Richard Pryor in Hollywood

Richard Pryor was the king of stand-up comedy in the 1970s. Hollywood studios were eager to transfer Pryor's dynamic humor and personality from the stand-up stage to the big screen. Executives placed the vast resources of their studios at Pryor's disposal and gave the comedian the authority to develop his own projects. But, as it turned out, Pryor's film acting inspired far less acclaim than his stand-up performances. The comedian's reputation came to be greatly diminished by misfires like The Toy and Superman III. How did this happen? The book is designed to examine this matter in a comprehensive film-by-film analysis. Each chapter surveys an individual film by presenting development history, production notes, plot summary and critical analysis.