Phunny Business: A Black Comedy

BUT, HE'S A GOOD FRIEND OF

MINE AND YOU ALL KNOW AND LOVE

HIM, CHICAGO'S NUMBER ONE

COMEDIAN MR. GEORGE WILLBORN.

CHICAGO'S NUMBER ONE COMEDIAN

MR. GEORGE WILLBORN!

WHAT'S UP Y'ALL.

YES INDEED.

I'M A GET RIGHT TO IT 'CAUSE

UM, I KNOW THAT'S WHAT YOU ALL

BEEN WANTING TO KNOW.

EVER HAVE YOU NOTICED THA WHEN IT COMES TO BOMBS BLACK

FOLKS AIN'T NEVER INVOLVED.

WHENEVER THEY CART SOMEBODY

AWAY FOR BLOWING SOMETHING

UP IT AIN'T NEVER NO BLACK

PERSON. YOU KNOW

WHY DON'T YOU?

YOU HAVE TO BE ON TIME TO

MESS WITH BOMBS.

CAN YOU IMAGINE A BLACK PERSON

TRYING TO DELIVER A BOMB?

THEY'RE LIKE - OH NO!

(SFX:
CLOCK TICKING)

OH NO... OHHHH! I AIN'T GONNA

MAKE IT! UH-OH! BOOM!

(SFX:
EXPLOSION)

I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY MAN,

TODAY, THAT'S STILL DOING IT,

WHO HAS A LONG CAREER THA DIDN'T GO TO ALL JOKES ASIDE.

ALL JOKES DURING THAT PERIOD

WAS THIS GREAT INCUBATION OF

SOME OF THE GREATER COMICS

WE HAVE.

IF YOU WENT OVER THE ROSTER OF

COMICS THAT PLAYED ALL JOKES

ASIDE IT WOULD BE A WHO'S WHO

OF COMEDY.

JAMIE FOXX...DAVE CHAPPELLE...

STEVE HARVEY...CHRIS ROCK...

BILL BELLAMY,,,EARTHQUAKE...

TOMMY DAVIDSON...MO'NIQUE...

ADELE GIVENS...ARIES SPEARS...

BERNIE MAC...D.L. HUGHLEY...

LAURA HAYES...T.K. KIRKLAND...

SHERYL UNDERWOOD...

DON D.C. CURRY...

A.J. JAMAL...MIKE EPPS...DAMON

WILLIAMS...CARLOS MENCIA...

CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER...

MELANIE COMARCHO...DEON COLE...

ANDRE KELLEY...J. ANTHONY

BROWN...MIKE BONNER...

GEORGE WILLBORN...ALI LEROI...

RODNEY WINFIELD...JONATHAN

SLOCUMB...CRAIG ROBINSON...

HONEST JOHN...TONY SCULFIELD...

GEORGE WALLACE...JB SMOOVE...

LAVELL CRAWFORD...

THE ORIGINAL KINGS &

QUEENS OF COMEDY,

HEY MUTHAFUKA, DON'T

COME BACK HERE...

I DID A SHOW AT ALL JOKES

ASIDE, AND I GOT ABOUT FOUR

STANDING OVATIONS,

ABOUT THE BEST SHOW I'VE

HAD AT THE PARTICULAR

TIME IN MY CAREER.

WHENEVER ANYONE ASKS ME HOW I

GOT MY START I DON'T HESITAN TO MENTION ALL JOKES.

ALL JOKES WAS A COMEDY CLUB,

SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, THREE

SIXTY-FIVE A YEAR.

OH, YEA!

NOT ONLY WAS THE CLUB A GREA BLACK COMEDY CLUB, IT WAS A

GREAT COMEDY CLUB PERIOD.

YOU KNOW WHY THEY DON'T TAKE

BLACK HOSTAGES, DON'T YOU?

'CAUSE WE'RE BAD

BARGAINING CHIPS.

WHAT ALL JOKES ASIDE MEANT TO

THE BLACK COMEDIAN WAS

SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE,

WHICH WAS OPPORTUNITY.

