name	Richard Pryor
birth name	Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor
birth date	December 01, 1940
birth place	Peoria, Illinois, United States
death date	December 10, 2005
death place	Encino, California, United States
death cause	Heart attack
nationality	American
medium	Stand-up, film, television
active	1958–1999
genre	Satire, observational comedy, black comedy, Improvisational comedy, character comedy
subject	Racism, race relations, United States politics, African-American culture, human sexuality, self-deprecation, everyday life, recreational drug use
influences	Lenny Bruce, Jack Benny, Jonathan Winters, Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, Redd Foxx, Paul Mooney
Influenced	George Carlin, Martin Lawrence, George Lopez, Denis Leary, Eddie Izzard, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Hicks, Robin Williams, Lewis Black Colin Quinn, Bernie Mac, Joe Rogan, Louis C.K., Patton Oswalt Artie Lange, and Jim Norton
Notable work	''That Nigger's Crazy'' ''Bicentennial Nigger'' Himself in ''Richard Pryor: Live in Concert'' and ''Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip'' Zeke Brown in ''Blue Collar'' Grover T. Muldoon in ''Silver Streak'' Harry Monroe in ''Stir Crazy'' Gus Gorman in ''Superman III''
spouse	Patricia Price (1960–1961; divorced) 1 child Shelley R. Bonis (1968–1969; divorced) 1 child Deborah McGuire (1977–1978; divorced) Jennifer Lee (1979–1982; divorced) Flynn Belaine (1986–1987; divorced) 2 children Flynn Belaine (1990–1991; divorced) Jennifer Lee (2001–2005; widow)
website	RichardPryor.com

}}

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of his era: Jerry Seinfeld called Pryor "The Picasso of our profession"; Bob Newhart has called Pryor "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years.". This legacy can be attributed, in part, to the unusual degree of intimacy Pryor brought to bear on his comedy. As Bill Cosby reportedly once said, "Richard Pryor drew the line between comedy and tragedy as thin as one could possibly paint it."

His body of work includes the concert movies and recordings ''Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin''' (1971), ''That Nigger's Crazy'' (1974), ''...Is It Something I Said?'' (1975), ''Bicentennial Nigger'' (1976), ''Richard Pryor: Live in Concert'' (1979), ''Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip'' (1982), and ''Richard Pryor: Here and Now'' (1983). He also starred in numerous films as an actor, such as ''Superman III'' (1983) but was usually in comedies such as ''Silver Streak'' (1976), and occasionally in dramatic roles, such as Paul Schrader's film ''Blue Collar'' (1978). He collaborated on many projects with actor Gene Wilder. Another frequent collaborator was actor/comedian/writer Paul Mooney.

Pryor won an Emmy Award (1973), and five Grammy Awards (1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1982). In 1974, he also won two American Academy of Humor awards and the Writers Guild of America Award. The first ever Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor was presented to him in 1998. Pryor is listed at "Number 1" on Comedy Central's list of all-time greatest stand-up comedians.

Early life

Born in Peoria, Illinois, Pryor grew up in his grandmother's brothel, where his mother, Gertrude Thomas, practiced prostitution. His father, LeRoy "Buck Carter" Pryor was a former bartender and boxer.

After his mother abandoned him when he was 10, he was raised primarily by his grandmother Marie Carter, a violent woman who would beat him for any of his eccentricities. Pryor was one of four children raised in his grandmother's brothel. He was a victim of sexual abuse as a child.

He was expelled from school at the age of 14. His first professional performance was playing drums at a night club. Pryor served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960, but spent virtually the entire stint in an army prison. According to a 1999 profile about Pryor in ''The New Yorker'', Pryor was incarcerated for an incident that occurred while stationed in Germany. Annoyed that a white soldier was a bit too amused at the racially charged sections of Douglas Sirk's movie ''Imitation of Life'', Pryor and some other black soldiers beat and stabbed him, though not fatally. According to ''Live on the Sunset Strip'', when he was 19, he worked at a Mafia-owned nightclub in Youngstown, Ohio, as the MC. On hearing that they would not pay a stripper friend of his, he attempted to hold up the owners with a cap pistol. The owners were greatly amused.

During this time, Pryor's girlfriend gave birth to a girl named Renee. Years later, however, he found out that she was not his child. In 1960, he married Patricia Price and they had one child together, Richard Jr. (his first child and first son). They divorced in 1961.

Career

Early career

In 1963, Pryor moved to New York City and began performing regularly in clubs alongside performers such as Bob Dylan and Woody Allen. On one of his first nights, he opened for singer and pianist Nina Simone at New York's Village Gate. Simone recalls Pryor's bout of performance anxiety:

Inspired by Bill Cosby, Pryor began as a middlebrow comic, with material far less controversial than what was to come. Soon, he began appearing regularly on television variety shows, such as ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' and ''The Tonight Show''. His popularity led to success as a comic in Las Vegas. The first five tracks on the 2005 compilation CD ''Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966–1974)'', recorded in 1966 and 1967, capture Pryor in this era.

