Celebrating 35 Years Of Eddie Murphy’s Delirious

35 years ago, Eddie Murphy dropped what is arguably the most famous stand-up comedy performance of all time. 

Eddie Murphy, JAMES BROWN/STEVIE WONDER !!

Eddie talks about his favorite singers during a Sold Out Concert at Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. in 1983.

Already an emerging star and fresh off of resuscitating the Saturday Night Live franchise in the early ’80s, in addition to making his major film debut as Reggie Hammond in 48 Hours in 1982, the 22 year old announced his arrival as a true comedic genius whose creativity and innate storytelling abilities were on par with his idols Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, George Carlin and Redd Fox.

Eddie Murphy’s Delirious Part 5 – Ice Cream

READ*********************** EXPLICIT CONTENT do not watch if you don’t like swearing, racist jokes, sexist jokes, etc. The Ice-Cream scene from Eddie Murphy’s Delirious

It’s incredible to look back at his performance in 1983 and not marvel at how young he was while delivering such remarkable material. His impersonations of Mr. T, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and James Brown were almost scary in how the intonations were so accurate. If you closed your eyes, you’d swear that MJ was really singing, “She’s out of my life.”

Eddie Murphy Delirious – Michael Jackson Enhanced HD

Eddie Murphy Delirious – Michael Jackson Enhanced By TheMJQuotes.

The best work from Delirious is not when he’s talking about and imitating other celebrities, but when he delves into the complicated inner world of his own childhood and family. Taped live at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., his reminiscences of childhood excitement around the arrival of the ice cream man, Aunt Bunny’s mustache and the inebriated ramblings of his father, Vernon, are the gems that make the concert unforgettable.

To the younger generation, Eddie Murphy might be known as a family-friendly actor who starred in Shrek, Dr. Doolittle and The Nutty Professor, among others. But to those of us who were around when he blazed the television screen on Saturday Night Live and the big screen in 48 Hours, it’s easy to recall the anticipation of seeing him deliver his stand-up comedy masterpiece in Delirious. 

Eddie Murphy’s Delirous Part 10 – Uncle Gus and Aunt Bunny

READ*********************** EXPLICIT CONTENT do not watch if you don’t like swearing, racist jokes, sexist jokes, etc. The Uncle Gus and Aunt Bunny scene from Eddie Murphy’s Delirious

He was next in line on the comedy continuum as he took the torch from the incomparable Richard Pryor. Over the years, his performances have become kinder, gentler and more kid-friendly. 

To my kids, he’s simply Donkey in Shrek. But to many others from an older generation, Eddie Murphy will forever be known, among his other greatest accomplishments, for simply saying, “Your wife’s a Big Foot, isn’t she Gus?”

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