Hollywood Shuffle

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Hollywood Shuffle
Directed by	Robert Townsend
Produced by	Robert Townsend
Written by	Robert Townsend & Keenen Ivory Wayans with Dom Irrera (uncredited)
Starring	Robert Townsend Anne-Marie Johnson Helen Martin John Witherspoon Dom Irrera Roy Fegan Keenen Ivory Wayans Starletta DuPois Craigus R. Johnson
Music by	Udi Harpaz
Cinematography	Peter Deming
Editing by	W.O. Garrett
Distributed by	The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release date(s)	October 17, 1986 (USA)
Running time	78 min.
Language	English
Budget	$100,000 (estimated)
Gross revenue	$5,228,617 (USA)
IMDb profile

Hollywood Shuffle (1987) is a film depicting the stereotyping of African Americans in film and television. Directed by Robert Townsend. Written by Robert Townsend and Keenan Ivory Wayans. Featured in the film were Robert Townsend, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans, Dom Irrera, Don Reed,and John Witherspoon. Produced by Robert Townsend. Released by MGM Home Entertainment. 1987. 81 minutes. Rated R. The film is available on DVD

[edit] Production & Storyline

The movie was written and directed by Robert Townsend, his first. It is Hollywood folklore that Townsend produced the movie by using his own money and credit cards and making the crew wear college sweatshirts to keep from paying filming fees. The credit card angle was played up in the film's trailer (included on the MGM DVD release), which is hosted by Townsend who reveals that the film was financed by his credit cards. As the trailer ends, he begs the audience (even suggesting that patrons take a bum with them) to see the film as repo men repossess the set's furniture. He's eventually reduced to finishing the trailer by the light of a disposable lighter when the electricity is turned off.

The movie is centered around Bobby (Townsend) and his quest to make it as an actor in Hollywood. He is stuck working at a fast food stand with some hilarious and demented characters who consistently try to destroy his plans for the future.

When he finally gets a break, it is for a role that makes him question his own morality. Should he join the system and play stereotype roles? Or should he say 'no', and possibly destroy his dream of becoming an actor?

As he travels around he frequently has 'visions' which are shown to us the audience. They are visions of the possible future roles he could have, the consequences of playing stereotypes, and so forth.

Here is a short list of his visions:

Bobby as a detective pursuing a murderer with a Jheri curl

Bobby being an "Uncle Tom" and having an angry mob after him

Bobby in an audition where casting agents are looking for an "Eddie Murphy" type, so all the black men in the audition are dressed as Eddie Murphy with leather jackets (some lighter-skinned actors put on darker makeup to match Murphy's skin tone)

Bobby playing a King in a Shakespearean play

The film's most talked-about vignette involved a parody of Siskel & Ebert's telvision show, re-titled Sneakin' In At The Movies. The "show" featured two African-Americans dressed in street clothes named "Speed" and "my homie, Tyrone" running into each other inside of a movie theatre that they had snuck into without having paid for tickets. They then proceed to review four movies using street dialect to express approval and disapproval. For example, in reviewing "Amadeus and Salerius", Speed's entire review consists of yelling "Bullshit" at the screen. When the two critics disagreed on the movie "Chicago Jones and the Temple of Doom", Tyrone threatens Speed with the words, "Im'o bust yo' ass". The two give a negative review to "Dirty Larry" and instead of giving it thumbs-down, the two give it "the finger". Finally, the duo lavish praise on the film "Attack of the Killer Street Pimps", giving the movie a "high five". The "show" ends when Speed and Tyrone are caught having snuck into the theatre and are forcibly ejected.