All language subtitles for Whoopi.Goldberg.Presents.Moms.Mabley.2013.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

( applause )

- I'd like to introduce
- To you now

- A lady who's been one of
- The most popular comediennes

- In the United States
- For over 40 years.

Now, some of you may not

have heard of her yet.

- She's only started recently
- Doing television.

But she's often

woman in the world."

been called "the funniest

- And after spending a week,
- Tom and I, rehearsing

And working with her,

we heartily agree.

Ladies and gentlemen,

meet Moms Mabley.

( applause )

I love to put

my arms around you,

- you're so young
- And all.

- You know Moms
- Don't like old men.

- You don't?
- No.

Any time you see me

an old man,

with my arms around

I'm holding him

for the police.

Whoopi Goldberg:

I don't know whether

it was the voice

or, like, the clothes

or just her whole being.

There was something

about her

that just knocked me out.

And knocked me out

when I was a kid.

Moms didn't look

like anybody else.

- I mean, she had this
- Weird little hat

And, like, a housecoat.

And she was odd

and she told stories.

Her impact on me

was profound.

- And I really
- Wanted to know

If she impacted

other people like that.

So, there's not much more

I can tell you about her.

So let me just let her

introduce herself to you.

- For the benefit
- Of some of you children now

That don't know Mom,

that's the name, "Mom."

M-O-M frontwards,

M-O-M backwards.

Upside down, W-O-W.

"Wow."

Kathy Griffin:

the first female comedian

When I was a kid,

I saw on television,

was Moms Mabley.

which blew my mind,

It was just great

to watch her

- sound a way
- That I hadn't heard

- And a cadence
- I wasn't familiar with.

But dressed like my mom.

And don't let my looks

deceive you.

I've been where

the wild goose went.

- Eddie Murphy: - First of all, she would
- Have no teeth in.

- She was like
- A real person.

Like somebody

in your family.

- Like a feisty old grandmother
- Or something.

I was married to one old man

and he died.

- Thank goodness.

- ( laughter )

- As a kid, I don't remember women
- Being in the funny business.

So she may have been

made me laugh,

the first woman that

other than my mom.

His sister died

and we went to the funeral.

- After the funeral was over,
- The preacher walked over to him

- And tapped him
- On the shoulder.

- He said,
- "How old are you, Pops?"

He said, "91."

He said, "Ain't no need

of you going home."

Quincy Jones:

Moms was fearless, you know.

And she was probably

the pioneer

- of making sure
- You paid attention.

She was a trailblazer.

- And she wasn't trying
- To be a trailblazer.

She was just trying

to say her stuff, you know?

Trying to get

her shit out.

I don't want nothing old

but some old money.

( laughter )

Buy me some young ideas.

with it.

That's what I'm gonna do

- Joan Rivers:
- She's been lost

Somewhere in history,

in comedic history.

Nobody looks

at female comedians

as groundbreakers

or as commentators

in the world

on what's going on

- because we do it
- With comedy.

All comedy

isn't all she was.

- It was a lady
- Standing up there

Telling the truth.

- Moms:
- I got something to tell you.

How you like Moms' dress?

( laughter )

You know, you can get

some real nice things

with them Green Stamps.

You know that?

- Years and years
- And years ago,

- When I was
- Much younger,

I used to do Moms

in Berkeley, California,

where I was living

because I loved the material.

I mean, for me,

when I start to think about

the influences

on what I do...

'cause I'm not actually

a stand-up stand-up.

I'm sort of like

a "lean-up."

- 'Cause, you know,
- I started with the characters.

- And so all of my characters
- Told stories.

That was the way I felt

I could communicate.

Much, I think, like

Nichols and May,

who had a huge

impact on me.

Lord Buckley, who was another

sort of comedian,

but with a different

kind of groove.

I mean, Richard Pryor

certainly was the same way.

You know, his stories

got you going.

are the things that

And I always think

it's important to be able

to take an audience on

a little bit of a journey.

To make it

so you're seeing

what I'm talking about.

And Moms was really

good at this.

( Moms speaking )

- Hall: - She talked about
- Risqué stuff

And was able to communicate

the message

without using language.

She was a wordsmith

across anyway.

who managed to get it

- And you felt like you were
- In on something.

Ellen Sebastian Chang:

The thing about laughter

is it surprises you.

- What's the definition
- Of surprise?

Attack. Okay?

Comedy has to attack you

on a certain level.

Why is slipping

on a banana peel funny?

It's the attack,

- therefore the surprise
- That hits you in the gut...

And especially if

it's telling the truth...

That you know

or feeling deep inside,

you've been thinking

- but now
- Someone's voiced it.

- Did you hear they're gonna
- Have another garbage strike?

You all know

how it was before

- when all that garbage
- Was piled up here in New York.

- I wasn't bothered
- With it myself.

I fixed 'em.

- I went around and told
- All my neighbors,

I said, "Listen here.

of your garbage?"

You want to get rid

I said,

"Go to the hardware store

and get you a spray

and a can of white paint

and spray all

your garbage white.

Every bit of it, white."

They went and got the paint

garbage white.

and sprayed all their

- I said,
- "You got it all white?"

They said, "Yeah."

- I went to the phone,
- Called up Rockefeller.

I said, "Hey, Rocky.

Come and get this white trash

out of here."

Hall:

of storytelling,

The whole art

- you have to have an intro,
- Body, conclusion.

You can't just pop off

a one-liner.

Even the boring parts

- of your story
- Have punch lines.

- Right. Right.
- You know?

- And I don't think
- As many people do it

Because it's complicated.

You know?

Think of people

who will tell you

a four-minute story now

on a stand-up stage.

- You don't see
- Many of them.

In some ways,

stand-up comedy

is one of

the purest art forms.

It's you and a mike.

You know?

And in that process,

you're giving

a part of yourself.

- You're giving a part
- Of your history.

- You're giving a part
- Of your culture.

It's almost like going back

to the griot tradition.

The stories told

to the next.

pass on from one generation

And I think that

really good comedy

- functions
- In the same way.

( Moms speaking )

- There was a part of me
- As a kid

- When I found out
- How smart she was...