In September 1967, Pryor had what he called in his autobiography ''Pryor Convictions'' an "epiphany" when he walked onto the stage at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas (with Dean Martin in the audience), looked at the sold-out crowd, exclaimed over the microphone "What the fuck am I doing here!?", and walked off the stage. Afterward, Pryor began working profanity into his act, including "nigger". His first comedy recording, the eponymous 1968 debut release on the Dove/Reprise label, captures this particular period, tracking the evolution of Pryor's routine. Around this time, his parents died — his mother in 1967 and his father in 1968.

In 1967, his second child and first daughter, Elizabeth Ann, was born to his girlfriend Maxine Anderson. Later that year, he married Shelley Bonis. In 1969, his third child and second daughter, Rain Pryor, was born. Pryor and Bonis divorced later that year.

Mainstream success

In 1969, Pryor moved to Berkeley, California, where he immersed himself in the counterculture and rubbed elbows with the likes of Huey P. Newton and Ishmael Reed. He signed with the comedy-oriented independent record label Laff Records in 1970, and in 1971 recorded his second album, ''Craps (After Hours)''. In 1973, the relatively unknown comedian appeared in the documentary ''Wattstax'', where he riffed on the tragic-comic absurdities of race relations in Watts and the nation. Not long afterward, Pryor sought a deal with a larger label, and after some time, signed with Stax Records. His third, breakthrough album, ''That Nigger's Crazy'', was released in 1974 and, Laff, who claimed ownership of Pryor's recording rights, almost succeeded in getting an injunction to prevent the album from being sold. Negotiations led to Pryor's release from his Laff contract. In return for this concession, Laff was enabled to release previously unissued material, recorded between 1968 and 1973, at will.

During the legal battle, Stax briefly closed its doors. At this time, Pryor returned to Reprise/Warner Bros. Records, which re-released ''That Nigger's Crazy'', immediately after ''...Is It Something I Said?'', his first album with his new label. With every successful album Pryor recorded for Warner (or later, his concert films and his 1980 freebasing accident), Laff would quickly publish an album of older material to capitalize on Pryor's growing fame—a practice they continued until 1983. The covers of Laff albums tied in thematically with Pryor movies, such as ''The Wizard of Comedy'' for his appearance in ''The Wiz'', ''Are You Serious?'' for ''Silver Streak'', and ''Insane'' for ''Stir Crazy''.

In the 1970s, Pryor wrote for such television shows as ''Sanford and Son'', ''The Flip Wilson Show'' and a Lily Tomlin special, for which he shared an Emmy Award. During this period, Pryor tried to break into mainstream television. He was a guest host on the first season of ''Saturday Night Live''. Richard took long time girlfriend, actress-talk show host Kathrine McKee (sister of Lonette McKee) with him to New York, and she made a brief guest appearance with Pryor on ''SNL''. He participated in a "racist word association" skit with Chevy Chase.

''The Richard Pryor Show'' premiered on NBC in 1977, but was canceled after only four episodes. Television audiences did not respond to the show's controversial subject matter, and Pryor was unwilling to alter his material for network censors. During the short-lived series, he portrayed the first African-American President of the United States, spoofed the ''Star Wars'' cantina, took on gun violence, and in another skit, used costumes and visual distortion to appear nude.

In 1974, Pryor was arrested for income tax evasion and served 10 days in jail. He married actress Deborah McGuire in 1977, but they divorced in 1978. He soon began dating Jennifer Lee and they married in 1981. They divorced the following year.

In 1979, at the height of his success, Pryor visited Africa. Upon returning to the United States, Pryor swore he would never use the word "nigger" in his stand-up comedy routine again. (However, his favorite epithet, "motherfucker", remains a term of endearment on his official website.)

In the 1970s and 1980s, Pryor appeared in several popular films, including ''Lady Sings the Blues''; ''The Mack''; ''Uptown Saturday Night''; ''Silver Streak''; ''Which Way Is Up?''; ''Car Wash''; ''Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings''; ''Greased Lightning''; ''Blue Collar'' & ''Bustin' Loose''. In 1982, Pryor co-starred with Jackie Gleason in ''The Toy''.

In 1983, Pryor signed a five-year contract with Columbia Pictures for $40,000,000. This resulted in the gentrification of Pryor's onscreen persona and softer, more formulaic films like ''Superman III'', (which earned Pryor $4,000,000), ''Brewster's Millions'', ''Stir Crazy'', ''Moving'', and ''See No Evil, Hear No Evil''. The only film project from this period that recalled his rough roots was Pryor's semi-autobiographic debut as a writer-director, ''Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling'', which was not a major success. Though he made four films with Gene Wilder, the two comic actors were never as close as many thought, according to Wilder's autobiography.

Pryor co-wrote ''Blazing Saddles'', directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder. Pryor was to play the lead role of Bart, but the film's production studio would not insure him, and Mel Brooks chose Cleavon Little instead. Before his infamous 1980 freebasing accident, Pryor was about to start filming Mel Brooks' ''History of the World, Part I'', but was replaced at the last minute by Gregory Hines. Pryor was also originally considered for the role of Billy Ray Valentine on ''Trading Places'', before Eddie Murphy won the part.

