Pryor's Place

Pryor's Place is an American children's television series that aired for one season in 1984 on CBS. The live-action series starred comedian Richard Pryor as himself.[1]

Pryor's Place
GenreChildren's television series
Comedy
Created bySid and Marty Krofft
Lorne Frohman
StarringRichard Pryor
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Running time25 minutes
DistributorSony Pictures Television
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseSeptember 15 –
December 8, 1984 (1984-12-08)

Overview

Despite a reputation for profanity from Richard Pryor, Pryor's Place was aimed at children. Like Sesame Street, Pryor's Place featured a cast of puppets, hanging out and having fun in a friendly inner city environment along with several children and characters portrayed by Pryor himself. However, Pryor's Place frequently dealt with more sobering issues than the series it so closely resembled.

The theme song was performed by Ray Parker Jr.[2] of Ghostbusters fame, who also appeared in the show's opening credits. The show was also fitted with a laugh track.

Pryor's Place was broadcast on Saturdays on CBS (at 11:30 AM Eastern/10:30 AM Central) from September 15 to December 8, 1984, with repeats airing until June 15, 1985.[3] Four VHS videotapes were released between September 1997 and June 1998 by Rhino Entertainment, each containing one episode of the series.[4][5][6][7]

EPISODE GUIDE:

  • “High Noon at 5:30 P.M.” (9/15/84) – Richie faces off with the neighbourhood bully.
  • “To Catch a Little Thief” (9/22/84) – Richie steals a basketball to get in good with a street gang.
  • “Love Means Never…” (9/29/84) – Richie’s painful first grade first romance.
  • “Voyage to the Planet of the Dumb” (10/6/84) – Richie and his friends learn why skipping school is dumb.
  • “Close Encounters of…” (10/13/84) – Richie tries to get a fuzzy alien home.
  • “Sax Education” (10/20/84) – Richie loses a friend's saxophone.
  • “Readers of the Lost Art” (10/27/84) – Richie and Wally think reading is uncool.
  • “Divorce Children’s Style” (11/3/84) – Divorce sometimes happens, but what does it do to the kids involved?
  • “The Kimosabe Blues” (11/10/84) – Richie and Wally’s argument threatens their friendship.
  • “The Showoff” (11/17/84) – Richie is terrified to perform in front of his first audience.
  • “Cousin Rita” (11/24/84) – Little Richie’s friend has a crush on his older cousin.
  • “Home Free” (12/1/84) – Amanda reveals a traumatic incident from her past to Richie.
  • “Too Old Too Soon, Too Smart Too Late” (12/8/84) – Richie learns the importance of respecting his elders.

Cast
  • Richard Pryor — Himself
  • Akili Prince — Little Richie
  • Cliffy Magee — Wally
  • Michael Sheehan — Puppeteer

Guest stars

Recurring cast
  • Danny Ponce — Charlie (episode: Voyage to the Planet of the Dumb)
  • Danny Nucci — Freddy (episode: Voyage to the Planet of the Dumb)
  • Angela Lee — Sheri (episode: Voyage to the Planet of the Dumb)
  • Patty Maloney — Dummy #1 (episode: Voyage to the Planet of the Dumb)
  • Jimmy Briscoe — Dummy #3 (episode: Voyage to the Planet of the Dumb)
  • Tony Cox — Allen/Dummy #2 (episode: Voyage to the Planet of the Dumb)
  • Spring Mooney — Denise (episode: Cousin Rita)
  • Lily Mariye — Lily (episode: Cousin Rita)
  • Regina Hooks — Regina (episode: Cousin Rita)
  • E. Hampton Beagle — Anything Shop Owner (episode: To Catch a Little Thief)
  • Milt Kogan — Solly (episode: To Catch a Little Thief and episode: High Noon at 5:30 p.m.)
  • Stephen Rumph — Jake (episode: To Catch a Little Thief)
  • Chez Lister — J.D. (episode: To Catch a Little Thief)
  • Carol Lipin — Woman in Prison (episode: To Catch a Little Thief)
  • Keland Love — Meatrack (episode: High Noon at 5:30 p.m.)
  • Elliot Sarkin — Ronny Chung (episode: High Noon at 5:30 p.m.)
  • Scooter Stevens — Kid #1 (episode: High Noon at 5:30 p.m.)/Sid (episode: Kimosabe Blues)
  • Leanne Richelle — Patty (episode: Kimosabe Blues)
  • Sean Garrett McFrazier — Marty (episode: Kimosabe Blues)

References
  1. Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 352. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  2. Retrojunk.com - Pryor's Place (intro)
  3. TV Party - Saturday Mornings 1984
  4. Vol. 1 at AllMovie
  5. Vol. 2 at AllMovie
  6. Vol. 3 at AllMovie
  7. Vol. 4 at AllMovie
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