Eddie Murphy Delirious
{{short description|1983 stand-up comedy television special starring Eddie Murphy}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2010}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Eddie murphy delirious.JPG
| genre = Stand-up comedy
| writer = Eddie Murphy
| director = Bruce Gowers
| starring = Eddie Murphy
| country = United States
| language = English
| producer = Eddie Murphy
Robert Wachs
Richard Tienken
| editor = Ken Denisoff
Dave Barr
| cinematography = Juan Barrera
Grek Cook
Sam Drummy
Les Leibowitz
Mike Lieberman
Jake Ostroff
Ken Patterson
Joel Gold
| runtime = 69 minutes
| company = Eddie Murphy Productions
| network = HBO
| released = {{start date|1983|10|15}}
}}
Eddie Murphy Delirious is an American stand-up comedy television special directed by Bruce Gowers, written by and starring Eddie Murphy.{{Citation|title=Eddie Murphy: Delirious|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085474/|access-date=2020-01-05}} The stand-up set became a TV Special for HBO on October 15, 1983. The 70-minute special was Murphy's first feature stand-up and the predecessor to the wide theatrical release in 1987, Eddie Murphy Raw. Delirious was also released as an album on October 24, 1983, titled Eddie Murphy: Comedian, which won Best Comedy Album at the 1984 Grammy Awards.
Overview
Unlike his acts on Saturday Night Live, Murphy's performance was very profane, saying the word fuck a total of 230 times, and shit 171 times.{{cite web |first=Jeff |last=Swindoll |title=Eddie Murphy: Delirious - 25th Anniversary – DVD Review |url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1480982.php/Eddie_Murphy_Delirious_-_25th_Anniversary_–_DVD_Review |work=Monsters and Critics |date=June 2, 2009 |access-date=July 10, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221015009/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1480982.php/Eddie_Murphy_Delirious_-_25th_Anniversary_%E2%80%93_DVD_Review |archive-date=December 21, 2012 }} The show was recorded at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. on August 17–18, 1983.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/they-played-here/2015/02/26/d59b5514-b926-11e4-9423-f3d0a1ec335c_story.html|title=They played here|newspaper=Washington Post|date=February 26, 2015}}
Before the show started, The BusBoys performed {{nowrap|"(The}} Boys Are) Back in Town" over a montage of pre-show footage of Murphy traveling with his road crew. After this concludes, Murphy is introduced, thanks The BusBoys for their opening performance, and commences his own.
Among the topics Murphy addresses is the lure ice cream trucks have on children. Once the ice cream was bought, they would sing and dance mockingly in front of kids who could not afford it.{{cite web | first=Willa |last=Paskin | title=Nostalgia Fact-Check: How Do Eddie Murphy's Delirious and Raw Hold Up? | url=http://www.vulture.com/2011/09/nostalgia_fact-check_how_do_ed.html | work=Vulture | publisher=New York Media | location=New York City| date=September 8, 2011 | access-date=November 2, 2013}} The phrase "The Ice Cream Man is coming!" from this segment was sampled by rapper Raekwon on the 1995 single "Ice Cream". Other topics that he addresses are family parties (his cookout skit featuring a humanoid cryptid for an aunt-in-law and an uncle who ignites the whole backyard in an attempt to work the grill) parental discipline (his shoe-throwing mothers monologue), Michael Jackson, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, racism, Reaganomics, gay people (including a routine depicting "The Honeymooners" Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton as same-sex sweethearts), AIDS, and Marian Anderson. After his routine, the video ends with Murphy and his road crew walking to his dressing room while the credits roll.
