[Retro Bunker] Eddie Murphy

It’s hard to believe that there are probably folks old enough to (legally) drink in the U.S. that have no memory of Eddie Murphy actually being funny. I swear it is true! Eddie Murphy was part of the wave of black entertainers that dominated pop culture in the early and mid 1980s. Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Mr. T, Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie, and Eddie Murphy. Murphy cut his teeth on Saturday Night Live (1980-1984)when SNL was a breeding ground for actors who were actually funny (good on you Tina Fey for being the first cross-over funny SNL star in two-plus decades)

Early Career & SNL

One thing that set Murphy apart in the early days was the diversity of his talent. The guy was great at stand-up, was a pretty decent actor in movies that highlighted his skills, was a very good impersonator, and he could sing.

Below are two clips from his SNL days: First singing with and impersonating Stevie Wonder, then a SNL skit.

Stand-up Stand-up

After Murphy left SNL, he kicked off world tours of stand-up called Delirious and then Raw. He also started acting in feature films that led to him, at one time, being the highest paid actor in Hollywood.

Murphy’s stand-up was known for being brash, offensive (to some – no worse than Bruno, etc), manic, and, yes, painfully funny. Almost every teen in America would quote and try to reenact famous bits. Murphy’s routine was omnipresent, part of culture, and Raw (1987) was one of the first VHS sensations to usher in a new age of home video viewing. Raw also contained the word “fuck” more than any other VHS movie at the time. It still holds the record for 80s movies.

Delirious (1983) preceded Raw and, in my opinion, is one of the best stand-up routines ever. Below is a clip from each. Obviously not safe for work (NSFW).

Movies Part 1

Murphy starred in hit after hit in the mid 80s. He was truly the example of a bankable film star because he not only raked in at the theater, but also with HBO who desired broadcast rights to his films, and the VHS of his movies were always highly rented – a good portion of the time so teens that could not see Murphy’s R-rated brand of comedy at the theater could instead watch it at home, awkwardly, with their parents.

Three early movies set Murphy as a star for years to come. It started co-starring with Nick Nolte in 48 Hrs (1982), then with Dan Akroyd in Trading Places (1983), and finally in the mega-hit Beverly Hills Cop (1984).

These movies and their success set Murphy up for sequels (Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hrs) and gave Murphy the Hollywood capital to make a power grab. A move that would haunt the rest of his career.

For some reason the “banana in the tailpipe” bit from Beverly Hills Cop was the most often quoted around my house:

Movies Part 2

And then it all came crashing down. Ego and Murphy’s Hollywood capital led to the star attempting to do it all in his films. Murphy came out with a string of movies in the 90s where he would produce, write, star, and even direct. Some of these movies did moderately well at the box office, but many of them flopped and very few were critically well received. Included in this time period were Coming to America (1988), Harlem Nights (1989), Boomerang (1992), The Distinguished Gentlemen (1992), and Vampire in Brooklyn (1995). This was also a time where Murphy would often play multiple characters in his films.

Murphy’s career has crashed, burned, been resurrected, crashed again, and now resides almost entirely with the Shrek franchise* of which modern audiences are most familiar. Believe me, though: In his super star prime Eddie Murphy was funny. Very funny.

*The 1999 release of Bowfinger was probably Murphy’s last funny and good live action film.

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