When I found out that maybe

not having the teeth,

- the way she dressed,
- The hat, the presentation,

Was the "okey-doke"...

It was almost like

she was hiding

how bright she was

and sneaking a message

the same time.

in the back door at

Haggins:

set the trajectory

I think Moms Mabley

for not just

black female comics,

but for all female comics.

She used the way

that her body appeared

or the way that she had

the mismatched clothing,

- the way she had
- The floppy hat.

Somehow with that

costume on,

she had more license

to say things

that I think if she had

been glammed up,

- it wouldn't have played
- In the same way.

She was self-deprecating

in a physical way

the way all comediennes did

for a long time.

Totie Fields, Joan Rivers,

Phyllis Diller

all accentuating

getting laughs

- from their "homeliness,"
- If you will.

Rivers:

to hear the truth.

People don't want

And if you are gonna

hear the truth,

it's got to come from

a homely lady,

a lady that is

no competition,

- a lady that ain't gonna
- Take your husband,

A lady that is okay

that you can trust

'cause she's "harmless."

And I go onstage,

I make myself "harmless."

- And she made herself
- "Harmless."

That's why we

and laugh at her.

were able to listen to her

No, I'll tell you

what, children.

I married too young.

15 years old.

When I come along,

your parents picked

who you were to marry.

And my daddy picked

this old man.

Old man.

Older than dirt.

( laughter )

My daddy liked him.

My daddy should have

married him.

She always said,

"You know,

I hate an old man."

"There was a man

who wanted me.

He was so old,

he looked like

Santa Claus's father."

"My husband died

four years ago."

- And they said, "But you have
- A three-year-old daughter."

She said, "I said

my husband died. I didn't."

"Being married

to that old man

was like trying

to push a car

up a hill

with a rope."

- "I got a boyfriend,
- He's 22.

If you see me

with a boy that's over 22,

he's a relative."

- "They say you shouldn't say
- Nothing about the dead

Unless it's good.

He's dead, good."

My whole life growing up,

you heard male comics

just talk about how awful

and ugly women were.

- And they all
- Did this voice.

- And then "my wife,
- I'll tell you..."

- She had
- The horrible voice.

- It's funny.
- I'm fine with it.

But just hearing a woman

make the equivalent

type of a joke,

of fresh air.

it was like a breath

Goldberg:

you know,

So now people have said,

"Oh, well, you know,

this is tied up with

what happened to her

in her youth."

Nobody knows

what happened.

There are many,

many stories.

But she knew it worked

and she knew that there

were a lot of people,

particularly women,

position.

who had been in that

And I think it's more

her saying,

"Hey, I know.

You're not alone.

You're not alone."

You always hear that comics...

The best of us...

Come from pain.

Wasn't Moms raped twice?

- That's the story.

- Yeah.

And put both children

up for adoption.

Yeah, so, I mean,

if pain makes you funny,

we definitely know why

she was hilarious.

Goldberg:

It's quite a life she's had.

- And there are lots
- Of rumors, you know,

When you look

at Moms' history.

I guess it's the history

of black folks in America,

because all of the information

is not there.

So I realized

that I was not in a position

to do a biography.

But here's some things

for sure.

that I think we know

Her real name was

Loretta Mary Aiken.

She was born in 1897,

we think.

And she comes from a town

- called Brevard,
- North Carolina.

That we know for sure.

( music playing )

Jackie Parton:

and six boys.

Well, there were four girls

Moms was one of the girls.

She used to run away

from home all the time

with all them kids there.

And so she ran away

and she ran

to this couple.

Butterbeans and Susie,

they called 'em.

- Goldberg:
- So Butterbeans and Susie,

They were a fantastic

vaudeville pair.

They sing one

of my favorite songs

called "I Want a Hot Dog

for My Roll."

Susie:

for my roll ♪

♪ I want a hot dog

- Butterbeans: - ♪ Well, here it is,
- Here it is ♪

Susie:

I don't want it cold ♪

♪ I want it hot,

- Butterbeans:
- ♪ My dog's never cold... ♪

Parton:

Young.

And she was a little child.

And they taught her

that stage presence

and had her go out and,

you know,

fend for herself.

Butterbeans:

♪ Hot dog for your roll... ♪

Harry Belafonte:

the Chitlin' Circuit.

Every black person played

- She played the black circuit.
- As a matter of fact,

Almost all those artists,

their livelihood

was completely confined

to their success or failure

- based upon what
- The black community did.

'Cause that's where

they lived.

Goldberg:

a segregated world.

We lived in

You know,

"white only" washrooms

and "white only"

restaurants.

- You know, there were
- Some rough spots.

You know,

Moms travelled avenues

that most black women

I don't think did travel.

So the TOBA

was a collection

of theaters and clubs

and speakeasies

and restaurants

for black artists to perform

that provided a place

and for black folks

to go see.

When you look at that road

on the TOBA circuit

or the Chitlin' Circuit,

we had the Ritz

in Jacksonville,

- the Royal Peacock
- In Atlanta,

- The Howard
- In Washington, DC,

Uptown in Philadelphia,

the Apollo in New York,

the Fox in Detroit,

the Regal in Chicago,

and the Madam C.J. Walker

Theatre in Indianapolis.

Bill Cosby:

All of these cities

right on through Texas,

St. Louis...

When there was segregation,

these theaters were there.

And the entertainment came

and she was one of

the few stars they had.

Goldberg:

about 1921,

Now in, I guess,

Butterbeans and Susie

took her to New York

- 'cause they said she was
- A better performer

Than she was showing

on the circuit.

Belafonte:

you can break out

Once in a while

in a city like New York,

tell you the truth,

- 'cause it was the least
- Prejudiced.

We breathed

a little bigger.

- As a matter of fact,
- Harlem was the capital

Of black life,

black intellectuals.

So we made up

in the city.

a different rhythm

When Moms got to Harlem,

wow, she...

she performed

in all of the great places

- that there were
- In Harlem...

Connie's Inn,

Cotton Club.

She was on the bill

with Cab Calloway

and Louis Armstrong,

and they were very tight.

