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Murphy Gets the Mop
The mop man, Tally Collier, is suing Murphy and the producers of his now defunct animated series The PJs, claiming they ripped off his image for a character in the show.
The potentially big-bucks lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Illinois, has several A-list defendants, including Murphy and Imagine Entertainment producers Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Tony Krantz, according to Daily Variety. Also listed: Will Vinton Studios, the company that animated The PJs, and Fox, which first aired the show in 1999.
Collier claims Murphy and the rest of The PJs brain trust came into possession of an amateur documentary on janitors made by Windy City filmmaker Daryl Murphy. Murphy (no relation to Eddie) had submitted a video of his work to The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1998.
The documentary centered on life in Chicago's city projects before the buildings were knocked down and included an appearance by Collier.
Collier believes the tape ended up in The PJs producers hands after Daryl Murphy--hoping to make his documentary the centerpiece of a future Oprah segment--asked show staffers to pass it along to future guests like Howard, Spike Lee, Quincy Jones, Tom Hanks and Fred Williamson, who might be willing to help with distribution.
Collier contends that once The PJs creators got a hold of the tape, they decided to borrow his face and mannerisms--without his expressed permission--turning him into the character of Sanchez. According to court papers, both Collier and his supposed 'toon doppelganger Sanchez use an electronic voice box and walk with a cane.
The lawsuit also claims that others featured in the documentary form the basis for many of the PJs characters, including Mrs. Mambo Garcelle, Mrs. Avery, Smokey and Juicy.
The PJs, which poked fun at cultural stereotypes involving African-American families, starred Murphy as the voice of Thurgoode Orenthall Stubbs, the superintendant of the Hilton-Jacobs Housing project. Stubbs just wants to spend time with his wife and Wheel of Fortune but is constantly bothered by the 40-odd tenants in the building.
The show, which was shot in "foamation," debuted on Fox in January 1999 and ran for two seasons to lackluster ratings. It moved to the WB network, where it ran one season, from 2000-01, before getting the axe. No immediate word on why Collier waited until now to file the suit.
Reps for Murphy, who also executive produced the series, had no comment on the suit and neither did Fox or Imagine.
As for Collier, the janitor is looking to mop up financially. He's seeking $75,000 in actual damages, as well as more than $10 million in punitive damages.
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