![]() It is almost surely the hottest (free) ticket in New York City this holiday season. Murphy’s return on Saturday night might be the biggest non-sports event on television this fall season. Robinson’s Neighborhood” and “White Like Me,” a satire of the film “Black Like Me. ![]() He barely got into the cast because he was first told the “the black guy” slot was already filled-by Robert Townsend.Ī brief contract snag with Townsend allowed Murphy to get his hand in, which he eventually turned into a fist, performing–daring for that era-ferocious, racially charged sketches, “Mr. Murphy’s mark on the show is like none other, not only because of his talent, but also because he brought a racial consciousness to the show-to all of television really-that it previously lacked. Instead, Murphy’s comic genius lifted “SNL” back to talked-about, must-see status. That fate might have befallen the show had it been canceled in the early 80’s. It is not too much to say that Eddie Murphy, more or less single-handedly, brought “SNL” back from the brink of dimly remembered cult status. He talked about it in such enthused terms he might have been any other young Spielberg fan.Īfterward, Ebersol pulled me aside and said, “I’m building the whole show around him next season. “Hey, I just saw ‘E.T.,’” he said, his face lighting up in that 400-watt Eddie Murphy smile. Looking to light a spark, I asked him if he was doing anything in LA-thinking he might talk about his stand-up act. Murphy said a quiet thanks that was about it. I congratulated him on his sensational season (not technically his first because Doumanian had hired him in the fall of 1980, when he was 19-her most brilliant act as producer.) Murphy didn’t have a lot to say at first, seeming not distant but genuinely shy. “This is Eddie Murphy,” Dick said introducing what looked like an astonishingly young man. ![]() Eddie Murphy takes casual stroll in promo for his 'SNL' return ![]()
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