Wednesday Open Thread: History of the Blaxploitation Movie Era

Happy Hump Day POU!

Who’s the cat that won’t cop out / When there’s danger all about?

If you know the answer to that question (Shaft!), and probably even if you don’t, then you know that Blaxploitation films represent an indisputably integral part of the history of American popular culture. From cool gangsters to deadly heroines to campy monsters, the characters portrayed in Blaxploitation movies were undeniable crowd-pleasers, and the films saw unprecedented success throughout the 1970s. Often produced independently from major Hollywood studios, Blaxploitation movies played well with urban audiences in search of familiar settings, action, grit, and humor. The best Blaxploitation films were accompanied by distinctive soundtracks, too, and the works that Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield composed for Shaft and Super Fly, respectively, have come to define the musicians’ legacies.

Theme from Shaft

1972 saw the artistic peak of the blaxploitation soundtrack. Several of America’s biggest black artists were working on soundtracks simultaneously. Marvin Gaye’s superb ‘Trouble Man’ album, much covered and respected, provided the only significant outlet for his jazz aspirations of his career, and allowed him to include several instrumental funk tracks. Bobby Womack, assisted by jazz soundtrack veteran
J.J.Johnson, showcased some of his finest soul tracks on ‘Across 110th St.’ The highlight of this period was undeniably Curtis Mayfield’s ‘Superfly’. Only four years previously Mayfield had been producing upbeat, happy songs for The Impressions. He had by now absorbed the rhymical influence of James Brown’s music along with the melodic feel of Marvin Gaye and was producing music wide-ranging in mood. ‘Superfly’was as violent a movie as you could find. It romanticised the antics of a drug dealer antihero, Priest, played by Ron O’Neal. Mayfield’s beautiful and compassionate songs completely undermined the apparent message of the movie and represent his finest work.

Theme from Superfly

The films that followed became more formulaic as the seventies progressed. Plot-wise, most of them were either ‘private detective takes on the mob’ or ‘dealer becomes king of the pimps’. Record companies fought to add their biggest stars to any soundtrack they could get space on. Virtually all of the major soul artists and many minor stars of the period can be found on a blaxploitation album.

The Boss from the Black Caesar soundtrack

James Brown, ably assisted by regular JBs trombonist Fred Wesley, provided scores to 1973’s ‘Black Caesar’ and 1974’s ‘Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off’. The latter was a sequel to ‘Slaughter’, which had no soundtrack LP but featured a Billy Preston theme song. Interestingly, James Brown’s best written-for-film album, ‘The Payback’, was rejected by director Larry Cohen for ‘not being James Brown enough, y’know?’. The film was ‘Hell Up In Harlem’ and eventually featured an Edwin Starr soundtrack.

Solomon Burke wrote music for ‘Cool Breeze’ (1972, with assistance from Gene Page) and ‘Hammer’(1973), for which an album was never issued. Allen Toussaint scored ‘Black Samson’, released in 1974. Gene Page, with the Hues Corporation, wrote 1972’s‘Blacula’ soundtrack while Roy Ayers produced the superb ‘Coffy’ in 1973.

Coffy is the Color from Coffy

The Blackbyrds made their contribution with ‘Cornbread, Earl and Me’ while The Impressions provided songs for ‘Three The Hard Way’. Barry White wrote music for 1974’s ‘Together Brothers’ which included some solid stripped-down funk instrumentals. Even drummer Bernard Purdie wrote a score to an erotic film called ‘Lialeh’ in 1974, subsequently issued on a scarce LP.

Motown’s Wille Hutch provided two fine albums in the form of ‘The Mack’ (1973) and ‘Foxy Brown’ (1974). J.J.Johnson, a veteran jazz musician with a strong ear for soundtrack composition, often wrote his best work in collaboration with other artists. 1971’s Bill Cosby western ‘Man and Boy’ saw him working with Quincy Jones and Bill Withers. The superb ‘Across 110th Street’ was written with Bobby Womack. Johnson also wrote the music for ‘Willie Dynamite’ (with Martha Reeves) and ‘Cleopatra Jones’ which included a hit theme from Joe Simon and vocals from Millie Jackson.

