The Black Godfather is a 1974 American blaxploitation film written and directed by John Evans and starring Rod Perry, Don Chastain, Diane Sommerfield and Jimmy Witherspoon.[2] The plot is about J.J. (Rod Perry), a rising star in the black crime scene, who is in the process of consolidating his power over the neighborhood. One of the only remaining obstacles is the white heroin cartel that is reluctant to abandon such a lucrative market. Tensions rise, and an explosive confrontation is the result.
The movie begins with an overview of a city skyline. J.J. (Rod Perry) and his friend are seen walking down a street; they stop and one of the men points to a house. They proceed to walk up the stairs that lead to the front door. As Tommy opens the door he pulls out a gun that jams on him. The person inside the house shoots him and proceeds outside to shoot the other man. Tommy dies in the arms of J.J. in an alley; so the other man walks away and is met by Nate Williams (Jimmy Witherspoon) who helps him by taking him to safety. Williams takes out the bullet in J.J.'s arms and tends to the wound.
The next morning J.J. and Williams talk. J.J. is curious as to why Williams decided to save and take care of him after he was shot. Williams was impressed by J.J.'s courage in trying to break into a known gangster's house. J.J.'s motive was only to survive and "get some bread". Williams offers J.J. some advice in surviving on the streets and gives him some money. This is the beginning of J.J.'s rise to power in the street.
After the opening credits are shown, J.J. has grown in power and position on the street. He longs for more as he sells drugs and tries to gain better status on the streets. He believes that money buys dignity and that it does not matter where it comes from. J.J. wants to get rid of another drug dealer named Tony Burton(Don Chastain). J.J. has a problem with Tony, a white gangster, trafficking heroin into a predominantly black community. The drugs have been negatively affecting the kids and adults because many of them become addicted. He talks to a man called Diablo (Damu King) about taking care of securing the neighborhood from Tony's men and any other drug dealer pushing in the territory.
Lieutenant Joe is a crooked cop that takes bribes from drug dealers for his own gain. He enters J.J.'s headquarters at the club and goes up to talk to him in his office. J.J. explains to him that he is willing to go to war with Tony and any other drug dealer that exploits the black community. He tells Joe to relay the information back to Tony, knowing that Joe takes bribes from any and all drug dealers so long as he gains money.
Lieutenant Joe leaves the bar and in the next scene is walking poolside at Tony's home. He tells Tony that J.J. wants Tony to stay out of the territory and is prepared to fight if Tony does not comply. Tony explains that he does not make the territory, but just runs it and is not backing down. Williams and J.J. meet together at the club and talk together in the office. Williams has brought his daughter, Yvonne, along. Williams warns J.J. about trying to push Tony out of the territory. He orders J.J. not to take action. J.J. disagrees, explains his position and is set on pushing Tony out of the community because of the drugs he brings in and the negative effects on the community. Yvonne comes into the office while the two become heated in argument so J.J. and Nate stop talking.
The next morning Tony goes to visit Nate Williams and speak with him. Tony tells Nate that he wants business running as usual and that J.J. should stop harassing his people. He threatens and welcomes the idea of bloodshed. Williams is not intimidated and tells Tony to be careful otherwise the bloodshed will spill over to his side. He tells Tony to leave his office if that was all he had to say.
J.J., Williams and his bodyguard talk at the gym. The idea of change and how times are different are discussed. The bodyguard and J.J. fight but are still friendly with one another after. This is a way J.J. establishes his reputation and masculinity.
The next scene, two African American gangsters are seen patting down two white gangsters for drugs. They hold them at gunpoint and tell them to leave and never come back otherwise they will kill them.
J.J. and Yvonne are seen coming back to his place where they sleep together. In the morning, she is seen walking around the house and admiring it. She puts on a music record, makes coffee and sits on the couch. J.J. and the woman talk and she begin to talk about the expectations men have of women. J.J. tells her he loves her but just cannot commit for the time being.
