The mission of The Department of Afro-American Research Arts and Culture to identify the global significance of the creative contributions pioneered by an international diaspora of Blackness
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Showing posts with label Blax-T.V.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blax-T.V.. Show all posts

Thursday, June 30, 2011

In The Heat Of The Night (T.V. Series) [Season 2] (1989)



Starring:

  • Carroll O'Connor
  • Alan Autry
  • David Hart
  • Hugh O'Connor
  • Howard E. Rollins Jr.
  • Anne-Marie Johnson
  • Geoffrey Thorne
  • Crystal R. Fox
  • Dee Shaw
  • Randall Franks
  • C.C. Taylor
  • Denise Nicholas

Based on the critically acclaimed novel of the same name, this series provided a hopeful, yet honest look at life in the new South. Set in the fictional Sparta, Mississippi, the show was a marvelous blend of heartfelt drama and folksy humor. It portrayed both the professional and personal… More pursuits of Sparta P.D's officers. Series star Carroll O'Connor, in a role far removed from Archie Bunker, served as executive producer. Using the pen name Matt Harris, Mr. O'Connor was also the story editor and wrote many of the episodes.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

In The Heat Of The Night (T.V. Series) [Season 1] (1988)








Starring:
  • Carroll O'Connor
  • Alan Autry
  • David Hart
  • Hugh O'Connor
  • Howard E. Rollins Jr.
  • Anne-Marie Johnson
  • Geoffrey Thorne
  • Crystal R. Fox
  • Dee Shaw
  • Randall Franks
  • C.C. Taylor
  • Denise Nichola
Based on the critically acclaimed novel of the same name, this series provided a hopeful, yet honest look at life in the new South. Set in the fictional Sparta, Mississippi, the show was a marvelous blend of heartfelt drama and folksy humor. It portrayed both the professional and personal pursuits of Sparta P.D's officers. Series star Carroll O'Connor, in a role far removed from Archie Bunker, served as executive producer. Using the pen name Matt Harris, Mr. O'Connor was also the story editor and wrote many of the episodes.

Season 1 Episode Guide

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Boondocks [Season 2] (2007)









Starring:

  • Regina King
  • John Witherspoon
  • Gary Anthony Williams
  • Cedric Yarbrough
  • Jill Talley
  • Gabby Soleil

IMDB.com
Having read and watched both the print and televised versions of the Boondocks I can honestly say, to me it was a diamond in the rough...until now. The antics and sometime semantics of the lead characters Huey, Riley and Grandpa are enough to keep ones funny bone in stitches while at the same time sending a message to the viewer loud and clear. The message is that no matter what color, no matter what creed or race....everyone is F'ed UP! I know the brothas and sistas will be jammin on how Huey is sticking it to the white man and so on, but that is only one side of the equation for the story often shows the illogic and humor of how African Americans view life. A stinging indictment on how the gov't seeks to obstruct and keep down the black man gives way to portrayals of black men stereotyping one another with colorful and racial epithets. The mocking vision of white males acting like black gansta rappers melts into the savage humor of hoes and pimps and black men and gun play. Its the long stretch and cleansing breath of the soul the racial landscape of America has needed for a long time. No one is perfect and this show is unafraid to show that no matter what color or ideology , that you have a bullseye on your back when Huey and Riley come around!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Boondocks [Season 1] (2005)









Starring:

  • Regina King
  • John Witherspoon
  • Gary Anthony Williams
  • Cedric Yarbrough
  • Jill Talley
  • Gabby Soleil


IMDB.com
This is Adult Swim's most socially conscious and possibly most clever show. It's loaded with parallels to real world events. (A convenience store robbery works as a perfect metaphor for the early stages of Iraqi Freedom.) There are also heavy doses of Eastern influences, with references to Japanese cinema (Zatoichi, specifically) and action scenes comparable to what you'd normally only see in anime. The heavy dosage of quality hip hop is also refreshing. Aaron McGruder is man with good tastes, and they help to make his material so brilliant.

And yes, it is damn funny. John Witherspoon is incredible, and Regina King's voice grows on you after an episode. Also, frequent appearances by Samuel L. Jackson and Charlie Murphy as a couple of rich white boy gangstas lend an unequaled comic value to the show.

Now, onto the controversy factor.

