Charlie Rocket was a less funnyChevy Chase, Gail Matthius an off-brand Jane Curtin, and so on.
The skits went faster than anticipated and the show had five extra minutes to fill.
The rest is history, right?
Well, not quite.
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The Clock is Ticking on 48 Hrs.
To solve a case in forty-eight hours, a tough cop needs the help of a hardened criminal.
He already had theDirty Harryfranchise.
Hill saw the value in Murphy, but worried about giving such a fresh actor a part this big.
Its going to be like acting with a kid or a dog, Hill told Nolte before shooting began.
Much to his own chagrin, Hill was right.
Setting Torchys on Fire
Eddie Murphy had no energy.
That was the way Paramount felt when they watched the dailies from48 Hrs.
That writing addition pointed the way.
That activated some nerve center in him and suddenly hed come alive and be mesmerizing.
Gross and Hill found the ultimate stage for competition in an early scene.
But Gross and Hill rewrote the scene so that the bar was reimagined as a redneck joint called Torchys.
Now, Hammond would be on enemy ground, which suited Murphy just fine.
But when the bartender refuses to cooperate, Hammond switches modes.
Never seen so many backward-ass country fucks in my life, he declares, swaggering up to a regular.
Were rich, Hill allegedly told Gross after watching Murphy go.
Can Eddie Murphys Fire Rage Again?
grossed $78.9 million on a $12 million budget, launching Murphy to super-stardom.
Things havent gone Murphys way for decades.
But as his breakout demonstrated, Murphy is most electric with the odds stacked against him.
