Putney Swope (1969)

"Putney Swope" (1969) is a satirical comedy written and directed by Robert Downey Sr. and stars Arnold Johnson as the title character. However, even though Johnson played the character, Downey Sr. did the voiceover for Putney. Those familiar with Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of a Black man in "Tropic Thunder" can draw context between Downey Sr.'s voiceover as Putney. 

The movie was a progressive work of art ahead of its time. There are several themes within the film, but the story revolves around a Black executive who was voted as chair of the board after the unexpected death of the previous chairperson. As soon as Putney took over, he replaced all the white employees with black employees and renamed the company "Truth and Soul, Inc." Throughout the film, Putney takes on clients presenting his eccentric and often outlandish advertising ideas that draw ire from people inside and outside of the company. The film is an excellent blend of political and revolutionary ideologies sweeping American society's landscape in the late 60s.

Director: Robert Downey Sr

Writer: Robert Downey Sr

Starring Arnold Johnson, Laura Greene, Buddy Butler, Antonio Fargas, Vincent Hamill, Lawrence Wolf, Allan Arbus

Note: The film's cast is significant; many have minor speaking parts.

Storyline

When its chairperson dies, an advertising firm's executive board must elect someone to fill the position. Each member, unable to vote for himself, casts a secret ballot for Putney Swope (Arnold Johnson), the firm's only black executive, assuming he wouldn't receive any votes from the other members. But once in power, Swope makes radical changes to the firm, like keeping only one white employee and refusing to advertise harmful products under the firm's new moniker, "Truth and Soul, Inc."

Eyes On The Prize (an epic documentary series)

Starring:

• The Black Community
• Inequality
• Discrimination
• Courage
• Hatred
• Injustice
• Human Struggle
• The Fortitude To Overcome It

Here we go with a Blaxploitation Pride exclusive. The lengths we go through to provide lost segments of an extinct cultural art form that is 70's film and music may go underappreciated by the majority yet revered by a select few diehard "Blaxploinatives" (you know who you be!).

As we surpassed 100 Films in the Blax-Movie department at the close of this historic year, it's only fitting we honor the victorious campaign from the next Commander In Chief Barack Obama by giving our loyalists the most comprehensive documentary on The Civil Rights Movement..... Eyes On The Prize.

'Eyes' executive producer and founder of reknowned production company Blackside Inc. Henry Hampton covered a human struggle on film his company would soon face after his untimely death in 1998.

In this 14-hour epic series, there was footage used from over 80 sources and 95 photography archives and use in upwards of 100 songs including the AOL-owned "Happy Birthday" which was written in 1893 (AOL was founded in 1983).

Quick story: Birch Tree Group Limited was hired by publisher The Summy Company to secure the copyright to "The Birthday Song". The song was a variation of "Good Morning To All" written by Patti and Mildred Hill who sang this jingle to kindergartners in the morning.

In 1990, the rights were sold to Time-Warner Corporation once they bought The Summy Company for $15 million. Eyes On The Prize debuted in 1988 to the highest critical acclaim garnering every award under the sun. In one of the episodes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was slightly dejected about the struggle when someone comes in with a cake singing "that song".

The word is AOL charges $10,000 for any performance of "Happy Birthday", an example being that included in "Eyes On The Prize". Mr. Henry Hampton died on November 22, 1998 of myelodysplasia. 27 days prior, both houses of Congress passed what is referred to as "The Mickey Mouse Protection Act" (ain't that some shit?) which extended copyright terms to 'corporate authorships' for an additional 20 years up to 120 years after the date of publication.

Corporate authorship copywritten works are locked and loaded throughout Eyes On The Prize, to the tune of $951,000 assessed for research costs and clearance fees. After Hampton's passing and the "new" Mickey Mouse act, the copyright holders of the most meaningful footage in that documentary saw to it those archives got buried for 11 years.

After The Ford Foundation kicked out some greenbacks to cover a large portion of the clearance fees, the project is still not only hard to obtain, but it in some respects is considered digital contraband in the file-sharing world.

You know what though? We don't give a damn (except only for a domestic wide re-release in the future from Blackside Inc). It's our duty here at Blaxploitation Pride to play our part in that struggle and this piece here is the award-winning subject taking place center stage.

Note: I attempted to capture some poignant photos to preview for the post but ended up snapping close to 60 photos and that was just THE FIRST EPISODE.

Get in to this. One million dollars worth of copyrights but priceless in the freezing of such a flammable time of social bravery in the fight for justice and equal opportunity such as someday running for President and possibly winning that race. (We ain't playin' up in here!!)

When We Were Kings (1996)

Starring:

• Muhammad Ali
• George Foreman
• James Brown
• Don King

It's now time to teach that "Pride" part of Blaxploitation. We aim to deliver lessons here at BP as to the mood and motive this era encompassed as well as its fun and flavor.

We will feature documentaries on the culture in the time of blaxploitation's era that were so beneficial to the esteem, mind state and spirit and it is a pleasure knowing a succeeding generation will bear witness to such informative inspiration courtesy of avid collaboration from our contributors, social networks and of course, these cats here at Blaxploitation Pride.

What we have served up today is a documentary from Leon Gast chronicling the "Rumble In The Jungle", a 1974 superfight between Muhammad Ali and "Big" George Foreman. "When We Were Kings" went on to garner an Oscar for the best documentary of 1996. Isn't that something that this film containing so much archival footage from an event taking place 22 years prior would be even more valid and necessary 35 years later?

What stands out is a concert promoted by The Godfather Don King who, like the quintessential hustler, told both fighters he would pay each $5,000,000 among tens of thousands of Africans in Zaire. He didn't have a dime of that money but his plan and passion behind it was so strong, he got both men to stroke ink on the agreement.

Not only did he convince both camps, he supplemented the event with an unforgettable concert (the only known footage recorded) with co-promoter Lloyd Price that featured The Spinners, The Crusaders, Pointer Sisters, B.B. King, Big Black and The Godfather Of Soul James Brown.

There is so much to be said watching this documentary, so many of the greatest of all time from music, promotion, journalism, sports, and it was all funded by the President of Zaire (now Democratic Republic Of Congo) Mobutu Sese Seko.

You heard what I have to say and I'll only tell you that this along with Eyes On The Prize and Wattstax are my three favorite documentaries that are, in my opinion, some of the best capturers of kindred soul on film.

I wonder what the next two posts will be about.

Any ideas?



Link to soundtrack reviewVarious Artist - When We Were Kings (1996)

T.N.T. Jackson (1975)

Starring:

• Jeannie Bell 
• Stan Shaw
• Pat Anderson
• Ken Metcalfe
• Chiquito
• Joe Mari Avellana

Storyline
Her name is Diana Jackson, but you can call her T.N.T. When T.N.T.'s brother is killed by ruthless drug dealers, the beautiful young karate expert goes to the most dangerous part of Chinatown to find the killer. In trouble with the law since she was 13, T.N.T. wants no help from the pigs; but she does befriend a Chinaman named Joe, whose impressive martial arts skills prove useful more than once. In her quest for the killer, she'll meet the white drug lord, Sid; Elaine, his bitchy girlfriend; his suspicious Chinese assistant, Ming; and Charlie, his handsome black assistant with criminal ambitions of his own.