Pryor's Influence Extended Beyond Fellow Comics

CLEVELAND - Richard Pryor was once very flatteringly called "The Picasso of [comedy]." Bob Newhart once labeled him "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years." Very effusive praise for a man as tortured and flawed as Pryor, but millions the world over agreed with those sentiments.

Including me.

Today is the 69th anniversary of Pryor's birth. Since he sadly died nine days after his birthday in 2005, I'm simply calling it an anniversary as opposed to an actual birthday. In any event, Pryor's physical absence on Earth pales in comparison to his very pervasive presence and enormous influence over the world of comedy, even nowadays. Scores of comedians were influenced by Pryor and became comics themselves. His frank observations on race, social issues and sex were fascinating. His unadulterated style of delivering those observations was riveting and wholly groundbreaking. Where his critics saw filth, his fans saw uncompromised honesty. He wasn't so much vulgar and obscene as much as he was perfectly plugged into the hidden psyches of the common man.

It served him quite well.

As a child, I was enamored with Eddie Murphy's comedic style. Later, I discovered that Murphy himself was essentially a disciple of Pryor and shamelessly (and secretly) emulated him as an adolescent living on Long Island in the mid-1970's. So as it turns out, the man I grew up idolizing was actually infusing me with Pryor-inspired doctrines and attitudes with a little of his own interpretations thrown in. It's no wonder that, when my step father would send me out of the room so that he could listen to one of Pryor's groundbreaking comedy albums, that I would chuckle hysterically in the next room after overhearing it through the walls.

It is a well known fact that Pryor has long been canonized in the world of comedy. Luminaries such as Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby, Steve Harvey, Dick Gregory, Chris Rock and Jamie Foxx have all issued very glittering praise for the man and extolled his massive legacy. What I'm more interested in is how he impacted me and my sensibilities as an entertainer and comic. Because of Pryor, I am always unafraid to push the envelope or make a blunt observation of an inconvenient truth. Though I hated Pryor's often masochistic and self-loathing tendencies, I realize that those exact qualities birthed his incredible gifts and talent.

Long live Richard Pryor.

'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!