Death of a Prophet (1981)

Starring:

• Morgan Freeman 
• Yolanda King
• Mansoor Najee-ullah

Storyline
After breaking ties with the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X became a man marked for death...and it was just a matter of time before his enemies closed in. Despite death threats and intimidation, Malcolm marched on - continuing to spread the word of equality and brotherhood right up until the moment of his brutal and untimely assassination. Highlighted by newsreel footage and interviews, this is the story of the last twenty-four hours of Malcolm X. Featuring the music of jazz percussionist Max Roach.

Carbon Copy (1981)

Starring:

• Denzel Washington
• George Segal
• Susan Saint James

IMDB.com
A white corporate executive is surprised to discover that he has a black teen-age son who can't wait to be adopted into the, almost-exclusively-white community of, San Marino, California.

Sophisticated Gents (1981)

Starring:

• Sonny Jim Gaines
• Paul Winfield
• Bernie Casey

TCM.com
Twenty-five-year reunion of members of a Black athletic-social club, based on the book "The Junior Bachelor Society", brings together nine of its members for the first time to honor their old coach but is marred by a murder investigation involving one of the gents (Melvin Van Peebles, who had written the teleplay as well as one of the songs). This basically all-Black film, made in 1979, sat on the network shelf for nearly two years.

See China and Die (1981)

Starring:

• Esther Rolle
• Kene Holliday
• Frank Converse

IMDB.com
"See China, And Die" starring Miss Esther Rolle. I loved her. She recently died and I was very sad - mixed emotions surrounded me as I thought back to seeing Miss Rolle on the screen, both tv and in the movies. She was a wonderful actress.

Her starring role in the long running series, "Good Times," gave me many years of entertainment. She was a strong, concerned mother, who loved her children and an excellent wife who stood by her husband, who faced racism, joblessness and frustration in white America. Rolle gave pathos and exhilaration to her role as "Florida" in this series.

When I saw, "See China, And Die" on tv, Rolle made me love her more. She was playing a maid again, but this time, an amateur detective who was trying to solve the case of her murdered boss.

Her arrogance reminded me of an earlier movie maid, Hattie McDaniel, who, tho subservient, was a bold and earthy woman. Miss Rolle was the "maid" for several tenants in the building where her boss was killed. She solved the case despite the police and her policeman/detective son who tried unsuccessfully to quash her "work".

During the proceedings, Rolle almost got herself killed, but turned the tables on all suspects during a dinner revelation of the "real killer".

The picture was fun, because Esther Rolle brought her special quality, as an actress to the the role of "Mama". The New York locations added a touch of authenticity to the film.

I enjoyed many of the performances, especially Fritz Weaver, Paul Dooley and the rest of the cast.

Many people have caught this film on late night tv and enjoyed it, and then, putting ads in publications trying to find ANYone who had a copy of the film. They wanted to add it to their personal collections. I was lucky...I have a copy.