- She'd meet
- Zora Neale Hurston.

- They'd write
- A musical together.

You know, she started

performing

in the Apollo

probably around 1930

and became

( snaps fingers )

a headliner like that.

And she went from making

$14 a week to $90 a week.

That's a lot of money.

( music playing )

♪ Now I guess everyone

has their aggravations ♪

♪ Especially

in certain situations ♪

- ♪ Now remember,
- I don't... ♪

Almost everybody

if you were black

passed through Harlem

and in

the performing arts.

You would have been

totally incomplete

in your journey in life

if somewhere along

you "played the Apollo."

the line it didn't say

And then you had to look

at how often you played

- and whom
- You played with.

( music playing )

Billy Mitchell:

the first theater in Harlem

The Apollo Theater was

- to allow African-Americans
- In this building.

It was originally

a burlesque house.

( music continues )

- The people who bought
- This building...

- It was three Jewish brothers...
- And they wanted to start

- Bringing what they called
- "Colored reviews."

They wanted to be

the first.

Sidney Poitier:

into that theater,

When I first went

there were great,

great artists.

- People that I didn't know
- Existed.

There were comedians

and singers.

and there were dancers

Yeah!

I had never seen

anything like it.

- I just embraced
- All of it.

( applause )

I'm going to introduce

a lady that's terrific.

A lady in your eyesight.

- When you look and see her,
- You're going to feel

Just exactly as we do.

We all just call her

that dear to us.

"Moms" because she's just

Professionally she's known

as Jackie "Moms" Mabley.

- But we all
- Call her Moms.

So what do you say, Moms?

Take it away.

( music playing )

- Wait.
- Wait a minute.

Don't play it like that.

Play it like you're playing

for one of them big people.

You know, make it pretty

like one of them

symphonic stuff,

all that stuff.

Hey, honey, make me

look like Lena Horne

- if you possibly can up there,
- Mister Light Man.

Jones:

of black show business then

See, the thing is, all

had a dosage

of vaudeville in it.

I like to dance

like this.

Jones:

that comedian can dance."

You know, "damn,

No, you mean "that dancer

can really tell good jokes."

They were so versatile

and diverse.

They really were.

of things.

They could do all kinds

- In that day,
- You had to be like that.

Parton:

Eddie Parton,

Her brother,

- he wrote shows
- For other people

- And he enjoyed
- Writing them.

And he would prompt her.

- And he would tell her,
- "Now you do it this way."

So everybody said

he made her a superstar.

- Thank you, children.
- Thank you, darling.

I know you children

are relaxed back there.

- Sitting back there,
- Looking at Moms.

You think you're gonna

hear some jokes, don't you?

Well, Moms

don't know none.

Moms don't know

no jokes.

But I can tell you

some facts.

Poitier:

as a matter of fact.

I was taken by her,

She was a real person,

- it seemed to me,
- Not a performer.

And she was cracking jokes

about things

and she was speaking

that were familiar to me

even in the Caribbean.

There was an honesty

to everything she said.

And for me,

that honesty

was coming out

of her life experiences.

I mean, you don't fake

experiences like that.

When I lose my job,

I lose my man.

That is since I got,

well, kinda old, you know.

Now don't get me wrong.

to be old.

It ain't no disgrace

But darned if it ain't

inconvenient,

I can tell you

that much about it.

All of us had a sense

of great liberation

when we stepped

in the Apollo

to see all of our beauty,

our strength

displayed on the stage.

But what the humorists did

when they walked out there

and told us a story

just experienced

about something we had

or thought we knew

didn't really know it

and then found out we

until Moms Mabley

or Pigmeat Markham

or one of us told it.

No, I like Cab Calloway.

Everybody talking about it.

I know it.

Say Cab treats me

like a dog. He does.

Treats me like a dog,

he called me a dog.

Yes, he did.

an old dog.

One day he called me

Sometimes I wish I was

a dog and he was a tree.

- Jerry Stiller:
- I used to go to the Apollo.

Not only for Moms Mabley.

I had this white boy's yen

for the black culture.

What's a white guy like me

doing at the Apollo Theater?

- That's understandable.
- You're Jewish.

I was brought up

the Great Depression.

during this period they call

And the only thing

out of who you were

that really took you

- and how things were
- Were comedians.

But the ones

who did it the best

were the ones who were

the most daring.

The ones who went to places

they would go to.

that you would never think

Moms went to that place.

She appealed to every

class of person,

every nationality,

every ethnic group

- that was going - Through the same thing
- At that time.

See, I can't hear

very good.

Moms will tell you

how that happened.

When they sent for me

to come down to Washington,

they had some business

down there.

they wanted me to attend to

They sent for me.

Sent me an airplane ticket.

- Cavett: - I don't think there's
- Any place you could go

In the white world

where you could see a comic

kill an audience

do at the Apollo.

the way I saw Moms Mabley

I said, "Honey,

my ears is all stopped up."

- She says,
- "Here's some chewing gum."

I chawed that.

That ain't unstopped them.

I got right limp.

- I said,
- "Do something for me, honey.

I'm dying."

She said,

"Drop your jaws."

And I misunderstood her.

- Cavett:
- There's laughter

And then there's

Apollo laughter.

I saw people slide

to the floor helplessly

and go down and have to

bring themselves back up.

Wait a minute, honey.

You're gonna have to

laugh a little louder.

Moms can't hear you

up there.

Norma Miller:

Moms ruled the Apollo Theater.

She was the dominant force

among black-faced comedians.

I mean, you were talking

that profession.

about the men dominated

That's Pigmeat

and these guys.

- We teach lessons - To everyone how
- To make love.

- I see. - Do you know how
- To make love?

- All my natural life,
- That's all I've ever done.

- Oh, yeah?
- Yes, sir.

- You're a heavy lover?
- Very heavy lover.

She was the one woman

She was the best.

amongst these men.

Jackie, have you seen

Dusty Fletcher?

No.

- Mitchell:
- They did five shows a day

Six days a week,

so you're here constantly.

- I used to see her
- In the courtyard back there.

They barbecued back there.

They played dice back there.

Yeah. Yeah.

They played cards back there.