Diablo and his crew of men chase a car down with a white driver. His car flips over, and they proceed to take a bag from his car. They meet up at a house and go upstairs to question a white man (the same one that was patted down earlier). An entire group of African American gangsters surround him as he sits in a single chair in the room. They ask him why he was near the high school in the area. Being threatened, he tells them about a shipment of drugs coming in but does not know exactly know when or how. J.J. and his men keep questioning him but it is clear that he does not know anything else. They allow him to run away. The next scene, they break into another gangster's home and kill him. They do not care about taking any of the drugs. At this point, J.J. and the men are taking more and more action to stomp out the men who are invading and have stake on their territory.
Lieutenant Joe and Tony are seen speaking back at the pool. Joe tells Tony that J.J. has been doing work on another drug dealer. Tony is still not scared and does not back down. He calls J.J. a spook and continues to go about his business. A member of the community goes to J.J.'s club and tells him about what she overheard at Tony's. She tells him that there is a shipment coming in worth three and a half million dollars. J.J. is grateful and pays her for bringing him information.
Diablo's men are set up and are caught at a home by police. Lieutenant Joe tells Tony to watch the news for this as he laughs. Tony's plan of bringing in a large shipment continues. He talks on the phone with one of his men who confirm that the process is running smoothly and that it should be flying in New Orleans soon.
J.J. and his men are waiting at the airport with artillery and start a gunfight with members of Tony's gang. He succeeds in breaking up the delivery and theft of the shipment and calls Tony to taunt him in his office. This becomes the final push for Tony to take action against J.J.
Tony immediately responds by going to Nate William's house to ask him about where J.J. is. Nate has no idea about J.J.'s whereabouts or about the shipment that J.J. stole from Tony. Tony proceeds to assault Nate in order to get information. Lieutenant Joe tries to stop him but they end up shooting him for getting in the way. Tony kidnaps Yvonne after beating Williams to death to use her as a bargain for the shipment of drugs.
Diablo and J.J. begin arguing about what to do and nearly end up fighting each other physically back at their headquarters. J.J. cools down and tells Diablo that the problem is "out there" against Tony and not within themselves and the community. Tony calls J.J. and the two work out a deal for the package. Tony says he'll give $350,000 and Yvonne back in exchange for the drugs. J.J. says to bring only one man. J.J.'s men recorded the phone conversation and listened to it over again. One of J.J.'s men recognizes the bell sound in the background and puts Tony's general location near a church. J.J. orders the men to put out flyers of Yvonne in the area so that the community can help search for her. Another of J.J.'s men goes home where his father recognizes a picture of Yvonne on the printed flyers and tells him that he saw her being taken down into the hospital.
A confrontation occurs when J.J. and his men go to the hospital and confront Tony and his men. A violent final gunfight occurs as J.J. and Diablo run into the kitchen area of the hospital. Tony hides behind a trashcan with Yvonne behind him as he looks for J.J. Being in much distress, Yvonne grabs a butcher knife and while Tony is not looking, stabs him to death. Tony falls to the floor and J.J. and Diablo walk to Yvonne who can only cry after the ordeal. The movie ends with a final shot of Tony dead on the floor.
Cast
Rod Perry as J.J., a young African American male who becomes a street boss after being taken in by the "Black Godfather". J.J. is exposed to violence when his good friend gets shot and killed after the two try to steal from a drug dealer. Luckily surviving, J.J. becomes dedicated to keeping the black community free from drugs even if it means killing. Rod Perry is also a former NFL player. This is his first film playing the main role.
Damu King as "Diablo"; second to J.J. in power, does most of the dirty work in carrying out violence against whoever is in the way. Diablo is trusted by J.J. and is relied upon to be the muscle of their operations.
Jimmy Witherspoon as Nate Williams, "the Black Godfather". Nate Williams takes in J.J. and helps him survive after being shot. He gives J.J. the money to start up and take care of himself. Williams is the older generation of street boss who oversees everything.
