R.I.P. Dolemite

By Philip Van der Vossen (@PVanderVossen) on October 21st, 2008

Rudy Ray Moore, star of Dolemite, died over the weekend at the age of 81. Moore was a comedian, musician, singer, film actor, and film producer. He is best known as Dolemite, the uniquely articulate pimp from the 1975 film Dolemite, and its sequel, The Human Tornado. The character was developed during his earlier stand-up comedy records. Go ahead and click on that image to the left, you know you want to.

The USA Today reports :

Rudy Ray Moore, a raunchy 1970s comedian who played the title role of a flashy pimp in the movie Dolemite and influenced a generation of rappers, has died. He was 81. Moore died Sunday evening at an Akron nursing home from complications of diabetes, said his brother, Gerald Moore.

Rudy Ray Moore was part of the heyday of black “party records.” His stage personality featured blunt sex routines but, unlike contemporaries Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor, he never crossed over to mainstream white audiences.

I actually tried to watch Dolemite with some high school buddies one time, and have to admit I didn’t get it. Yep, I’m white. This trailer seems pretty funny though, maybe the movie just started slow. For those of you craving some Dolemite action, check it out (Rated R):