'The Richard Pryor Show' - Charlie Hill (Video)

In the 1970s, there was a trend of comedians appearing on "The Tonight Show" who had some ethnic hook. Yakoff Smirnoff was the token Russian comic and Charlie Hill was the token Native American. But as is often the case, Hill's novelty might have made it easier to get that big TV break, but it also made it more difficult to sustain the momentum.

This 1977 appearance on "The Richard Pryor Show" was one of his first TV shots and it gives a pretty good indication of where his act was at early in his career.

He's continued to work non-stop as a stand-up ever since. He was also a cast member of the short-lived 1980 NBC/Lorne Michaels variety series "The Big Show" and at one point was a writer on "Roseanne." But despite his prodigious talent, he's never managed to capture the promise made by these early performances.