A relatively early blaxploitation release, ‘Come Back Charleston Blue’ features an interesting 1920s style soundtrack thanks to Quincy Jones. This album also includes Donny Hathaway’s soulful classic ‘Ghetto Boy’. The 1973 sequel to ‘Black Caesar’, ‘Hell Up In Harlem’ had a theme song by Edwin Starr while Barbara Mason sang the theme to ‘Sheba Baby’ in 1975. The unlikely choice of Osibisa provided the‘Superfly’ soundtrack sequel in the form of ‘Superfly T.N.T.’ in 1973.

Theme from Sheba Baby

Blaxploitation had an enormous musical influence on film and television. Many of the police shows of the 1970s and 1980s in America and abroad had instantly recognisable funk themes and incidental music which, again, have survived better than the visuals. Notable examples include Tom Scott’s ‘Starsky & Hutch’, Pat Williams’ superb jazz-funk crossover ‘Streets of San Francisco’, ‘Charlie’s Angels’ which Henry Mancini covered to great success, and the classic US No.1 hit ‘Theme from S.W.A.T.’ by Rhythm Heritage. ‘Kojak’, Quincy Jones’ ‘Ironside’, New Generation’s camp classic ‘Wonder Woman’, Morton Stevens’ ‘Hawaii Five-O’, Oliver Nelson’s ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ theme, ‘Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow (Baretta’s Theme)’, all exhibited a blaxploitation influence.

Lalo Schifrin employed his experience of scoring‘Enter The Dragon’ to good effect on the theme to the Planet Of The Apes series, called ‘Ape Shuffle’. The police shows in Europe were also quick to adopt the funky, streetwise sound of the blaxploitation genre. Jazz composer Laurie Johnson’s ‘New Avengers’,‘Avengers’ and ‘Professionals’ themes are particularly memorable. ‘The Saint’, ‘Return Of The Saint’ and the short-lived BBC series ‘Quiller’ featured strong funk influences. Even Brian Bennett of The Shadows released a great funk chase theme called‘Pegasus’ in 1974. While they never contributed directly to the strict blaxploitation genre, two of this century’s most versatile and prolific film composers produced genuinely funky scores. Check out Lalo Schifrin’s incredible driving scores for ‘Dirty Harry’,‘Mission Impossible’, ‘Rollercoaster’, ‘Bullitt’ and the Bruce Lee classic ‘Enter The Dragon’. The theme from the latter album is a track as well-known and frequently-covered as ‘Shaft’ and features similar instrumentation.

Jive Talk Dictionary

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Here is a dictionary for those who are challenged to jive talk. It is necessary that you gain some fluency in this hip language in order to thoroughly enjoy a Blaxploitation film. Although this dictionary is not 100% percent accurate because of regions and dialect.

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A hummer (n.) — exceptionally good. Ex., “Man, that boy is a hummer.”
Ain’t coming on that tab (v.) — won’t accept the proposition. Usually abbr. to “I ain’t coming.”
Alligator (n.) — jitterbug.
Apple (n.) — the big town, the main stem, Harlem.
Armstrongs (n.) — musical notes in the upper register, high trumpet notes.

Barbecue (n.) — the girl friend, a beauty
Barrelhouse (adj.) — free and easy.
Battle (n.) — a very homely girl, a crone.
Beat (adj.) — (1) tired, exhausted. Ex., “You look beat” or “I feel beat.” (2) lacking anything. Ex, “I am beat for my cash”, “I am beat to my socks” (lacking everything).
Beat it out (v.) — play it hot, emphasize the rhythm.
Beat up (adj.) — sad, uncomplimentary, tired.
Beat up the chops (or the gums) (v.) — to talk, converse, be loquacious.
Beef (v.) — to say, to state. Ex., “He beefed to me that, etc.”
Bible (n.) — the gospel truth. Ex., “It’s the bible!”
Black (n.) — night.
Black and tan (n.) — dark and light colored folks. Not colored and white folks as erroneously assumed.
Blew their wigs (adj.) — excited with enthusiasm, gone crazy.
Blip (n.) — something very good. Ex., “That’s a blip”; “She’s a blip.”
Blow the top (v.) — to be overcome with emotion (delight). Ex., “You’ll blow your top when you hear this one.”
Boogie-woogie (n.) — harmony with accented bass.
Boot (v.) — to give. Ex., “Boot me that glove.”
Break it up (v.) — to win applause, to stop the show.
Bree (n.) — girl.
Bright (n.) — day.
Brightnin’ (n.) — daybreak.
Bring down ((1) n. (2) v.) — (1) something depressing. Ex., “That’s a bring down.” (2) Ex., “That brings me down.”
Buddy ghee (n.) — fellow.
Bust your conk (v.) — apply yourself diligently, break your neck.

