Whoopi Goldberg’s One Woman Show

Direct from Broadway (1985)
For Educational purposes

[@WeasleyGirl1767]

Oh my God, I can't believe I finally found this online. I haven't seen this in 40+ years and I *still* think it's a powerful performance.

[@user-qv2cy9op5z]

Shit used to be funny 🤣

[@macmuhnpro]

My EXACT SENTIMENTS FOLLOWING COMEDIANS FOR 20 PLUS YEARS .. THE FIRST KNOWLEDGE OF THIS 2 YR OLD VID .. OMG .. NEW AMAZING PIECE OF ARTWORK TO TAKE IN!!!!! ❤️‍🔥💝💖🫣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🏆

[@carolynjohnson7348]

I'm reading her memoir Bits and Pieces and I accidentally came across this one. Omg, so funny.

[@Dan-yz4qz]

Whoopie was hilarious 😂

[@bdlip_ink]

Haven't waited to exhale since... 🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽

[@mikeuryga]

"I stay high so I dont get mad". The line thats been stuck in my head for 40 years. Forgot about, "I took my scarf off to Shirley". Classic. Thanks for posting!!

[@jeandaumdesanchez9346]

I saw this in the 80’s and totally fell in love with Whoopi! What an amazing talent

[@dorothypocaigue5045]

This is the first time I've ever seen this performance. It wasn't the laugh-every-minute type of comedic act I'd expected. Each segment starts lighthearted & goofy, but then a deep heavy message emerges within the brilliant storytelling. It kept making me think - deep and hard. Whoopi is a comedic genius in her own class. Brava👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@alyciacooper2]

Exactly! EGOT winner. 🏆

[@jackieoneal4806]

My first time saying experiencing Whoopi Goldberg at her finest she was just awesome brilliant I couldn't stop watching I love her to this day

[@MADHAUSMARKALLAN]

I saw this in November of 1984 and met Whoppi right afterwards... Mike Nichols. was backstage and she had just signed to do The Color Purple. Thank you for this and a chance to relive that magic!

[@carriewatson8671]

I saw this years ago and never forgot Whoopi’s brilliant performance! Recently, I read her new book, Bits and Pieces: My mother, my brother, and me where she talked about this show. I hoped to watch it again, and voila! What a wonderful rediscovery. BTW read the book too, you’ll love it!💕

[@Carolynnin]

I saw this in person as a young teen and it remains the most incredible live performance I have ever been to. Whoopi is the GOAT!

[@Carolynnin]

I had forgotten how much of this I had memorized!

[@4363HASHMI]

This is an Eddie Griffin performance

[@shood35]

@@4363HASHMI Um, Whoppi is 13 years older than Eddie Griffin. She did this first so you've got that backwards. This was 1985. Whoopi was 30. Eddie was 17 and not doing shows yet. Not for another few years. So you've got that backwards. Look it up.

[@shaundiwall]

WOW! 39 years later--and still just as relevant and brilliant. That's both amazing and terrifying.

[@sldortch54]

I am so glad that this was uploaded. This was such an awesome show and now I can watch it again. Whoopie really deserves her flowers!💐💐💐💯💯💯

[@patriciaknowlea5290]

I visited the Anne Frank house about the same time as this show and what struck me was how Fontaine's view of the Anne Frank house was so much the way I felt when i saw the hpuse and how they were forced to live.

[@VickiTrusselli]

OMG! 1985 FINALLY FOUND THE EVENT FOOTAGE

[@POObumpoopo]

This is storytelling in its purest form. Whoopi is a genius. She really becomes the characters.

[@DianaStalie-rs3qr]

❤

[@craigbyrnes7077]

I will always love the talent of Whoopie Goldberg! I watched this; I can’t tell you how years later, and I remembered almost all the punchlines. You’re gift!

[@PaulJames-do5qb]

Saw this show at Washington’s Kennedy Center and - SAME here - remembered every punchline while laughing with tears rolling down my face - IN PUBLIC!

[@47antony]

First time I've ever watched this performance, heard about it for yrs. One of the most incredible stand ups I've ever seen. Every character, the humor, sadness, the joy and the sheer talent of Whoopi Goldberg is jaw dropping.

[@howardwilley5167]

ditto

[@marthastansbeary4098]

This was my and my husband’s favorite stand-up from Whoopi. We watched it over and over again and again. He’s passed, but I know he’s laughing his wings off

[@knorman982]

I stayed up late to sneak watching this on HBO as a 10 y/o kid and have always remembered this performance. So ahead of the times, it was great to see it again!

