Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (September 24, 2024)
Like many comedians, Richard Pryor produced many albums of comedy across his career. In 1979, Pryor starred in his first concert film via the logically titled Richard Pryor: Live in Concert.
The comedian created a follow-up via 1982’s Live on the Sunset Strip. Shot in early 1982 at the Hollywood Palladium, we get a look at Pryor’s then-current act.
Pryor’s set starts with a discussion of sex before he discusses his return to the standup stage. From there he runs through money/lawyers, marriage/infidelity/relationships, prison/crime, racism/visiting Africa, animals, the “N-word”, and working for the Mafia.
Pryor also responds to an audience request to reprise his “Mudbone” character. Strip ends with a fairly extended look at Pryor’s drug addiction that led to the time in June 1980 when he set himself on fire while he freebased cocaine.
At least Strip wants us to believe Pryor spontaneously shifted gears and produced a Mudbone routine on the spot. Call me cynical, but the ease with which Pryor transitions into his “impromptu” Mudbone segment leads me to figure he planned on it all along.
Whatever the case, Pryor’s reprise of Mudbone seems half-hearted at best. Whether he brought back the character spontaneously or not, Pryor seems disinterested in this territory, so while the audience eats up the Mudbone routine, I think it becomes a low point of the show.
Not that I can claim Strip presents Pryor at his best the rest of the way. Although the concert comes with some laughs and remains perfectly watchable, fans seem unlikely to locate signs of Pryor’s comedic genius.
Admittedly, Pryor must live up to the legend, and that becomes difficult for anyone. When viewers always expect greatness, anything less might feel subpar.
Still, I can’t help but think the super-stardom did a lot to dull Pryor’s skills, and his drug issues created further damage. So soon after his freebasing incident, Pryor comes across as subdued and without the dynamic edge one expects from him.
This leads to a fairly tame set that rarely packs a real punch. While Pryor touches on potentially inflammatory topics like infidelity and racism, he just doesn’t bring a lot of insight or verve to the proceedings.
Again, none of this means Strip delivers a laugh-free show, as it comes with decent humor. It just tends to seem mediocre and far from Pryor’s peak.
As directed by Joe Layton, Strip gives us a competent reproduction of the standup performance. Although we get a few too many crowd shots, the rest of the show seems well-shot and nicely paced.
I just wish I could locate more real laughs here. Sunset Strip becomes moderately enjoyable but nothing memorable.
