'Harlem Nights' Ended A Brilliant Era In Comedy

CLEVELAND - As a child, I idolized one of the worst people a child of the 1980's could idolize: Eddie Murphy. From his hilarious stint on Saturday Night Live to his mega successful films, Murphy was a huge part of where my comedic sensibilities derived. But to me, his true genius hit its apex with the release of Harlem Nights.

The critics hated that flick.

Hard to believe, but it was 20 years ago today that Murphy's final film of the '80's hit movie theaters nationwide. But Harlem Nights, a period piece set in 1938 Harlem, NY had far more value than its unimpressive storyline would indicate. First off, Murphy wrote, directed and starred in the film. Secondly, he assembled a highly accomplished cast that featured Danny Aiello and Michael Lerner as well as Della Reese and Jasmine Guy. Those people were just the icing on the cake. The cherry on top was the appearance of legendary comedians Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx alongside Murphy, who was the biggest box office draw in the U.S. at the time.

Pryor, who turned 49 a month after the film's release had long been the biggest comedic influence for Murphy, who turned to comedy as a result of being amazed at Pryor's racy performances. Similarly, Foxx had been one of Pryor's influences early in his career.

The story of the movie is less important when compared to the awesome assembly of three generations of comedic gold. Foxx, then 67 was best known for his legendary portrayal of junk dealer Fred Sanford on the 1970's sitcom Sanford and Son. Pryor was quite possibly the biggest influence in the history of modern comedy and like Foxx, enjoyed a successful acting career. Murphy, at age 28 was the baby of the group but had amassed far greater film success and financial rewards than both Pryor and Foxx combined. Even still, the hilarious triumvirate meshed well together and each had their individual moments of humorous grandeur in the film.

As great as Harlem Nights was as a showcase of legendary black talent, there is a very sad fact about what that movie came to represent. Pryor had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis just three years prior to this film but had not yet begun showing any of the debilitating signs of the disease. Just a few years after Harlem Nights, the effects of MS became so visually obvious that Pryor began to look and act like a shell of his former self. Foxx died less than two years after Harlem Nights premiered and Murphy's film career, nearly perfect until this film was never quite the same. In essence, Harlem Nights ended an amazing era in comedy.

Pryor died in December 2005, which saddened many who remembered the man as a true giant in his field. Though no longer an A-list actor, the 48-year old Murphy has spent the past 15 years reinventing himself as an actor. He hasn't done stand up in 22 years, since 1987's Eddie Murphy Raw, but he still holds some appeal to children (of all people) with his more family friendly roles.

Harlem Nights was a huge deal to me in 1989. Not only did it contain my man Eddie, it also featured Arsenio Hall in a bit part. Hall's celebrity was heavy on the rise at the time because of his eponymous late night talk show which had become a sensation, and I was a big fan of his too. I must admit, I refuse to accept anything Murphy has done after his awesome string of hit films in the '80's (except 1992's Boomerang) so Harlem Nights was almost like saying goodbye to the Eddie Murphy that I knew and loved.

I still can't believe it's been 20 years!

20 Years Ago Today: Arsenio Makes History

CLEVELAND - I have always had a propensity for staying up well past a normal bedtime. When Arsenio Hall came to television with his own late night talk show, my habit got even worse.

Arsenio was must-see TV.

Hall, a stand-up comic from Cleveland, Ohio was a guest host for The Tonight Show in the late 1980's. He even had a brief stint on a Joan Rivers talk show. But his appearance in the 1988 Eddie Murphy film Coming to America gave him real visibility and opened the door for the popularity he would gain with his seminal talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show.

The show premiered 20 years ago today, on Jan. 3, 1989 and was a stunning success. It catered to the so-called MTV generation and featured a wide variety of hip-hop artists, including icons such as N.W.A., Snoop Doggy Dogg and Tupac Shakur, long before they became historical figures, forever immortalized in their genre's history.

Mariah Carey made her public debut on the show in 1990, and every "hot" or noteworthy figure of the time appeared on the show, whether in music, film, politics, sports or ...you name it. Mike Tyson and Don King came on. M.C. Hammer, at the height of his perplexing greatness was on. There was Tone Loc, Vanilla Ice, Pee-Wee Herman, and many others. Filmmaker Spike Lee came on in 1991 and criticized Hall's close pal Murphy for not using his enormous leverage at the time in Hollywood to open more doors for Blacks. He and Hall had it out on the air.

Bill Clinton came on in 1992 while running for president of the United States and played the saxophone. Shakur came and discussed his serious legal problems and pending trial on sexual assault, nearly three years before his murder. Michael Jordan gave Hall a pair of the then-brand new Air Jordan V's and talked about coaching teammate Scottie Pippen for the 1990 Slam Dunk contest. Arsenio's good pal Earvin "Magic" Johnson came on the show on Nov. 7, 1991, the night he disclosed to the world that he was HIV-positive.

The show will forever be an enormous piece of pop culture history.

Arsenio wasn't the best interviewer, but he spoke to a segment of America that was becoming more relevant. The legendary Johnny Carson retired in 1992, giving way to Jay Leno and on another network, David Letterman. But Hall was exciting and hip. He was fresh and cutting edge and often had controversial figures on as well. The Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakahn appeared on the show. Suge Knight came on and revealed that he was in the process of forming Death Row Records, possibly with drug money as his start-up funding.

The show lasted for over 1,200 episodes and ended in May 1994. Just two weeks later, O.J. Simpson got tangled up in his historic drama, being accused of murdering two people. I only wish Hall's show would have been around for that. His monologues were often uproarious and Simpson's situation would have been perfect fodder.

Since the show aired at 1AM locally, I was often banned from watching it on school nights. I used to sneak and watch it before my mother eventually gave in and allowed me access.

As Arsenio would say, "yessss!"

Hard to believe it's been 20 full years since the show's inception. I will forever remember it as a being, not only a pivotal piece of television history, but my own history as well.

That's kinda why I have my own talk show nowadays!