- Parton:
- She liked to gamble, too.

Oh, boy.

little petty things.

She would gamble on

Checkers.

Those little small games.

When she didn't win, boy,

she'd raise Cain.

And they knew

she was cheating,

but to keep her quiet,

they just let her do it.

( laughs )

She was cheating

at everything.

Moms cooked here all the time.

Hung out with the guys.

Gambled with the guys.

I got to be honest with you.

Moms Mabley was the first

men's clothes.

lady I ever saw wearing

Miller:

the Apollo Theater.

I met her at

- See, we were in
- Black show business.

- So in black show business
- You always have a comedian,

- A band, a singer,
- Blah, blah, blah, blah.

- And she and I shared
- A dressing room for two weeks.

She and I

and her girlfriend.

She was real.

- I mean,
- She was Moms onstage,

But she walked off that stage,

she was "Mr. Moms."

And there was

no question about it.

- There was no question
- About it.

I mean,

she was Mr. Moms.

- And had the greatest identity
- For two things.

- 'Cause onstage she was
- Really Moms

And she was always after

the great Cab Calloway.

But you never saw her

with a young man.

You saw her

with a young girl.

And there was no question.

I mean, she was

the first complete...

I don't know,

a "homosexual."

we never called Mom

That word never fit her.

We never called her "gay."

We called her "Mr. Mom."

See, that time period,

it was nobody's business.

Nobody's business.

And I will assume

that when Moms came out

of her costume...

'cause that's what the hat

and the shoes

and the housedress was...

And put on

that silk shirt

with those pants

and that fedora

and had those women

on her arms,

- I think everybody was like,
- "Okay."

And so I think that she

was a woman among men

who was equal to those men

and they treated her

like a man.

And I think that

is what helped give her

the longevity.

Come on. Come on, wig.

Come on.

Goldberg:

of these women.

There weren't many

I mean, you could name

three or four of them

and none of them being black

until really the '50s.

Moms comes along,

like, in the late '20s

as a young woman

dressed with that hat

and the housecoat

and the big shoes...

- Wait, where's my teeth?
- Oh, I got 'em.

And she takes

that persona

all the way to 1975.

I mean,

that's a long time.

She honed that woman

and she grew

into that woman.

And I mean at a time

when there were not

women stand-ups,

there were none,

there only was Moms.

Moms:

calling me angel ♪

♪ I say you always

♪ And you say

I'm heaven-sent ♪

♪ But all you do

is want to bill and coo ♪

♪ And, brother,

that don't pay my rent... ♪

- Hall: - As a young comic,
- I remember hearing

That she was one of the first

people to make big paper.

Like, I heard she made

$10,000 a week.

I know guys right now

that's making $10,000 a week.

- So in 2012, if you're making
- What Moms made back then,

She was large.

And I was surprised

know who she was,

that white people didn't

but found out in venues

like Carnegie Hall.

She was the first black female

to work the Apollo Theater.

Then went on to become

the first black female

to work Carnegie Hall.

So that journey

was quite a trip.

- We think today
- It's only a few blocks.

No, it was a light year

that she traveled.

♪ But again, I repeat ♪

♪ That don't pay my rent ♪

♪ So keep your empty

hands off me ♪

♪ You hear? ♪

Hall:

my mother's party albums.

I remember going to

We had a little table

next to the couch.

You open the cabinet

and you go inside

and you pull albums out.

And in here, it was all

my mother's stuff

- that I wasn't supposed - To mess with.
- Right.

And I remember

Pigmeat Markham,

Redd Foxx,

and Moms Mabley.

- And it was a big
- Proposition.

You couldn't just put

something on your iPod

- and listen someplace in
- The corner with your ear buds.

It was a major event.

No one could be home when you

snuck and listened to Moms

because you had to

put the arm on the record.

- Even before it started talking,
- It was noisy.

( imitating static

( crackling )

Did you hear about

the two old maids

- who was walking down
- The street?

One said

to the other one,

"I smell hair burning."

The other one said,

"Maybe we walking

too fast."

The records,

you laughed because

it was naughty.

And...

you even kept

the sound down

so that

your parents didn't...

"Why are you all

laughing down there?"

Now you children

know Moms.

- All you children
- Know Moms.

And you know Moms'

reputation.

You know Moms has been accused

of liking young men.

And I'm guilty.

( laughter )

Ain't... can't no old man

do nothing for me...

( cheering, laughing )

but bring me a message

from a young man.

That's all he can do.

Moms was the original cougar.

( laughs )

You know?

and succeeded

She really tried

in just letting it

all out there.

And she was able

to make a commentary

about female sexuality

at that time.

that nobody else was doing

( Moms speaking )

- That's what
- We loved about it.

It was so irreverent.

- And I'm sitting there
- Watching my grandmother,

Who is her same age

or maybe a little older,

her glasses on

sitting there with

- and, you know,
- Chasing us around the house.

But she was

laughing out loud.

It was like...

to women

Moms gave a release

in a way

that nobody did.

You know, I was going

with Sammy Davis Jr.

( laughter )

But he wanted

some children.

I told him he was in the right

church, but the wrong pew.

You dig?

I didn't realize when I was

listening to it

how much it, you know,

- it was impacting on what I was
- Gonna be doing in the future.

I didn't know that she was

blazing a trail

- and, you know, doing something
- Nobody else had done.

- I just thought
- She was really funny.

When I did the first

"Nutty Professor" movie,

- the grandmother in
- "The Nutty Professor" movie

Is just a straight...

Just ripped off.

- I just got
- Her rhythms down.

She's a feisty old lady

that be talking shit.

- "You come over here,
- You gonna limp back."

"I'll cut you."

Moms Mabley.

That's all straight

- Her voice,
- Everything.

- Ain't nothing wrong with
- Having relations.

- Don't be ashamed.
- Having relations is beautiful.

When I was young,

relations.

I used to always have

- Every night, if a nice gentleman
- Would bring me flowers

And candy and take me

to a movie,

show me a lovely evening,

- then I
- Would take him home

And give him

hot, lovely relations.

