYED BY ONE ACTOR.

AND RICHARD JUST LOVED

THAT WHOLE EXPERIENCE

AND WAS HYSTERICALLY FUNNY.

THE HARDEST JOB I HAD WAS TRYING

TO KEEP THE CREW FROM LAUGHING.

- AND THAT WAS SO SUCCESSFUL

THAT OTHER FILMMAKERS,

LIKE THE COMEDIAN EDDIE MURPHY

AND SO FORTH,

THEY START DOING THE SAME THING,

BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS,

I THINK,

THAT RICHARD CONTRIBUTED

TO FILMMAKING.

- HE IS THE HOTTEST ACT

IN POPULAR CULTURE, BAR NONE.

BLACK, WHITE, MUSIC, FILM,

WHAT--RICHARD PRYOR IS THE GUY.

narrator: PRYOR ALSO CONTRIBUTES

HIS WRITING TALENTS

TO OTHER COMICS.

HE WRITES BITS

FOR THE FLIP WILSON SHOW

AND SANFORD AND SON.

IN 1973, HE WINS AND EMMY

FOR HIS WRITING

ON THE TELEVISION SPECIAL LILY,

STARRING LILY TOMLIN.

HOWEVER, PRYOR'S WORK

IN TELEVISION

WILL PROVE TO BE PROBLEMATIC.

HE WAS TAPPED TO BE

A GUEST HOST

ON THE FIRST SEASON

OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.

- NOW LORNE MICHAELS REALLY

WANTS RICHARD TO BE THE HOST

OF THE INAUGURAL SHOW,

WHICH TELLS YOU HOW SIGNIFICANT

RICHARD PRYOR IS

AT THAT MOMENT IN 1975.

NBC'S NERVOUS.

narrator: NETWORK EXECUTIVES

AND AFFILIATES

THINK RICHARD IS TOO DANGEROUS

TO PUT ON LIVE TELEVISION.

- RICHARD HAD A HISTORY.

HE COULDN'T GET INSURED

FOR BLAZING SADDLES,

WHICH HE WROTE WITH MEL BROOKS,

BUT THEY END UP PICKING

CLEAVON LITTLE

BECAUSE RICHARD

HAS HIS REPUTATION

OF FIGHTING AND DRUG USAGE.

- IT WAS LIVE,

AND WHEN RICHIE WENT LIVE--

ONCE YOU WALK OUT

AND THOSE LIGHTS COME ON,

THAT AUDIENCE--

YOU CAN HAVE A SCRIPT,

YOU CAN HAVE

YOUR CUE CARDS THERE,

BUT IF THAT AUDIENCE

IS LAUGHING AT SOMETHING,

YOU MIGHT JUST GO

IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION.

narrator: NBC EXECUTIVES

AREN'T WILLING TO TAKE THE RISK.

- THEY COULDN'T PUT HIM

ON THE FIRST SHOW--

THE NETWORK WAS CONCERNED--

SO EVENTUALLY,

THEY COME UP WITH A DELAY.

RICHARD WOULD SPEAK

AND THE BROADCAST

WOULD BE DELAYED

SO THAT THE NETWORK

COULD POTENTIALLY CENSOR

ANYTHING HE SAID THAT MIGHT BE

CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE.

- THEY CREATED THE FIVE-SECOND

DELAY ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE,

WHICH I WAS A PART OF

FOR SEVEN SEASONS,

BECAUSE OF RICHARD PRYOR.

narrator:

TODAY, THANKS TO RICHARD PRYOR,

VIRTUALLY ALL LIVE EVENTS

ON BROADCAST TELEVISION

ARE ON A FIVE- TO SEVEN-SECOND

DELAY.

- THE WAY I LOOK AT IT,

THAT IS ONE

OF THE BIGGEST COMPLIMENTS

YOU COULD EVER POSSIBLY IMAGINE,

THAT YOU ARE SO SIGNIFICANT,

LORNE MICHAELS HAS TO HAVE YOU

ON THIS SHOW

IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE NETWORK

WILL COME UP WITH

A SPECIAL PROTOCOL

JUST TO ACCOMMODATE YOU.

