Eddie Murphy Delirious
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| Eddie Murphy Delirious | |
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 The UK video cover for Delirious. |
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| Directed by | Bruce Gowers |
| Produced by | Eddie Murphy Robert Wachs Richard Tienken |
| Written by | Eddie Murphy |
| Starring | Eddie Murphy |
| Distributed by | Home Box Office |
| Release date(s) | 1983 |
| Running time | 69 minutes |
| Language | English |
Delirious is a stand-up comedy television special starring Eddie Murphy. The 70-minute show, released in 1983, showcases his most racy material. The word "fuck" is used a total of 230 times, and "shit" is used 171 times.[1] It was recorded on August 17, 1983 at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.. It was a big success and was followed-up with the concert film Eddie Murphy Raw. The Bus Boys perform in the beginning of the concert and are referenced throughout by Murphy.
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[edit] Overview
This stand-up routine was infamous for its stereotypical depiction of a homosexual Mr. T, followed by a depiction of Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton as a gay couple. Though his portrayal brought on raucous applause from the audience in the performance, these comments were retracted by Eddie Murphy in an interview several years later.
The performance is also known for Murphy's making fun of James Brown's singing mannerisms, particularly the scratchy nature of Brown's voice and the nearly indecipherable nature of his lyrics. Other musical spoofs include comment on Mick Jagger's lips, Murphy's imitation of Stevie Wonder and the resultant unfavorable response from the African-American community, a spoof of Elvis Presley complete with an imitation of Presley's gait in his late years (which brought some of the performance's loudest and longest applause), a version of Teddy Pendergrass, and an imitation of Michael Jackson complete with reference to his emotional sensitivity. Eddie also makes a parody of Desi Arnaz (Ricky Ricardo) from the show, 'I Love Lucy' about his famous laugh.
Towards the end of the stand-up, after Murphy remarks "I'm winded, I'm out of breath... I'm sweatin' and shit", alluding to the heat in the venue, a woman in the crowd shouts "Do Mr. Rob!", referring to his famous SNL character. A male audience member very quickly shouted back to the woman, "Shut up, bitch!". (He likely said this because, supposedly, Eddie had threatened to walk off stage if anyone requested him to do an SNL skit.) The exchange between the two caused Murphy and the audience to break up with laughter. Murphy had everyone give the member a standing ovation. After Murphy composed himself, he commented on the incident with, "Y'all didn't know I was a ventriloquist too."
Brown repays Murphy for his impersonation of him in the album track of "Living in America". Towards the end of the album track, Brown yells out, "Eddie Murphy eat your heart out." The song was used in the movie Rocky IV.
Highlights from this concert were released as a comedy album entitled Comedian.
[edit] Home video release
The special has been released in the UK and US on VHS and Laserdisc.
In February 2007, Delirious was released on Region 1 DVD, and March 2007, it was released on Region 2 DVD.
In June 2009, a 25th Anniversary Edition was released.
[edit] DVD features
- Interactive Menu
- Bonus Footage
- Buckwheat request
- In this bonus feature, someone in the audience requested Eddie's Buckwheat impression from Saturday Night Live.
- "Cursing Through Can't Fight" skit
- This bonus feature takes place seconds after one audience member yelled, "Shut up, bitch!". This led Murphy to topics such as cursing and fighting.
- Buckwheat request
- Interview with Eddie Murphy and Byron Allen.
[edit] References
- ^ Swindoll, Jeff (June 2, 2009). "Eddie Murphy: Delirious - 25th Anniversary – DVD Review". Monsters and Critics. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1480982.php/Eddie_Murphy_Delirious_-_25th_Anniversary_–_DVD_Review. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
