♪ >>> ABC FILMING TONIGHT, THEY'RE DOING, LIKE, A DOCUMENTARY ON BLACK PEOPLE IN LAS VEGAS. AND IT DON'T GET NO BLACKER THAN THIS RIGHT HERE. I ENJOY BEING THE CATALYST FOR PEOPLE TO FORGET THEIR PROBLEMS, BEING ABLE TO BE THE PERSON CAN MAKE THEM THROW THEIR HEAD BACK AND LAUGH AND JUST RELEASE ENDORPHINS INTO THE WORLD. >> LAUGHTER IS HEALING FOR THE SOUL. AND I TELL YOU WHAT, IT'S THE BEST MEDICINE IN THE WORLD. THAT'S WHY THEY CALL ME DR. WALLACE. WHEN I STARTED THERE WAS ONLY 50 COMEDIANS MAKING MONEY IN THE WORLD. NOW THERE'S 50 ON EVERY BLOCK. >> [ BLEEP ]. >> THERE WERE SOME PLACES IN THE COUNTRY EARLY ON WHERE, IF A BLACK PERSON WAS NOT IN BLACKFACE, THEN YOU COULD NOT DO YOUR COMEDY ROUTINE. >> MINSTREL SHOWS WERE THESE SHOWS THAT WERE CREATED TO ALMOST MAKE WHITE PEOPLE FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH BLACK PEOPLE BEING ON STAGE. OVER TIME WE SAW COMICS GO FROM BEING THE BUTT OF THE JOKE AND GETTING AWAY FROM THE MINSTREL ACT AND REALLY THEN TELL JOKES AND USING SOCIETAL ISSUES. THE STRUGGLES OF THE TIME. >> WE'RE FINDING A NEW WAY TO EXPRESS OUR PROBLEM AND THE WHITES ARE LAUGHING WITH US. >> I LIKE TO SEE ANY BASEBALL PLAYER HAVING TROUBLES. THAT IS A GREAT SPORT FOR MY PEOPLE. THAT IS THE ONLY SPORT IN THE WORLD WHERE A NEGRO CAN SHAKE A STICK AT A WHITE MAN AND WON'T START NO RIOT. >> THE ABILITY TO TURN OUR PAIN INTO HUMOR. TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT RACISM OR SEXISM AND EVERYTHING AND LAUGH AT IT INSTEAD OF JUST GOING COMPLETELY BALLISTIC AS A COPING MECHANISM. >> WITH THIS NEW NEGRO HUMOR, WHAT IS THE WHITE MAN LATCHING ABOUT? >> I THINK THE WHITE MAN IS LAUGHING AT THE SAME THING A PERSON LAUGHS AT WHEN THEY SLAM THEIR HAND IN THE CAR DOOR AND WHEN IT'S ABOUT TO HEAL, THE PROBLEM IS ALMOST OVER. AS MARTIN LUTHER KING SAID, JIM CROW IS DEAD IN THE SOUTH, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF HOW EXPENSIVE THEY WANT TO MAKE THE FUNERAL. >> YOU HAVE COMICS LIKE DICK GREGORY THAT, IN ADDITION TO WHAT HE WAS DOING ON THE STAGE, HE WAS STAGING HUNGER STRIKES AND HAVING VERY PUBLIC WAYS OF PROTESTING. BECAUSE IF I CAN DRAW AN AUDIENCE AND YOU'LL CONSUME ME AS A COMIC, THEN IF I TAKE A MAJOR STAND AGAINST THE INJUSTICES IN AMERICA, YOU'LL ALSO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT AS WELL. >> EVERYBODY WANTS TO COME TO VEGAS. THE FLIGHT TO LAS VEGAS CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING FLIGHTS YOU'VE EVER BEEN ON. THE FLIGHT LEAVING LAS VEGAS? ♪ OH MM ♪ A TOMB. MOTHER [ MUTED ] DON'T EVEN WANT TO [ MUTED ]. >> THERE WAS A TIME IN LAS VEGAS WHERE YOU HAD COMICS LIKE RICHARD PRYOR, WHO HAD HEADLINING