THIS TELLS YOU,

MAYBE BETTER THAN ANYTHING,

HOW IMPORTANT RICHARD PRYOR IS

IN 1975.

[cheers and applause]

narrator: EVEN WITH

MIXED REVIEWS ON TELEVISION,

ONE CAN'T DENY RICHARD PRYOR

IS A COMIC SUPERSTAR

AT THE PEAK OF HIS POPULARITY.

BUT DESPITE HIS SUCCESS,

PRYOR'S PERSONAL LIFE

IS SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL.

- AND BEING A COMEDIAN,

YOU DON'T TRUST A LOT OF PEOPLE.

YOU DON'T LET A LOT OF PEOPLE

INTO YOUR LIFE.

OUR LIVES ARE WAY DIFFERENT

THAN EVERYBODY ELSE'S, YOU KNOW.

WE'RE GONE AND WE COME BACK

AND PEOPLE HAVE LIVES

AND PEOPLE HAVE KIDS,

AND, YOU KNOW,

WE GET INVOLVED WITH SOMEBODY

AND SOMEBODY'S GONNA SAY,

"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS GONE?

WHY DO YOU DRINK SO MUCH?

HOW COME YOU'RE ALWAYS QUIET?

HOW COME WE DON'T TALK?"

narrator:

THERE ARE ISSUES AT HOME.

PRYOR WAS MARRIED SEVEN TIMES.

HE LOVED WOMEN,

BUT WITH HIS EXPLOSIVE TEMPER

AND HIS TENDENCY

TO ISOLATE HIMSELF

FOR DAYS ON END,

HIS RELATIONSHIPS WOULDN'T LAST.

- I DARE ANYBODY

TO TELL YOU HONESTLY

THAT THEY GET OFFSTAGE

AND HAVE A BETTER LIFE OFFSTAGE

THAN THEY DO ONSTAGE.

THERE'S NO [bleep] WAY

THAT SOMEBODY'S GONNA TELL YOU

THAT'S BEEN DOING STAND-UP

FOR A LIVING

THAT THEIR LIFE IS BETTER

OFFSTAGE THAN IT IS ONSTAGE.

YOUR THINGS MIGHT BE BETTER,

YOUR HOUSE MIGHT BE BETTER,

YOUR CAR MIGHT BE BETTER,

BUT WE SUFFER.

- SO YOU NEED SOMEONE TO COME

INTO AN UNDERSTANDING--

THE VERY THING

THAT ATTRACTED ME TO YOU,

I SUPPORT THAT

AND CONTINUE TO DO IT

AS OPPOSED TO

WHAT ATTRACTED ME TO YOU,

STOP DOING IT.

AND SO THAT'S WHERE THE CONFLICT

WITH A LOT OF WIVES CAME IN AT.

narrator:

PRYOR IS A CHAIN-SMOKER

AND A HEAVY DRINKER,

WHICH LEADS TO A HEART ATTACK

IN 1977.

BUT RICHARD PRYOR'S REAL DEMON

WOULD BE DRUGS.

- RICHARD WAS A PART

OF THE DRUG CULTURE.

HIS TIME, IT WAS COCAINE.

narrator: PRYOR HAS BEEN USING

COCAINE SINCE THE EARLY 1960s.

- RICHARD WAS A JUNKIE.

HE'S A DOPE FIEND.

- IN TERMS OF INDULGENCE,

RICHARD WAS THE KIND OF PERSON

THAT WOULD ALWAYS, ALWAYS GO

TO THE DEEP WATER WITH IT,

AND THAT'S ALWAYS

THE DANGEROUS PLACE.

narrator: A HUNDRED-DOLLAR-A-DAY

HABIT IS NOW COSTING

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

A YEAR.

