by the time you get to richard pryor, richard pryor decides he's not going to speak in code.g to talk to mainstream audiences the way black people talk in private. >> police got a choke hold. they choke niggers to death. that mean you be dead when they're through. did you know that? niggers going, yeah, we know that. white people going, no, we had no idea. >> what it does is that it gives people who have never had a way to talk about their struggle a way to talk about it because you can quote a richard pryor joke. it gives the people who never thought about the black struggle to hear about it. >> all of a sudden, your imagination is cracked open a little bit because he's explaining his experience. he's not just going, white people are bad, white people are bad, white people are bad. he's explaining the experience, and that to me is the difference. >> after you saw live in concert or sunset strip, you went back and thought, i need to change what i do. >> we do all the work nobody else wants to do. if an immigrant is taking your job, then you got a [ bleep ] up job. >> i think

>> richard pryor. >> when i walk on stage, i'm riddled with fear and excitement, because i have no idea what i'm going to do. >> this was what, oh no, you idiots. oh, god, oh, god, oh, god, oh, god, oh, god. ♪ ♪ >>> i despise myself from pretty much close to getting out of the womb. i was always wrong. let's start with that. when you're always wrong, you seek an audience to disprove that theory. i was just hell bent on having to prove myself. i know i'm right. i can't be always wrong, you know. i was the victim. >> my father was a very strange man. he was kind of a performance artist that was fueled by beer. >> i was very shy. and at home i was always quiet and didn't get to speak very often, just because other people were jibber jabbering a lot. some people wouldn't clam up, mom. when i did different voices or different noises, people say that's weird, or shut up. i feel like there is a fear of seeming crazy. >> a lot of comedians are people that are very introverted, very shy, very sensitive to humiliation. a little narcissistic, a little damaged. and so the only way to combat it is t

>> richard pryor. >> when i walk on stage, i'm riddled with fear and excitement, because i have no idea what i'm going to do. >> this was what, oh no, you idiots. oh, god, oh, god, oh, god, oh, god, oh, god. ♪ ♪ >>> i despise myself from pretty much close to getting out of the womb. i was always wrong. let's start with that. when you're always wrong, you seek an audience to disprove that theory. i was just hell bent on having to prove myself. i know i'm right. i can't be always wrong, you know. i was the victim. >> my father was a very strange man. he was kind of a performance artist that was fueled by beer. >> i was very shy. and at home i was always quiet and didn't get to speak very often, just because other people were jibber jabbering a lot. some people wouldn't clam up, mom. when i did different voices or different noises, people say that's weird, or shut up. i feel like there is a fear of seeming crazy. >> a lot of comedians are people that are very introverted, very shy, very sensitive to humiliation. a little narcissistic, a little damaged. and so the only way to combat it is t

i was so mad so i called richard pryor's house up and i said, richard, bill cosby just called me andh at what you say? yes. do you get paid? yes. i he said, tell bill i said have a coke and a smile and shut the [ bleep ] up. l flavors, no artificial preservatives in any of the food we sell. we believe in real food. whole foods market. no splashing! wait so you got rid of verizon, just like that? uh-huh. i switched to t-mobile, kept my phone-everything on it- -oh, they even paid it off! wow! yeah. it's nice that every bad decision doesn't have to be permenant! ditch verizon. keep your phone. we'll even pay it off when you switch to america's best unlimited network. going somewhere? whoooo. here's some advice. tripadvisor now searches more... ...than 200 booking sites - to find the hotel you want and save you up to 30%. trust this bird's words. tripadvisor. i'm proud to make dog chow in (vodavenport, iowa.an. dog chow's been a part of my family's life for over 40 years. my grandfather made it and now i'm making it. as a micro-biologist i ensure that dog chow leads with high quality ing

with the influence of jerry lewis, the two biggest comedy stars of 1961 and get richard pryor.> we are honoring both their legacies. i am so glad you brought up dick gregory. chris nesteroff, thanks for joining us and sharing your insight and expertise and don't miss a brand-new episode of the history of comedy right here on cnn. we're back in just a moment. ♪ never stop ♪ never ( ♪ ) ♪ over your head... she needs to go to college. i don't know how we'll do it. ♪ never stop ( ♪ ) ♪ 'til we get there ♪ ( ♪ ) ♪ 'til we get there ♪ fixodent plus adhesives. there's a denture adhesive that holds strong until evening. just one application gives you superior hold even at the end of the day fixodent. strong more like natural teeth. - i love you. - love you too, dad. ♪ i will love you ♪ in the morning ♪ when the dew is ♪ on the ground ♪ will love you... man: hey, good luck! dad, dad, your tie! ♪ when the sun is ♪ rising ♪ when the sun is [car tires screech] [bell rings] >>> turmoil in the trump white house not going unnoticed on wall street. christine romans brings us your "before the b

