It’s very early to be talking about documentary contenders for next year’s Emmys, but The One and Only Dick Gregory certainly should be part of the conversation. The film written and directed by An…
at last gives the late Gregory his rightful due—as one of the most significant figures in the history of comedy, a hero in the Civil Rights Movement and a pioneer in nutrition, health and wellness. It’s hard to separate each of the areas where Gregory made an impact, because they all sprang from a common impulse, to redeem America from its savage racism and to help his fellow human beings.
Gregory’s comedy breakthrough came during a performance before a crowd of mostly white Southerners at the Playboy Club in Chicago, during which he declined to make his remarks “safe” for that potentially antagonistic audience. The night turned into a triumph and the resulting nationwide publicity earned Gregory an appearance on the Jack Paar show. After Paar, Gregory’s income instantly leapt from $250 a week to $5,000 a night, and within a short time he had become a wealthy man.
“He subordinated his role as an entertainer substantially behind the role of his life as an activist,” affirms Gaines. “He was such a gifted entertainer, but he just did not ever want to consider that his terminus. He never wanted to identify at the end of the day, if he left this Earth, just being known as a comedian. He would have felt that he didn’t do what it is he came to do.”
Like MLK, Gregory’s sense of justice compelled him to oppose the Vietnam War. He went on a 14-month long fast to protest the war, during which he lost almost two-thirds of his body weight. The experience of fasting led him to explore nutrition and health and he became a champion of changing the American diet.Showtime/Miriam Bokser/Villon Films
Selling the Bahamian Diet allowed many of these small business owners to build wealth, something Gregory could have done for himself had he focused only on the bottom line and not on the general good. A major company offered him tens of millions of dollars to commercially exploit the Bahamian Diet, but he ultimately turned them down.
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