Duncan McLeod as Joe Sterling, a crooked police lieutenant who cuts deals with drug dealers on the side. Sterling overlooks much of the drug trafficking made by the gang members but still leaves room for morality when it comes to taking a human life.
Don Chastain as Tony Burton, rival mafia boss who is in charge of all the drug trafficking happening in J.J.'s community. Burton is the main antagonist. He is very influential, powerful and dangerous, and has no problem with violence.
Diane Sommerfield as Yvonne Williams, daughter of Nate Williams. Yvonne is the love interest of J.J. She is known to be important to J.J. and a target of kidnapping for Tony Burton.
Themes
The Black Godfather came out in 1974. This is an era in time where Blaxploitation film became a popular genre for movie audiences. The movie was released shortly after titles such as Shaft and Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song came out. Almost unknown, The Black Godfather follows the same formula and aspects of many blaxploitation films. There is a strong, African American, male protagonist (J.J.); a negatively portrayed white antagonist (Tony); a corrupt white policeman (Joe); and a beautiful, young African American female love interest (Yvonne). The setting is also placed in an urban area where the characters deal or are involved with drugs, violence and gangs. This sort of film appealed to an audience that was not used to seeing African Americans at the center of a role.
Super Fly is a 1972 American blaxploitation crime drama film directed by Gordon Parks Jr. and starring Ron O'Neal as Youngblood Priest, an African American cocaine dealer who is trying to quit the underworld drug business. The film is well known for its soundtrack, written and produced by soul musician Curtis Mayfield. It was released on August 4, 1972.
The Mack is a 1973 American blaxploitation crime drama film directed by California native Michael Campus and starring Max Julien and Richard Pryor. The film also stars Oscar-nominee Juanita Moore and Tony-nominated actor Dick Anthony Williams. Filmed in Oakland, California, the movie follows the rise and fall of Goldie, who returns from a five-year prison sentence to find that his brother is involved in Black nationalism. Goldie decides to take an alternative path, striving to become the city's biggest pimp.
Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson was an American crime boss in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.
The Black Mafia, also known as the Philadelphia Black Mafia (PBM), Black Muslim Mafia and Muslim Mob, was a Philadelphia-based African-American organized crime syndicate. The organization began in the 1960s as a relatively small criminal collective in South Philadelphia, known for holding up neighborhood crap games and dealing in the illegal drug business, but at its height of operation in the early 1970s until about the early 1980s, it managed to consolidate power and control a large portion of criminal activity in various African-American neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, including South Jersey, Chester, and Wilmington. In addition to drug trafficking, burglary, and armed robbery, the Black Mafia was also engaged in traditional organized crime activities such as political corruption, extortion, racketeering, prostitution, loansharking, number running, and other illegal gambling rackets.
Foxy Brown is a 1974 American blaxploitation action film written and directed by Jack Hill. It stars Pam Grier as the title character who takes on a gang of drug dealers who killed her boyfriend. The film was released by American International Pictures as a double feature with Truck Turner. The film uses Afrocentric references in clothing and hair. Grier starred in six blaxploitation films for American International Pictures.
A Man Apart is a 2003 American vigilante action thriller film directed by F. Gary Gray and co-produced by and starring Vin Diesel as Sean Vetter, an undercover DEA agent who is on a vendetta to take down a mysterious drug lord named Diablo after his wife is murdered. The film also stars Larenz Tate with Timothy Olyphant, Geno Silva, and Steve Eastin. Released by New Line Cinema in the United States on April 4, 2003, it received generally negative reviews from critics and performed poorly at the box office.
Black Belt Jones is a 1974 American blaxploitation martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and starring Jim Kelly and Gloria Hendry. The film is a spiritual successor to Clouse's prior film Enter the Dragon, in which Kelly had a supporting role. Here, Kelly features in his first starring role as the eponymous character, a local hero who fights the Mafia and a local drug dealer threatening his friend's dojo.
