Before he was The Nutty Professor, before he was Dr. Dolittle, and even before he was the Beverly Hills Cop, Eddie Murphy was an SNL comic! From 1981-1984 he entertained us with sketches as Gumby, Mister Robinson, Buckwheat, Velvet Jones and many more! He was before Chris Rock, Tracey Morgan, and Tim Meadows! And after Garrett Morris!
Acting
Murphy's shape-shifting commitment to every character
Writing
Dangerous premises that wouldn't fly today
Production
Gloriously janky 80s SNL energy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Murphy joined SNL at 19 after the cast purge of 1980, carrying the entire show until he left in 1984.
Gumby was Murphy's revenge on Hollywood: a cantankerous Black icon demanding respect and cash, which studio heads reportedly didn't recognize as satire.
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