Revolution Televised.pdf

That Nigger’s Crazy 163
a repeated theme in this episode. In another skit, Pryor plays an
explorer traveling through 1909 Egypt with three white explorers.
In one of the pyramids, they discover the ancient “Book of Life,”
which reveals that black people first walked the earth and started
modern life as we know it. Pryor exclaims, “There ain’t nothin’ in
here about whitey.” Pryor wants to take the book out and tell the
world. The white explorers quickly desert Pryor, who is engrossed
in the book, barricade the pyramid, and call for the bulldozers. 27
The extended segment that follows discusses the importance of
African roots. It showcases performers of traditional African dance
and music, acknowledging black people’s African roots in a celebratory
manner, roots that mainstream America dismissed as savage for
generations. The interest in discovering one’s origins increased after
the January 1977 premiere of Alex Haley’s Roots on ABC. However,
Pryor does not embrace the notion of looking toward Africa
uncritically. Instead, in the skit that follows, he plays Come-from-
Man in a “Find Your Roots Village.” As Pryor says, “I tell you
where you come from, and for this you pay me a whole bunch of
money. Okay. In some cases I tell you where you going. You going
to the bank to get my money.” The tourists include both white and
black participants, and the white characters are particularly interested
in purchasing the African artifacts to take back to the United
States. Pryor creates ludicrous stories to explain the origins of the
items for sale, which the tourists accept in a gullible manner. Pryor
is able to poke fun at the commercialization of searching for one’s
original identity, which evolved in the post-Roots climate.
Next, a noncomedic piece provides another showcase for black
talent. A group of young, black, street corner singers perform for
the enjoyment of an older neighborhood woman. An older man attempts
to quiet them until the woman intervenes, yells at him, and
tells him not to come back. She encourages the boys to continue
practicing as she explains that no black group has made it yet without
starting this way. The image of the younger boys dissolves into
that of the O’ Jays on stage performing “Work on Me,” from their
album Travellin’ at the Speed of Thought (1977). This piece also
relates to specific black community issues. At a time of integration,
the skit places the emphasis of developing and supporting talent
within these communal black spaces, something that Pryor is able
to do within the black structure that he created on The Richard
Pryor Show.