- THERE WERE DRUG DEALERS,

AT TIMES--

AND RICHIE WOULD EVEN SAY IT

AGAIN IN HIS COMEDY,

BUT I KNOW BECAUSE I WAS THERE--

THAT WOULD SAY NO TO HIM,

AND THEY HAD ALL KIND OF DRUGS,

BUT THEY WOULD SAY NO TO HIM,

BECAUSE HE DIDN'T COME AND BUY

A GRAM OR TWO GRAMS OR--

HE WOULD BUY YOUR WHOLE SUPPLY.

narrator: IN 1980,

PRYOR IS FREEBASING COCAINE

USING VOLATILE ETHER TO HELP

LIGHT THE DRUG FOR SMOKING.

IT WOULD PROVE TO BE

A NEAR-FATAL COMBINATION.

- RICHARD PRYOR,

THE COMEDIAN AND WRITER,

WAS BADLY BURNED IN AN ACCIDENT

AT HIS HOME IN CALIFORNIA

LAST NIGHT.

THE BURNS COVER THE UPPER HALF

OF HIS BODY.

THEY ARE SEVERE ENOUGH

TO ENDANGER HIS LIFE.

narrator: BY ALL ACCOUNTS,

RICHARD PRYOR SHOULD HAVE DIED

ON JUNE 9, 1980.

- I WAS THERE

WHEN RICHARD BURNED,

BUT I DIDN'T KNOW

IT WAS RICHARD.

AND WHEN HE RAN PAST ME

AND RAN OUT OF THE HOUSE,

AND THEN I REALIZED

THAT WAS RICHARD.

narrator:

THE LOS ANGELES POLICE REPORT

STATES PRYOR WAS BURNED

WHILE FREEBASING COCAINE.

- AND I WAS, FRANKLY, AFRAID

WHEN I'D DO FREEBASE

WITH RICHARD,

BECAUSE THE TORCH WAS SO BIG,

AND SO IT WAS INEVITABLE

THAT ONE DAY,

IF YOU GOT THE TORCH

AND THIS SSHH,

YOU MAY TURN IT THE WRONG WAY,

ALL RIGHT?

AND OTHER PEOPLE

HAD SIMILAR ACCIDENTS,

BUT WHEN HE DID IT,

IT RESULTED IN A FIRE.

narrator:

THERE WERE ALSO THE RUMORS

THAT PRYOR ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.

- RICHARD BURNED WAS NOT

A ATTEMPT TO KILL HIMSELF,

EXCEPT IN A SYMBOLIC WAY.

IN A SYMBOLIC WAY,

ARTISTS ARE ALWAYS PRETTY MUCH

DISSATISFIED WITH THEIR WORK.

REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST MET

RICHARD IN BERKELEY,

HIS WORK WAS PERFECT,

BUT HE SAID,

"MAN, I WANT

SOMETHING DIFFERENT."

- EVERYTHING WAS SETTLED

THAT NIGHT

JUNE 9, 1980.

SLATE WAS CLEAN.

narrator: PRYOR IS GIVEN A

ONE-IN-THREE CHANCE OF SURVIVAL,

BUT AFTER SIX WEEKS OF

A TORTUROUS COURSE OF TREATMENT,

HE WAS DISCHARGED

FROM THE HOSPITAL.

- ALL THE PEOPLE

YOU EVER HEARD OF FREEBASING,

HAVE YOU EVER OF ANYBODY

BLOWING UP?

WHY ME?

[cheers and applause]

narrator: IN 1982, RICHARD PRYOR

RETURNS TO THE STAGE

IN ONE OF THE GREATEST COMEBACKS

IN ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY.

- IT'S LIVE ON SUNSET.

DESTROYED THE PLACE.

WE SAW AN AMAZING, MIRACULOUS

THING HAPPEN RIGHT IN OUR FACE,

STARTING FROM NOTHING

TO SOMETHING, AND SOMETHING BIG.

- STILL WENT UP ONSTAGE.

NEVER QUIT.

NEVER DISAPPEARED.

IN MY OPINION,

THE GREATEST STAND-UP COMEDY

THAT'S EVER BEEN RECORDED.

- BUT I SAW

ACTUAL HISTORY CREATED.

