Coming to NYC’s Maysles Cinema as part of Filmwax’s Docularious! series this Saturday, February 9: WHY WE LAUGH: BLACK COMEDIANS ON BLACK COMEDY
Robert Townsend’s overview of the history of black comedy in America made its world premiere at Sundance in 2009. The documentary was acquired by Showtime for its cable broadcast premiere in 2010, and went on to tour at various festivals, film series, and college engagements.
Aided by a copious amount of entertaining clips, a who’s who of comedy weigh in on the development of their profession, and the specific influence black comedians have had, in Townsend’s entertaining and appreciative survey. Going back to the racially charged tradition of minstrel shows and blackface, to early performers like Bert Williams and Lincoln “Stepin Fetchit” Perry, the film explores the representations of black entertainment and entertainers as it moved from stereotypes like Amos ‘n’ Andy to more rounded, yet often still limited, figures over the past century. Cultural critics like Dr Cornel West offer their appreciation for those performers, like Richard Pryor, who candidly expressed a freer point of view, and achieved success because of it. Covering luminaries like Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, and Dave Chappelle, and exploring the impact of pioneering programming like the 1970s sitcoms THE JEFFERSONS and GOOD TIMES, as well as later showcases for black comedians such as IN LIVING COLOR, and DEF COMEDY JAM, Townsend cuts a wide swath, addressing the way black comics have used their talents to succeed in the face of societal barriers, employed humor to point out inequalities and rally mainstream support for change, and – perhaps for varying reasons – made us all laugh.
what (not) to doc 