Posts
2011, 08-27:
Review of film: “PHUNNY BUSINESS” + Comments re BLACK COMEDY in Chicago + Q&A with doc’s star RAY LAMBERT & BRIAN KALLIES (producer)
= REPORT # 1 on the 17th BLACK HARVEST FILM FESTIVAL
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BLACK COMEDY in Chicago: JIMMY “Car Wash” SPINKS & BERNIE MAC at Chicago’s “COTTON CLUB”
In the late 1980’s into the early 90’s, actor – singer – comedian JIMMY “Car Wash” SPINKS (shown in the photo below; he’d played “Hippo” in the “Car Wash” movie) was tabbed by Carolyn Albritton to host a MONDAY NITE “OPEN MIKE” event at Chicago’s “COTTON CLUB” located around 18th & Michigan Avenue...
... Initially, the idea was to draw musicians & singers & give them a way to hone their craft & introduce them to a wider public... Per Jimmy’s request, I joined him & did many hours of work as VIDEOGRAPHER & PHOTOGRAPHER there (& at other venues), sometimes shooting 2-4 hours a nite...
... It was a fascinating time, & the event drew many “UP-&-COMING” people such as R. KELLY...
... In time, some COMEDIANS came by the Club, also wanting to be “seen” by the public... Jimmy was always happy to encourage people, especially those he saw special TALENT in, such as BERNIE MAC...
... As Bernie grew increasingly popular, he drew OTHER comedians there, such as ADELE GIVENS & GEORGE WILLBORN...
... They also drew an appreciative public, including MICHAEL JORDAN & other members of the Championship BULLS basketball teams (& Michael & the others especially loved Bernie & his comedy routines; below is a photo of M.J. with JIMMY SPINKS during one of Bernie’s performance nites)...
... One of the routines Bernie used to do (in addition to talking about his FAMILY, such as his wife Rhonda & his then-young daughter Je’Niece about whom he was very proud) was talking about how he felt he was “TOO black” to get any “MAINSTREAM” work such as in movies...
... Comedy became so popular at the COTTON CLUB, that it was eventually given its own special “SEGMENT” at the OPEN MIKE nite, towards the end of the evening...
... While Jimmy remained as the “HOST” of the “Open Mike”, he eventually tabbed BERNIE to be the special “M.C.” of the Comedy segment...
... Bernie LOVED doing that. He became more & more popular, getting an increasing number of comedy PERFORMANCE “gigs” in Chicago & around the country (ones that actually PAID for his work)...
... That -- to Bernie’s surprise – even led to his being offered some MOVIE roles, such as “MO’ MONEY” in 1992, “WHO’S THE MAN” in 1993, and “HOUSE PARTY 3” & “ABOVE THE RIM” in 1994...
... Periodically, Bernie would come BACK to the “COTTON CLUB”, to do special performances there as a “THANK-YOU” to Carolyn & Jimmy & the audiences who’d helped him in his career...
... Bernie’s movie roles roles eventually helped him get even more “HIGH-PROFILE” work, such as in Spike Lee's 2000 film “THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY”, the “OCEANS” movies (“ELEVEN” in 2001, “TWELVE” in 2004, & “THIRTEEN” in 2007), & “CHARLEY’S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE” (in 2003)...
... From 2001 into 2006, Bernie [Jeffrey McCullough] even had his own TV series, appropriately named “THE BERNIE MAC SHOW”...
... On it, he even “remembered” some of the people he’d met thru his “COTTON CLUB” affiliation, hiring some of them for various episodes of his Show, such as Jimmy’s friend, character actress IRMA P. HALL (who played “Aunt Liva” in Bernie’s “Sweet Home Chicago” 2-parter on May 15, 2002)...
... The last time I myself talked to Bernie was during the TV TRIBUTE show given to him by OPRAH WINFREY (which used some of my past video footage of Bernie at the “COTTON CLUB”, as did an A&E Biography Tribute to him)...
... On that Oprah show, (which I think was episode # 23 from January 23, 2002, or possibly # 18 from August 18, 2003), I asked if -- when he was working at the “COTTON CLUB” --, did he ever expect his career would go so FAR?...
... Bernie commented that, he remembered me, & replied, no, he HADN’T expected such a fine profession, & added comments about how he felt really “BLESSED” at the way everything had gone in his life...
(o_
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Review of film: “PHUNNY BUSINESS”
On August 27, I was pleased to attend one of the films at the BLACK HARVEST FILM FESTIVAL in Chicago, which is being held at the Gene Siskel Film Center (162 N State St.)...
... The subject of the documentary film was a high-class COMEDY CLUB opened in Chicago in 1991 called “ALL JOKES ASIDE” (at 1000 S. Wabash)...