Canary (n.) — girl vocalist.
Capped (v.) — outdone, surpassed.
Cat (n.) — musician in swing band.
Chick (n.) — girl.
Chime (n.) — hour. Ex., “I got in at six chimes.”
Clambake (n.) — ad lib session, every man for himself, a jam session not in the groove.
Chirp (n.) — female singer.
Cogs (n.) — sun glasses.
Collar (v.) — to get, to obtain, to comprehend. Ex., “I gotta collar me some food”; “Do you collar this jive?”
Come again (v.) — try it over, do better than you are doing, I don’t understand you.
Comes on like gangbusters (or like test pilot) (v.) — plays, sings, or dances in a terrific manner, par excellence in any department. Sometimes abbr. to “That singer really comes on!”
Cop (v.) — to get, to obtain (see collar; knock).
Corny (adj.) — old-fashioned, stale.
Creeps out like the shadow (v.) — “comes on,” but in smooth, suave, sophisticated manner.
Crumb crushers (n.) — teeth.
Cubby (n.) — room, flat, home.
Cups (n.) — sleep. Ex., “I gotta catch some cups.”
Cut out (v.) — to leave, to depart. Ex., “It’s time to cut out”; “I cut out from the joint in early bright.”
Cut rate (n.) — a low, cheap person. Ex., “Don’t play me cut rate, Jack!”

Dicty (adj.) — high-class, nifty, smart.
Dig (v.) — (1) meet. Ex., “I’ll plant you now and dig you later.” (2) look, see. Ex., “Dig the chick on your left duke.” (3) comprehend, understand. Ex., “Do you dig this jive?”
Dim (n.) — evening.
Dime note (n.) — ten-dollar bill.
Doghouse (n.) — bass fiddle.
Domi (n.) — ordinary place to live in. Ex., “I live in a righteous dome.”
Doss (n.) — sleep. Ex., “I’m a little beat for my doss.”
Down with it (adj.) — through with it.
Drape (n.) — suit of clothes, dress, costume.
Dreamers (n.) — bed covers, blankets.
Dry-goods (n.) — same as drape.
Duke (n.) — hand, mitt.
Dutchess (n.) — girl.

Early black (n.) — evening
Early bright (n.) — morning.
Evil (adj.) — in ill humor, in a nasty temper.

Fall out (v.) — to be overcome with emotion. Ex., “The cats fell out when he took that solo.”
Fews and two (n.) — money or cash in small quatity.
Final (v.) — to leave, to go home. Ex., “I finaled to my pad” (went to bed); “We copped a final” (went home).
Fine dinner (n.) — a good-looking girl.
Focus (v.) — to look, to see.
Foxy (v.) — shrewd.
Frame (n.) — the body.
Fraughty issue (n.) — a very sad message, a deplorable state of affairs.
Freeby (n.) — no charge, gratis. Ex., “The meal was a freeby.”
Frisking the whiskers (v.) — what the cats do when they are warming up for a swing session.
Frolic pad (n.) — place of entertainment, theater, nightclub.
Fromby (adj.) — a frompy queen is a battle or faust.
Front (n.) — a suit of clothes.
Fruiting (v.) — fickle, fooling around with no particular object.
Fry (v.) — to go to get hair straightened.

Gabriels (n.) — trumpet players.
Gammin’ (adj.) — showing off, flirtatious.
Gasser (n, adj.) — sensational. Ex., “When it comes to dancing, she’s a gasser.”
Gate (n.) — a male person (a salutation), abbr. for “gate-mouth.”
Get in there (exclamation.) — go to work, get busy, make it hot, give all you’ve got.
Gimme some skin (v.) — shake hands.
Glims (n.) — the eyes.
Got your boots on — you know what it is all about, you are a hep cat, you are wise.
Got your glasses on — you are ritzy or snooty, you fail to recognize your friends, you are up-stage.
Gravy (n.) — profits.
Grease (v.) — to eat.
Groovy (adj.) — fine. Ex., “I feel groovy.”
Ground grippers (n.) — new shoes.
Growl (n.) — vibrant notes from a trumpet.
Gut-bucket (adj.) — low-down music.
Guzzlin’ foam (v.) — drinking beer.

