HBO has confirmed with us that it has acquired all U.S. broadcast and home video rights to ‘Moms Mabley: I Got Somethin’ to Tell You’, the first-time directing debut from Whoopi Goldberg.
 
The announcement came from Sheila Nevins, president of HBO Documentary Films. The film is a documentary about the iconic stand-up comedienne, and it is set to premiere at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, April 20. Executive producers include Goldberg, Tom Leonardis and George Schlatter. This means that the film will debut as an exclusive on HBO later this year.
 
“What could be better than Whoopi bringing Moms to HBO?” commented Nevins. “We’ve always known how special Moms was, and I can’t think of a better marriage.” Goldberg stated, “Moms Mabley has been a huge inspiration to me and so many others, but not a lot of folks outside of the comedy world know about her legacy,” she continues, “There are a lot of us who wouldn’t be working today without pioneers like her. HBO gave me my first break on TV, so it’s only fitting that Moms has a home there now.”
 
Breaking racial and sexual boundaries as a pioneering comic talent, the African-American stand-up comedienne Jackie “Moms” Mabley has long been an icon in the comedy world. In I GOT SOMETHIN’ TO TELL YOU, Goldberg explores Mabley’s legacy through recently unearthed photography, rediscovered performance footage and the words of numerous celebrated comedians, entertainers and historians, including Eddie Murphy, Joan Rivers, Sidney Poitier, Kathy Griffin, Harry Belafonte, Bill Cosby, Quincy Jones, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.
 
Mabley was once the called “The Funniest Woman in the World,” she performed on stage and in television and film up until her death in 1975..