. >> i think every african-american comedian was more inspired by richard pryor. >> i've got a lot ofe over in new york it's like a tourist place, and they get hbo and they catch the lyrics and try to do my act on the street. i've got foreigners, eddie murphy, [ bleep ] [ bleep ] i love it. suck my [ bleep ]. >> i saw eddie murphy's raw and delirious when i was really little. i knew then, he nasty. he naughty. he's not suppose to be saying any of that. those are bad, bad words, and it's hilarious. >> you watch the bill cosby show. i do too. he called me up about a year ago and chastised me on the phone for being too dirty. >> i was so mad i called richard pryor's house, i told him who called. do people laugh what you say, do you get ? tell bill i said have a coke and a smile and shut up. and why a pro football team chose us to deliver fiber-enabled broadband to more than 65,000 fans. and why a leading car brand counts on us to keep their dealer network streamlined and nimble. businesses count on communication, and communication counts on centurylink. and life's beautiful moments.ns ge

. >> he allowed me to replace richard pryor for the muhammad ali roast. that was a big deal. >> when he would meet a new comic and take interest in him, he would remember you and ask, what are you up to? what are you doing? >> something else comedians tell us is gregory not only offered them advice on being a comedian. he offered them advice on being real and he showed them how the two can intersect. >> i 2000 inaugural protest. ien countered him at many peace demonstrations, and he taught me to live my life as a principal comedian. >> reporter: tim worked at the d.c. improv and his brief encounters with gregory were inspiring, as well. >> stick to what you want to the do. don't let anybody throw you off your path. be honest. tell the truth. >> derrick ward, news 4. >>> people from all walks of life are on social media talking about how dick graegry transformed their lives and made us all laugh in the process. gregory leaves behind a wife and ten children. >>> in other news tonight, nbc 4 is working for you in the community and getting kids ready for skoo

for the rest -- >> no, no, my first question is, how is the network treating you 40 years after richard pryor's nbc? i didn't realize it had been 40 years. just researching for our conversation. >> yeah. i didn't realize. >> 40 years on the same network. >> yeah. there are battles. it's a string of battles. because one, you're dealing with a corporation. you never want to forget that, as much as you want to be a bleeding heart artist and say, this is truth, this is what should be seen, you are working within the confines of corporation. anything that you see on television, even the internet, to a certain degree, you're working with, you know, these rules of people that are very cautious and very cautious about perspective that's so strong. the fear is that it will turn viewers away. right? they don't, people don't want to say real things because they're afraid, if you disagree, you won't watch it, but, you know, i think it's, again, staying true to yourself in perspective as you know. that's what we hold onto when anytime the network's a little cautious. we say, but this is honest, this is real

had crossover appeal with white audiences, paving the way for such other black comic greats as richard pryor. one of his big breaks came in 1961, when he found himself on" the tonight show." gregory was able to make people, white and black, laugh about sensitive race issues, once saying "i gave the country a new way out-- healthy racial jokes"" >> baseball is a great sport for my people; it's the only sport in the world in which a negro can shake a stick at a white man and not start a riot. >> sreenivasan: but comedy wasn't gregory's only passion. he would go on hunger strikes to protest the vietnam war, police brutality, native american rights and was frequently arrested. gregory was shot in the leg while trying to defuse the watts riots in 1965. he can even be heard on beatle john lennon's anti-war song," give peace a chance." and gregory also tried politics, running unsuccessfully for both mayor of chicago and for president of the united states in 1968. gregory was still telling jokes on the comedy circuit until weeks before his death. dick gregory was 84 years old. >> sreenivasan: tal af

and it's been quite a journey pleasure kind of a news junkie what never fails to make you laugh richard pryor george carlin what superpower would you like to have the ability to see the future in hollywood maybe . best problem of the ever got well this is one of them to be your table i grew up watching you know mountain really is an honor to be with you this is one of them something you wish you were better at business favorite john hughes film probably sixteen can start it all for me you know biggest perk to being a celebrity being acknowledged by people and it's a nice it's a nice thing and i think urgent is strangest fan encounter i'll lot of my do some a lot of signings if he's comic-con and stuff and sometimes i meet people that have some funny experiences you get usually people dressed up in cars play outfits or whatever or people just coming up to me just you know acknowledging the work that they grew up with me it's really it's very humbling and also encouraging it is home and you say that to me about me thank you this was something people don't know about it i'm a writer yeah i write

>> richard pryor. >> when i walk on stage, i'm riddled with fear and excitement, because i have no idea

carlin and richard pryor says he essentially owes his career to dick gregory. art form. so when we go back to '61, we might not realize how funny he was, but he was transcendent and funny and there at so many historic opportunities from the watts riot to muhammed ali to negotiating for the hostages in iran. he was a fascinating american life. >> a true lion, and we wish him and his family god speed. and thank you so much, mark thompson, mike pesca, we really appreciate it. that is our show for today. join us next weekend for more "a.m. joy." up next, alex witt discusses charlottesville with the head of donald trump's diversity coalition. more news at the top of the hour. this time it's his turn. you have 4.3 minutes to yourself. this calls for a taste of cheesecake. new philadelphia cheesecake cups. rich, creamy cheesecake with real strawberries. find them with the refrigerated desserts. at ally, we offer low rates on home loans. but if that's not enough, we offer our price match guarantee too. and if that's not enough... we should move. our home team will help