I SAW A GUY BUILD THE MOST

BEAUTIFUL MASERATI ONSTAGE,

YOU KNOW,

AND DRIVE IT OUT OF THERE.

narrator:

FILMED TWO YEARS

AFTER HIS NEAR-FATAL

FREEBASING ACCIDENT,

LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP

FEATURED A NO-HOLDS-BARRED PRYOR

TELLING ALL ABOUT

HIS NEAR-FATAL DRUG ADDICTION.

- I DID IT SO BAD, DOPE DEALERS

TRIED NOT TO SELL ME NOTHING.

NOW, THAT'S DOING IT--

WHEN THE DOPE DEALERS SAY,

"MAN, I AIN'T GONNA GIVE YOU

NO MORE OF THAT [bleep]."

- WHEN HE BURNED,

THERE WAS SOMEBODY HE OWED,

LIKE, $300,000, $400,000.

AND TWO OR THREE DAYS

OUT OF THE HOSPITAL,

HE WAS LIKE,

"HERE, TAKE THIS TO SO-AND-SO."

YOU KNOW,

"GIVE 'EM THEIR MONEY."

AND I'M LIKE,

"PRYOR, DON'T, MAN.

THEY DON'T REALLY

DON'T CARE SO NOW."

AND HE INSISTED

THAT THEY GOT PAID.

- I DON'T THINK HE CELEBRATED

THE DRUGS IN THAT THING,

BUT I THINK HE SAID,

"I BECAME A SLAVE TO THE DRUGS."

- I MEAN,

I WAS STANDING THERE ON FIRE

AND SOMETHING SAID,

"WELL, THAT'S A PRETTY BLUE.

YOU KNOW WHAT?

THAT LOOKS LIKE--FIRE!"

[laughter]

narrator:

LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP

NOT ONLY REVEALED PRYOR

AT HIS MOST VULNERABLE,

IT ALSO PROVED TO BE

A TURNING POINT

FOR A MAN KNOWN

FOR HIS PROVOCATIVE VOCABULARY.

PRYOR WOULD DETAIL

A LIFE-CHANGING TRIP TO AFRICA

THAT WOULD FOREVER

CHANGE THE WAY

HE REFERRED

TO FELLOW AFRICAN-AMERICANS.

AND A VOICE SAID,

"DO YOU SEE ANY NIGGAS?"

AND I SAY, "NO."

THEY SAY, "YOU KNOW WHY?

'CAUSE THERE AREN'T ANY."

- SO THAT'S WHEN RICHARD,

LIKE MALCOLM X,

BEGAN TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE.

- AND IT MADE ME THINK,

"OH, MY GOD, I'VE BEEN WRONG.

I'VE BEEN WRONG.

I'VE GOT TO REGROUP MY [bleep]."

I MEAN, I SAID,

"I AIN'T GONNA NEVER CALL

ANOTHER BLACK MAN 'NIGGA.'"

- IT WAS LIKE WHEN MALCOLM

CAME BACK FROM ABROAD

AND SAID HE HAD PRAYED

NEXT TO WHITE PEOPLE

AND HE DIDN'T KNOW

IT WAS LIKE THAT

BECAUSE HE WAS TOLD ONE THING.

- THAT WORD'S DEAD.

WE MEN AND WOMEN.

WE COME FROM--WE COME FROM

THE FIRST PEOPLE ON THE EARTH.

narrator: PRYOR'S DECISION

TO STOP USING THE WORD

IN HIS STAND-UP COMEDY WILL

BECOME YET ANOTHER CONTROVERSY

IN HIS ALWAYS

CONTROVERSIAL LIFE.

- AND SO WHEN HE SHARED THAT,

YOU HAD A LOT OF HOLLYWOOD

THAT DIDN'T LIKE IT.

- HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE

FROM THE NIGGA

HE HAD BEEN IN THE 1970s

TO A MAINSTREAM BLACK MOVIE STAR

IN THE 1980s.

