Even if Richard Pryor hadn't asked to cut the ordered number of episodes of The Richard Pryor Show from ten to four, they all would have probably never aired anyway. The variety show was just that, a variety show, mixing comedy and drama, slapstick and satire, goofiness and thoughtfulness. It was one of the best worst ideas for 1970's television.
With Pryor's death in December of last year, BET made homage to him, but showing such movies like the disappointing Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling and shows like I Ain't Dead Yet. Quite possibly, a lot of Pryor fans put The Richard Pryor Show on their Christmas list at the last minute and were probably disappointed with what they say.
Pryor was a comedian who made the horrible humorous. He was funny and dangerous to mainstream America. So, NBC tried to follow on the success of Saturday Night Live with a ready for primetime cast. But Pryor has said the censors got in the way and decided to quit while he was ahead.
Still, the four aired episodes and special are together on a three-disc collection. It's not just for Pryor fans. Familiar faces such as Marsha Warfield (Night Court), Paul Mooney (Hollywood Shuffle) John Witherspoon (Friday) Sandra Bernhard (The King of Comedy), Tim Reid (WKRP in Cincinnati) James Martinez (Life Stinks) and Charles Fleischer (the voice of Roger Rabbit) appear in the skits along with some guy named Robin Williams before Mork and Mindy made him famous.
But this is The Richard Pryor Show and he is the star. It probably would have worked better as an ensemble.
Some of the skits are great. There is a funny parody of the Star Wars catina scene. Pryor and Warfield have a great scene of pantomine in a restaurant. Performers do improv and later roast Pryor. But the dramatic sketches don't work. A bit about gun violence becomes too preachy. There is also a small story about a WWII soldier returning home to find out his girlfriend, now a singer, is engaged. But Pryor shows his soft side in a bit performing as a circus clown to kids. However, bits about a woman talking about being sexually assaulted and Maya Angelou speaking to a passed out drunk about how much she loves him don't seem to fit. Also, there is a corny bit on the bonus special where kids give us a song and dance history lesson about innovators and inventors who are of different races. It probably wouldn't have seemed so bad if the kid's 1970's fashion wasn't so tacky.
Some of the jokes are about as topical as your latest Spiro Agnew office joke. Pryor does a funny impression of General Amin, but you might be wondering, who the hell is General Amin?
One of the best parts of the DVD is on the special features where Pryor does a Q&A with the answer and it's uncensored.
After sitting through the three hours plus of this show, you might find yourself asking, what was so bad about it that made the censors angry. This show came out in 1977, the same year George Carlin did his first HBO special and disclaimers appeared warning viewers of Carlin's language and that was cable TV.
The Richard Pryor Show is only for those who are true Pryor fans or if you like John Witherspoon, Robin Williams, Sandra Bernhard, etc. This is a like it or hate it DVD. I like it. Maybe you will too.
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