Revolution Televised.pdf

This Ain’t No Junk 101
join him in a song. The two sing a duet of “All of Me.” Foxx’s raspy
voice is reminiscent of Louis Armstrong. The camera maintains a
two-shot of the performers, focusing on either Foxx or Crothers
with only a momentary cut away to show Lamont’s changing approval.
The entire song is performed, presenting the moment as a
close, proscenium view of a performance of the legendary artists. A
moment after the duet, Lamont is asked to clear some “surface.”
He pulls back the rug for a tap dance routine by Al, who takes center
stage and performs to the music of Crothers.
When Al later hurts his back, Fred steps in to help Bowlegs, who
is under contract at a local nightclub. Reminiscent of a spot from
the Chitlin’ Circuit, the club is represented as a tough place with an
unscrupulous owner who refuses to pay performers and threatens
those who do not produce.
Billy Eckstine opens the next portion of the program with a ballad
at the nightclub. The audience appreciates the piece, and the
white club owner is shown as a buffoon when he tells Eckstine that
he should give up his singing career. Scatman Crothers and Redd
Foxx are given yet another opportunity to perform. The big finale at
the club includes Foxx, this time playing an old wash tub instrument
from his days at the Apollo and scatting in harmony to the strumming
of Crothers. Lamont, although not quite a willing participant,
presents a polished tap dance routine. They are a huge success.
In this situation, the narrative holding together the episode is
very thin and basically provides an empty space to be filled by these
black artists and their performances. While providing a critique
of underhanded clubs that fleece black performers, Foxx primarily
uses mainstream television to highlight the performance of
Crothers and Eckstine. Eckstine was certainly not at the high point
in his career at the time of this showing. However, Foxx shows recognition
of the roots of black performance and, by recommending
him for the role, pays a tribute to the artist. A definite camaraderie
exists between Crothers and Foxx; they work off each other, both
in the musical performances and in their bantering routines. It is
easy to believe that they are truly enjoying themselves and at times
seem to exist in an all-black space. Many parts of the program seem
ad-libbed by the actors as they react to one another’s performance.
All of the cast members (excluding the white club owner) are black,
and at times the jokes and relationships among the performers
go beyond narrative containment and into the realm of African
American communal humor.