The Fanny Flagg reference got me on a retro-TV search. Amazon Prime suggested that I look at the Merv Griffin Show.
I have watched the first two episodes... Both incredible. Not for the actual material, there was actually a lot of lame stuff then, it was captivating for its moment In time.
The second episode had a very lame Richard Pryor. Phil Spector and Eartha Kitt were on it too.
Spector comes off as an asshole. Eartha was glaring at him. (10-15 minutes in). In his interview, he references fighting with Richard Pryor and they bring up karate... You can see the psychosis bubbling under.