Eddie Murphy has caused a fair amount of controversy in his time, from his superlatively sweary stand up sets to his high profile mockfest of the fat, Norbit. He became a fish out of water par excellence in Beverly Hills Cop, but in tearing down the establishment he was also happy to project his non-PC views. Live special Delirious from the early Eighties has stuff that'll split your sides quicker than a box cutter. If you're gay you might want to cover your ears for some of it though, as it transpires Murphy is terrified of you! Yep, he even wakes up in the night screaming after a nightmare he's being sexually compromised by Mr T. Today's comics have the option of self-producing their own shows and selling them online, giving them greater creative freedom. Yet I get the feeling they won't be in a rush to join Murphy in the homosexual-bashing queue. He generally plays it safe these days (Meet Dave? No thanks.) but there was a time when he really did let rip, and minorities took it with both barrels... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-lnF0wyNBQ Do you agree with this list? Are there worse examples of movie gags that would be roundly rejected in 2016? Let us know in the comments section.
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
