In 1977,Richard Pryorwas on top of the world. His revolutionary brand of racy, provocative stand-up comedy resonated with black audiences in the post-Civil Rights Movement era while making serious cash for record companies and Hollywood film studios. Following his breakout role asGene Wilder’s unlikely ally in the comedy-thrillerSilver Streak, Pryor was ready to headline his first major motion picture with the biopicGreased Lightning.
As Pryor had long been cast aship sidekicks and in cameo rolesfor ensemble comedies, it was fitting that his first true leading role would be that ofWendell Scott, the first BlackNASCAR driver. During the early ‘50s, Scott struggled to be accepted into the sport due to his skin color, initially seen as a novelty act who persevered on the racetrack to be elevated to the Grand National circuit. Though it is billed as a biographical drama,Greased Lightningplays a lot like Pryor’s standup routine by finding the humor within the pain of being Black in America.
What Is ‘Greased Lightning’ About?
Greased Lightningstarts with Scott as a teenager, beating out a group of bigoted white kids in a bicycle race,establishing his initial dreams of becoming a racecar driver.After returning from the army duringWorld War IIto his Danville, VA home, he sparks a romance with Mary Jones (Pam Grier) and takes odd jobs, from taxi driving to bootlegging with his pal Peewee (Cleavon Little), to make ends meet. But Scott’s dream of having a garage and becoming a competitive driver is looked down upon by everyone, including Mary’s family.
After getting busted by the Danville Sheriff (Vincent Gardenia) for years of bootlegging and evading the law, Scott is offered an opportunity by a racetrack owner (Noble Willingham) toput his driving skills to use on his course in exchange for dropping all charges.He’s viewed by the owner as an easy target for white racecar drivers to humiliate on the track to appease the racially insensitive crowd. However, Scott defies all expectations as he proves to be a competitive driver with the help of his loved ones as well as driver-turned-mechanic Hutch (Beau Bridges).
Richard Pryor Finds Humor Through Wendell Scott’s Struggle
DirectorMichael Schultz(The Last Dragon) specializes in balancing humor and drama, as he had done previously with the indie classicCooley High. Much ofGreased Lightning’s fun is in the first half of the picture, with Scott outrunning the sheriff and his deputies in the style ofSmokey and the Bandit, down to the spectacular stunts and destruction of properties ranging from farmhouses to watermelon trucks. For a stand-up performer like Pryor, taking on the part of Scott in a biographical drama had plenty of elements for the comedy icon to connect with.Both men grew up in poverty and faced countless acts of racism in their respective rises to fame. Pryor channeled the pain of racial inequality as the prime outlet for his standup routine and managed to find humor through the drama of Scott’s struggle to break through the glass ceiling of NASCAR.
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Pedal to the metal!
One scene that displays Pryor’s ability to lighten a racially charged situation involves Scott and Peewee selling bootleg liquor to a group of armed hillbillies at night, which gets broken up by the local sheriff. Then the next scene depicts the sheriff and his deputies cornering Scott and Peewee in a car posing as lovers. Even in the face of fear,Pryor knows how to deliver the laughs and make the white racist characters look incredibly dumb all at once. But that does not mean his entire performance is driven by comedy. When Scott gets denied winning a close race, andthen later told by a judge of the mistake without awarding him publicly,there’s a pure rage in Pryor’s eyes that echoes the suffering of any Black American denied acknowledgment in their profession.
Greased Lightningalso marks a departure forblaxploitationstar Pam Grier as Scott’s love interest. She drops her action-oriented feminist persona fromCoffyandFoxy Brownto deliver a soft, endearing performance that helps to elevate Pryor’s dramatic abilities. Much of Grier’s radiant charm comes from the scenes of Scott smooth-talking and playing around to seduce Mary. At other times, they are constantly at odds aboutScott’s NASCAR dreams and the harsh reality of the segregated world against them.But like her iconic blaxploitation characters, Grier knows how to stand by her man’s side against all obstacles ultimately.
Greased Lightning
