"Richard Pryor: Live and Smoking (Part 1)". Writ. Richard Pryor. New York, NY. 1997. March 2009.
Richard Pryor is a famous stand up comedian. He is being filmed for the first time doing stand up in "Live and Smoking." He had a very tough child hood which he mentions in his act. He lived in a whorehouse, his mother was a prostitute, and he was molested twice. He now has stand up films, “Richard Pryor Live in Concert,” “Richard Pryor Live on Sunset Strip,” and “Here and Now.” They are far less rigid than “Live and Smokin.’” In part one of "Live and Smoking," his main theme is race. Pryor discusses the neighborhood where he grew up(including his morther;s whorehouse) and he talk about the difference between white and black neighborhoods. He does cushion these remarks with various jokes, but there is still an element of discomfort to it. This discomfort is way to teach the audience a lesson about the realities of living in the slums. This piece is for an adult multiracial audience because of its mature language and content.
