Robert Townsend – Why We Laugh

Robert Townsend's documentary Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy is due on DVD April 27th.

From the press release:

"Directed by noted actor-producer-director Robert Townsend ('Hollywood Shuffle'), the documentary, which originally screened at Sundance in 2009 in the Premiere section, features interviews with prominent scholars, politicians, cultural critics, and a host of notable comics, including Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Steve Harvey, and Katt Williams."

"]Why We Laugh' tracks the evolution of black comedy from the character of Stepin Fetchit and minstrels in blackface to the politically tinged humor of Dick Gregory, and from the television success of Good Times and The Jeffersons to the big-screen accomplishments of stars such as Eddie Murphy and Whoopi Goldberg. The film also turns a perceptive eye on the controversial career decision of Dave Chappelle and the implications of corporate efforts to capitalize on the massive success of Russell Simmons's Def Comedy Jam and Spike Lee's The Original Kings of Comedy."

Extended Trailer:
Why We Laugh

At Codeblack Entertainment:
Why We Laugh

Over at Hip Hop Press:
Robert Townsend's Star-Studded Documentary WHY WE LAUGH Comes to DVD April 27th!
Sundance Documentary "Why We Laugh" Acquired by Showtime to Air Thursday, February 4th, at 8pm