GIGS. >> RED FOX FIRST WENT TO LAS VEGAS IN 1960. TEN YEARS LATER IN 1970, HE LANDED HIS FIRST RESIDENCY AT THE SAHARA HOTEL. THEY OFFERED HIM $960,000 TO PLAY 32 WEEKENDS IN A YEAR. KNOWN 78, RED FOX RECORDED THE ON-LOCATION SHOW WHERE HE PLAYED HIS COMEDY FOR A PACKED AUDIENCE. >> THE CAT LOVERS HATE ME. PEOPLE NEED DOGS TODAY. SEE, WHEN A BURGLAR COME TO YOUR HOME AND HEARS MEOW, MEOW, BREAK RIGHT IN. GET YOU A DOBERMAN THATMY YOS. >> RED FOX HAVING HIS OWN RESIDENCY IN VEGAS PAVED THE WAY FOR COMEDIANS LIKE GEORGE WALLACE TO NOT ONLY HAVE HIS OWN RESIDENCY, BUT GEORGE OWNED HIS OWN RESIDENCY. >> ANYBODY EVER BEEN TO AFRICA? ANYBODY WANT TO GO TO AFRICA? I'MA TELL YOU HOW TO GO TO AFRICA, WON'T COST YOU TOO MUCH MONEY. YOU CALL DELTA AIRLINES, OKAY? THEY'RE GOING TO FLY YOU TO ATLANTA. YOU WON'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. I CAME HERE IN 2004 FOR 30 DAYS. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT TURNED INTO 10 YEARS AT THE FLAMINGO RIGHT DOWN THE STREET, THE FIRST HOTEL ON THE STRIP. THE PRESIDENT OF THE HOTEL SAYS, "YOU AIN'T GOING NOWHERE." I SAID, "WELL, I'LL HAVE TO TAKE OVER EVERYTHING IF I WANT TO DO THIS." >> I WAS IN CHICAGO THREE WEEKS AGO, SO COLD IN CHICAGO BASKIN-ROBBINS WAS SELLING SOUP. >> 750 AT THE FLAMINGO. WE PACKED THAT PLACE EVERY NIGHT. ALL ENTERTAINERS LOVED WHAT I DID. OWNING THE SHOW, DIRECTING THE SHOW. I DID ALL THE MARKETING, I DID ALL THE ADVERTISING. THEY STARTED CALLING ME THE NEW MR. VEGAS. GIVING AWAY CARS, TRYING BE LIKE OPRAH. OH MY GOODNESS, CRUISES. >> I TRIED TO BE THE NEXT BLACK WOMAN IN LATE-NIGHT TELEVISION. VEGAS IS A VERY HARD NUT TO CRACK. I DON'T PRETEND TO KNOW WHY JIMMY KIMMEL SAID YES TO ME. THE PEOPLE WHO PULL ALL THE STRINGS IN LAS VEGAS ARE NOT THE SAME COLOR AS I AM. WE NEED TO GET MORE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE EXECUTIVE POSITIONS. >> LET ME TELL YOU WHY THERE'S NOT MORE BLACK-OWNED COMEDY CLUBS. BECAUSE THERE'S A MONOPOLY OUT THERE, OKAY? OUT OF THE 100 CLUBS OUT THERE, THERE'S ONLY THREE OR FOUR OWNERS IN LAS VEGAS, ALL THESE HOTELS. YOU SCREW UP IN ONE, BOOM, YOU'RE GONE. THANK GOD FOR RED FOX, LENA HORN, DIANA, ALL THOSE YEARS, PAVING A WAY FOR ME TO COME IN AND WORK A STAGE AT THE FLAMINGO. >> I THINK THEY WOULD BE HAPPY THAT THERE WAS SOMEBODY THAT WAS CARRYING ON THE TRAIL THAT THEY BLA BLAZED. I THINK THEY WOULD SEE LITTLE BITS OF SOME OF THEMSELVES IN ME. BECAUSE I TAKE A LITTLE BIT FROM THE LEGENDS. >> IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT YOU PEOPLE IN THE BACK CAN'T REALLY SEE ME WELL WHEN I SIT DOWN. SO WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? GET YOUR T