... Before & after the film, the Festival’s host, SERGIO MIMS, made comments about how, they know that this screening & the 2nd “Closing Nite” screening on September 1st have both been SOLD OUT-- which he feels shows how “right” they were in booking the fine film...
... Serrgio introduced one of the men who FOUNDED the Club, RAYMOND LAMBERT & one of the producers, BRIAN KALLIES (as seen in my photo, below)... Ray said, they’d been working on the film project for 3 years, & hoped we’d ENJOY what they’d come up with...
... They said, they were sorry the Director, John Davies, would NOT be able to join us for the screening (as originally expected)... But, Ray & Brian said they themselves would both be back for a Q&A AFTER the film...
... The film tells the HISTORY of Ray’s involvement-- how he came to Chicago from Maryland, & how he worked for a finance-related business, where he did very WELL...
... He was mentored by Chicagoan CHRIS GARDNER, the subject (played by Will Smith) in the film “THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS”... During this documentary, we hear a number of COMMENTS from Chris about Ray & his comedy club venture...
... In the film, Ray tells how he chanced to see some comedians performing at “THE IMPROV” comedy club in Los Angeles, got the idea of trying to open a similar type “high-level” such club featuring BLACK comedians in CHICAGO, & how its L.A. owner (Budd Friedman) encouraged him in that idea...
... There are also comments from JAMIE MASADA of “THE LAUGH FACTORY” in Los Angeles...
... The documentary has remarks from BERT HAAS of the “ZANIES” comedy club in Chicago (which initially tended to feature well-known comedians, most of them white)...
... Without first talking to his boss Chris, Ray – being a “money” & “DETAIL” person -- started to investigate the possibility of getting a location & OPENING a Comedy Club as he’d dreamed of doing... He named it "ALL JOKES ASIDE"...
... The film at various points relates talks with CHRIS (who’d been his boss in the office), & he laughs in recalling how he thought Ray was CRAZY for what he was attempting to do...
... Besides Ray, the film has discussions with MARY LINDSEY who’d been the tough “no-nonsense” MANAGER of the “ALL JOKES ASIDE” Club that was opened. She tells about how she worked to run things, people she dealt with, etc...
... The filmmakers also talk to people who helped PUBLICIZE the comedians who’d be appearing at the Club, such as DOUG BANKS of WGCI Radio, etc...
... Ray tells of hiring Chicago-area comedian GEORGE WILLBORN to be the HOST / M.C. of the shows, & about various of the high-level black comedians they brought in, including the following (which -- as indicated below -- are shown on the film’s web-site, http://phunnybusinessmovie.com/ )...
... For some reason, the web-site does not list 3 major stars who are shown IN the movie:
... BERNIE MAC...
... Also CHRIS ROCK... & GEORGE WALLACE (as shown below in a performance at the Club)...
... Interspersed thru the movie are commentaries & thoughts by OTHER people (listed under “NOTEABLES” on the web-site, as shown below)...
... You thus hear reminiscences from one of the stars of the “QUEENS OF COMEDY” film (2001), the funny, straightforward & “raw” (but not mean-spirited) ADELE GIVENS...
... Plus numerous other comedians such as GEORGE WILLBORN & LAVELL CRAWFORD...
... Also, D. L. HUGHLEY (shown below) & ALI LEROI...
... And MIKE EPPS...
... And CRAIG ROBINSON (from “THE OFFICE” TV program), who tells how he’s PROUD to say he was greatly helped by appearing at Ray’s club...
... There are such things as recollections from STEVE HARVEY...
... & from CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER, such as about the “EARLY” days of the Club’s operation where, Ray had no money to put people up in a hotel & instead asked them to stay at his HOME...
... In time, “ALL JOKES ASIDE” became one of the “IN” places for black comedians (who loved the high-quality way they were treated) & also for the AUDIENCES which (-- like at the “COTTON CLUB” --) often loved to “dress-up” to the “9’s” to go there...
... At one point in the movie, they speak of how the black comedians brought out loads of CELEBRITIES to see the performances of people such as BERNIE MAC— stars like MICHAEL JORDAN & other members of the BULLS [as had happened previously at the COTTON CLUB], members of the BEARS football teams (-- OTIS WILSON talks about that in the film--), etc...
... Things were going so well, that Ray came up with the idea of opening ANOTHER outpost of his Club, this time on the NORTH side of the City...
... But, what he didn’t expect was the way various [mostly-white] neighbors were AGAINST the idea of opening a club featuring mostly black comedians in their community...
... Part of that was explained by ERNIE TUCKER (an ex-writer from the Sun-Times newspaper) who said, Ray went up against the fact that he was trying to open a club there despite the fact that Chicago was (as others had said) the MOST SEGREGATED big city in the country...
... In any case, Ray WASN’T ABLE to get what he needed to open the north side Club...
