Kings of Comedy: 5 reasons The Original Kings of Comedy and Eddie Murphy’s Delirious and Raw are the greatest comedy concert specials ever made.
When it comes to stand up comedy there have been many iconic specials\movies made such as Richard Pryor’s 1979 concert film masterpiece Richard Pryor: Live in Concert, the female alt to Kings of Comedy, The Queens of Comedy starring Adele Givens, Sommore, Laura Hayes and Monique, Chris Rock’s controversial and iconic Bring The Pain, Martin Lawrence’s You So Crazy and both of Steve Harvey’s classic specials Don’t Trip, He Aint Through With Me Yet and its sequel Still Trippin’. But if we’re talking top of the heap comedy concert movies that have not only made audiences laugh like hyenas for decades but also changed the concept of comedy concert films and influenced the market for African American stand up comedy and stand up comedy specials\concert films forever.
Delirious won best comedy album at the 1984 Grammy Awards while Raw is still to this day the highest grossing stand up comedy concert film of all time at the box office having grossed 50.5 million dollars in the U.S. and Canada. The Original Kings of Comedy grossed overall 38 million at the box office total and its popularity and impact led to multiple spin offs such as the aforementioned The Queens Comedy, The Original Latin Kings of Comedy, The Kims of Comedy, The Comedians of Comedy and The Killers of Comedy. The Kings also garnered a 2001 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture and a 2001 Chicago Film Critics Association Award Nomination for Best Documentary.
These are five reasons that these titans of comedy are at the top pedestal they are not only in the black community but the comedy community and just anyone whose ever seen them.
5. They’re as bold and edgy as they are hilarious!
With no holds barred, frank and politically incorrect jokes, these are films that told it like it was and weren’t afraid to offend, fully making us laugh at things that society today tells us not to laugh at but we just can’t help it.
4. They kept it real, raw and honest.
Different segments in all three movies really spoke some relatable truths about our world and our every day life that we can all relate to no matter what race, gender, creed etc we are. From what’s going on with the news, bill collectors to our crazy dysfunctional families to sex with your spouse.
3. Great introductions and openings.
Some really great intros that let us know we were in for a treat.
2. Killer Closers!
What all three movies have in common is some truly classic and iconic closers that rival any other stand up’s closer in history. These are hard to top for any comedian known or unknown.
- The most memorable and iconic moments and bits in comedy history.
In these movies these guys not only gave you a typical routine of standing around cracking jokes for an hour or more. These guys gave you a real show and by doing that they each gave us some truly iconic moments in comedy history that we still remember and crack up laughing to the point of near death just at the memory of them. Bernie Mac’s iconic bit gave him a hit tv show, while Steve Harvey’s iconic moments gave a new definition to audience participation. These moments and bits are exactly why these seminal concert films are above every other single one ever made.
And Steve Harvey gave the audience a 5 minute old school love song concert that brought the house down! When was the last time you saw any comic do that in a show? When was the last time a comic had some lady throw they draws on stage?
These were all special gems in comic history and they have been cemented in American culture as such. Go watch them if you haven’t already. Be prepared to die from laughing. These were something truly special.
In the words of Bernie Mac:
