Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986)

The film is Richard Pryor's semi-autobiography -- although he denies it -- starting with a self-destructive drug scene in which he burns the house down and nearly burns himself to death; the film is then a series of flashbacks ending with his recovery and resuming his life. Throughout, he appears as an alter ego, giving advice to his real self.

His first big break was into the club scene with the help of a stripper called Satin Doll; after we see her act, suddenly we see it again, and it's Pryor's character doing the strip. Satin Doll's version was a little clumsy and didn't end with much revelation, so that for a while it was not obvious that the second version was Pryor in her place. He had lightened his body skin for the performance.

The club owner tries to deny them their wages and there is an altercation, in which we see that Satin Doll is wearing male evening dress and a moustache; Pryor becomes enraged and, still in a skimpy costume goes to the manager's office and pulls a gun to get their money.

HF December 2007

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