... And, around that time, the whole comedy business was experiencing a huge CHANGE: big “name” comedians were choosing to play in HUGE venues (such as the United Center where the BULLS play) rather than in “intimate” Clubs like his “ALL JOKES ASIDE”...
... Thus, audiences started rapidly DWINDLING at the original SOUTH side club, & he soon had to CLOSE the Club because of how it was losing money...
... At one point, Ray is asked, would he ever consider trying to RE-OPEN another club like his original “ALL JOKES ASIDE”?... While he inferred he doubted it, he said, well, you never KNOW!...
... The film is a quite WELL-DONE compendium of the trials & tribulations of trying something “NEW”, & what happened on the “WAY” to success & “back”...
... It covers a fascinating group of people, does it effectively, & thus I’d rate this at 8.0 out of 10 stars...
(o_
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Q&A with doc’s star RAY LAMBERT & producer BRIAN KALLIES
After the movie (which got hearty applause), SERGIO MIMS commented, he thinks people can now understand “why we wanted the film so badly”, & there was appreciation for Roger Ebert’s 3 (of 4) stars given the film in his review...
... Further, Sergio was pleased to report that this year’s Festival had BROKEN ALL attendance records (for its 17 years of operation), thanks to films like THIS one tonite...
... He re-introduced RAY & BRIAN (two of the 4 people in their “crew”), who came up to the podium for a Q&A session...
... A man in the audience spoke of how much he’d ENJOYED the film-- & commented on how he feels bad that he hadn’t realized how HARD things had been for Ray & others to get the Club going, & that he hadn’t “BEEN” there for him DURING those hard times (to help out as a customer, etc.)...
... The man said, he hopes Ray owned the VIDEO of the performances, & he wanted him to use the business card he’d given him to contact him to hopefully find ways to make more USE of the footage (such as in future VIDEOS of the performances)... Ray said well, he has some control of a LOT of the footage from that time...
... Ray said, “There will NEVER BE another ‘ALL JOKES ASIDE’—”, tho he feels there’ll be something ELSE to carry on its general “traditions” in the future...
... He commented that, he himself is “a bit O.C.D.” nowadays, but, “it was a really, really SPECIAL time” in the old days when the Club started...
... Ray said, he’d been a little “out-of-touch” with what’s going on NOWADAYS with new comedians... But, he’s always seeing some new people who have “that TALENT” & “need that ENCOURAGEMENT” that he’d tried to offer in the old days...
... He hoped the public would SUPPORT & “nurture” such new talents BEFORE they become “big” names (so they can GET to a “higher” level)...
... Another man commnented that, the film showed him that, “when you follow the dream” & learn to “enjoy the JOURNEY”, things can go very well in life... Ray agreed with that...
... When asked where he’s “AT” now, Ray spoke of a man in the audience involved with “Bernard’s HATS”. Ray said, as they did the documentary, he himself had gained “a greater APPRECIATION” for CHICAGO & it’s culture & contribution to many fields of human endeavor...
... When Ray first met Bernard, he wanted Bernard’s help with the movie in showing others how people had dressed for attending his old Club...
... Bernard gave him some INSIGHT into such matters, telling him about the “HAT” Party & the like... Ray & Brian had attended that Party to some footage that’d SHOW how people had dressed in the “old” days at his Club... So, he was inspired by Bernard...
... Ray pointed out ALISA STARKS in the audience, one of the owners of the I.C.E. movie theaters on the south side, & how happy he was that she’d ATTENDED today’s screening... He hoped the movie [with the help of people like her] “would have as much DISTRIBUTION as possible”...
... Ray encouraged people to ask BRIAN questions, especially technical ones such as, how long it took to FILM, etc... Brian wasn’t too “eager” to talk, liking how RAY was handling things!...
... Ray said, he’s close to having a DVD agreement. He understands, there’s no drugs, rape, pillaging or the like in his film, & thus, there’s not a big “MARKET” for such an historical film...
... Nevertheless, he hoped black people would come out & support such films more (which drew hearty applause from the mostly-black audience)...
... Ray revealed that, SHOWTIME had made an offer to show the film during Black History month in February, 2012, “which we’re probably going to TAKE”... INDICAN films has made an offer for home video, I-tunes, Netflix & DVDs...
... AMC Independent has made some “OVERTURES” about showing his film on a “limited” basis... “So, there is OPPORTUNITY out there”...
... Also, they’ve just been accepted into the FRIARS Film Festival in New York City, which highlights COMEDY films, & he’s looking forward to showing the film there on October 12th thru the 16th, which he thinks is a “major” bit of progress...
... Ray pointed out associate producer LAURA SZYMBER in the audience, & remarked on how it helped to have a female’s input in the midst of so much “testosterone” in his group...
