silver streak bathroom scene

Silver Streak was one of my favorite movies growing up. One, it had trains in it. Two, it had Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. They worked well together. Recently, I rewatched this movie and this scene came up.  I love this scene.  

You know they couldn't do this blackface scene today. The number of hashtags and protests would be crazy. Part of the joke is that they're actually making fun of the white guy and sheer absurdity of the situation.

Watch the extras as Gene comes out of the restroom. They have some varying reactions. One guy cracks a smile.  I've never noticed that.  Pryor's reaction to seeing Gene's jive-strutting is priceless.  

Interesting fact about the black-face scene. From IMDB, ((When the scene where Grover (Richard Pryor) puts the shoe polish on George's (Gene Wilder's) face to make him appear to be black was first filmed, a white man walked in and believed George was black. Richard Pryor was uncomfortable with the scene, and felt it would be funnier if a black man walked in and is not fooled at all. Pryor asked Arthur Hiller for a re-shoot, but Hiller refused. Pryor walked off the set and refused to return to filming until the scene was changed. Hiller relented and Pryor's idea was used for the final cut. ))

I have to agree with Pryor on this one. It works better and fits into the reality of the movie more than a white guy thinking Gene's character was black. I also like that a black man tells him “You have to be in a lot of trouble in you look like that.” I wasn't aware that the scene was changed. I guess we'll never see the alt-take with the white dude.