Descriptions like “groundbreaking” can be harmful to a comedy’s legacy: too much prestige can make you forget to laugh. Take Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle, which was recently added to the Criterion Collection—and rightfully so. Lots of essays have been written on the importance of the film, with almost none of them mentioning how hilarious it actually is.
Two things can exist at once. Hollywood Shuffle is important and extremely funny.
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Released in 1987, Hollywood Shuffle was ahead of its time in breaking down and disproving negative stereotypes of Black actors in mainstream film and television. Independently financed by Townsend, it went on to inspire Fox’s In Living Color (created by Shuffle cowriter Keenen Ivory Wayans) and rappers like MF Doom and be echoed in films by Spike Lee (Bamboozled featured Shuffle costar Damon Wayans) and in Vin Diesel’s pre-superstardom short Multi-Facial.
The main theme of Hollywood Shuffle still resonates today: Black actors, writers, and filmmakers trying to succeed in the movie industry despite being typecast. In the film, Townsend stars as Bobby Taylor, a young actor struggling to make it in the movie business while hoping to avoid playing a slave, a gangster, or a clone of Eddie Murphy, then the biggest star (arguably of any race) in Hollywood.
Hollywood Shuffle is a narrative feature, but it consists of a series of In Living Color–esque sketches that poke fun at everything from the mush-mouthed slave sidekicks who plagued Old Hollywood movies for years to the horrors of being transformed into a full-on Eddie Murphy zombie.
Again, it’s worth remembering that Hollywood Shuffle is a comedy with a cast that reads like an all-star roster of ’80s stand-up stars, including Keenen Ivory and Damon Wayans, John Witherspoon, Paul Mooney, and Dom Irrera.
Some of the humor is extremely meta, like the scene in which veteran actor Grand L. Bush’s character lists his acting roles, which range from thug to rapist to mugger to gang member. Look up Bush’s real IMDB credits from the late ’70s through the mid-’80s and you’ll find that many of the roles he played were in fact thugs, muggers, and gang members.
I wouldn’t call Hollywood Shuffle a dark comedy, but it definitely features some bleak jokes, like having to sell your soul just to land a part in a film that will more than likely be forgotten by viewers (if any see it at all).
This is also an independent film in the truest sense. While Townsend certainly wasn’t the first independent filmmaker to finance a film with his own credit cards, his name is seldom mentioned alongside the likes of Hal Hartley, Kevin Smith, and other indie darlings of the modern American independent-film movement. The film’s low budget and limited resources ended up working in its favor. Much like in Monty Python sketches and films, Hollywood Shuffle’s cheap-looking sets and costumes add to its overall humor rather than serve as distractions.
Throughout his post–Hollywood Shuffle career, Townsend continued to be uncompromising. He made it to Hollywood with films like The Five Heartbeats (cowritten with Keenen Ivory Wayans) and Meteor Man (an early dive into the superhero/comic genre before those films took off), and he found a mainstream television audience with The Parent ’Hood, a sitcom that ran on the WB during that network’s heyday. It should also be noted that, in an ironic twist, Townsend did end up working with Murphy, on his comedy special Raw.
Townsend is still writing, producing, acting, and directing, and he recently popped up in a well-regarded supporting role on FX’s The Bear. He also teaches film at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.
Now, thanks to Criterion, Townsend’s debut can reach new audiences. Far from obscure, for decades it wasn’t always the easiest to come by. For viewers taking it in for the first time, I’d urge you to remember the film’s historical context—but it’s even more important that you remember to laugh.•
Marcus Pinn is a critic who runs the film blog Pinnland Empire and is a regular contributor for The Pink Smoke. With Scott Thorough, he cohosts the film podcast Zebras in America.