Cosby:

and then look

To listen to her

at the comedians

that followed,

you can hear

how she opened that door

for a different kind

of solo.

- ( music playing )

- ( cheering )

Man:

further ado,

And now without

Mercury Records brings to you

live from Sing Sing Prison,

the funniest lady

in the world,

Jackie "Moms" Mabley.

( cheering )

Chang:

is "Moms Live at Sing Sing."

My favorite of her

The fact that this woman

every year,

only health barring it,

would to go Sing Sing Prison.

Moms:

Hello, darlings!

( cheering )

( Moms speaking )

( audience cheering )

( applause )

( applause )

Chang:

goes wild

The prison population

because they hate

this man.

- We're always talking about
- "It's so funny,

- I'm gonna laugh
- Myself to death."

- But she frames it,
- She's saying,

- "All right, motherfucker,
- Go home,

- 'cause you know
- They don't like you,

And go home and die.

Die laughing,

but make sure you die."

- She got it.
- She got the tension.

And so she understood

what a pressure cooker was

and how to just culturally

release some of that tension,

- let some
- Of that steam out.

( Moms speaking )

It was so meaningful

for me,

you know, to hear her

the White House

talk about going to visit

because Jack Kennedy

called her

to go with Jackie

to some far-off country.

And to me,

it was exciting as a kid

because I wanted to go

to that country.

I wanted to go away

to call me up.

and I wanted a president

And it never occurred to me

that maybe she was BS-ing.

- It never occurred,
- 'Cause it was Moms Mabley.

And, you know, she had been

at the White House.

- This is the part
- That gets you.

'Cause you suddenly go,

know them.

"Wait, wait, she does

She does know

these people."

( Moms speaking )

What I love is Moms' ability

to take something

that we would know

on a surface level

is absurd,

we would almost think

it's impossible,

but then do it in a way

where private

- we would go,
- "You know, that's the truth.

You know Moms Mabley

is smarter than the Kennedys.

We know it, we're just

not going to say it,

but we know...

We know in real life,

- we know
- That could happen."

Then, "Of course,

you're gonna call me

when something

is going wrong,

because you

can't handle it.

See, only I

can handle it."

( Moms speaking )

Haggins:

Everything she said

was about telling you

not only can I talk

about civil rights,

I'm going to be a part

of civil rights.

She inserts herself into

these different situations.

- Right.

- And for a moment in time,

say, throughout

most of the 1960s,

she was on the cutting edge

or close to it

in terms of sort of

progressive politics.

But also personal

politics

and that individuality,

that uniqueness.

Newsreel announcer:

a joint session of Congress

President Johnson addresses

to push a voting rights bill

aimed at ending discrimination.

Moms:

the story ♪

♪ I am here to tell

♪ Of a right

religious man ♪

- ♪ Who went down to face
- The Ku Klux ♪

♪ With the Bible

in his hand ♪

♪ He stands to fight

for civil rights ♪

♪ That spread

throughout the land ♪

♪ And the kids

are going marching on ♪

♪ Glory, glory,

Martin Luther ♪

- ♪ Thank the Lord

- ( applause )

for Martin Luther... ♪

♪ Things are better ♪

♪ Than they used to ♪

♪ Since the kids

are marching on. ♪

- Klein:
- She was political

In the most subtle way

I've ever seen.

She curbs the anger

and keeps it confined

to a kind of sarcasm,

which makes you laugh.

So that really was

a delicate balance.

( Moms speaking )

( laughter )

( laughter )

You felt safe with Moms

- in a kind of
- A dangerous way.

You felt where she

be okay to go there.

was taking you, it would

And she talked to

Lyndon Baines Johnson

and said, "You pass

that civil rights bill."

And he listened to her.

So she could go into

a political area

and nobody was nervous

about Moms...

- They were nervous
- About what she might say,

But you felt safe

and you felt secure

- and you felt a lot of love
- Coming from Moms,

Even though she might be

criticizing you.

- Joshua Gamson: - I think of Moms Mabley
- As a bridge

Between vaudeville and more

confrontational stand-up.

What was happening then

were people coming up

and being much more direct

and confrontational

- and militant about
- Some of their politics,

- The racial politics
- And so on.

And she was in between.

She was just telling

her stories that have an edge

- that are about race relations
- So that people hear it

And are laughing at it,

but have enough discomfort.

You know,

that's a powerful thing.

( Moms speaking )

( laughter )

You have to say

that the attitude,

the tone,

the sound,

and the spirit

of where Moms went,

that comedy began

to become

something of change.

One of the things that I think

we became very much aware of

in the upheaval

of the civil rights movement,

it was

the full realization

of how much all of America,

but in particular

white America,

did not know why

they were prejudiced.

They came with mythology

and with tales.

And one of the things

we had to do was to educate.

I put on several shows.

One of them was called

"A Time For Laughter."

Because if we could not

laugh at ourselves

in a way

for white folks,

that was translatable

they would not see

the dimension of our humanity.

The price of integration

lot of people.

has frightened an awful

Even some of us.

- But not
- For the same reasons.

It has been said

what does it matter

- if a man gains the whole world
- And loses his soul?

Hmm?

- As seen by
- The Negro humorist,

Integration does have

its hang-ups.

( kissing )

Your idea of taking

the train was much better.

- Yeah.

to drive through Harlem.

- I'm so glad I don't have

- Those people.

a problem.

- Yes, dear, they are

They certainly are.

And then, Mumsy,

I had this most incredible

experience on the train.

I sat down next to this

distinguished lady,

and as I sat down

"Huh, niggers."

next to her she went,

- And I said,
- "Where? Where?"

Belafonte:

to laugh,

If you get people

you might find

a deeper humanity

- to what it is
- We're trying to say.

That we've seduced you

with humor

rather than with tragedy.

And I think nobody

did that better

than all the artists

I called upon

to come into this show,

which was

civil rights situations,

to take the most serious

give them

to the humorists...

Redd Foxx, Moms Mabley,

Godfrey Cambridge,

- and all the others
- And say, "Look,

Here is the situation.

Get off and improvise."

- Ding-a-ling-a-ling.

- Ooh, that's camp.

- Ding-a-ling-a-ling.