Reception
The special received positive reviews and is widely cited by comedians as a seminal stand-up work.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=THEE7TZRAN0C&pg=PT162|title=The Essential HBO Reader|first1=Gary R.|last1=Edgerton|first2=Jeffrey P.|last2=Jones|year=2013|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=978-0813143729|access-date=July 12, 2017|via=Google Books}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-15-et-murphy15-story.html|title=A 'Delirious' comedy turning point|first=Chris|last=Lee|date=June 15, 2009|access-date=July 12, 2017|work=Los Angeles Times}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/oct/11/comedy-gold-eddie-murphy-delirious|title=Comedy gold: Eddie Murphy's Delirious|first=Leo|last=Benedictus|date=October 11, 2012|access-date=July 12, 2017|work=The Guardian|publisher=Guardian News and Media}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/divine-comedy-25-best-stand-up-specials-and-movies-20150729/eddie-murphy-delirious-1983-20150728|title=Divine Comedy: 25 Best Stand-Up Specials and Movies|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=July 12, 2017|last1=Tobias|first1=Scott|last2=Ciabattoni|first2=Steve|last3=Murray|first3=Noel|first4=Matthew|last4=Love|last5=Grierson|first5=Tim|last6=Fear|first6=David|date=July 29, 2015}} The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 83% approval rating based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eddie_murphy_delirious |title=Eddie Murphy Delirious (1983) |work=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=April 18, 2018}} However, it was criticised for being anti-gay.{{cite web|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/12/29/eddie-murphys-anti-gay-comedy-special-resurfaces-on-netflix/|title=Eddie Murphy's anti-gay comedy special resurfaces on Netflix|work=PinkNews|date=December 29, 2016|last=Duffy|first=Nick|access-date=July 12, 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/delirious-know-your-history-7942|title=Delirious / Know Your History|date=February 27, 2007|publisher=The Onion|work=The A.V. Club|last=Murray|first=Noel|access-date=July 12, 2017}}{{cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/article/2007/02/07/eddie-murphy-delirious/|title=Eddie Murphy Delirious|date=February 7, 2007|publisher=Time|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|last=Tucker|first=Ken|access-date=July 12, 2017}}
"When I did Delirious," Murphy reflected in 1989, "I got all this flak for my material being so filthy. The truth is, it's nowhere near as filthy as some of the stuff they're doing now. I'm feeling like a fucking old guy watching Sam Kinison or Andrew Dice Clay."{{cite magazine|first=Bill|last=Zehme|title=Eddie Murphy: Call Him Money|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=August 24, 1989|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/call-him-money-eddie-murphy-opens-up-19890824|access-date=18 April 2018}}
One of the topics that Murphy addresses in Delirious is homosexuality, and using the homophobic slur "faggot".{{cite web|url=https://goodmenproject.com/ethics-values/eddie-murphys-homophobic-comedy-special-delirious-is-now-streaming-on-netflix-wcz/|title=Eddie Murphy's Homophobic Comedy Special 'Delirious' is Now Streaming on Netflix |website=The Good Men Project|date=January 5, 2017|access-date=July 12, 2017}} However, in 1996, he released a one-page statement apologizing for his use of that slur, saying: "I deeply regret any pain all this has caused."{{cite web|first=Sylvia|last=Rubin|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/PAGE-ONE-After-15-Years-Actor-Apologizes-For-2982557.php|title=PAGE ONE -- After 15 Years, Actor Apologizes For Gay Slurs|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|publisher=Hearst Communications|location=San Francisco, California|date=May 11, 1996|access-date=July 12, 2017}}
Home video
In June 2009, a 25th Anniversary Edition was released.{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/27/eddie-murphy-delirious-25th-anniversary-edition-dvd-review|title=Eddie Murphy: Delirious (25th Anniversary Edition) DVD Review|first=James|last=Musgrove|date=May 27, 2009|publisher=Ziff Davis|work=IGN|access-date=July 12, 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/26512/eddie-murphy-delirious/|title=Eddie Murphy - Delirious|website=DVD Talk|last=Rich|first=Jamie S.|date=February 10, 2007|access-date=July 12, 2017}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0085474}}
{{Eddie Murphy|state=collapsed}}
Category:1983 television specials
Category:1980s American television specials
Category:Cultural depictions of the Rolling Stones
Category:Cultural depictions of Michael Jackson
Category:Cultural depictions of Elvis Presley
Category:Cultural depictions of James Brown