Page 53 - The Peorian, Vol 3 Issue 2
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HERE’S A RUDIMENTARY OUTLINE
OF WHAT A THREE-DAY EVENT
COULD ENTAIL:
•
Movies (both R and PG) and
documentaries by/about Pryor in
the Museum theater as well as the
Apollo theater;
•
Special stand-up comedy
showcases at downtown venues
like the Civic Center and Apollo
theaters, as well as in between
movies in the Museum theater;
•
Panel discussions with visiting
comedians, Pryor family members,
writers (David/Joe Henry) and
Preston Jackson on Pryor’s life
and his influence on the arts and
American culture;
•
Introducing Preston Jackson’s
Richard Pryor sculpture to the
public;
•
An exhibition of Pryor memora-
bilia and artifacts in one of the
Museum’s exhibition halls;
•
An audio exhibition of select Pryor
stand-up material (R and PG) in
another exhibition hall.
When would be the perfect
time to hold the event? Well, just
glance at the dates of Richard’s
birth and death to find the
answer: Dec. 1 (‘40) and Dec. 10
(’05). Looking at the 2014 calen-
dar, the weekend of Dec. 5-7 falls
nicely between those two dates.
That gives us about seven months
to plan. Who is ready to take up
the gauntlet?
I’ve often wondered why I
have felt so passionately about
Richard’s work and outraged
by the lack of acknowledgement
by the city that bore him (a city
I love). A lot of it has to do with
being a child of the ‘80s and be-
ing exposed to his later movies
(“Brewster’s Millions”, “Silver
Streak”, “Stir Crazy”, “Harlem
Nights”).
But I was also a kid who loved
stand-up comedy and listened
to every album (or cassette)
of Pryor’s that I could get my
hands on – not to mention those
of a young Eddie Murphy who
praised Richard in his own act.
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