Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982)

Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip
Directed by Joe Layton
Written by Richard Pryor
1982/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/YouTube rental

Richard Pryor: One time, it looked like I had an appendage on my hand – was a pipe. Cause this pipe used to tell me when to go to bed. The pipe would say, “Time to get up. Time for some smoke, Rich. Come on now. We’re not going to do anything today. Fuck all of your appointments. Me and you just going to hang out in this room together.” And I’d get mad and frustrated. People didn’t understand me and the pipe would say, “Come in the room with me. I’ve got you covered. I know how you feel, Rich. I understand. Just light me up, hold me for a couple of days, and we’ll talk it over.”

This concert film has to capture one of the best standup comedy routines ever.

Richard Pryor’s material includes:  experience filming at a penitentiary; his trip to Africa; relationship advice; race relations;  an appearance by his character Mudbone with some folk wisdom; “Mafia nightclub”and finally his self-immolation while free-basing cocaine in 1980.

I saw this on original release. I loved it then and I still love it. It has not aged one bit. The topics may not sound hilarious but his descriptions certainly are. And unlike many such routines, it is all personal and relatable. Anybody who doesn’t enjoy profanity should definitely give this a miss. Highly recommended to all others.