- That's marvelous.

Ding-a-ling-a-ling.

Why don't somebody

answer that bell?

- Who is that?

- That's Peola, dear.

Ow!

What's that?

Peola, that is

the man of the house,

Mr. Grammerson.

Oh, excuse me.

Pleased to meet

you, Peola.

Same thing here.

Now, Peola.

Peola, you just trot along

his tranquilizers.

and bring Mr. Grammerson

- Going to get 'em.

- Peola.

- Belafonte:
- I loved her to pieces.

When I called her

doing my show,

and told her she was

she got very emotional.

When I gave her

the platform to come,

- it was one
- Of the first times

That the universe

was beginning to open up

to give her an opportunity

to be recognized more fully

- in a much broader demographic
- For who she was.

What you got there,

Grammerson?

My bowling ball.

I ain't never seen

ball before.

an oblong bowling

- You haven't?

- No, I haven't.

Give it here.

slice it for you.

I'll ice it and

♪ Ooh,

watermelon man... ♪

Oh, Mumsy.

Now everyone will know

we're colored.

- ( wailing )
- There, there, sweetheart.

All of a sudden,

everybody knows.

The publicity comes out

and everybody knows

about Moms.

- And the bookings
- Start to come.

It's this whole

wonderful thing

about being in

the United States of America

and being black

and playing these clubs.

And then all of a sudden,

something happens...

Some white people

find you.

Maybe it's

the "New York Times."

Maybe it's "Time"

magazine.

It's some

who have decided,

group of white people

"Listen, this is hip

and let's give a listen,"

or "This is some part

of civil rights.

Let's do that."

Now here's a particular

favorite of mine,

- and I trust
- You'll enjoy her, too.

Harlem's veteran star,

the one and only

Moms Mabley.

( applause )

Rivers:

on the "Ed Sullivan Show."

I ran across her

And I remember she was

dressed in her costume,

but none of the "accent"

was there.

I mean, we were two women

talking about comedy.

- And I just thought, "Smart."
- I remember smart.

And then when she went

onstage, "Funny."

Thank you, darling.

Well, Moms might not

have got here.

I got on the elevator

at the hotel,

- and started
- Down the elevator

And a man got on

at the third floor

- and drew a pistol on the man
- Running the elevator.

Said, "Take us to Cuba."

Meara:

that show with her.

We were on

- And she was great.
- I couldn't believe it.

I said, "That woman

of her mouth."

took the teeth out

- Remember?

let her do it.

- Yeah, Ed Sullivan

- Yeah.

certain rules.

- 'Cause he had

- I think he had
- The hots for her.

And she...

she was outrageous.

I'd like to tell you, Moms,

on our show tonight.

it's just great having you

Honey, and it's great

being on your show.

Thank you.

Oh, yes, I enjoy

listening to you

and your dumb brother.

Tommy Smothers:

of Moms Mabley.

I'd never heard

Midway through

the first or second...

See, I forget when it was...

- Ilson and Chambers,
- Our producers,

- They knew about her.
- They went, "Let's bring her on."

- I said, "Who's Moms Mabley?"
- They said, "She's really funny."

- She dresses really weird
- And she kind of made me nervous.

You know, this is

people can enjoy...

the kind of show that

Good, clean,

dirty fun.

She was just

a self-made icon.

Certainly one with brains

and bravery, I suppose,

in the fact

that she would walk onstage

and people think,

gonna make me laugh?"

"How is this black woman

when she played

with white audiences.

And "She can't be as good

as our people,"

- was probably floating
- In the room, too.

- And lots of stuff
- Like that.

- What kind of work - Were you
doing when you - Were out here?

- Were you working
- In television?

- Well, you know, I worked
- For the government.

- Government?

- Yes. I'm a spy.

We were all fairly

political, but not...

So politely political

we were, you know?

We would nudge things

this way or that way.

- But she had
- A point of view.

- She definitely had
- A point of view.

- That's wonderful.
- That's a glamorous job.

I've noticed there's

glamorous government jobs.

a lot of Negroes now holding

- Oh, yes.
- Very desirable jobs.

Like I just read

first Negro astronaut.

recently about our

- Did you know about that?

I know about it.

- Why, of course,

I'm the one that caused

him to get the job.

- White people had no connection
- To the culture.

They didn't understand it.

- But Moms made you
- Understand

The difference in the gap

that was in there.

So Moms brought

the two cultures together.

Griffin:

figured out a way

She so wisely

to make herself appealing

to such a broad base.

And that's what was great.

- When I think about
- The first time I saw her,

I picture myself in

the living room

- with the one TV
- In Forest Park, Illinois,

- With the family just watching
- "Smothers Brothers"

Or "Ed Sullivan" and all of us

doing the typical thing.

- Eating the TV dinner,
- Watching her, and laughing.

And what was so great

about that

and didn't get

until later in my life,

what a huge deal that is

to reach through the TV

and as an African-American

woman of who knows what age...

Because when I was a kid,

90 or something...

I probably thought she was

And to be able to reach us

and make us laugh

- before or after we had just
- Watched, you know, the Beatles

Or Elvis Presley or whoever

was on those shows of the day.

Goldberg:

the television.

We all gathered around

Anytime there was somebody

we gathered.

black on the television,

- They didn't know
- We were supporting them.

- ( laughs )
- You know?

They didn't know we were

black person on TV.

going, "Yeah, look at that

Yeah! We've come.

We've made it."

But we were.

People who had

a television

invited people

who didn't

to come and see

Moms Mabley on TV

on these shows

that we watched all the time.

And we knew something

was happening.

For us during the '60s,

it was just getting

this information out.

"For all of y'all who are

seeing me on TV,

you don't know me.

You're not scared of me.

Let me just tell you

what's happening.

You don't have to think

about these things

- 'cause it's not
- In your sphere.

Well, now it is

'cause here I am

on the 'Ed Sullivan Show' or

the 'Smothers Brothers' show.

- And I'm gonna tell you
- What's going on."

- Have you been
- Down South at all?

Do they call you Jackie

down there or Moms?

- I've never known.
- It's Jackie...

