Korean Job Discussion Forums

On the other hand · Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Location: I walk along the avenue

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10412702/

I never really got into his stuff(actually, that's an understatement). I've seen a couple of the movies he did with Gene Wilder, including SEE NO EVIL HEAR NO EVIL, in which he played a blind man. What was interesting was that Pryor was obviously sick from MS, but he managed to make his own physical limitations work with the character he was portraying.

VanIslander · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 7:55 pm Post subject:

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"Are these Idaho potatoes?" Laughing

deessell · Joined: 08 Jun 2005

Unfortunately these days when I think about him all is remember is his escpades with the freebasing and the burns with the blow torch.

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

I also mostly just remember the films with Gene Wilder and the "freebasing" incident. But, he evidently was a real groundbreaker and inspirational role-model for comedians - especially black comedians - who came after him. The following is a little excerpt from the L.A. Times article:

The comedian's body of work, a political movement in itself, was steeped in race, class and social commentary, and encompassed the stage, screen, records and television. He won five Grammys and an Emmy.

At one point the highest-paid black performer in the entertainment industry, the lauded but misfortune-dogged comedian inadvertently became a de facto role model: a lone wolf figure to whom many an up-and-coming comic from Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock to Robin Williams and Richard Belzer have paid homage. Pryor kicked stand-up humor into a brand new realm.

"I've been trying to figure out the analogies to what Richard Pryor meant, and the closest I can come to is Miles Davis," said Reginald Hudlin, the film and TV director and president of entertainment for Black Entertainment Television. "There's music before Miles Davis, and there's music after Miles Davis. And Richard Pryor is that same kind of person.

"Every new piece kind of transformed the game," Hudlin said. "He was a culturally transcendent hero. His influence is bigger than black comedy; it's bigger than comedy. He was a cultural giant."

Comedian Keenen Ivory Wayans once said: "Richard Pryor is the groundbreaker." He "showed us that you can be black and have a black voice and be successful."

AbbeFaria · Joined: 17 May 2005 Location: Gangnam

Truly sad. If you've never seen his old tv show, you're really missing out. He did stuff so shocking that even today, with the likes of Chris Rock and Eddie Griffin, it's still ahead of the times. But always funny. He spouted profainity like a priest spouts god, but I never found him to be dirty.

deessell · Joined: 08 Jun 2005

The definative article on the life and times of Richard Pryer.

http://www.talkingcomedy.com/summer2001/legends-su01/RP-LGND-su01.html

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

He was a funny guy and I think a pretty nice, though messed up, character.

Strange, when I read it in the paper, I thought, hmm... didn't he die 2 or 3 years ago?

(must be the drugs)