Search results
John Shaft is a fictional private investigator created by author/screenwriter Ernest Tidyman for the 1970 novel of the same name. He was portrayed by Richard Roundtree in the original 1971 film and in its four sequels—Shaft's Big Score!, Shaft in Africa, Shaft (2000) and Shaft (2019)—as well as in the seven 1973–74 Shaft television films.
- A White Newspaper Reporter Created Shaft.
- The Studio Wanted to Shoot Shaft in Los Angeles.
- Shaft's Mustache Was non-negotiable.
- Gordon Parks Put His Magazine in The Movie.
- Bumpy Jonas Was Based on A Real Mobster.
- Gordon Parks Made A Cameo.
- Muhammad Ali's Trainer Had A Bit role.
- "Skloot Insurance" Was A Nod to A Crew Member.
- Parks Had to Explain What "Shaft" and "Mother" Meant to A reporter.
- Isaac Hayes Was The First Black Composer to Win An Oscar.
John Shaft made his debut in Shaft, a novel by Ernest Tidyman. Tidyman was a reporter for The Cleveland News,The New York Post, and The New York Times before he began writing the Shaft series, which included seven detective stories. Along with John D.F. Black, he adapted his first Shaft book into the screenplay for the first film. He would later go...
Shaft was filmed entirely in New York City, which is clearly illustrated by the shots of Times Square and Greenwich Village. But it nearly wasn’t. In his autobiography, Voices in the Mirror, director Gordon Parks recalledhow he received word from MGM mere hours before he was set to commence filming that he was to return to Los Angeles and shoot the...
The Los Angeles fiasco was behind him, but Parks immediately faced another scare when he spied his star, Richard Roundtree, heading to the bathroom with a towel and razor. Producer Joel Freeman had asked him to get rid of his soon-to-be legendary mustache. Parks told Roundtreeemphatically, “Shave it off and you’re out of a job.” And with that, the ...
In the movie’s opening sequence, Shaft stops to talk to a blind newsstand vendor. The magazine Essence is prominently displayed—and that’s no accident; Parks helped foundthe publication and served as its editorial director for its first three years in print.
Shaft spends most of the movie tracking down a kidnapped girl. She’s the daughter of Harlem crime kingpin Bumpy Jonas, and Bumpy was not a Hollywood invention. He was based on Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, who ruled the Harlem crime scene from the 1930s through the 1960s. He had ties to the infamous murder of Dutch Schultz and mentored Frank Lucas, th...
Parks appears briefly in the montage of Shaft searching for Ben Buford. He’s the landlord with the pipe, who complains that he’s also looking for Buford, who owes him six months of rent.
Drew Bundini Brown was a well-known member of Muhammad Ali’s entourage. He worked as an assistant trainer, and was famous for the “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” bit he performed with Ali for the cameras. But when he wasn’t in Ali’s corner, Brown was busy racking up movie credits. His first was Shaft, where he played one of Bumpy Jonas's...
Shaft’s office is sandwiched in between Acme Imports Exports Inc. and Skloot Insurance. The latter is a reference to Steven P. Skloot, the movie’s unit production manager.
When Parks flew to London to do publicity for the film, he ended up giving an impromptu vocabulary lesson. At a press screening, a confused British reporter askedthe director what “shaft” really meant. Parks replied by smiling and sticking his middle finger up in the air, explaining that was “the most honest answer” he could give. But the reporter ...
Isaac Hayes’s ubiquitous “Theme from Shaft” earned him a 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Song. This win was historic for many reasons: For one, Hayes was the first black composer to score an Oscar. But he was also only the third African American to win an Oscar, period. Prior to 1973, the only other black Academy Award winners were Hattie McDa...
Apr 27, 1970 · Kindle $3.99. Rate this book. Shaft #1. Ernest Tidyman. 3.47. 275 ratings43 reviews. Shaft has no prejudices. He'll kill anyone- black or white. Who is John Shaft? A black Bogart who says the Revolution is a new way to chase chicks...the Mafia is a meatball...and life is going to screw you if you don't screw it. John Shaft is a private eye.
- (273)
- Paperback
- Ernest Tidyman
The character was based on a 1970 detective novel by Ernest Tidyman. In the film, Shaft is recruited to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Harlem mob boss from Italian gangsters, and finds himself in the middle of a rapidly escalating turf war between uptown vs. downtown Manhattan.
John Shaft is a fictional private investigator created by author/screenwriter Ernest Tidyman for the 1970 novel of the same name. He was portrayed by Richard Roundtree in the original 1971 film and in its four sequels—Shaft's Big Score!, Shaft in Africa, Shaft (2000) and Shaft (2019)—as well as in the seven 1973–74 Shaft television films.
Oct 12, 2015 · Based on extensive research of Tidyman's personal papers, this book tells the story of Shaft from the perspective of his creator. The author provides new insight and analysis of the writing of the Shaft novels, as well as the production of the films and TV series.
- Paperback
- Steve Aldous
Book 2. Shaft Among the Jews. by Ernest Tidyman. 3.37 · 54 Ratings · 13 Reviews · published 1972 · 15 editions. A Novel by Ernest Tidyman John Shaft is back, Smoo…. Want to Read. Rate it:
