MARATHON MAN: A look back at the short career of 1980’s “street comic” & actor Charlie Barnett
By 1980, a young black comedian from Bluefield, West Virginia had made a name for himself by performing stand up comedy routines at the fountain in Washington Square Park in New York City where others street artist (musicians, jugglers…other comedy people)were attempting to win the crowd over.
But he was one of the only few who could “fill up the fountain”, as seen in the 1988 documentary Mondo New York.
This fame led to him auditioning for a slot on a still fairly new late night sketch comedy show called Saturday Night Live. The performer did a great job and a producer from the show wanted him to come back for a read through, but due to the comedian’s reading disability, he didn’t return for the call back.
Eventually, that SNL slot when to another young black upstart named Eddie Murphy, and a TV/film career was born.
That incident didn’t prevent Charlie Barnett from acting in movies, having a role on a popular TV show and becoming a stand up legend (Dave Chappelle claims Barnett was an influence), but it was akin to spraining an ankle before running a marathon.
My first time seeing Barnett was in the 1983 comedy D.C. Cab, where he played Tyrone, a cab driver who wore a wig with rollers attached to it, who felt he’s not living up to his full potential. His role is one of the four characters that were fleshed out and felt like a real person(Barnett stood out among an ensemble of young talent such as Bill Maher, Paul Rodriguez, Marsha Warfield and comic veteran Whitman Mayo).
Barnett lived in California during the filming of the movie, and did some performances on Venice Beach where a young Michael Colyar also worked his routines.
When D.C.Cab was released it was a box office dud, and the critics weren’t fond of it either. But Charlie’s marathon was off and running.
I saw the movie as a ten year old in the mid 1980’s when it aired on HBO ten times a week. The mixture of Mr. T, along with a group of fuck ups that goofed around on the job, and a scene with multiple topless boobs in it, made it the greatest movie of all time in my young eyes.
The scene where Tyrone gets his hands on the mugger’s gun, is worth the price of admission.
Besides the theme song “The Dream”, performed by 80’s pop sensation Irene Carra (who makes a cameo in the film) and the film score, (composed by Giorgio Moroder) Barnett made the film for me, and his character is the soul of the story.
Next hurdle…television.
From 1984 to 1987 Barnett had a recurring role on the hit television drama Miami Vice as Neville “Noogie” Lamont, a part time informant/petty criminal who would help Tubbs & Crockett bust the big coke kingpin of the week, once a season.
In the few episodes that I remember that featured Barnett, he seemed to do a lot of ad-libbing, but it worked for the sketchy character he was playing. I’m sure the producers liked his energy, but knew not to give him too much “heavy lifting”, with extra dialogue to remember.
The show was an instant hit, giving Barnett national attention. During the span of the Miami Vice era, was the busiest time of his television/film career.
He also made an appearance on the 80’s cop show TJ Hooker, minor roles in three forgettable features(1985’s My Man Leroy, 1985’s Beer(featuring a young,energetic David Allen Grier) and 1986’s Nobody’s Fool), but his 1986 comedy special, Terms of Enrollment, put him back into his element.
Produced for the home video market, Terms found him (once again) performing his humorous but vulgar stand up humor. But unlike his Washington Square Park days of NYC, the college campus crowd (I believe this was shot in Florida, when he was filming Miami Vice)was uncomfortable with a lot of his routine.
The beginning and end of the program were made up of sketches of himself interacting with his celebrity peers(Phillip Micheal Thomas, Richard Belzer, Andrew “Dice” Clay, Dr. Joyce Brothers, and Ray Parker Jr. among others).
The thing about running a marathon is that obstacles can and will get in your path; The weather could hinder your stride…slower runners could get in your way.
But sometimes talented people tend to trip up over a line of coke…sometimes even a heroin needle.
That could sprain your other ankle.
After Barnett left Miami Vice in 1987(two years before the show ended),and besides a stand up appearance on Def Comedy Jam in 1992, he didn’t have another acting job for eight years.
Charlie Barnett died on March 16, 1996.
His final film appearance, They Bite ,was released on VHS format, April 2, 1996.
From the look of the trailer, he seems to have been a supporting character.
I’ve heard/read rumors of a biopic, but I’m not sure if there’s enough audience for his story. Chappelle could co- produce.
Kevin Hart would be a shoo-in for the lead role.
At the very least a documentary should suffice in detailing the life of a talented brother who may be the first street comic to go mainstream.
DC Cab aired on cable a couple weeks ago and I checked it out, having not seen it in about five years.
It’s still a very 80s movie, but in a good way(fashion, slang, and Gray Busey going full Busey). The kind that you watch when nothing else is on decent.
Tyrone and the gang of cabbies riding around in their beat up cabs…off on their own marathon.
It’s what I like to call a “Saturday Night Movie”.
It doesn’t even have to be “Live”.
Originally published at www.thedisgruntledduck.com.