Despite a reputation for profanity, Pryor briefly hosted a children's show on CBS in 1984 called ''Pryor's Place''. Like ''Sesame Street'', ''Pryor's Place'' featured a cast of puppets, hanging out and having fun in a surprisingly friendly inner-city environment along with several children and characters portrayed by Pryor himself. However, ''Pryor's Place'' frequently dealt with more sobering issues than ''Sesame Street''. It was canceled shortly after its debut, despite the efforts of famed puppeteers Sid and Marty Krofft and a theme song by Ray Parker, Jr. of ''Ghostbusters'' fame.

Pryor co-hosted the Academy Awards twice, and was nominated for an Emmy for a guest role on the television series, ''Chicago Hope''.

Pryor developed a reputation for being difficult and unprofessional on film sets, and for making unreasonable demands. In his autobiography ''Kiss Me Like a Stranger'', co-star Gene Wilder says that Pryor was frequently late to the set during filming of ''Stir Crazy'', and that he demanded, among other things, a helicopter to fly him to and from set. Pryor was also accused of using allegations of on-set racism to force the hand of film producers into giving him more money. Also from Wilder's book:

In 1989, he appeared in ''Harlem Nights'', a comedy-drama crime film starring Eddie Murphy. It was a financial success, grossing 3½ times the amount it cost to make it (worldwide) and is well known for starring three generations of black comedians (Pryor, Murphy, and Redd Foxx).

Personal life

Health problems

Pryor suffered a mild heart attack in November 1977. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986. By the early 1990s, he was confined to using a wheelchair as well as a motor powered scooter for the remainder of his life to get around when his multiple sclerosis began to take its toll on his body. In 1990, Pryor suffered a second and more severe heart attack and underwent triple heart bypass surgery.

The freebasing incident

On June 9, 1980, during the making of the film ''Bustin' Loose'', Pryor set himself on fire after freebasing cocaine while drinking 151-proof rum. He ran down Parthenia St. from his Northridge, California, home, on fire, until subdued by police. He was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for burns covering more than half of his body. Pryor spent six weeks in recovery at the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital. His daughter, Rain Pryor, stated that Pryor poured high-proof rum over his body and set himself on fire in a bout of drug-induced psychosis.

Pryor incorporated a description of the incident into his "final" comedy show ''Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip'' in 1982. He joked that the event was caused by dunking a cookie into a glass of low-fat and pasteurized milk, causing an explosion. At the end of the bit, he poked fun at people who told jokes about it by waving a lit match and saying, "What's this? It's Richard Pryor running down the street."

After his "final performance", Pryor did not stay away from stand-up comedy long. In 1983, he filmed and released a new concert film and accompanying album, ''Richard Pryor: Here and Now'', which he directed himself. In 1986, he wrote and directed a fictionalized account of his life, ''Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling'' which revolved around the 1980 freebasing incident.

In 1984, his fourth child and second son, Steven, was born to his girlfriend Flynn Belaine. Pryor married Belaine in October 1986. They divorced in July 1987. Before their divorce was final, Belaine conceived Kelsey Pryor. Meanwhile, another of Pryor's girlfriends, Geraldine Mason, gave birth to Franklin Mason, his fifth child and third son, in April 1987. Six months later in October 1987, Belaine gave birth to Kelsey Pryor, Richard's sixth child and third daughter.

Marriages

Pryor was married seven times to five different women: #Patricia Price (1960–1961, divorced) with one child named Richard Pryor Jr. #Shelly Bonis (1967–1969, divorced) with one child named Rain Pryor #Deborah McGuire (September 22, 1977 – 1979, divorced) #Jennifer Lee (August 1981 – October 1982, divorced) #Flynn Belaine (October 1986 – July 1987, divorced) with son Steven (born before the marriage) and daughter Kelsey (before divorce finalized) #Flynn Belaine (1 April 1990 – July 1991, divorced) #Jennifer Lee (June 29, 2001 – December 10, 2005, his death)

His marriages were characterized by accusations of domestic violence and spousal abuse, except for his relationship with Belaine. Most of these allegations were connected to Pryor's drug use. The exception was Patricia Price, who was married to Pryor before his rise to stardom. During his relationship with Pam Grier, Pryor proposed to Deborah McGuire (1977).

He had six children: Richard Jr., Elizabeth, Rain, Steven, Franklin and Kelsey.

Later life

In his later years starting in the early 1990s, Richard Pryor used a power operated vehicle/scooter due to multiple sclerosis (M.S., which he said stood for "More Shit"). He appears on the scooter in his last film appearance, a small role in David Lynch's ''Lost Highway'' (1997) playing an auto repair garage manager named Arnie.

In 1998, Pryor won the first Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. According to former Kennedy Center President Lawrence J. Wilker,

In 2000, Rhino Records remastered all of Pryor's Reprise and WB albums for inclusion in the box set ''...And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968–1992)''.

In early 2000, he appeared in the cold open of The Norm Show in the episode entitled "Norm vs. The Boxer". He played an elderly man in a wheel chair who lost the rights to in-home nursing when he kept attacking the nurses, before attacking Norm himself (using a body double).

In 2001, he remarried Jennifer Lee, who also had become his manager.

