Before Murphy

Re “His Furious ‘Delirious’ Days,” by Chris Lee, June 15: While a case could certainly be made that it was Lenny Bruce who “changed the face of stand-up comedy forever,” many would argue -- and rightly so -- it was the terrific 1979 film “Richard Pryor: Live in Concert” (as well as ‘82’s “Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip”) that helped pave the way for 1983’s “Eddie Murphy: Delirious.”

Long before Eddie, it was Pryor who -- borrowing Lee’s own words -- “was a baaad man -- a stand-up superstar who could in equal parts infuriate, entertain and inspire his audience.”

Michael Roush

Woodland Hills