Spike Lee has had a rough time of it lately, producing quite a few flops like Summer of
Sam and He Got Game. Maybe he's come to realize that his ultra-serious take on life isn't
as popular in the movies as he once thought. To be honest, more people probably
recognize Lee from Lakers games and his old Nike commercials than as the director of
Get on the Bus. So Lee has taken a turn into comedy, with a film entitled Bamboozled due
out early in October, and the film currently showing in theaters The Original Kings of
Comedy.
If you recognize any of the names of the performers in this comedy concert film, it's
probably from their roles in watered-down family fare. D.L. Hughley had a hit sitcom
bearing his name on ABC last year, Cedric the Entertainer and Steve Harvey are the stars
of The Steve Harvey Show on the WB, and Bernie Mac has a recurring role on UPN's
Moesha. But these performers deserve to be recognized for more than TGIF; their
appearances doing stand-up and emceeing for HBO's Def Jam, BET Comicview, and
Showtime at the Apollo are much more cutting-edge, and much more funny.
Their joint comedy tour was definitely more blue than what these comedians are typically
known for, yet it has proven incredibly popular. The tour ran for two years and eventually
became the highest grossing comedy tour ever, with ticket sales exceeding thirty-seven
million dollars. But these men still seem stuck in this sitcom stigma and very few people
had actually heard of the tour until recently.
With the release of this concert film, I can only hope that these men become more famous
for their stand-up than anything else. From beginning to end, this film is a laugh riot, no
matter how risqué it gets. From D.L. Hughley's descriptions of dodging bill collectors to
Bernie Mac's laments about growing older and not being as good in bed as he once was,
their routines are universal. Each comedian's observations about his own daily life
transcend racial barriers, bringing thoughts of how their jokes are a commentary on our
own lives while bringing smiles to our faces, no matter what our skin color might
be.
And yes, each of these observations are poignant, making relevant statements about the
nature of society. Each of the comedians talks about "old school" music and values in
comparison to the kids of today; they all also address the issues separating blacks and
whites still, from big issues like dealing with money to little issues like dealing with
conflicts over someone stealing our seats. But as Bernie Mac himself says toward the end
of the film, "Fun is fun and jokes is jokes." The movie isn't all about relevance or issues;
it's about the laughter, which is in heavy abundance.
Lee manages to keep the issues on a subtle level through the use of camera angles. Each
of the performers is frequently filmed from below to highlight his "kingly" presence on the
stage, and wide shots of the audience are used to show the power each comedian has over
his lowly subjects. Lee also photographed the movie on a film stock that gives it a
documentary feel. This is not the slick video of a Comedy Central spotlight performance;
it's more aggressive. This edgier look makes the concert aspect of the film come alive so
much that when audience members stand up and dance, you want to rise with them, clap
your hands, and move to the music. Had this film appeared on HBO, as some critics have
said it should have, that aspect of the film would surely have been lost and the power of
the film would have lessened drastically.
The only complaints that come to mind in regards to the film have less to do with the
performances themselves and more to do with the direction. In several shots, there is too
much attention called to the fact that this is a movie being filmed. A robotic camera at the
base of the stage continually moves across the stage from left to right during longer shots,
so much so that it can be distracting. Also, a scene during Steve Harvey's introduction of
Cedric the Entertainer prominently features a clock counting down the time left in his set.
Such instances pull the viewers out of the concert experience and remind us too harshly
that we are indeed not wrapped up in the performance itself, but simply watching a
performance taped many months ago.
But each of the performers still is able to maintain such control over your attention that
they definitely belong amongst comedic royalty. The level of laughs in this film, combined
with the subtle attention paid to relevant social issues and the documentary style of
direction, brings to mind great comedy films of the past such as Richard Pryor's Live at the
Sunset Strip and Eddie Murphy's Raw. These four comedians are easily among the ranks
of these great performers, for The Original Kings of Comedy demonstrates they each have
the ability to make you chuckle and hoot, as well as think.
And here's a sidebar article I wrote about Cedric the Entertainer who also was at one time
a SEMO student.
Today Cedric the Entertainer is an actor and comedian with two NAACP Image awards to
his name and who was part of the highest-grossing comedy concert tour in
history.
But fifteen years and one hundred and fifty pounds ago, Cedric was just an average
college student, a radio/TV major attending classes here at Southeast.
Doctor Jim Dufek of the Mass Communications department worked closely with Cedric
while he studied here, and he says that the young man he knew didn't necessarily exhibit
the qualities of a stand-up comedian. "Don't get me wrong. He had a good sense of
humor, very dry," says Dufek. "He just was not a stand-up kind of guy."
Dufek admits, however, that Cedric did have a likeable presence about him. "You never
heard him complain about anything, either," Dufek states. "Once we were working on
some spots for a radio/TV advertising class, and he was very humorous in his attempts.
But afterward we shot the breeze for half an hour, and I just got the impression of what a
great human being he is. Some kids are just passing through here, but not
Cedric."
Cedric's humanity is even more evident in his outstanding charity work. In 1995 he formed
a charitable foundation meant to provide opportunities for underprivileged children.
"Every year he takes a planeload of kids from St. Louis to Chicago and takes them to
cultural events that they might not have had exposure to otherwise, museums and the
theater and such," explains Dufek. "And he pays their way, food and board, out of his own
pocket."
Cedric's devotion to the underprivileged comes from his own youth spent living in
poverty, a fact Dufek never would have guessed when he went to school here. "You never
got the impression that he grew up poor," Dufek says. "He seemed middle-class
here."
Dufek has followed Cedric's career closely over the years and watched it grow. "I think his
stand-up is a little deeper than just comedy. He shows real perception," Dufek states. "One
of my favorite parts of the film [The Original Kings of Comedy] is when he's talking about
how black people see someone running and they just take off too, while white people will
walk right to the source of the problem. 'What's going on over here?' That's very
insightful."
Dufek did note that, in the film, Cedric was a tad more colorful with his language than he's
usually known for. "People normally recognize him for being able to be clean," Dufek
says, adding that he thought "it really says something about his ability that he can judge an
audience and tone down the profanity if the situation calls for it, unlike some other
performers."
As for his ability on camera in the aforementioned film, Dufek is not surprised. He
describes an assignment Cedric had to do as a student, "making a how-to video that
compared things. Cedric wanted to compare the quality of hamburgers at each of the
restaurants in town, so he went to each place with his camera and asked them to
participate. Basically he was able to get them to give him free food, and the whole time he
was playing to the camera, winking at it like he was saying, 'Watch this.'" Dufek adds that
the video has remained memorable to him even after fifteen years have passed.
One thing Dufek admits to not understanding is his moniker. "I never understood why he
went by 'The Entertainer,'" Dufek says. "I always hoped that someday he would become
big enough he could drop it and just go by Cedric."
But Dufek is tightlipped about what Cedric's last name is, admitting that he accidentally
slipped a few years ago to St. Louis American magazine and they printed it. Dufek states,
"There are probably a dozen people in town you could ask about them and they'd tell you
his last name just in conversation about him, but I respect his desire for anonymity. He's
still got a sister living in St. Louis."
Finally Dufek wanted to say that he thought it was a shame Cedric hasn't returned to
campus in a few years. "He came to campus to do stand-up in 1992, so he does still
remember us. But that was eight years ago," Dufek says. "I've wanted to call him, but I'm
afraid he might think we want a donation." Dufek hopes that in the near future, Cedric will
come back to Southeast to again do his stand-up for us. But until that day, he is quite
happy watching his student's success from afar, proud of the accomplishments of this
young man he once was lucky enough to teach.