YOU COULDN'T JUST BE BLACK,

YOU HAD TO BE BLACK AND FUNNY

AND GOOD AT ALL JOKES.

TO SEE A BLACK CLUB THA ALLOWED US TO SAY WHAT WE

FELT, UNCENSORED, I THOUGHT I

WAS IN HEAVEN.

YEAH, DIVORCE IS ROUGH, BU THAT'S ONE THING I GOTTA GIVE

CREDIT 'BOUT WHITE MEN.

WHITE MEN DON'T GET NO

DIVORCE, THEY KILL THEIR

WOMEN.

ALL JOKES ASIDE WAS THE FIRS FIVE-STAR BLACK COMEDY CLUB,

PERIOD.

ALL JOKES ASIDE OPENED ITS

DOORS IN CHICAGO'S SOUTH LOOP

IN 1991.

SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTAN COMEDIANS IN AMERICA GOT THEIR

START...

MISS ADELE GIVENS Y'ALL, GIVE

IT UP FOR HER.

POLISHED THEIR ACT...

MR. JAMIE FOXX Y'ALL, GIVE I UP FOR HIM.

OR MADE A NAME FOR

THEMSELVES...

MR. STEVE HARVEY Y'ALL.

AT ALL JOKES ASIDE.

WHEN THEY CLOSED, OH GOD, I WAS LIKE, OUCH!

UNTIL IT'S UNFORTUNATE AND

AVOIDABLE DEMISE IN 2000...

WHEN THE CLUB CLOSED DOWN MAN,

I WAS LIKE, GODDAMN!

IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST AND

MOST SUCCESSFUL BLACK-OWNED

COMEDY CLUBS IN THE COUNTRY.

CAUSE EVERYBODY WHO TOUCHED

THAT STAGE GOT BETTER BY

TOUCHING THAT STAGE.

THESE COMEDIANS WOULD GO ON TO

CHANGE TELEVISION, THE MOVIES,

AND POP CULTURE.

TOGETHER, THEY RODE THE LAS WAVE OF THE STAND-UP TSUNAMI,

AND MADE ALL JOKES ASIDE AN

IMPORTANT STOP ON THEIR ROAD

TO STARDOM.

WHY?

BECAUSE FOUNDER RAYMOND

LAMBERT AND HIS PARTNER JAMES

ALEXANDER, PROVIDED THEM WITH

A ONE-OF-A-KIND CLUB,

WHERE THEY WOULD

BE TREATED WELL..

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I FEL LIKE A PROFESSIONAL.

PAID WELL...

ALL JOKES ASIDE HAD CHECKS.

AND RECEIVED WELL...

WHEN THEY LOVED YOU IT WAS

RIDICULOUS.

IF THEY TOOK THEIR COMEDY, THE

AUDIENCE, AND RAYMOND LAMBER SERIOUSLY.

YOU SEE, RAY RAN ALL JOKES

ASIDE LIKE A BUSINESS...A

FUNNY BUSINESS.

MUSIC:

MUSIC:

MUSIC:

TO UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINS OF

ALL JOKES ASIDE, YOU NEED TO

KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RAY

LAMBERT, AND ABOUT CHICAGO.

LET'S START WITH RAY.

HE WAS BORN IN 1961 AND GREW

UP IN WILMINGTON DELAWARE.

HE LIVED IN A WORKING CLASS

NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WAS

NINETY-NINE PERCENT BLACK.

HE WENT TO A CATHOLIC PREP

SCHOOL THAT WAS NINETY-NINE

PERCENT WHITE.

HE WASN'T A GREAT STUDENT, BU HE WAS A GOOD BASKETBALL

PLAYER, SO NATURALLY, HE

GRADUATED.

(TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!)

AFTER TOTAL IMMERSION IN WHITE

CULTURE DURING HIGH SCHOOL,

RAY CHOSE HISTORICALLY BLACK

MOREHOUSE FOR COLLEGE.