Coffy is a 1973 American blaxploitation action thriller film written and directed by Jack Hill. The story is about a black female vigilante played by Pam Grier who seeks violent revenge against a heroin dealer responsible for her sister's addiction.
Cleopatra Jones is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by Jack Starrett. Tamara Dobson stars as an undercover government agent who uses the day job of supermodel as her cover and an excuse to travel to exotic places. Bernie Casey, Shelley Winters and Antonio Fargas also feature. The film has been described as being primarily an action film, but also partially a comedy with a spoof tone.
Disco Godfather is a 1979 American action film starring Rudy Ray Moore and Carol Speed, directed by J. Robert Wagoner and released by Transvue Pictures. J. Robert Wagoner wrote and directed Disco Godfather while living in The Hotel Carver.
Black Caesar is a 1973 American blaxploitation crime drama film written and directed by Larry Cohen and starring Fred Williamson, Gloria Hendry and Julius Harris. It features a musical score by James Brown, his first experience with writing music for film. A sequel titled Hell Up in Harlem was released in late 1973.
"The Telltale Moozadell" is the 35th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the ninth of the show's third season. It was written by Michael Imperioli and directed by Dan Attias, and originally aired on April 22, 2001.
"A Hit Is a Hit" is the 10th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos. Written by Joe Bosso and Frank Renzulli, and directed by Matthew Penn, it originally aired on March 14, 1999.
"Time After Time" is the first episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Ed Bianchi. It originally aired on September 19, 2004.
"Reformation" is the tenth episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by Ed Burns from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Christine Moore. It originally aired on November 28, 2004.
Black Shampoo is an American exploitation film directed by Greydon Clark. Released in 1976, the comedy film is considered an example of the blaxploitation and sexploitation subgenres of exploitation film. Produced on a budget of $50,000, the film stars John Daniels as Jonathan Knight, an African American businessman and hairdresser who frequently has sex with his predominantly white female clients, and Tanya Boyd as Brenda, Jonathan's secretary and girlfriend, who was previously in a relationship with a white mob boss, who, out of jealousy towards his ex's new lover, begins to regularly send goons to trash Jonathan's hair salon. The violence escalates as the film progresses.
Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s, when the combined momentum of the civil rights movement, the black power movement, and the Black Panthers spurred African-American artists to reclaim the power of depiction of their ethnicity, and institutions like UCLA to provide financial assistance for African-American students to study filmmaking. This combined with Hollywood adopting a less restrictive rating system in 1968. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president of the Beverly Hills–Hollywood NAACP branch. He claimed the genre was "proliferating offenses" to the black community in its perpetuation of stereotypes often involved in crime. After the race films of the 1940s and 1960s, the genre emerged as one of the first in which black characters and communities were protagonists, rather than sidekicks, supportive characters, or victims of brutality. The genre's inception coincides with the rethinking of race relations in the 1970s.
Black Dynamite is a 2009 American blaxploitation action comedy film starring Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, and Salli Richardson. The film was directed by Scott Sanders and co-written by White, Sanders, and Byron Minns, who also co-stars.
Roderick Maurice Perry was an American actor best known for his role as Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay in the 1970s TV series S.W.A.T. Perry also played leading roles in two blaxploitation movies in the mid-1970s: The Black Godfather (1974) and The Black Gestapo (1975). Other TV appearances include Barney Miller, Good Times, Babylon 5, and the 1974 TV movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Trapped Beneath the Sea. In the 2000s, Perry had a cameo role in the 2003 film version of S.W.A.T., playing the father of the character he portrayed three decades earlier in the TV series, played on this occasion by LL Cool J.
Michael "Mickey" Fondozzi is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as an ally of the antihero the Punisher. He was created by Chuck Dixon and John Romita Jr., and first appeared in The Punisher War Zone #1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