I THINK RICHARD WANTS

TO BE MAINSTREAM,

AND IF HE DOESN'T WANT

TO BE MAINSTREAM,

HE CERTAINLY WANTS

MAINSTREAM MONEY.

- I DIDN'T THINK

RICHARD REALLY CHANGED MUCH

AFTER HE CAME BACK FROM AFRICA.

IT WAS ONLY OUT OF USAGE

FROM THE PUBLIC,

NOT NECESSARILY FROM RICHARD.

- WHAT I'VE ALWAYS SAID--

THE MINUTE RICHARD PRYOR STOPS

USING THE WORD "NIGGA"

IS THE POINT AT WHICH

HE WAS NO LONGER FUNNY,

BECAUSE YOU CANNOT STOP

DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS

WHEN YOUR WHOLE IDENTITY

IS PREDICATED UPON THIS

AS A CENTRAL PART

OF WHO YOU ARE.

- WELL, THAT WOULD MEAN

YOU COULD JUST DO

AN ALBUM SAYING THAT WORD,

AND YOU HAVE A HIT,

SO THAT WASN'T THE TRUTH.

narrator: PRYOR CONTINUES

TO PERFORM STAND-UP COMEDY,

BUT IN TRUTH, HE DEDICATES

THE REST OF THE '80s

TO STARRING IN MANY

HOLLYWOOD MAINSTREAM FILMS,

INCLUDING THE TOY,

BREWSTER'S MILLIONS,

AND SUPERMAN III,

WHERE HE EARNED $4 MILLION--

REPORTEDLY MORE

THAN THE FILM'S LEADING MAN,

CHRISTOPHER REEVE.

RICHARD PRYOR,

HOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR,

WAS NOW ONE OF THE HIGHEST-PAID

AFRICAN-AMERICAN ACTORS

OF THE TIME.

- HE WAS DOING THEM FOR MONEY,

YOU KNOW, AND HIS HEART

REALLY WASN'T IN IT.

narrator: IN 1986, PRYOR APPEARS

ON THE TONIGHT SHOW

WITH JOHNNY CARSON.

HE SHOCKS THE AUDIENCE

WITH HIS EMACIATED APPEARANCE.

THIS BEING 1986,

THE RUMORS SOON POINTED TO AIDS.

PRYOR IS FORCED TO REVEAL

THAT HE SUFFERS

FROM MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS,

A DEGENERATIVE DISEASE

THAT ATTACKS

THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.

- YOU KNOW, MS,

IT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE.

YOU THOUGHT OF ALL

THE OTHER THINGS

THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO HIM

THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN TO HIM,

AND THIS MYSTERY DISEASE, MS,

IS WHAT TOOK HIM OUT.

- AND WHEN HE BECAME ILL,

THAT MUST'VE BEEN VERY HARD

ON HIM,

BECAUSE COMEDIANS ARE SO USED

TO DOING ANYTHING WE WANT TO DO.

- FROM THAT POINT,

EVERY TIME YOU SAW HIM,

HE WAS THINNER

AND DETERIORATING MORE.

narrator: STAYING TRUE

TO HIS FIGHTING SPIRIT,

PRYOR KEEPS PERFORMING.

- HE STILL GOT THE CALLS.

COME TALK ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW.

WE WANT TO DO THESE MOVIES.

narrator: PRYOR WILL STAR

IN SEVERAL MORE FILMS,

INCLUDING CRITICAL CONDITION,

SEE NO EVIL HEAR NO EVIL,

AND HARLEM NIGHTS.

- SO WHEN YOU GET

TO THE LATE '80s,

AND EDDIE MURPHY'S DOING

HARLEM NIGHTS,

TO PUT RICHARD AND REDD FOXX IN,

I THINK IT'S GREAT,

BECAUSE IT SORT OF TIES TOGETHER

THE TRADITION,

BUT AT THIS POINT, I THINK,

RICHARD'S BEST DAYS

AS A PERFORMER WERE LONG GONE.

narrator: BY 1990,

IT IS PAINFULLY OBVIOUS

THAT RICHARD PRYOR

IS A VERY SICK MAN.

