Slideshow
HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE
U.S., 1987
Directed by Robert Townsend
With Robert Townsend, Anne-Marie Johnson, Helen Martin, Starletta DuPois, Keenan and Damon Wayans
Approx. 78 mins. 35mm.
“Following the exploits of a fledgling Black actor, HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE ruthlessly skewered Hollywood’s treatment and representation of Black people during a time of rampant tokenism in the industry. While Robert Townsend’s 1987 film is ostensibly a series of comedy sketches, it’s unified by its often funny, perceptive, and fervently indignant portrait of an era when virtually every Black actor, aside from Eddie Murphy and Bill Cosby, was relegated to playing slaves, pimps, butlers, or thieves." – Slant Magazine
Reviews
“Improv talent Robert Townsend is pretty much the whole show.”
– Pat Graham, Chicago Reader
“Despite the film's conspicuously minuscule budget and shaky narrative structure, it is funny. If you value enthusiasm and imagination more than glossy sophistication, you'll laugh.”
– Geoff Andrew, Time Out
“For a mere $100,000, Townsend and company have made a funny, poignant and technically proficient film — one that should thoroughly embarrass those studios that routinely offer up badly made, multimillion-dollar disasters.”
– Richard Harrington, Washington Post
“Mr. Townsend has taken aim at the industry's funny bone and struck a solid blow.”
– Janet Maslin, The New York Times