In 2002 a television documentary depicted Pryor's life and career. Broadcast in the UK as part of the Channel 4 series ''Kings of Black Comedy'', it was produced, directed and narrated by David Upshal. It featured rare clips from Pryor's 1960s stand-up appearances and movies such as ''Silver Streak'', ''Blue Collar'', ''Stir Crazy'', and ''Richard Pryor Live In Concert''. Contributors included Whoopi Goldberg, Dave Chappelle, Lily Tomlin, George Carlin, Joan Rivers, Ice-T, and Paul Mooney. The show tracked down the two cops who rescued Pryor from his "freebasing incident", former managers and even school friends from Pryor's home town of Peoria, Illinois. In the US the show went out as part of the ''Heroes of Black Comedy'' series on Comedy Central, narrated by Don Cheadle.

In 2002, Pryor and his wife and manager, Jennifer Lee Pryor, won legal rights to all the Laff material, which amounted to almost 40 hours of reel-to-reel analog tape. After going through the tapes and getting Richard's blessing, Jennifer Lee Pryor gave access to the tapes to Rhino Records in 2004. These tapes, including the entire ''Craps'' album, form the basis of the double-CD release ''Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966–1974)''.

A 2003 television documentary, ''Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!!'' consisted of archival footage of Pryor's performances and testimonials from fellow comedians, including Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes, and Denis Leary, on Pryor's influence on comedy.

In 2004, Pryor was voted #1 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. In a 2005 British poll to find ''The Comedian's Comedian'', Pryor was voted the 10th greatest comedy act ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

In late 2004, his sister said he had lost his voice as result of his M.S. However, on January 9, 2005, Pryor's wife, Jennifer Lee, rebutted this statement in a post on Pryor's official website, citing Richard as saying: "I'm sick of hearing this shit about me not talking... not true... I have good days, bad days... but I still am a talkin' motherfucker!"

Pryor was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. The animal rights organization PETA gives out an award in Pryor's name to people who have done outstanding work to alleviate animal suffering. Pryor was active in animal rights and was deeply concerned about the plight of elephants in circuses and zoos.

Death

On December 10, 2005, nine days after his birthday, Pryor suffered a heart attack in Encino, California. He was taken to a local hospital after his wife's attempts to resuscitate him failed. He was pronounced dead at 7:58 am PST. He was 65 years old. His widow Jennifer was quoted as saying, "At the end, there was a smile on his face." He was cremated and his ashes were given to family.

Remembrance and legacy

A planned biopic entitled "Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?" is being produced by Chris Rock and Adam Sandler. The film will star Marlon Wayans as the young Pryor. Other actors previously attached include Mike Epps and Eddie Murphy. The film will be directed by Bill Condon and is scheduled for a 2011 release.

On December 19, 2005, BET aired a Pryor special. It included commentary from fellow comedians, and insight into his upbringing.

An image of Pryor can be seen on the Rage Against the Machine music video for their Soulsonic Force cover of "Renegades of Funk".

There is a street just west of the downtown Peoria area named in his honor.

On March 1, 2008, fellow comedian George Carlin performed his final HBO special. An image of Pryor can be seen in the background throughout his set.

Discography

Albums

;Official canon

''Richard Pryor'' (Dove/Reprise, 1968)

''Craps (After Hours)'' (Laff Records, 1971, reissued 1993 by Loose Cannon/Island)

''That Nigger's Crazy'', (Partee/Stax, 1974, reissued 1975 by Reprise)

''...Is It Something I Said?'', (Reprise, 1975, reissued 1991 on CD by Warner Archives)

''Bicentennial Nigger'', (Reprise, 1976)

''Wanted: Live in Concert'' (2-LP set), (Warner Bros. Records, 1978)

''Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip'' (Warner Bros. Records, 1982)

''Here and Now'', (Warner Bros. Records, 1983)

;Others

''L.A. Jail'', (Tiger Lily, 1976)

''Are You Serious ???'', (Laff, 1977)

''Who Me? I'm Not Him'', (Laff, 1977)

''Black Ben The Blacksmith'', (Laff, 1978)

''The Wizard of Comedy'', (Laff, 1978)

''Outrageous'', (Laff, 1979)

''Insane'', (Laff, 1980)

''Holy Smoke!'', (Laff, 1980)

''Rev. Du Rite'', (Laff, 1981)

''Richard Pryor Live!'' (picture disc), (Phoenix/Audiofidelity, 1982)

''Supernigger'', (Laff. 1983)

Compilations

''Pryor Goes Foxx Hunting'', (Laff. 1973)

* Split LP with Redd Foxx, containing previously released tracks from ''Craps (After Hours)''

''Down And Dirty'', (Laff. 1975)

* Split LP with Redd Foxx, containing previously released tracks from ''Craps (After Hours)''

''Richard Pryor Meets... Richard & Willie And... The SLA!!'', (Laff. 1976)

* Split LP with black ventriloquist act Richard And Willie, containing previously released tracks from ''Craps (After Hours)''

''Richard Pryor's Greatest Hits'', (Warner Bros. Records, 1977)

* Contains tracks from ''Craps (After Hours)'', ''That Nigger's Crazy'', and ''...Is It Something I Said?'', plus a previously unreleased track from 1975, "Ali".

