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Richard Pryor Jr. Talks Life - Event
Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist
Richard
Pryor Jr. Talks Life
The Hollywood Museum recently celebrated the career of Comic/Acting great, the late Richard Pryor Sr. The occasion doubled as the Los Angeles launch and signing of Richard Pryor Jr.’s memoirs book titled “In A Pryor Life.” The book immediately took off and was in it’s second printing just days after release.
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| L-R Donelle Dadigan & Richard Pryor Jr |
The first order of the evening was the unveiling of a costume worn by Richard Pryor Jr. in the film "College Debt" co-starring Lucille Ball's granddaughter, Katherine Luckinbill, Janet Carroll and Academy Award winner, Celeste Holmes, in what would be her last film. The costume will be included in the museum's upcoming Real to Reel: Perceptions and Portrayals of LGBTQ History in Film and Television.
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| Richard Pryor Jr. & dad |
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| Ricard Jr at Daytime Emmy Bominees Reception |
Having such a super famous and controversial father in the person of the late, great comedian/actor Richard Pryor, Sr.; what could it possibly be like being his son? Pryor lights up saying, “Crazy! It’s crazy! Right now in my life, as far as my age, I’ve learned to enjoy and embrace it, so I’m happy to be the son of Richard Pryor. It’s something to be proud of. It’s something to be happy about. And to be able to carry on his legacy in my own way is an important thing and it makes me feel good.”
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| Richard Jr & Donelle Dadigan Creator/Director of the Hollywood Museum |
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| "Stir Crazy" co-star Lee Purcell |
Because of who he is, people in general use poor judgement and expect Pryor to be or act a certain way. How has he handled that over the years? He gestures, “Years ago I used to let it affect me and bother me. It effected my mind, my body and all of those things. Now you have to learn to take those things and shake them off. It’s like being a plant and you have a bind wrapped around strangling it. You have to learn to cut those things off, step back from those things and those people who are detrimental to who you are as a person. On the pleasant side, what is Pryor up to these days? He flashes a big, satisfying smile, “I live in New York City. I’m a nominated cabaret performer. I sing, act and have done quite a few indy films. Now I’m working on creating my one man show off of my book. I’m excited about it. It took me a while to do it. I’m ready now and ready to go. I’m moving ahead.”
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| L-R: Chrystee Pharris, Ricahrd Jr & Donelle Dadigan |
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| L-R: Billy Van Zant, Teresa Ganzel & Richard Jr. |
Getting back to his book, appropriately titled “In A Pryor Life.” Pryor explains, “It’s about telling the struggles and things that I went through as the son of. But showing the darkness I was in but also showing the light and how you come out of those obstacles, trials and tribulations and the pain. How you can be a better person to yourself so you can be a better person to others.” He mentioned being sexually abused by a friend of the family, Performing in drag (his father simply said "Just be the best at it."), a parallel life to his fathers and the addictive personality they shared and how his father talked him down from the drugs, doing drugs while working on "The Color Purple “the differences between life in his moms home and the other side of the family coin in a world of fame, celebrities, etc. at father's home and how his father once said "Had I know I would become famous, I would never have cursed you with my name."
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| Richard Pryor Sr. on stage R.I.P. |
Doses Pryor
like the way his dad has been portrayed in some of the documentaries made about
him? He frowns a bit, “Some of them; especially the last one I know I didn’t
care for as much. I thought it was quit sad that you can do a documentary
without interviewing any of his children, his legacy. That’s the part that
hurts me a lot. When you want to get the truth, get the whole truth not the
half-truth.
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| Debe Graff & Richard Jr. |
Among the celebrated colleagues on hand to
reminisce were Teresa Ganzel (The Toy/The Duck Factory), Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie), Geri Jewell (Facts of Life/Deadwood), Kate Linder (The Young & the Restless), Jaime Monroy (Comedian/TV Host), Chrystee Pharris (Queens of Drama), Jim Meskimen (Comedian/Inpersonator), Barbara Van Orden
(Producer), Jeanne Russell (Denise
the Menace), Elaine Ballace (The Rich & The Ruthless), Alice Amter (Big Bang Theory), Tracy Weisert (The Neighbors), Jeremy Miller (Growing Pains), Billy
Van
Zandt (Martin/The Hugelys), and more
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2019 Rych McCain Media/Syndication TM
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