MovieChat Forums > Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy Discussion > Good, but not as good as I thought it wo...

Good, but not as good as I thought it would be


I was a little disappointed in this documentary. I found the first part of it really interesting. The stuff with Stepin Fetchit and the other actor who W.C. Fields called the funniest man he's ever seem, was really cool. I could see how a lot of people would have a problem with it and that it was putting black people down, but those guys must've gone through a lot to get their success. It was really interesting to hear that the one guy was the biggest star back than cause whites and black would watch his movies. And I wasn't aware that Amos & Andy was looked down on. So the historical aspects were very interesting to see. I'm a big fan of comedy and I do think you need to appreciate the past, as well as the present in order to really understand comedy. I do think that it didn't really talk enough about comedy and making it as a comic or talking about how some of the comics got into comedy. I also would've liked them to talk a little more about black comic actors and their movie roles. The only thing I didn't like, was Sherrie Shepherd. She's not funny at all. I've seen some of her stand up and it's just bad. There are a better black female comics that they could've talked to. That just bothered me. But it was a good documentary about comedy. I would've liked it to have gone in a little deeper though. They didn't really talk enough about why we laugh. It was more about people thought this was funny or he was funny, or these people were funny, but looked at in a negative light. it would've been cool to have them talk about what comedy is to them and what they find funny. A little of that would've been cool. I also think the historical experts kinda took away from things. I think it if was just the comics talking about things like Stepin Fetchit, it would've been cooler cause you would've been impressed by their knowledge. The historians were a little stiff and not funny.

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...The stuff with Stepin Fetchit and the other actor who W.C. Fields called the funniest man he's ever seem, was really cool....but those guys must've gone through a lot to get their success....I wasn't aware that Amos & Andy was looked down on....I do think that it didn't really talk enough about comedy and making it as a comic or talking about how some of the comics got into comedy....I also would've liked them to talk a little more about black comic actors and their movie roles....There are a better black female comics [than Sherrie Shepherd] that they could've talked to....They didn't really talk enough about why we laugh....It was more about people thought this was funny ...., but looked at in a negative light...I also think the historical experts kinda took away from things.
...I think it if was just the comics talking about things like Stepin Fetchit, it would've been cooler cause you would've been impressed by their knowledge....



Please don't take this as an attack; you make some very good points, but I believe you missed the overall major theme of this documentary. And it IS a documentary, not a review; a well researched overview of the socio-economic-political impact and ramifications of a suppressed people's coping mechanism. The whole "laughing to keep from crying" concept? That's why we laugh, so we don't get angry about the things we can't control and punch the first authority figure we come across in the mouth. This program isn't about displaying the biographies of the Black comic elite; it isn't about "making it as a comic". It isn't even about comic actors (who are not always comedians; the ability to deliver a funny line doesn't mean you are talented enough to stand in front of a crowd with 4 or 5 minutes of material you slaved to create without stealing other artists' material. It's not nearly as easy as it looks) and the roles they play. This program is about the serious business of being funny and why those who came before should be honored for the sacrifices they made so that Bill Cosby, Katt Williams, Bernie Mac, Paul Mooney and all the others can be who they are and keep us in tears and stitches.

I would advise you to watch it again, but this time listen to the commentary a little more closely instead of just watching the artists. The accounts of how the Amos and Andy were reviled are also accompanied by the astute observation that in spite of the negative stereotypes these actors portrayed, this show has a place in Black comedic history for being the first Black television sitcom. It was the rare female comic who could find a place for herself in the "old boy's network", regardless of how funny people thought she was (remember: What makes you laugh doesn't necessarily make me laugh). And storytellers are only boring when you don't want to hear the stories they tell. You might also want to check out "Make 'em Laugh", which chronicles the history of all comedy in the United States. It features Cosby, Carlin, Bruce (Lenny) and dozens of little known and famous comedians who left their mark on America's funnybone.



"A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer in your pants"

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I got what they were saying. I'm just saying that it was called Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy. And it was a documentary on Comedy too. There was the overall theme of how African-Americans had to use comedy to talk about social issues and the repression of their people. But it really was about the history of black comedy, starting with silent movies and moving on to today. But it would've been interesting to see a little more of what the Black comics felt about comedy or even the business. Like there are a lot of funny comics who are black, but not many funny movies starring African-Americans. They hinted when talking about Richard Pryor that he wasn't getting good parts in movies. And really a lot of comedies (most Waynes Brother's movies) with mostly black casts really have a silly, low brow sense of comedy to them. Which I don't understand. I mean you can make a smart movie with black actors and if it's funny, people will enjoy it. That's why I like Chris Rock. Yes, his first few movies he directed weren't very good. But he took a risk with I Think I Love My Wife, and it might not have been as successful, but I thought it was a funny movie that was also a good movie. The story didn't talk down to people. I just think there was more they could've brought up. It's a good topic of discussion. I mean black comedians thoughts on Tyler Perry alone would be fascinating.

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I understand where you're coming from. I, too pass up a lot of so-called Black comedy movies because of the low-brow factor, leaning more toward the older, well established comics like Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, George Carlin, Steven Wright and Robin Williams, who offer up the best in observational and stream of consciousness humor. And as Robert Townsend stated, a lot of young Black comics' routines are so littered w/ profanity, in an attempt to honor Pryor, that there is little in the way of real humor or socially redeeming commentary. Artists like Tyler Perry (who has a great comedic ear), have made a tidy fortune writing about the everyday scenarios and personal interactions we all engage in as part of our day to day routines. And Perry is able to write comedy so effectively without having been a stand up comic: He simply understands and uses the language to it's fullest, all the while telling a compelling story that can be related to and is amusing. I'm with you: I'd like to know what traditional Black comics think of Tyler Perry, as well as who among them would like to work with him.

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