''...And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968–1992)'' (9-CD box set) (Warner Bros. Records/Rhino, 2000)

* Box set collection containing all Warner Bros. albums plus a bonus disc of previously unissued material from 1973 to 1992.

''The Anthology (1968–1992)'' (2-CD set) (Warner Bros. Records/Rhino, 2002 in music/2002)

* Highlights culled from the albums collected in the ''...And It's Deep Too!'' box set.

''Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966–1974)'' (2-CD set) (Warner Bros. Records/Rhino, 2005)

* Pryor-authorized compilation of material released on Laff, including the entire ''Craps (After Hours)'' album.

Filmography

''The Busy Body'' (1967)

''Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales'' (1968)

''Wild in the Streets'' (1968)

''Black Brigade'' (1970)

''The Phynx'' (1970)

''You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat'' (1971)

''Dynamite Chicken'' (1972)

''Lady Sings the Blues'' (1972)

''The Mack'' (1973)

''Wattstax'' (1973)

''Hit!'' (1973)

''Some Call It Loving'' (1973)

''Uptown Saturday Night'' (1974)

''The Lion Roars Again'' (1975)

''Adios Amigo'' (1976)

''Car Wash'' (1976)

''The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings'' (1976)

''Silver Streak'' (1976)

''Which Way Is Up?'' (1977)

''Greased Lightning'' (1977)

''Blue Collar'' (1978)

''The Wiz'' (1978)

''California Suite'' (1978)

''Richard Pryor: Live in Concert'' (1979)

''The Muppet Movie'' (1979) (cameo)

''Wholly Moses'' (1980)

''In God We Tru$t'' (1980)

''Stir Crazy'' (1980)

''Bustin' Loose'' (1981)

''Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip'' (1982)

''Some Kind of Hero'' (1982)

''The Toy'' (1982)

''Superman III'' (1983)

''Richard Pryor: Here and Now'' (1983)

''Motown 25'' (1983)

''Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin''' (1985)

''Brewster's Millions'' (1985)

''Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling'' (1986)

''Critical Condition'' (1987)

''Moving'' (1988)

''See No Evil, Hear No Evil'' (1989)

''Harlem Nights'' (1989)

''The Three Muscatels'' (1991)

''Another You'' (1991)

''A Century of Cinema'' (1994)

''Mad Dog Time'' (1996)

''Lost Highway'' (1997)

''The Norm Show'' (1999, Cameo in Opening of Season 2, Episode 11)

''Bitter Jester'' (2003)

''I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$@!! (2003)

''Richard Pryor: The Funniest Man Dead Or Alive'' (2005, BET Special)

''Black Dynamite'' (2009) Cameo via archive footage

References

External links

Richard Pryor: Stand-Up Philosopher, ''City Journal,'' Spring 2009

Post by Richard Pryor on his official website rebutting voice-loss rumors

Richard Pryor's KFC Cruelty Billboard

Richard Pryor's Ancestry

''Bright Lights Film Journal'' career profile

;Obituaries

Category:1940 births Category:2005 deaths Category:African American comedians Category:African American film actors Category:American film actors Category:American social commentators Category:American stand-up comedians Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:Disease-related deaths in California Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:Mark Twain Prize recipients Category:People from Peoria, Illinois Category:Deaths from multiple sclerosis

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name	Ed Sullivan
birth name	Edward Vincent Sullivan
birth date	September 28, 1901
birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
death date	October 13, 1974
death place	New York City, New York, U.S.
occupation	Television hostWriter
years active	1932–1973
spouse	Sylvia (m. 1930–1973) }}

Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 (a total of 23 years), which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S. broadcast history.

Early career

A former boxer, Sullivan began his media work as a newspaper sportswriter. When Walter Winchell, one of the original gossip columnists and the most powerful entertainment reporter of his day, left the newspaper for the Hearst syndicate, Sullivan took over as theatre columnist for ''The New York Evening Graphic'' and later for ''The New York Daily News''. His column, 'Little Old New York', concentrated on Broadway shows and gossip, as Winchell's had and, like Winchell, he also did show business news broadcasts on radio. Again echoing Winchell, Sullivan took on yet another medium in 1933 by writing and starring in the film ''Mr. Broadway'', which has him guiding the audience around New York nightspots to meet entertainers and celebrities. Sullivan soon became a powerful starmaker in the entertainment world himself, becoming one of Winchell's main rivals, setting the El Morocco nightclub in New York as his unofficial headquarters against Winchell's seat of power at the nearby Stork Club. Sullivan continued writing for ''The News'' throughout his broadcasting career and his popularity long outlived that of Winchell.

Television

In 1948, the CBS network hired Sullivan to do a weekly Sunday night TV variety show, ''Toast of the Town'', which later became ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. Debuting in June 1948, the show was broadcast from CBS Studio 50, at 1697 Broadway (at 53rd Street) in New York City, which in 1967 was renamed the Ed Sullivan Theater (and is now the home of ''The Late Show with David Letterman'').