[@jacqulineloncke8696]

Amazing favourite Well done Thanks you for sharing with 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@user-zb6tc9hx8v]

Whoever released on KZbin Thank You 😅 I have been looking and waiting for years to see this again. Whoopi is a national treasure and humble. Whoopi, you are loved and appreciated beyond belief. God Bless 🙏🦋

[@ellageary8090]

40 years later it still stands...

[@sandihunt]

I watched this today in 2024 for the first time in over 30 years and it's as entertaining and sophisticated as it was the first time watching it!

[@user-yg3dy8ei5u]

I watched this as a kid and when I say there was no funnier woman.😂😂😂This was different kind of comedy for me at the time.😮Whoopi is hilarious❤.

[@GR-ji9fw]

I saw this on HBO years ago and never forgot it. Thank you , KZbin, for saving our memories! The first and the last are the best.

[@Cookie-op2pq]

TY Alycia for posting this... ❤❤❤🎉🎉

[@alyciacooper2]

YW!

[@troygaspard6732]

When she brought her act to Broadway in the early 80's, she became one of her generation's best known comics. Yet what won her a Tony was the tragic element that runs through some of her characters.

[@MarlonHall-ju2si]

I had no business watching this special at 10 years old in ‘85, but I’ve been a fan ever since!

[@DavidMiller-kf1ss]

Watched it on stolen cable in 1984 Thanks!❤. Oklahoma hugs.❤legend is born. ❤Lol. peace.

[@mayrafernandez7303]

First time for me. I didn’t know her as a stand-up. She is a genius in so many ways: writer and comedian…and humanitarian..

[@DawnDavis-lz3rj]

I have always loved Whoopi. She is a real gem!!!

[@danielburrola21]

I had a video cassette of this show . And I watched it constantly and I played it in my salon 1988. "Penguin how would you know". "I ain't got no mits" and many more quotes I still use to this day. 😂🤣⭐

[@karenlivers3965]

So happy to finally see this again. Whoopi is the GOAT !

[@mattgray9297]

I was 9 years old when this aired. My mother taped it on VHS. I still have that same VHS tape. I kept it because by the time I was 10, I had memorized the entire performance. And while I haven’t seen it until rediscovering it tonight, it’s amazing how much I still remembered- inflections, expressions, timing. The messages and deliveries within this brilliant performance have always been in my personality DNA. What kind of mother would have her 9 year old son watch something like this? I guess the same mother that brought home NWA’s Straight outta Compton and said “remember, this is art.” The same mother that brought home a VHS camcorder for her son who said he wanted to make movies. Which led that son to making a career of it. So thanks, Mom - and Whoopi - for the art.

[@alyciacooper2]

I’m a filmmaker too. Have you directed anything I’d recognize?

[@brandonslemoine]

This really touched my heart 🖤

[@mattgray9297]

@@alyciacooper2 nothing you’d heard of - but my indie feature is out there. It’s called Madison Baker Was Here.

[@alyciacooper2]

@@mattgray9297 so happy for you. I’ll see if it’s on KZbin.

[@mattgray9297]

@@alyciacooper2 thanks! Should only be on Amazon Prime Video but there’s some additional content at the website.

[@nephateridavis2709]

I have never seen Whoopi in stand-up only in the movies but I am really amazed by this ❤

[@alyciacooper2]

She’s an EGOT.

[@leeolivetucker8973]

Me too! I keep this in my minds eye, this show, made me a fan for Life! I was just at 'The View ' & 'Sherri's Show' in May, & got a Whoopi double-header in 1 week! Bless You my Real as Rain, Comic Genius Scorpio Queen Sister, & EGOT! ❤ U Madly!

[@makaveli444]

This my first time watching this...From start to finish it striked something amazing,Each cord getting plucked as the heart wanders..& then the fifth story about her dating while not being "Normal" How each minute You could feel what she felt,the doubt,the sarcasm,The hesitation of shock and Awe..I damn near cried It was that good,I never thought broadway could be this..But this right here is truly the RAW energy of perspective;of character of Life.

[@user-dn4rx8ev3j]

My first time as well. - what an amazing journey

[@leftyvangogh4102]

So incredible how she can fully embody all these different characters. Absolutely amazing. The second story broke my heart, even when I first saw it so many years ago.

[@VanScott69]

These are messages that our government really need to hear in this day and age...

[@debbieyates29]

This was a brilliant performance. You have to be a very confident individual to pull off a pweformance like this, but also blessed with talent.