Hard (adj.) — fine, good. Ex., “That’s a hard tie you’re wearing.”
Hard spiel (n.) — interesting line of talk.
Have a ball (v.) — to enjoy yourself, stage a celebration. Ex., “I had myself a ball last night.”
Hep cat (n.) — a guy who knows all the answers, understands jive.
Hide-beater (n.) — a drummer (see skin-beater).
Hincty (adj.) — conceited, snooty.
Hip (adj.) — wise, sophisticated, anyone with boots on. Ex., “She’s a hip chick.”
Home-cooking (n.) — something very dinner (see fine dinner).
Hot (adj.) — musically torrid; before swing, tunes were hot or bands were hot.
Hype (n, v.) — build up for a loan, wooing a girl, persuasive talk.

Icky (n.) — one who is not hip, a stupid person, can’t collar the jive.
Igg (v.) — to ignore someone. Ex., “Don’t igg me!)
In the groove (adj.) — perfect, no deviation, down the alley.

Jack (n.) — name for all male friends (see gate; pops).
Jam ((1)n, (2)v.) — (1) improvised swing music. Ex., “That’s swell jam.” (2) to play such music. Ex., “That cat surely can jam.”
Jeff (n.) — a pest, a bore, an icky.
Jelly (n.) — anything free, on the house.
Jitterbug (n.) — a swing fan.
Jive (n.) — Harlemese speech.
Joint is jumping — the place is lively, the club is leaping with fun.
Jumped in port (v.) — arrived in town.

Kick (n.) — a pocket. Ex., “I’ve got five bucks in my kick.”
Kill me (v.) — show me a good time, send me.
Killer-diller (n.) — a great thrill.
Knock (v.) — give. Ex., “Knock me a kiss.”
Kopasetic (adj.) — absolutely okay, the tops.

Lamp (v.) — to see, to look at.
Land o’darkness (n.) — Harlem.
Lane (n.) — a male, usually a nonprofessional.
Latch on (v.) — grab, take hold, get wise to.
Lay some iron (v.) — to tap dance. Ex., “Jack, you really laid some iron that last show!”
Lay your racket (v.) — to jive, to sell an idea, to promote a proposition.
Lead sheet (n.) — a topcoat.
Left raise (n.) — left side. Ex., “Dig the chick on your left raise.”
Licking the chops (v.) — see frisking the whiskers.
Licks (n.) — hot musical phrases.
Lily whites (n.) — bed sheets.
Line (n.) — cost, price, money. Ex., “What is the line on this drape” (how much does this suit cost)? “Have you got the line in the mouse” (do you have the cash in your pocket)? Also, in replying, all figures are doubled. Ex., “This drape is line forty” (this suit costs twenty dollars).
Lock up — to acquire something exclusively. Ex., “He’s got that chick locked up”; “I’m gonna lock up that deal.”

Main kick (n.) — the stage.
Main on the hitch (n.) — husband.
Main queen (n.) — favorite girl friend, sweetheart.
Man in gray (n.) — the postman.
Mash me a fin (command.) — Give me $5.
Mellow (adj.) — all right, fine. Ex., “That’s mellow, Jack.”
Melted out (adj.) — broke.
Mess (n.) — something good. Ex., “That last drink was a mess.”
Meter (n.) — quarter, twenty-five cents.
Mezz (n.) — anything supreme, genuine. Ex., “this is really the mezz.”
Mitt pounding (n.) — applause.
Moo juice (n.) — milk.
Mouse (n.) — pocket. Ex., “I’ve got a meter in the mouse.”
Muggin’ (v.) — making ’em laugh, putting on the jive. “Muggin’ lightly,” light staccato swing; “muggin’ heavy,” heavy staccato swing.
Murder (n.) — something excellent or terrific. Ex., “That’s solid murder, gate!”

Neigho, pops — Nothing doing, pal.
Nicklette (n.) — automatic phonograph, music box.
Nickel note (n.) — five-dollar bill.
Nix out (v.) — to eliminate, get rid of. Ex., “I nixed that chick out last week”; “I nixed my garments” (undressed).
Nod (n.) — sleep. Ex., “I think I’l cop a nod.”

Ofay (n.) — white person.
Off the cob (adj.) — corny, out of date.
Off-time jive (n.) — a sorry excuse, saying the wrong thing.
Orchestration (n.) — an overcoat.
Out of the world (adj.) — perfect rendition. Ex., “That sax chorus was out of the world.”
Ow! — an exclamation with varied meaning. When a beautiful chick passes by, it’s “Ow!”; and when someone pulls an awful pun, it’s also “Ow!”