HE SUFFERS A SECOND,

AND MORE SEVERE, HEART ATTACK

AND UNDERGOES

TRIPLE HEART BYPASS SURGERY.

HE WILL REMAIN CONFINED

TO A WHEELCHAIR

AND A POWERED SCOOTER

FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE,

BUT HE REFUSES TO STOP

PERFORMING STAND-UP COMEDY.

- YES, I'M IN A WHEELCHAIR.

SO ROLL HIM UP THERE.

YOU WERE STILL

LAUGHING ABOUT THAT.

TELLING JOKES,

"I KNOW Y'ALL LAUGHING AT ME

IN THIS WHEELCHAIR ONSTAGE."

AND THAT'S OKAY.

HE STILL HAD

A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR.

HE WAS HOOKED ON LAUGHTER.

OF ALL THE DRUGS

THAT RICHARD DID,

HE WAS HOOKED ON LAUGHTER.

- TO USE MS AS MATERIAL,

TO DESCRIBE MS

KILLING YOUR PENIS

AND DESTROYING YOUR MUSCLES,

BUT ALSO TO MAKE NO BONES

ABOUT THE FACT

THAT HE WAS SICK

IS, YOU KNOW,

WHAT HE ALWAYS WAS,

WAS COURAGEOUS.

narrator:

AS PRYOR'S MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

BEGINS TO TAKE ITS TOLL

ON HIS BODY,

RICHARD SPENDS THE REMAINDER

OF HIS LIFE IN HIS HOME.

- I GUESS IT--FOR ME,

IT WAS AS CLOSE TO WATCHING

A FRIEND ON A BATTLEFIELD

GET WOUNDED,

AND YOU CAN'T STOP THE BLEEDING.

YOU JUST WATCH HIM

SLOWLY SLIP AWAY.

narrator:

ON DECEMBER 10, 2005,

PRYOR SUFFERS

ANOTHER HEART ATTACK

AND THE ATTEMPTS

TO RESUSCITATE HIM FAIL.

AT THE AGE OF 65,

RICHARD FRANKLIN LENNOX

THOMAS PRYOR PASSES AWAY.

- RICHARD WAS SUCH

A PHENOMENAL STAR AND ICON

THAT, AT A CERTAIN POINT,

A NEW GENERATION EMERGED.

- DAMON WAYANS AND CHRIS ROCK

AND EDDIE MURPHY

AND ARSENIO AND TRACY MORGAN

AND JAMIE FOXX

AND MO'NIQUE AND MYSELF--

I'M NOT SURE WHERE I WOULD BE,

PERSONALLY,

IF I DIDN'T FOLLOW

THE RICHARD PRYOR LIGHT.

- OVER TIME, YOU COULD

SEE HIS INFLUENCE

ON THIS NEW GENERATION.

YOU WOULD HAVE

THE HIP-HOP CULTURE.

- MUSIC AND CULTURE

AND THE TIMES

AND THE DECADES,

'60s, '70, '80s, '90s,

EARLY 2000s.

- BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT

WHO HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE

ON THE GUYS THAT'S DOING IT NOW,

IT WAS RICHARD.

- TO THIS DAY, IT STANDS UP.

HE'S STILL INFLUENCING

GENERATIONS TO COME.

- HIS COMEDY SHOULD PLAY

ON SOME CHANNEL 24 HOURS A DAY.

THERE SHOULD BE

A RICHARD PRYOR CHANNEL

SO THAT EVERYBODY

GETS TO SEE THE MAN

AND WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO SAY.

- POLITICS, RACE, AND RELIGION--

HE TALKED ABOUT ALL THOSE THINGS

PEOPLE FOUND OFFENSIVE,

BUT THE POINT WAS TO USE

THE LANGUAGE AS A WEAPON.

- THROUGH COMIC, YOU'RE ABLE

TO DIFFUSE AND BRING HUMOR

AND RELEASE TO YOUR AUDIENCE

AND PRESUMABLY,

TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING

THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND BEFORE.