[@KristineMaitland]

June 2024 Whoopi has not lost her gift for acting out stories. KZbin Whoopi Goldberg Kelly Clarkson Marlon Brando. You will howl with laughter.

[@shortbread445]

Whoopie made me cry decades ago with her depiction of humanity and still moves me today. Thank you Mrs. Goldberg!

[@dumebie]

Heard this referenced so many times. Glad I finally got to watch. Brilliant.

[@lizmorgan1646]

This is when I fell in love with Whoppie! Such talent!

[@boomerbloomer]

Outstanding! I’m sorry that I passed on it when it was on Broadway back in the day.

[@carolynjohnson7348]

I'm loving this. She's very talented

[@MsTarotD]

This was the very first comedy show that I had ever seen and I fell in love with Whoopi..She has been my favorite ever since..so smart, so descriptive, so moving. Most comedians these days use vulgar language for laughs dropping the F bomb every other word..but not Whoopi her humor is amazing and educational and leaves you thinking...

[@mountainlinx]

This woman is a total life’s journey in itself ❤

[@alyciacooper2]

EGOT

[@marleneyoung9206]

I first remember Whoopi as Mom's Mably on HBO. She was amazing in this one woman show.

[@AtlasBlizzard]

Fontaine: Hilarious Surfer girl: Heartbreaking Little girl: So cute and funny Jamaican woman: What a rollercoaster Crippled girl: So wholesome Incredible show!

[@WeasleyGirl1767]

Yes! And the thing is, every character has a heartbreaking, tragic side, too: Fontaine: While hilarious, a really interesting statement on how addiction can fuck up your life. Surfer Girl: Forced to self-abort and is now infertile. Little Girl: Has learned early that it's easier to be white, wants to separate herself from her heritage. Jamaican Woman: Discovered, too late, that an old, white man makes a good companion Crippled Girl: Dreams of being "normal" in a heartbreaking sequence.

[@rikeetaedwards7906]

Almost 30 years later and this still cracks me up…Fontaine and the Jamaican women are my favorites.

[@howardwilley5167]

I remember watching this with my new wife 30 yrs ago and it's still just as good as I remembered.

[@terrimcfaddin-solomon8201]

She is so brilliant. Not surprised she became EGOT.

[@cidweinberg]

Gosh, my cousin and I would watch this over and over on HBO in the 1980s! Memories. I think I was 14 and my cousin was 12.

[@abbegailgross6483]

This is fabulous! Whoopie Goldberg's ability to transform herself into all of these characters is brilliant!

[@ParisVan-Del]

When I first fell in love with this treasure of an Artist 💜💜💜💯🔥🔥 We sung that intro from the 1980's to early 90's!!!!

[@kathybell6268]

I am so grateful that this gift to the world has come to me a second time.

[@CocoEmmet61]

Oh thank you so much for this, she's such a brilliant act wether on stage or screen. Went to her show here in Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺 way back in the early 1980s.

[@Giselelilyfox]

WOW 😮😳😳 whoopi that was a masterpiece, you're a phenomenon piece of art , this is was truly a beautiful gift given to my being to witness. I've a rollercoaster of emotions for every character you display in a way that left me connecting to each one💕💕💕💕 bravo 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 thank you for being the creator vessel foe the world to see and feel

[@hamish11100]

Watched her performance in Minneapolis in 1983 where she showcased these characters. It was a small venue. Small enough that she walked between the tables flouncing her half slip blonde hair at the seated attendees. Brilliant!

[@crownnubianllc9049]

You brought this Empress back to life Whoopi... I love you

[@Lightharvest-dd2bf]

I've been looking and looking for this for hours... 3-minute interviews weren't doing it. Whoopi Goldberg is a completely personal human, as well as getting into us all. And even if she no longer brings this out as well, after 40 years, her earliest years were as big a gift to us as Robin Williams. THANK YOU, supplier and commenters.

[@gloriamontgomery6900]

So glad I found this! I watched it years ago on HBO and loved it

[@kimstengel6233]

I've been looking for this for years. Thank you!!

[@pbc76]

OMG. Me too. I saw this decades ago on HBO.

[@JasonB95]

Love that someone uploaded this! Always wanted to see the full valley girl bit. As hilarious as I expected.

[@alyciacooper2]

You’re welcome. She’s the reason I’m a stand up comedian.

[@wolveraspeaks]

If I ever get enough money I will petition Whoopi to release her 1 Woman Show on literally everything. This made me cry, and I never forgot any of it. This needs to be publicized like.... Now.

[@alyciacooper2]

Do it for free on social media and tag me and her. Start a hashtag.

