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Phat Tuesdays is a three-part docuseries, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Reginald Hudlin, that has just arrived on Amazon Prime Video on February 4, 2022. It depicts the story of the understated golden age of hip-hop comedy. Honest discussions, inspiring memories, bitter truths, and uproarious laughs are what make this docuseries a remarkable piece of art.
The Prime docuseries revolves around the weekly show at the Comedy Store that brought Black comedy and the Black community to West Hollywood from 1995 to 2005. It also sheds light upon what came before this era and what came after.
The docuseries represents this enthralling underdog story through live footage that has never been seen before. It also includes all-embracing interviews with all the comedy greats with the legendary Guy Torry at the very heart of it.
Phat Tuesdays: An insightful docuseries brilliantly directed by Hudlin
Hudlin shoots most of the interviews on stage at the Comedy Store to give them the feel of an intimate performance. Not for a moment did they feel over-rehearsed. Stand-up is conventionally a solo affair. However, the brilliant director puts his flare on it by mixing this up.
For instance, he pairs rapper Snoop Dogg with comedian and actor Haddish, and undoubtedly, they’re bound to blow the audience away with stories of their hilarious experiences on Phat Tuesdays. This is familiar territory for anyone who has been around during the ’90s and took an interest in hip-hop culture.
Reginald Hudlin refuses to tell well-known stories or, for that matter, produce a prominent reel from the decade. What makes this docuseries even more special are the presence of new revelations and intriguing, emotionally driven perspectives displayed with the advantage of hindsight.
The director cultivates a calming vibe or energy that makes everyone speak their minds freely and in an unfiltered manner similar to what they used to do on Phat Tuesdays. Hudlin’s remarkable harmony with the comedians enables him to delve into significant and demanding subjects, including sibling rivalry, sexism, racism, discrimination, and more.
Cultural, historical and political importance
The Prime docuseries, Phat Tuesdays, is without a shred of doubt fabricated with oozing cultural, historical, and political facts of great significance. It recognizes how segregated and straightaway racist the comedy industry was during the 80s. George Wallace discloses that one could only make their way into the comedy industry by tailoring their material to a white audience.
The docuseries also reveals an implicit rule, denoting that there could be only one prominent black comedian in a decade. Those foremost black comedians were Redd Foxx (1960s), Richard Pryor (1970s) and Eddie Murphy (1980s).
The docuseries Phat Tuesdays also disclose how the Comedy Store’s owner, Mitzi Shore, rejected both Robin Harris and Harvey, reportedly claiming that their act was “too Black” for the audience of the Comedy Store.
Marsha Warfield unveils how a discouraged Harris moved on to host at the Comedy Act Theater, an all-black comedy club in South Central L.A.
Inspirational and driven by emotions
As revealed in the docuseries Phat Tuesdays, Guy Torry's bold plan of bringing the black community or "hood" to Hollywood changed the comedy scene for the better. General manager of the Comedy Store, Scott Day, agreed with Torry that he would provide the 50-seat Belly Room for only a month to see if it works.
The deal seemed as if Guy was set up to have a failure, but he was dauntless. While talking about what was going through his mind at that time, he says, "This room is too important. I'm representing Black comedians who need this opportunity."
The comedians who gave interviews in the docuseries Phat Tuesdays include Anthony Anderson, Dave Chappelle, Tichina Arnold, Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey, Tiffany Haddish, Finesse Mitchell, Craig Robinson, Chris Tucker, JB Smoove, Kym Whitley, etc. Regardless of their level of fame, they expressed their gratitude for the opportunity Torry gave them.
They are seen talking about their craft sincerely but with humility. It is because of the backgrounds they came in from and the battles they had to fight in an industry that was utterly white-centred.
The docuseries projects how reaching an audience as their authentic selves for black comedians was a significant political act. This includes black female comedians who were just as committed to making a mark in the comedy industry even after facing double marginalization.
Don't forget to watch Phat Tuesdays, streaming on Amazon Prime Video from February 4, 2022.