- No, they like me down there,
- To tell the truth.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

In fact,

they like me so well

they... they...

They named me after...

What's that man

in the moving pictures?

who got that horse

- That Western man.

- Who? Roy Rogers?

Roy Rogers.

Roy Rogers' horse.

They named me for

- Trigger?
- Trigger. Yeah.

- That's what they
- Call you in the South?

- Yeah, everywhere I go,
- "Hello, Trigger."

"What you saying,

Trigger?"

At least I think

that's what they're saying.

In comedy performance,

this amount of time

to not be afraid

to let

the audience think...

- and enjoy what's coming.
- Right.

'Cause the listener...

"They kept calling me

Trigger,"

and the listener's

going...

Well, here we are

moving right along.

- What?
- Wait a minute, Merv.

Did you hear the one

about the man...

Here we go,

Mr. Taggersly.

We might as well test

department tonight.

the whole censorship

Yeah.

- Belafonte:
- There is to be no doubt

That at any time

did black comics

not seize upon opportunity

to turn

their greatest pain

into a moment of humor.

What they were not

permitted to do

was to take

our black suffering

and take that suffering

and degrade it

in the style of humor

that you delivered,

therefore making black people

laugh at not just our pain,

but what they perceive to be

our "natural inferiority"

as a "subspecies."

No.

I'm fully human,

fully capable,

and I have all rights

that you white people express,

we have them, too.

- Moms: - Well, let me tell you, baby,
- Something funny.

( laughter )

( laughter )

She had a commitment

to the Civil Rights

movement.

That, of course,

was a natural

because of all of the places

she had ever played

in and around

this United States.

Moms' work in the South,

is this woman

who has a great deal

of talent.

But to be a performer

and to be so well-known

and to be loved,

but then turn around

and you face

the wrong direction,

and you're...

Some cop doesn't know

who you are.

And these people

stayed with it.

And it didn't

intimidate them.

( Moms speaking )

( laughter )

( laughter, applause )

Moms was in the forefront

of making political change.

Not only

but as a female.

as a black person,

She was Moms, but she was

not a mammy character.

She wore her cap,

but she never

wore a rag.

She talks about coming

onstage with an ermine.

- And she says
- To the young stagehand,

"Take my ermine, son."

- She goes,
- "Oh, just throw it anywhere.

- I like to throw
- Them around like that."

So what she was saying

is this is an act.

So she also knew

how to have those moments,

like, where it would...

If she was a modern comic,

- she would lean
- Forward and say,

- "Who do you think
- You're fucking with?"

- Yeah.
- "Do you know who I am?

- You better step back."

- Yeah.

But she didn't need

to do it hard like that

because she's Moms.

She's a mom.

Cosby:

Moms could tell people

with her wisdom

what not to do.

And give her history

the wonderful seriousness

and intelligence

of saying, "You've seen it,"

and "You're seeing it,"

and what you want to see.

That's the beauty

of listening

to the elder person.

- ( piano playing )

- ( people chatting )

Well, Moms, we're sure

to join us tonight.

tickled that you were able

- Well, I'm tickled to death
- To be here, honey.

It's been such a long time

my boy, you know.

since I've been with

- He was a little surprised.

- Davis: A little surprised?

Are you kidding?

that every time...

I must tell you

The name Moms...

many people know that...

And I don't know how

Comes from the fact

that this marvelous lady

has always been a mother

to every young performer

- that came along
- For the last few years.

- I know when I first worked
- Around the Apollo

- And the Regal Theatre
- And the Royal in Baltimore,

- This was Moms
- And she would come back

- And comment about
- The performance and help you

- And do anything
- And open up her heart to you.

- And spank you
- If necessary.

- ( laughter )

- When called upon.

Moms, I know everybody here

at the party knows about it,

- but, Moms,
- You know, she does...

The comedy albums have

and everything,

sold in the millions

but she...

My favorite album

of all the things

serious subject matters

is when she does

and she sings serious...

Sing-talk in her own style...

Serious subject matters.

Would you do for me

"Abraham, Martin,

and John"?

- ( cheering )
- Would you?

There's a mike

right over there.

All right, darling.

Let me take my dress off.

( music playing )

She pursued getting

"Abraham, Martin, and John"

when in her deep grief

over Dr. King's passing

needed to have herself

indelibly placed

on the record of life

- and the history book
- Of comedy

That she was not insensitive

to the struggle of her time

and sang this song.

♪ Has anybody here ♪

♪ Seen my old friend

Abraham? ♪

♪ Can you tell me ♪

♪ Where he's gone? ♪

♪ He freed

a lot of people ♪

♪ But just look like

the good die young ♪

♪ I just looked around ♪

♪ And he was gone... ♪

You know, "Abraham,

Martin, and John,"

she knew

two of those folks.

She knew them.

She knew Martin

and she knew John.

♪ Has anybody here ♪

♪ Seen my old friend

Martin Luther? ♪

♪ Can you tell me

where he's gone? ♪

♪ You know that boy ♪

♪ Freed

a lot of people ♪

♪ But it just seems

the good die young ♪

♪ I just looked around ♪

♪ And he was gone... ♪

It really captures

that loss.

And I think that

that's why Moms' voice

singing it seems

so appropriate

because you knew

that this was someone

who had gone through

so much,

had seen so much.

♪ Children ♪

♪ Didn't you love ♪

♪ The things

that they stood for? ♪

♪ Didn't they try ♪

♪ To find some good ♪

♪ For you and me? ♪

- Schlatter: - What you remember about her
- Are those moments.

- You remember
- Here was this woman

Who was famous for being

outrageous things

funny and for saying

and here she took three

minutes and made you cry.

And you went,

communication

"This is powerful

- that went
- Way beyond humor."

♪ Has anybody here ♪

♪ Seen my...

My little Bobby? ♪

♪ Can you tell me

where he's gone? ♪

Goldberg:

really sort of took

These assassinations

the breath out of people

because they

impacted everybody.

It didn't matter if you were

black or white or whatever.

And I think at that point

it became, "What are we doing?"

