jean still needed an ethnic, and a special series of auditions was set up to find one. for two days in mid-september some thirty black actors and comedians filed through the writers' wing on the 17th floor [of rockefeller center] to read for jean and her people. at the end, jean told her group she was leaning toward hiring a stand-up by the name of charlie barnett. but talent coordinator neil levy had another black performer he wanted her to see, a kid from roosevelt, long island, named eddie murphy.