HIS REASONING?

IF IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR

DOCTOR KING, JULIAN BOND &

SPIKE LEE, WHY NOT RAY

LAMBERT?

HE GRADUATED IN 1983, THE TOP

STUDENT IN MARKETING AND ARMED

WITH HIS NEW DEGREE,

AND HIS NEW EGO, HE GOT HIS

FIRST JOB IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

(SFX:
CROW)

HE QUICKLY LEFT THE "CORN

HUSKER STATE" AND GOT HIS MBA

AT VIRGINIA'S DARDEN SCHOOL.

SAME REASONING, IF VIRGINIA

WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR FOUNDER

THOMAS JEFFERSON...

EHH, YOU GET IT.

AFTER GRADUATION RAY LANDED ON

WALL STREET.

SOON AFTER, HE WAS OFFERED A

GREAT GIG IN CHICAGO.

ALL RAY KNEW ABOUT THE "WINDY

CITY" WAS WHAT HE'D SEEN ON

TV.

YOU KNOW, MOBSTERS, CROOKED

POLITICIANS, AND THE MOS SEGREGATED BIG CITY IN

AMERICA.

BUT HE WAS TOLD WITH NEW MAYOR

DALEY AND GOVERNOR "BIG JIM"

THOMPSON AT THE HELM, THOSE

DAYS WERE OVER.

BY THE WAY, THOMPSON WAS

GREAT, BECAUSE HE'S AN

ILLINOIS GOVERNOR WHO DIDN' GO TO JAIL.

THE MAYOR AND I ARE OBVIOUSLY

DELIGHTED BY THIS...

WELL, UNDER THESE GUYS,

CORRUPTION MAY HAVE BEEN

SLIGHTLY REDUCED, BU SEGREGATION WAS STILL AN

ISSUE, BECAUSE CHICAGO WAS,

AND ACCORDING TO THE CHICAGO

TRIBUNE, STILL IS, THE MOS RACIALLY SEGREGATED BIG CITY

IN AMERICA.

Y'ALL MY PEOPLE. NOW LET ME

HEAR THE PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE.

INITIALLY, SEGREGATION TURNED

OUT TO BE A GOOD THING FOR

RAY'S COMEDY CLUB.

BUT LATER IN OUR STORY...

SFX:
SCREECHING TRAIN

NOT SO GOOD.

BUT LET'S GET BACK TO RAY'S

NEW GIG IN CHI-TOWN.

IT WAS WITH LEGENDARY

INVESTMENT BANKER CHRIS

GARDNER, OF GARDNER RICH &

COMPANY.

DO NOT CONFUSE YOUR NET WORTH

WITH YOUR SELF WORTH.

YEAH, THAT CHRIS GARDNER.

OUR NEXT GUEST HAS A

REMARKABLE RAGS TO RICHES

STORY, HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY, "THE

PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS" IS OU IN HARDBACK AND THE MOVIE

VERSION OF HIS LIFE STORY

STARRING WILL SMITH IS

SUPPOSED TO BE RELEASED LATER

THIS YEAR.

CHRIS GARDNER CAME TO CHICAGO

TO START HIS OWN COMPANY,

WHICH IS NOW A MULTI-MILLION

DOLLAR VENTURE.

IF YOU LOOK A AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO'VE DONE

EXTREMELY WELL IN AMERICA, A

DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF

THEM MADE IT HAPPEN IN

CHICAGO.

SO WASN'T NOTHING USUALLY

ABOUT A YOUNG AFRICAN-AMERICAN

COMING TO CHICAGO WITH A

VISION AND A DREAM.

CHRIS IS THE CONSUMMATE

ENTREPRENEUR, AND IF YOU'RE

NOT INSPIRED BY CHRIS, THERE'S

SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOU.

RAY LAMBERT WAS A VERY BRIGHT,

AMBITIOUS, BUTTON DOWN

MOREHOUSE MAN.

AND LET ME SAY THIS, I

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