. >> mort saul influenced this whole generation of coffee house comedians like lenny bruce, richard pryor, john collins. >> here's johnny. >> going to be a good night, i saw bob hope backstage we were talking. it's a wonderful thrill standing next to one of the greatest comedians in the entire world. item sure bob appreciates it. >> you were looking for not just a take on the news by the actual news. i wouldn't reading anything other than the sports and the comics johnny carson was where you'd go. >> i saw the headline in the national inquire this week. the headline was how eating the right foods can increase your iq. isn't that risky for the inquire they could lose all their leadership. >> johnny carson was mark something in the public eye, everybody was in on it. >> he was the most powerful man in hollywood because he could kill you with one vote. >> somebody told president george bush that jesse jackson was coming to the white house, and he said oh good maybe he'll autograph my thriller album. >> you want to hear what johnny would say in the news. >> there was a woman in michigan, she

. >> he allowed me to place richard p richard pryor. when he would meet a new comic. he would ask, what are you up to and what are you doing. >> something else comedians tell us is that gregory not only offered him advice on being a comedian. he offered him advance on being real and he showed him how the two could intersect. >> i encountered him during the 2000 inaugural protest. i encountered him at many peace demonstrations and he taught me to live my life as a principled comedian. >> he worked at the dcimprov and -- >> stick to what you're trying to do. don't let anybody -- be honest, 4. >> and jim and angie, in so many ways, a truly uniquely american life in in story who made us all laugh. >> what a difference he made, you're right, leon, thanks so much. >>> right now, a sight in the sky unlike anything we're have seen this century. much anticipated solar eclipse put on a record breaking show. >>> we are all over it for you, from how people watched, to how animals at the national zoo reacted to what to do now with those eclipse glasses. but, first, a look at storm

his comedy is viewed as trailblazing for the likes of bill cosby and richard pryor.vism that described his life was sparkeded when he joined the demonstration for voting rights in mississippi. in 1963 he was arrested and jailed in birmingham, alabama. he went on long hunger strike, some lasting weeks, protesting the vietnam war and the plight of african-americans in the united states. gregory was born in st. louis, the second of six children, raised in poverty by his mother. his later life was not without controversy. he was committeded to conspiracy theories about events like 9/11 and the assassination of john f. kennedy calling elements of the government evil, but mostly he will be remembered for putting a frame of humor around america's troubled past. dick gregory, comedian and civil rights activist, died last night in washington, d.c. he was 84 years old. >> i think the most beautiful part about this that few people, particularly in the south realized that after the negro wins full citizenship and first-class treatment the american white man will become free. it'

>> richard pryor. >> when i walk on stage, i'm riddled with fear and

his success opened the door for other black comedians including richard pryor and flip wilson.performers told jokes and stories from mainstream audiences, he tackled racism in his act and on talk shows and given the recent racial tension in this country it's fair to say that he could take his act on the road today. i never learned hate at home or shame. i had to go to school for that he once said. he was active in the civil rights movement with his actions and words. only gregory could satire jim crow laws by saying this quote. i walked into this restaurant, this white waitress said we don't serve colored people here. i said that's all right. i don't eat colored people. in 1968, dick gregory ran for president as a write-in candidate for the peace and freedom party and the same year that alabama governor george wallace ran. 50 years ago, he stressed the importance of black voters getting involved in politics. >> i think it's good for what he's doing because for the first time he's given a lot of people in america a means of expressing themselves as never who had that means befor

the country and paved the way for generations of african-american comedians from bill cosby and richard pryor to chris rock and dave chappelle. on sunday, chris rock wrote on instagram -- "we lost a king. there will never be another. read his books, look him up. you won't be disappointed. unfortunately, the america that produced dick gregory still exists." dick gregory was the first african-american comedian to sit on the couch of "the tonight show" then hosted by jack parr. but as his popularity grew, so did his activism. he was jailed and beaten by birmingham police for parading without a permit in 1963. he took a bullet in the knee while trying to calm a crowd during the watts riots in 1965. that same year he spoke at one of the first major teach-ins on the vietnam war. it was at the university of california, berkeley. >> as far as war, as far as the way that radical group will say -- there just holding this meeting because they want to duck the draft. there will always think of little petty things to say. but i tell you one thing, i and not against armies as long as the armies is going to

he broke racial barriers in the '60s and his satire inspired richard pryor and a generation of african-americanind. he had a funny joke back in the day where you didn't talk about race. you said to people, you better be nice to me because under john kennedy's housing policy, i could be your neighbor. black man in the neighborhood. >> he inspired a lot of comedians. he really did. >>> penn state students return to class as the u life safer. today the university will take responsibility for oversight and discipline of fraternities and sororities. it was previously done by independent greek governing counsels, also firing 14 new positions. the measures come after sophomore timothy piazza died in the now closed bay that theta pie case. he was hazed emt drinking excessive amounts of alcohol at a party. 1 fraternity members have been charged in connection with his death. tomorrow his parents will join us only on "cbs this morning" to share their reaction to penn state's charges and whether they go far enough. i tell you, i always get the chills reading that story. that's so painful. >> you know he di