Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales
Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales (also known as Bon Appétit and The Trial) is a 1969 American comedy film directed by then-film student Penelope Spheeris and starring comedian Richard Pryor. The only known negative of the film was said to have been shredded by Pryor after a disagreement with his wife at the time.
| Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Penelope Spheeris |
| Produced by | Richard Pryor |
| Written by | Richard Pryor |
| Starring | Richard Pryor |
Release date | Never completed |
| Language | English |
However, in June 2005, scenes from the film appeared in a retrospective while Pryor was being honored by the Directors Guild of America. In August 2005, Pryor and his wife and attorney-in-fact, Jennifer Lee-Pryor, filed a lawsuit against Spheeris and Pryor's own daughter, Rain.[1] The suit claims that Spheeris and Pryor's daughter conspired to take the surviving film from his home sometime in the mid-1980s. According to the suit, he contacted Spheeris after the tribute. She allegedly revealed she had given the footage to the Academy Film Archive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and intended to give the film to Rain.[2][3] Pryor died in December 2005 but the suit is still currently pending.