♪ Lord ♪

♪ Lord, Lord ♪

♪ They were

just going home ♪

♪ Just going home. ♪

Goldberg:

covered this song,

Several people

but there is something

about Moms'.

And maybe it's because

you think of her as a mom,

you know,

crying for her nation

and her children.

- Woman:
- How old are you now, Moms?

Oh, I ain't that old.

I'm not quite that old.

- Well, you're
- Beautiful.

What role do you think

that black women

should be playing

in America now?

Not only black women,

but white women,

- black women,
- All of them.

I'm color blind.

I don't know the difference.

I only know you are

a human being

- and you're
- My children.

Goldberg:

Moms made several films.

Well, you know,

But the last one she made

was called "Amazing Grace."

- And you have to take it
- In context

Because oftentimes

when we talk about race

it's always,

and white people..."

"The white people did this

But this is...

the '60s and '70s

were about

how do we change

as a human entity?

And because she...

had the ability

to talk to young people,

'cause they got her,

they understood Moms

- because she was talking
- About stuff

That they wanted

to see happen as well.

- And here's this
- "Little old lady"

Saying, "What are you

gonna do?"

She is what we all

must be

if we are

to be anything.

She is

Grace Tisdale Grimes.

( cheering )

Goldberg:

"Amazing Grace,"

At the end of

Moms has what I think

feels like

an improvised speech

to all these college kids

about "Don't wait for me

to do it.

You have to get up

the decision

and you have to make

and you have to

that changes things.

become the person

And if you can do that,

You know?

then we will be all right.

We will be all right

as a nation."

One thing we got

is a mouth.

( cheering )

Ain't nobody nowhere

got no more mouth

than we got.

If we want to talk

about somebody,

baby, we talk

about somebody.

When we want

to whoop and holler,

we whoop and holler

till the lights go out.

It's the message

of "speak out loud."

It is that message

of you have a mouth, use it.

You have a brain, use it.

And it was always

just great to hear

a voice from that era

saying, "Speak up.

- Speak your mind.
- It's okay.

- Say something a little
- Outrageous."

I'm telling you

to use those brains

that God

put in your head

and go on out

and turn this town

upside down.

Chang:

This was someone

who was living

on pure will...

- Yes.

- At that moment.

She was ill

and somehow

in that final speech,

she was able to muster up

just sheer will

to almost do a prophecy

of what she saw as the future.

Of what it could be.

( music playing )

Oh, you good-looking thing,

what are we doing up here?

I don't know, baby.

is all right.

But anything you say

Moms opened a door

for women

to stand up

and be funny.

To talk about things

as they saw them.

And to encourage people

to be thoughtful.

The fabric

that she knit,

you know, from '29

to '75

is a long, big

piece of fabric

in the middle

of the American thing

is Moms Mabley

because

she was the first.

She did it first.

What was that song

you wrote?

- "Help Me Make It
- Through the Night."

- "Help Me Make It
- Through the Night."

- If you can make it
- For a half an hour,

- It'll be all right
- With me.

( laughter )

Haggins:

where you're going,

In order to know

you have to know

where you've been.

And Moms

really symbolizes

and really is

so much of what comedy

has become today,

and particularly

what black comedy

has become,

- what women in comedy
- Has become.

I never could work

with my teeth.

You're a woman

after my own heart.

( laughter )

That's much better.

Chang:

so possible.

She made me feel

Like I didn't

have to be glamorous.

That I didn't even

have to dress well.

And I could capture

the world's imagination.

You just stole

my cue.

I did.

That ain't all

I'm gonna steal.

I think women today

would be proud

- if there was
- A Moms Mabley on the scene.

We don't have a Moms Mabley

We really don't.

on the scene right now.

Give us a kiss, dear.

Hall:

and made us proud

She educated us

if we really listened.

Belafonte:

May it never leave us,

our capacity to laugh

at our plight

and do it with dignity.

And Moms was that

all the way.

( music playing )

♪ Baby, that grooves ♪

♪ You hear that? ♪

- ♪ I want everybody
- In the world ♪

♪ To listen to Moms ♪

♪ Gather around,

everybody ♪

♪ Listen to this song ♪

♪ And this old world

will be a lot better ♪

♪ When this whole world

seems dark and gloomy ♪

♪ And you're filled

with fright ♪

♪ All you got to do

is sing hallelujah ♪

♪ Everything's

gonna be all right ♪

♪ All right! ♪

♪ Even though

you feel mistreated ♪

♪ Ain't no need

to fight ♪

♪ Just talk to the Man

up above ♪

♪ Everything's gonna be

all right ♪

♪ Just because

some people stupid ♪

♪ Don't say the whole

world's wrong ♪

♪ Just have faith

in God and your country ♪

♪ And keep on

singing this song ♪

♪ Wake up singing

early in the morning ♪

♪ Keep on singing

till night ♪

♪ Just keep saying

over and over ♪

- ♪ Everything's gonna be
- All right ♪

- ♪ Son, it'll be all right ♪
- ♪ All right ♪

- ♪ It's all right ♪
- ♪ All right ♪

- ♪ Be all right ♪
- ♪ All right ♪

- ♪ All right ♪
- ♪ All right! ♪

♪ Everything

gonna be all right ♪

- ♪ Let me hear you
- One more time ♪

- ♪ Be all right ♪
- ♪ All right ♪

- ♪ Are you all right? ♪
- ♪ All right ♪

- ♪ All right ♪
- ♪ All right ♪

- ♪ All right ♪

- ♪ All right ♪

♪ Everything

gonna be all right ♪

♪ Just knock ♪

♪ That door will open ♪

♪ Seek and you will find ♪

♪ But if you try to solve

your problem ♪

♪ You're sure

to lose your mind ♪

♪ Wake up singing ♪

♪ Early in the morning ♪

♪ Keep on singing

till night ♪

♪ Just keep saying

over and over ♪

- ♪ Everything
- Gonna be all right ♪

- ♪ And, son,

- ♪ All right ♪

it'll be all right ♪

- ♪ It'll be all right ♪
- ♪ All right ♪

- ♪ All right ♪
- ♪ All right ♪

- ♪ All right... ♪

- ♪ All right... ♪