[@sbrooks729]

This show is what made Spielberg choose her to play Celie

[@alyciacooper2]

And Quincy Jones chose Oprah.

[@amimipower2929]

I remember watching this as a kid...A rapsheet rapsheet rap...dang 40ys ago

[@ExtremelyRadiant]

Aaaww, I was 21 years old. ❤😊🎉

[@MaryNewman-zu6kr]

I am so glad I found this video... I haven't seen this in so long... I'm laughing so hard... I'd forgotten how funny Whoopi Goldberg is. Thank you Alycia Cooper for posting this... i'm going to save this to watch later

[@dakotac180]

Thanks for uploading this, always heard so much about it and now I finally get to see it. She's always been a queen.

[@ccc8110]

Absolutely as amazing as it was the 1st time I saw it

[@bdlip_ink]

A forever favorite❤

[@debbiestokes2310]

OMG!¡!Thank you!!💕💕💕💕

[@gfunkeflat6928]

Whoopi the great storyteller

[@kramnosenhoj]

I remember watching this with my mom and the Valley Girl abortion moment made her gasp out loud. I’ll never forget how powerful that moment was.

[@deltamagnet]

This was such a touchstone for me when I first saw it! So many familiar characters.

[@joewhitehead3]

So Spielberg saw this & thought she’d be perfect for The Color Purple. Interesting

[@howardwilley5167]

Absolutely stunning. Loved all the skits, especially the last one.

[@GrasshopperRDG]

Yes! The last character was my favorite too! {SMILE} 💚*🙏🏽

[@Ats889]

27:51 absolutely profound.

[@jaamslt]

I've watched this many, many times....❤😂😢 Full spectrum of emotion.

[@thereignofhoe]

WOW! This is moving! I am so grateful to have seen it! Thank you Whoopi!

[@avonee1976]

I’ve been waiting for someone to put this on KZbin! Whoopi is truly an amazing actress!

[@kenandyamy]

LOVE THIS!! Never saw it before. I love Whoopie even more now.

[@echeleteich3347]

I was privileged to see her on Broadway!! Excellent

[@DebNKY]

I haven't seen this since high school in the 80s. It was absolutely brilliant. She had some remarkable characters I still think of.

[@k2kfitchannel944]

my childhood... I had to search for this piece of art

[@lisabaxter7786]

What a way to start or be discovered ❤😂😊

[@cathyblack5683]

Go watch her movie The Telephone! Whoopi doesn't like it but we love it in our family ❤ It's quirky and the twist at the end was heartbreaking but it is alot this show. She does several different characters. ❤

[@ashleystoker6400]

I see much of Terri - her character in Jumpin' Jack Flash in this skit...I LOVE ME SOME WHOOPI !!!

[@A.F.U-A]

That Whoopi! EGOT. GOAT. Errythang! ❤❤❤❤❤

[@gwenrutherford6240]

Genius. Blew me away then and now.

[@zoecunningham3019]

Whoopi's original comedic genius stands alone being able to deliver poignant stories of life, with a blend of laughability of perspective for the person viewing. Too often we encounter, but don't relate keeping the "safe" distance.

[@freddiemontanez8461]

6/24/24 watched Whoopu Goldberhg show. Shes so talented and hilarius.. love you Whoopi.❤

[@saundraholmes9969]

I saw this when it originally aired on television so many years ago!! Loved it then - love it still. Whoopie is AMAZING!!

[@mamakcharepoo399]

Incredible story teller! In a league of her own!

[@charlesbullock4366]

CLASSIC! BRILLIANT! Arguably her best work EVER!!! #WHOOP 💥 ✊️‼️

[@nghandihede5928]

I just love me some "back in the day Whoopie "!!!😂🤣😅😅🤣😂👏👏👏👏👌👌👌👍👍👍💋🔥♥️💋♥️💋♥️💋♥️⚘️

[@flashflame4952]

I fell in LOVE with Whoopi when I saw this. I've been a fan ever since... This entire show was so poignant and intense, she got her message across really well..Right on Whoopi!

[@marycook7680]

Loved it back then on HBO, and so glad it's available to watch again. Have loved Whoopi from that time to the present. Welldone ma'am

[@bichaskibinach854]

Just absolutely brilliant 💯👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

[@user-qv2cy9op5z]

We Are Fully Lucky tbat she LIVED in OUR Presence !!!!😍😘🤩

[@flashflame4952]

Thank you Ms Cooper for this amazing video!!!!

[@alyciacooper2]

You’re welcome!