... A man in the audience asked, did Ray ever feel he was more in the “ENTERTAINMENT” business than just in “comedy”?... Ray said, he & his partner had backgrounds in business (via their MBA’s), & they always approached the Club venture as a BUSINESS-- it initially wasn’t so important just what the business was “about”...
... The man in the audience wondered, since he was involved with comedians so deeply in the Club, WHY hadn’t Ray gotten involved at the time with “AFFILIATED” ventures like the “KINGS OF COMEDY” film & similar “related” endeavors?...
... Ray said, “I didn’t have the VISION...” He was a “purist”, he had a sort of “NARROW” view about such things, & “I could not envision anyone going to the [huge] CHICAGO THEATER [with its 3500 or so seats] to see a STAND-UP show, let alone the UNITED CENTER [with its 45,000 or so seats]...”
... The man asked, “Have you changed your mind?” -- “YES!... $ 75 million dollars later--!...” He after-the-fact realized, people were going to such large venues, NOT to see a stand-up “comedy” show, but because they’d viewed it as an “EVENT” [they wanted to be “part” of]...
... Ray told how, he’d had an uncle who was a jazz musician, & simply refused to play “R&B” type music, because his view was “narrow” (as Ray’s was at the time)...
... BRIAN was finally asked a question, about the “TIMELINE” re making the film. He said, STEVE HARVEY was their 1st interview in October of 2008, & they did bits & pieces AFTER that with other people, & finally put it all TOGETHER...
... Originally, they’d had “aspirations” of getting the project done in like 6 months-- but, it eventually took like 3 YEARS to get everything shot & organized... He both shot it & was a co-producer...
... A lady in the audience asked a question. Brian said, they at one point had shot loads of footage around the time that then-candidate OBAMA was running for President...
... Originally, they thought it’d be a great “TIE-IN” for their film, having a serious black candidate running for such a high office, & shot lots of FOOTAGE of comedians TALKING about that situation & the like...
... But, while they at first thought that’d be a BIG SEGMENT in the film, they eventually decided to use NONE of that footage (to their surprise)!...
... I myself posed the LAST question to Ray, about the “BEGINNING” era of his Club, explaining how “ I was somewhat involved [in the subject] in the early 90’s at the COTTON CLUB here in Chicago”...
... I asked, “How did you DECIDE WHO were the up-&-coming comedians who you would then BRING INTO your location?...”
... Ray gave a very thoughtful response: “Sure... One of the great things about being here [in Chicago], which I think [points out that] ‘ALL JOKES ASIDE’ could not exist in ANOTHER market, Chicago was absolutely PERFECT for it...”
... Ray continued: “... We had a strong LOCAL comedy scene, godfathered by BERNIE MAC, who was sort of in ‘control’ of this whole thing... So, I met with him and I said, ‘Hey, listen, this is what I’m thinking about DOING. What do you think? HOW should I do it?...
... “.... And, he said, ‘I’ll SUPPORT you in any way that I CAN...’ And, I actually asked him to be the house M.C., & he DECLINED. And, he said, ‘Well, I’m not going to do it, because I’m about to make this move [in my career] that I want to make...
“ ... And I want to be on the road 50 weeks a year... But, you should talk to GEORGE WILLBORN [about being the M.C.]...’ And, that’s how I actually began talking to GEORGE [who eventually accepted that position]...
“ ... And then, I think that I just studied &, fortunately enough, there were enough TALENTED people that I could start comparing one person versus another, understanding the differences, obviously, because they all had -- the beauty back then was, like, they ALL had an ACT...
“ ... They all had a perspective & something to SAY, & it was different than the NEXT person... And, I just looked at it, & I just started comparing one person to the other, watching TAPE and studying...
“ ... And I’d say that, Bernie is like this, and then, you know, Jamie [Foxx] is like this, and Steve [Harvey] is like this... ... And, then, let’s face it, everybody is INFLUENCED by SOMETHING... So, I could SEE it...”
... Ray continued, saying, a certain person might remind him of Richard Pryor a bit or the like, and, eventually, [by hiring various different people], “It just GREW... And we just were able-- we were working with a WEALTH of material...
“ ... So, it was just a matter of studying it & deciding, WHO WORKS best with who... And, I like to think I’m kind of good at that... But, it was a GREAT time!...”
... Seeing he had finished his answer, I THANKED Ray for his response, & he thanked the AUDIENCE for coming out, which drew hearty APPLAUSE from everyone there...
... After the formal talk, Ray & Brian happily spoke some MORE to various members of the audience who came up to them, posing for PHOTOS, etc...
... All in all, an event that offered CAPTIVATING INSIGHT into a bit of Chicago’s (& the country’s) HISTORY...
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(o_
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FB: THE VOICE OF SILENCE