HE PRETTY MUCH GOT THAT DOWN

IN A PRACTICAL WAY.

- IT OPENED THE LANGUAGE UP

IN THE COUNTRY,

AND THE LANGUAGE IS WHERE

PEOPLE BEGIN TO COMMUNICATE.

- WOW,

BLACK PEOPLE, WHITE PEOPLE,

POOR PEOPLE, RICH PEOPLE.

IT WAS HEAVY-DUTY.

POLITICIANS,

REGULAR PEDESTRIANS.

LOOK AT HIS AUDIENCES.

- HE'S NOT "THE BLACK GUY"

UP THERE.

HIS JOKES TRANSCENDED RACE.

HE WAS ALWAYS BRINGING YOU

INTO HIS EXPERIENCE.

HE'S PUTTING YOU IN HIS SHOES.

AS A HUMAN BEING, YOU CAN'T HELP

FROM RELATING TO THAT.

- HE KNEW WHAT TO SAY

TO MAKE YOU LAUGH,

BUT RICHARD WAS GONNA

SAY SOMETHING TOO.

SEXISM, RACISM, PREJUDICE--

HE USED HIS FUNNY

TO GET YOUR ATTENTION.

- KNOWING THAT

ALL OF THOSE THINGS

RAN THROUGH HIS BODY,

INTO HIS MIND,

OUT OF HIS HAND,

OUT OF HIS MOUTH,

THROUGH EVERYTHING

THAT HE'S BEEN THROUGH,

THROUGH EVERYTHING

THAT HE'S LEFT BEHIND,

THROUGH EVERY STORY,

RICHARD PRYOR IS,

WITHOUT QUESTION,

A TRUE AMERICAN ICON.

- THE CONSUMMATE ENTERTAINER,

THE CONSUMMATE COMEDIAN,

AND ULTIMATELY,

THE CONSUMMATE AMERICAN.

- HE WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE

MEDICINE FOR THE COUNTRY

IN A VERY FUNNY

HYPODERMIC NEEDLE.

- I REMEMBER HIM SAYING,

YOU KNOW,

"MAYBE I CAN TOUCH

SOMEBODY'S PSYCHE

"OR CHANGE SOMEBODY'S MIND

OR TOUCH SOMEBODY'S HEART."

MAYBE.

- RICHARD PRYOR CARED,

UNFORTUNATELY,

NOT AS MUCH ABOUT HIMSELF

AS HE DID, YOU KNOW,

EVERYONE ELSE.

- HE NEVER LIED TO US.

THAT'S WHY I LOVE HIM.

SO I'VE GOT INTO TROUBLE ONSTAGE

AND SAID CONTROVERSIAL THINGS.

RICHARD HAS TOO.

I DON'T LIKEN MYSELF TO RICHARD

OR GHANDI OR MALCOLM X

OR MARTIN LUTHER KING

OR KENNEDY,

BUT MOST GREAT PEOPLE

ARE CONTROVERSIAL.

- I'M GLAD HE WENT

AGAINST THE GRAIN.

I'M GLAD HE WAS HIMSELF,

OTHERWISE, HE WOULDN'T BE

RICHARD PRYOR.

- IF SOMEBODY FOUND

RICHARD PRYOR'S NOTEBOOK,

THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO STEAL

ANY OF THAT STUFF,

BECAUSE IT'S THE PAIN AND

THE STORY THAT COMES WITH IT.

- I LIKE THE PEOPLE

TO SEE MY PICTURE AND LAUGH

AND HAVE STORIES TO TELL--

TELL SOME LIES ON ME.

"HE AIN'T MADE ME LAUGH, SO...

I WAS THERE, YOU KNOW?

I WAS THERE WEDNESDAY

WHEN HE DROVE UP IN THE"--

YOU KNOW, WHATEVER.

LIKE THAT.

LIKE, TO BRING JOY.

THAT'S HOW I'D LIKE

TO BE REMEMBERED.

announcer: THIS PROGRAM

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BY CONTRIBUTIONS

TO YOUR PBS STATION

FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.