Not to sound like a broken record, but this show is not racist. It does not lampoon black people, nor does it lampoon white people. This show specifically makes fun of just plain ignorant folks. Regardless of race. If you are a viewer who gets offended by the show, or thinks it's just an excuse for Adult Swim to prominently feature the "n-word," then you are exactly who this show is making fun of. (That's not to say that you have to like the show. If you are not offended but still do not like the show, that's your own prerogative.) I always thought that any show that always has to include a moral message must be a crappy family sitcom or kid's show. Not so in the case of Boondocks. Not to sound to preachy, but racial tensions still exist, even if the most common result is a white person being awkward and overly friendly when meeting a black person, saying things like "So, you hear the new Jay-Z?See the new Spike Lee?" This show is just what society needs.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

The Richard Pryor Show [1977] + Extras





Starring
Richard Pryor
Allegra Allison
Jeff Corey
Robin Williams
Sandra Bernhard
Vic Dunlop
Edie McClurg
Tim Reid
John Witherspoon
Marlene Clark
Argus Hamilton
Jimmy Martinez
Paul Mooney

TV.com
Controversy and censorship forced Richard Pryor's variety show to be canceled after four
episodes.

Special. Season 1 – Aired: 5/5/1977
The Richard Pryor Special?

'The Galley' sketch, featuring John Belushi - 'The Reverend James L. White' sketch - 'The Pips Without Gladys Knight' sketch - 'Booster Johnson' sketch - 'Rebuttal' sketch, with Pryor as Idi Amin - 'Harlem Sweeties' presentation - Pryor plays off himself in 'Shoe Shine' sketch - 'Willie The Drunk' sketch, featuring a soliloquy by Maya Angelou - Children sing 'This World Was Made For All Men' - 'Richard Meets With His Writers' sketch - Richard closes with a rendition of 'There's No Business Like Show Business'.

Season 1, Episode 1 – Aired: 9/13/1977
Episode 1

'Star Wars Bar' sketch, with Pryor as bartender - 'Western' sketch, with Pryor as a poncho-clad, stogie-smoking 'Man With No Name'-type gunslinger - Musical guests, The O'Jays, perform 'Work On Me' - 'Presidential Press Conference' sketch, with Pryor as the first Black President - 'Mojo healer' sketch, with Richard as the mojo - 'Club Harlem' sketch, featuring a song and dance number by Paula Kelly.

Season 1, Episode 2 – Aired: 9/20/1977
Episode 2

'Samurai' sketch, with Pryor as a Samurai Warrior defending a young Geisha - 'Trial' sketch, with Pryor as a white Prosecutor, out to convict a young Black man, accused of attacking a white woman, in 1920s Mississippi. - 'Egypt 1909' sketch, with Richard as part of a team of Archaeologists who discover 'The Fountain Of Knowledge' - 'Mr. Come-From Man' sketch, with Pryor as a traditional African, out to make a buck. - 'Heavy Metal' sketch, with Richard as the lead singer/guitarist of a shock band called 'Black Death'.

Season 1, Episode 3 – Aired: 9/27/1977
Episode 3

Richard begins with a very angry speech, which is interrupted by some 'audio difficulties'. - 'Restaurant' sketch, with Pryor and an attractive lady making eyes at one another, in a classy restaurant. - Richard does a brief stand-up act. - 'Caveman' sketch, with Pryor as a prehistoric man who discovers fire. - 'Mr. Fixit' sketch, with Richard as a bumbling repairman - 'The Junkyard Circus', with Pryor as a raggedy Ringmaster. - Richard introduces all of his supporting players, then closes the show with several improvised sketches, involving the various performers.

Season 1, Episode 4 – Aired: 10/20/1977
Episode 4

'Shower' sketch, with Pryor and Allegra Allison parodying Hitchcock's 'Psycho' - 'Jekyll and Hyde' sketch, with Richard and Jimmy Martinez - 'Roast' sequence, with several members of the supporting cast, throwing verbal punches at their employer - 'Titanic' sketch, with Pryor rescuing several bigoted passengers of the doomed liner - 'Rebuttal' sketch, with Richard as a disgruntled Santa Claus - Pryor closes with a sincere 'Thank You' to his fans and cast.

Extras include:
The Mudbone Monologue
The Richard Pryor Roast
The Richard Pryor Special

Provided by TVVault Team member dijedil thru Funkback

Shaft TV-series Episode 4 The Kidnapping (1973)

Starring
Eddie Barth
Richard Roundtree
Paul Burke
Karen Carlson
Nicolas Beauvy
Greg Mullavey
Timothy Scott
Victor Brandt
Frank Marth
Jayne Kennedy

TV.com
Season 1, Episode 4 – Aired: 12/11/1973
The Kidnapping

Shaft is pursued by the police when acts as a go-between for a banker and the people demanding ransom for his wife.