Television critics gave the new show and its host poor reviews. Harriet Van Horne alleged that "he got where he is not by having a personality, but by having ''no'' personality." (The host wrote to the critic, "Dear Miss Van Horne: You bitch. Sincerely, Ed Sullivan.") Sullivan had little acting ability; in 1967, 20 years after his show's debut, ''Time'' magazine asked "What exactly is Ed Sullivan's talent?" His mannerisms on camera were so awkward that some viewers believed the host suffered from Bell's palsy. ''Time'' in 1955 stated that Sullivan resembled

The magazine concluded, however, that "Yet, instead of frightening children, Ed Sullivan charms the whole family." Sullivan appeared to the audience as an average guy who brought the great acts of show business to their home televisions. ("Ed Sullivan will last", comedian Fred Allen said, "as long as someone else has talent", and frequent guest Alan King said "Ed does nothing, but he does it better than anyone else in television.") He had a newspaperman's instinct for what the public wanted, and programmed his variety hours with remarkable balance. There was something for everyone. A typical show would feature a vaudeville act (acrobats, jugglers, magicians, etc.), one or two popular comedians, a singing star, a hot jukebox favorite, a figure from the legitimate theater, and for the kids, a visit with puppet "Topo Gigio, the little Italian mouse." The bill was often international in scope, with many European performers augmenting the American artists.

Sullivan had a healthy sense of humor about himself and permitted—even encouraged—impersonators such as John Byner, Frank Gorshin, Rich Little and especially Will Jordan to imitate him on his show. Johnny Carson also did a fair impression, and even Joan Rivers imitated Sullivan's unique posture. The impressionists exaggerated his stiffness, raised shoulders, and nasal tenor phrasing, along with some of his commonly used introductions, such as "And now, right here on our stage...", "For all you youngsters out there...", and "a really big shew" (his pronunciation of the word "show"). Will Jordan portrayed Sullivan in the films ''I Wanna Hold Your Hand'', ''The Buddy Holly Story'', ''The Doors'', ''Mr. Saturday Night'', ''Down with Love'', and in the 1979 TV movie ''Elvis''.

Sullivan, the starmaker

In the 1950s and 1960s, Sullivan was a respected starmaker because of the number of performers that became household names after appearing on the show. He had a knack for identifying and promoting top talent and paid a great deal of money to secure that talent for his show.

When Elvis Presley became popular, Sullivan was wary of the singer's bad-boy style and said that he would never invite Presley on his program. Presley became too big a name to ignore, and Sullivan scheduled him to appear on September 8, 1956. In August, however, Sullivan was injured in an automobile accident that occurred near his country home in Southbury, Connecticut. Sullivan had to take a medical leave from the series and missed the Elvis Presley show. Charles Laughton wound up introducing Presley on the Sullivan hour. After Sullivan got to know Presley personally, he made amends by telling his audience, "This is a real decent, fine boy."

Sullivan's failure to scoop the TV industry with Presley made him determined to get the next big sensation first. In 1964, he achieved that with the first live American appearance of The Beatles, on February 9, 1964, the most-watched program in TV history to that point and still one of the most-watched programs of all time. The Beatles appeared three more times on the Sullivan show in person, and submitted filmed performances later. Sullivan struck up such a rapport with the Beatles that he agreed to introduce them at their momentous Shea Stadium concert on August 15, 1965. The Dave Clark Five, heavily promoted as having a "cleaner" image than the Beatles, made 13 appearances on the Sullivan show, more than any other UK group.

Unlike many shows of the time, Sullivan asked that most musical acts perform their music live, rather than lip-synching to their recordings. Some of these performances have recently been issued on CD. Examination of performances show that exceptions were made, as when a microphone could not be placed close enough to a performer for technical reasons. An example was B.J. Thomas' 1969 performance of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", in which actual water was sprinkled on him as a special effect. In 1969, Sullivan presented the Jackson 5 with their first single "I Want You Back", which ousted the B. J. Thomas song from the top spot of Billboard's pop charts.

Sullivan appreciated African American talent. He paid for the funeral of dancer Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson out of his own pocket. He also defied pressure to exclude African American musicians from appearing on his show. One of Sullivan's favorite and most frequent acts was The Supremes, who appeared 17 times on the show, helping to pave the way for other Motown acts to appear on the show such as The Temptations, The Four Tops, and Martha and the Vandellas.

At a time when television had not yet embraced country and Western music, Sullivan was adamant about featuring Nashville performers on his program. This insistence paved the way for shows such as ''Hee Haw'' and variety shows hosted by country singers like Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell.

The act that appeared most frequently through the show's run was the Canadian comedy duo of Wayne & Shuster, making 67 appearances between 1958 and 1969.

Sullivan also appeared as himself on other television programs, including an April 1958 episode of the Howard Duff and Ida Lupino CBS sitcom, ''Mr. Adams and Eve''. On September 14, 1958 Sullivan appeared on ''What's My Line?'' as a mystery guest, and showed his comedic side by donning a rubber mask. In 1961, Sullivan was asked by CBS to fill in for an ailing Red Skelton on ''The Red Skelton Show''. Sullivan took Skelton's roles in the various comedy sketches; Skelton's hobo character "Freddie the Freeloader" was renamed "Eddie the Freeloader."

Personality

There was another side to Sullivan: he could be very quick to take offense if he felt he had been crossed, and could hold a grudge for a long time. This could sometimes be seen as a part of his TV personality. Jackie Mason, Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, and The Doors became intimately familiar with Sullivan's negative side.