Pad (n.) — bed.
Pecking (n.) — a dance introduced at the Cotton Club in 1937.
Peola (n.) — a light person, almost white.
Pigeon (n.) — a young girl.
Pops (n.) — salutation for all males (see gate; Jack).
Pounders (n.) — policemen.

Queen (n.) — a beautiful girl.

Rank (v.) — to lower.
Ready (adj.) — 100 per cent in every way. Ex., “That fried chicken was ready.”
Ride (v.) — to swing, to keep perfect tempo in playing or singing.
Riff (n.) — hot lick, musical phrase.
Righteous (adj.) — splendid, okay. Ex., “That was a righteous queen I dug you with last black.”
Rock me (v.) — send me, kill me, move me with rhythm.
Ruff (n.) — quarter, twenty-five cents.
Rug cutter (n.) — a very good dancer, an active jitterbug.

Sad (adj.) — very bad. Ex., “That was the saddest meal I ever collared.”
Sadder than a map (adj.) — terrible. Ex., “That man is sadder than a map.”
Salty (adj.) — angry, ill-tempered.
Sam got you — you’ve been drafted into the army.
Send (v.) — to arouse the emotions. (joyful). Ex., “That sends me!”
Set of seven brights (n.) — one week.
Sharp (adj.) — neat, smart, tricky. Ex., “That hat is sharp as a tack.”
Signify (v.) — to declare yourself, to brag, to boast.
Skins (n.) — drums.
Skin-beater (n.) — drummer (see hide-beater).
Sky piece (n.) — hat.
Slave (v.) — to work, whether arduous labor or not.
Slide your jib (v.) — to talk freely.
Snatcher (n.) — detective.
So help me — it’s the truth, that’s a fact.
Solid (adj.) — great, swell, okay.
Sounded off (v.) — began a program or conversation.
Spoutin’ (v.) — talking too much.
Square (n.) — an unhip person (see icky; Jeff).
Stache (v.) — to file, to hide away, to secrete.
Stand one up (v.) — to play one cheap, to assume one is a cut-rate.
Susie-Q (n.) — a dance introduced at the Cotton Club in 1936.

To be stashed (v.) — to stand or remain.
Take it slow (v.) — be careful.
Take off (v.) — play a solo.
The man (n.) — the law.
Threads (n.) — suit, dress or costume (see drape; dry-goods).
Tick (n.) — minute, moment. Ex., “I’ll dig you in a few ticks.” Also, ticks are doubled in accounting time, just as money is doubled in giving “line.” Ex., “I finaled to the pad this early bright at tick twenty” (I got to bed this morning at ten o’clock).
Timber (n.) — toothpick.
To dribble (v.) — to stutter. Ex., “He talked in dribbles.”
Togged to the bricks — dressed to kill, from head to toe.
Too much (adj.) –– term of highest praise. Ex., “You are too much!”
Trickeration (n.) — struttin’ your stuff, muggin’ lightly and politely.
Trilly (v.) — to leave, to depart. Ex., “Well, I guess I’ll trilly.”
Truck (v.) — to go somewhere. Ex., “I think I’ll truck on down to the ginmill (bar).”
Trucking (n.) — a dance introduced at the Cotton Club in 1933.
Twister to the slammer (n.) — the key to the door.
Two cents (n.) — two dollars.

Unhip (adj.) — not wise to the jive, said of an icky, a Jeff, a square.

Vine (n.) — a suit of clothes.
V-8 (n.) — a chick who spurns company, is independent, is not amenable.

What’s your story? — What do you want? What have you got to say for yourself? How are tricks? What excuse can you offer? Ex., “I don’t know what his story is.”
Whipped up (adj.) — worn out, exhausted, beat for your everything.
Wren (n.) — a chick, a queen.
Wrong riff — the wrong thing said or done. Ex., “You’re coming up on the wrong riff.”

Yarddog (n.) — uncouth, badly attired, unattractive male or female.
Yeah, man — an exclamation of assent.

Zoot (adj.) — exaggerated
Zoot suit (n.) — the ultimate in clothes. The only totally and truly American civilian suit .

Wednesday Open Thread: History of the Blaxploitation Movie Era

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