fraykerbreaks.blogspot.com
Three white men disguised as blacks break into the home of banker Elliot Williamson and kidnap his wife, Nancy. Before leaving, they warn him against calling the police and tell him to get in touch with private detective John Shaft. Shaft, who has no knowledge of the kidnapping, arrives at Williamson's house just before they receive a phone call with ransom instructions. Williamson and Shaft are to go to Williamson's bank at 10am, fill a briefcase with $250,000 in cash, and then Shaft is to take it to a nearby town and wait at a phone booth for additional instructions. A deputy Sheriff becomes suspicious when he sees Shaft driving the banker's luxurious car and sirens him to stop. Shaft is forced to overpower the deputy and flee on foot. Meanwhile an all points bulletin is put out for his arrest. Shaft reaches a farmhouse where he convinces a boy, Matthew Potter, that he is not a criminal, and persuades the boy to drive him to the crucial phone booth. They arrive too late, however, but Shaft manages to make contact with the kidnappers from his hiding place in a schoolhouse. Lt Al Rossi learns of Shaft's troubles and arrives in time to help the local sheriff come to the aid of Shaft, who is in a deadly showdown with the kidnappers.

Funkbacks comment
This episode is notable for liberally using stock footage from Shaft's Big Score during the opening credits, particularily the exploding helicopter scene. So some of the credit should go to Gordon Parks for that, although he's uncredited in the Imdb and in TV.com.

Ripped by TVVault Elite GeorgeF provided thru Funkback

Link to soundtrack review
Johnny Pate - Shaft TV-Series The Kidnapping (1973)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Shaft TV-series Episode 3 Hit-Run (1973)

Starring
Eddie Barth
Richard Roundtree
Tony Curtis
Howard Duff
Percy Rodrigues
Judy Pace
Anthony Geary
Don Matheson

TV.com
Season 1, Episode 3 – Aired: 11/20/1973
Hit-Run

Shaft tries helping a friend of his, a nightclub owner, in finding out who used a stolen car in a hit and run accident, that his son is being accused of.

Provided by TVVault Elite GeorgeF thru Funkback

Link to TV-soundtrack review
Johnny Pate - Shaft TV-Series Hit-Run (1973)

Friday, February 12, 2010

Shaft TV-series Episode 2 The Killing (1973)


Starring
Eddie Barth
Richard Roundtree
Ja'Net DuBois
Leonard Frey
Michael Ansara
Michael Pataki
Ron Soble
Henry Beckman

TV.com
Season 1, Episode 2 – Aired: 10/30/1973
The Killing

Shaft finds himself accused of murder, and heads into New York's red-light district to find the killer.

Provided by TVVault Elite GeorgeF thru Funkback

Link to soundtrack review
Johnny Pate - Shaft TV-Series The Killing OST (1973)

Shaft TV-series Episode 1 The Enforcers (1973)

Starring
Eddie Barth
Peter Elbling
Richard Roundtree
Harv Selsby
Judie Stein

TV.com
Season 1, Episode 1 – Aired: 10/9/1973
The Enforcers

Shaft investigates the murders of a defense attorney and his recently-acquitted client.

Provided by TVVault Elite GeorgeF thru Funkback

Link to soundtrack review
Johnny Pate - Shaft! His Big Score And More (1971-74)
or possibly Johnny Pate - Shaft TV-Series The Executioners (1973/74)

Monday, July 13, 2009

Good Times [Fifth Season] (1978)













Starring:

  • Ja'net DuBois
  • Jimmie Walker
  • Bern Nadetta Stanis
  • Ralph Carter
  • Janet Jackson
Episode Guide:

Amazon.com
In the fifth season of the popular sitcom GOOD TIMES with their mother Florida on an extended honeymoon J.J. (Jimmie Walker) finds himself the man of the house working as an artist for an ad agency so he can support the family. Sassy neighbor Willona (Ja'Net Du Bois) becomes a parent when she adopts an abused girl Penny (superstar Janet Jackson) while acting as surrogate mother to Michael (Ralph Carter) and Thelma (BernNadette Stanis). And always in hot water with both households is building superintendent Nathan Bookman (Johhny Brown)-that is if he ever gets the hot water heater fixed! Look for special guest stars Gary Coleman (TV's "Diff'rent Strokes") and Robert Guillaume (TV's "Benson").

Monday, April 6, 2009

Good Times [Fourth Season] (1977)











Starring:

  • Esther Rolle
  • John Amos
  • Ja'net DuBois
  • Jimmie Walker
  • Bern Nadetta Stanis
  • Ralph Carter

Episode Guide

ezinearticles.com
The Good Times (Season 4) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the two-part season premiere "The Big Move" in which the entire Evans family is prepared to move to Mississippi where James has landed a high-paying job. Together with Willona, they plan an elaborate going away party. But the party is interrupted by the news of James' death in a tragic car accident. As the funeral proceeds, the grief stricken children wonder why Florida has yet cry… Other notable episodes from Season 4 include "Michael's Great Romance" in which Michael falls in love with a girl who has the hots for J.J., and "Florida's Night Out" in which the family is worried about Florida spending so much time alone, that is until Willona takes her out on the town for a night at an exciting night club…