On November 20, 1955, Bo Diddley was asked by Sullivan to sing Tennessee Ernie Ford's hit "Sixteen Tons". Diddley sensed the choice of song would end his career then and there, and instead sang his #1 hit "Bo Diddley". He was banned from the show.

Buddy Holly and the Crickets had first appeared on the Sullivan show in 1957, singing two songs and making a favorable impression on Sullivan. He invited the band to make another appearance in January 1958. Sullivan thought their record hit "Oh, Boy!" was too raucous and ordered Holly to substitute another song. Holly had already told his hometown friends in Texas that he would be singing "Oh, Boy!" for them, and told Sullivan as much. Sullivan was unaccustomed to having his instructions disobeyed. When the band was summoned to the rehearsal stage on short notice, only Holly was in their dressing room. Sullivan said, "I guess The Crickets are not too excited to be on The Ed Sullivan Show," to which Holly, still annoyed by Sullivan's attitude, replied, "I hope they're damn more excited than I am." Sullivan, already bothered by the choice of songs, was now even angrier. He cut the Crickets' act from two songs to one, and when introducing them mispronounced Holly's name, so it came out vaguely as '"Buddy Hollett." In addition, Sullivan saw to it that the microphone for Holly's electric guitar was turned off. Holly tried to compensate by singing as loudly as he could. The band was received so well that Sullivan was forced to invite them back for a third appearance. Holly's response was that Sullivan didn't have enough money. Footage of the performance survives; photographs taken that day show Sullivan looking angry and Holly smirking and perhaps ignoring Sullivan.

In 1963, Bob Dylan was to set appear on the show, but network censors rejected the song he wanted to perform, "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues", as potentially libelous to the John Birch Society. Refusing to perform a different song, Dylan walked off the set at dress rehearsal. Sullivan, who had approved the song at a previous rehearsal, backed Dylan's decision. The incident resulted in accusations against the network of engaging in censorship.

Jackie Mason was banned from the series in October 1964 (the ban was removed a year and a half later, and Mason made his final appearance on the show). During a taping of Mason's monologue Sullivan, off camera, gestured that Mason should wrap things up, as the show was suddenly shown live following an abbreviated address by President Lyndon Johnson, which was expected to preempt the entire show. The nervous Mason told the audience, "I'm getting two fingers here!" and made his own frantic hand gesture: "Here's a finger for you!" Videotapes of the incident are inconclusive as to whether Mason's upswept hand was intended to be an indecent gesture, but Sullivan's body language immediately afterward made it clear that he was convinced of it, despite Mason's panic-stricken denials later. Sullivan later invited Mason back for a return engagement, but the notoriety of the "finger" incident lingered with the studio audience.

When The Byrds performed on December 12, 1965, David Crosby got into a shouting match with the show's director. They were never asked to return.

On January 15, 1967 The Rolling Stones were told to change the chorus of "Let's Spend the Night Together" to "Let's spend ''some time'' together". Lead singer Mick Jagger complied, but deliberately called attention to this censorship by rolling his eyes and mugging when he uttered the new words. Shortly, after the performance, the Stones went backstage, and came back on stage, dressed in Nazi uniforms with swastikas, which caused an angry Sullivan to tell them to go back to their dressing rooms and change back into their performing outfits, however, the Stones left the studio and Sullivan banned the group from ever appearing on his show again.

The Doors were banned on September 17, 1967 after they were asked to remove the lyric "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" from their song "Light My Fire" (CBS censors believed that it was too overt a reference to drug use). The band was asked to change the lyric to "girl we couldn't get much better". Morrison sang the original lyric.

Moe Howard of the Three Stooges recalled in 1975 that Sullivan had a memory problem of sorts: "Ed was a very nice man, but for a showman, quite forgetful. On our first appearance, he introduced us as the Three Ritz Brothers. He got out of it by adding, "who look more like the Three Stooges to me." Diana Ross later recalled Sullivan's forgetfulness during the many occasions The Supremes performed on his show. In a 1995 appearance on The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' (which is filmed in Ed Sullivan Theater), Ross stated, "he could never remember our names. He called us 'the girls'."

In a 1990 press conference Paul McCartney recalled meeting Sullivan again in the early 1970s but Sullivan apparently had no idea who McCartney was. McCartney tried to remind Sullivan that he was one of The Beatles but Sullivan obviously could not remember and, nodding and smiling, simply shook McCartney's hand and left.

Politics

Ed Sullivan, like many American entertainers, was pulled into the Cold War fervor of the late 1940s and 1950s. In 1949, Sullivan booked dancer Paul Draper to appear on ''Toast of the Town''. However, Draper’s scheduled appearance in January 1950 was met with opposition from Hester McCullough, a woman who involved herself in the hunt for subversives. McCullough accused Draper of sympathizing with the communist party, and although Draper denied the accusation, McCullough demanded that Sullivan’s lead sponsor, the Ford Motor Company, cancel Draper’s appearance. Despite McCullough’s protest, Draper was a guest on ''Toast of the Town'', as was originally scheduled. After the program was broadcast, Ford received over a thousand angry letters and telegraphs in response to Draper’s appearance. Consequently, Sullivan was obligated to write a letter of apology to Ford’s adverting agency, Kenyon & Eckhardt, promising to never again move forward with such a controversial guest. Meanwhile, Draper was forced to move to Europe to earn a living.

Another guest who never appeared on the show because of the controversy surrounding him was legendary African-American singer-actor Paul Robeson, who, at the time of the Draper incident, was undergoing his own troubles with the industry's hunt for supposed Communist sympathizers.

After the Draper incident, Sullivan began to work closely with Theodore Kirkpatrick of the anti-communist ''Counterattack'' newsletter. Sullivan would check with Kirkpatrick if a potential guest had some "explaining to do" about his politics. Sullivan wrote in his June 21, 1950 ''New York Daily News'' column that "Kirkpatrick has sat in my living room on several occasions and listened attentively to performers eager to secure a certification of loyalty." Jerome Robbins, in his PBS ''American Experience'' biography, claimed that he was forced to capitulate to the House Un-American Activities Committee, identifying eight Communist sympathizers and disgracing himself among his fellow artists, allegedly because Sullivan threatened to reveal Robbins's homosexuality to the public.

Later years and death

In the fall of 1965, CBS began televising the weekly programs in color. Although the Sullivan show was seen live in the Central and Eastern time zones, it was taped for airing in the Pacific and Mountain time zones. Most of the taped programs (as well as some early kinescopes) were preserved, and excerpts have been released on home video.

By 1971, the show's ratings had plummeted. In an effort to refresh their lineup, CBS cancelled the program along with some of its other longtime shows. Sullivan was angered by this so greatly that he refused to do a final show, although he remained with the network in various other capacities and hosted a 25th anniversary special in 1973.

In early September 1974, X-rays revealed that Sullivan had advanced esophageal cancer. Only his family was told, however, and as the doctors gave Sullivan very little time, the family chose to keep the diagnosis from him. Sullivan, still believing his ailment to be yet another complication from a long-standing battle with ulcers, died five weeks later, on October 13, 1974, at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital. His funeral was attended by 3,000 at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York on a cold, rainy day. Sullivan is interred in a crypt at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

Personal life

Sullivan was engaged to champion swimmer Sybil Bauer, but she died of cancer in 1927 at the age of 23. He was married to the former Sylvia Weinstein from April 28, 1930, until her death on March 16, 1973. They had one daughter, Betty Sullivan (who married the ''Ed Sullivan Show'''s producer, Bob Precht). Sullivan was in the habit of calling Sylvia after every program to get her immediate critique.

Sullivan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Blvd.

References

Further reading

Leonard, John, ''The Ed Sullivan Age'', ''American Heritage'', May/June 1997, Volume 48, Issue 3

Nachman, Gerald, ''Ed Sullivan'', December 18, 2006.

Maguire, James, ''Impresario: The Life and Times of Ed Sullivan'', Billboard Books, 2006

Bowles, Jerry, ''A Thousand Sundays: The Story of the Ed Sullivan Show'', Putnam, 1980

Barthelme, Donald, "And Now Let's Hear It for the Ed Sullivan Show!" in ''Guilty Pleasures'', Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1974

External links

The Official Ed Sullivan Show Website

Ed Sullivan at TVGuide.com

Overview of Ed Sullivan's life

The Ed Sullivan Show – Rock 'n' Roll Classics

Category:1901 births Category:1974 deaths Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American writers of Irish descent Category:American television personalities Category:Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery Category:Cancer deaths in New York Category:Deaths from esophageal cancer Category:Gossip columnists Category:People from New York City

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{{infobox film | name

The N-Word | imageTHE N WORD DVD COVER.jpg | caption Movie cover for ''The N-Word''| writer Todd Larkins Williams | starringVarious actors, actresses, comedians, musicians, politicians, and activists | directorTodd Larkins Williams | music Michael Cohen | distributor Trio Films| releasedJune 26, 2004 | runtime86 min. | languageEnglish | movie_series| awards| producerHelena Echegoyen Nelson George | budget |}}

''The N-Word'' is a 2004 documentary directed and written by Todd Larkins Williams. The movie, as the title may suggest, looks into the history and usage of the word nigger and its variations.

Interviews With:

Sandra Bernhard

Todd Boyd

Elaine Brown

LeVar Burton

George Carlin

Cee-Lo Green

Morris Chestnut

Stanley Crouch

Ice Cube

Damon Dash

Chuck D

Nelson George

Whoopi Goldberg

Dick Gregory

Bryant Gumbel

Lisa Gay Hamilton

Samuel L. Jackson

Quincy Jones

Robin D.G. Kelley

Regina King

Talib Kweli

Nia Long

Wynton Marsalis

Chi McBride

Paul Mooney

Alvin F. Poussaint

Michael Rapaport

Ving Rhames

Chris Rock

John Salley

Ron Shelton

Russell Simmons

John Singleton

Cree Summer

Saul Williams

George C. Wolfe

See also

''Guilty or Innocent of Using the N Word''

External links

Category:Documentary films about words and language Category:Race-related films Category:2004 films