Black Cultural TV

BCTV #57 THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN The time is the early 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Jane (played by Cicely Tyson), a former slave, is celebrating her 110th birthday. Two men tell her that a little girl is going to a segregated water fountain; she gets arrested because she is black. The next day Jane is interviewed by a journalist named Quentin Lerner (played by Michael Murphy) and she tells the story of her life. The climax of the story shows Jane going to the water fountain to desegregate it; her lifespan has bridged the time of slavery and the Civil Rights Movement.

BCTV #56 HONEYDRIPPER Feat DANNY GLOVER Filmed and set in Georgiana, Alabama circa 1950, the film stars Danny Glover as the owner of a traditional blues club that is failing and in danger of being taken over until he hires a young electric guitarist (Gary Clark, Jr.) to stand-in as the popular "Guitar Sam" in the hopes of attracting a younger crowd. The film also stars musician Keb' Mo' as a mysterious blind guitarist, actor/comedian Kel Mitchell and singer Mable John. Rhythm and blues singer Ruth Brown recorded some songs for the film and was cast to play the role ultimately played by John, but died before filming started.[2]

BCTV #55 DIAMONDS featuring RICHARD ROUNDTREE Charles Hodgson is a British aristocrat who decides to become a thief as a way of getting at his twin brother, Earl, a security expert who has built a supposedly impregnable vault in Tel Aviv, which holds a cache of diamonds. For the caper, Charles enlists Archie, a heist expert, and Sally. He also becomes acquainted with an American woman, Zelda Shapiro, who is in Israel looking for a new husband.

BCTV #54 The Rare Coin Amos 'n' Andy: Season 1, Episode 4 The Kingfish swindles Andy out of a rare nickel; he unthinkingly drops it in the slot of a lunchroom's phone booth and places a call; they must figure out how to retrieve the valuable coin without getting caught.

BCTVV#53 JIMMY THE KID Featuring GARY COLEMAN Jimmy the Kid is a 1982 American comedy film starring Gary Coleman and Paul Le Mat. It was directed by Gary Nelson, produced by Ronald Jacobs, and released ...

BCTV #52 KILLA SEASON Cam'ron's debut into the film world chronicles a loosely autobiographical plot of his own transformation from a high school basketball star to a full-time heroin dealer. This film is based on the life of High school basketball phenom Karlton Hines. Cameron's character is named "Flea." The film also starred Juelz Santana as "Bandana", Hell Rell as Hell, & Funkmaster Flex as Fred. Other members of the Diplomats who made appearances in the film included 40 Cal, Un Kasa, J. R. Writer and "Chubbie Baby," who served as Flea's supplier of firearms. However, these three members played minor roles and their parts did not involve much dialogue. Jim Jones, The Diplomats co-founder, is seen only briefly in the beginning of the film. Near the end of the scene in which the Diplomats go to Atlanta, Jim Jones is blurred out but can be identified by one of his slogans.

BCTV #51 A HERO AIN’T NOTHIN BUT A SANDWICH Thirteen-year-old Benjie (Larry B. Scott) lives in a historic but declining neighborhood with his mother Sweets (Cicely Tyson), his grandmother Mrs. Bell (Helen Martin), and his mother's boyfriend Butler (Paul Winfield), a maintenance worker and former musician. Benjie appears to be well adjusted, living in a decent house with a loving family, getting good grades in school, and spending time with his friends Jimmy Lee and Carwell. However, internally he struggles with the pain of being abandoned by his biological father, his mixed feelings about Sweets and Butler, and a growing awareness of racism in society. At Sweets' urging, Butler tries to forge a fatherly relationship with Benjie, who rejects his overtures. When Benjie tries marijuana with his friends, he enjoys the high, and soon moves on to injecting heroin provided by local drug dealer Tiger. Benjie is attracted by Tiger's flattery and glamorous lifestyle, and the heroin initially helps him cope with his feelings. He soon becomes addicted, and must support his habit by stealing from his family and delivering drugs for Tiger. After a violent confrontation with Butler over his behavior, Benjie nods out at school and is sent to a drug rehabilitation hospital, where he undergoes therapy to learn to honestly express his suppressed thoughts and feelings. He is finally released from the hospital, only to learn that Carwell has died at age 12 from a lethal shot of heroin. As Benjie struggles to stay clean, he and his family also struggle to communicate more honestly with each other, which often leads to family arguments. Unable to deal with Benjie, Butler moves out, but he and Sweets love each other too much to stay apart, and they reconcile. After Butler saves Benjie from a near-fatal accident, Benjie finally begins to trust and accept Butler as his father.

BCTV #50 THORNWELL True story about James Thornwell, who was serving the Army in Europe when some military documents went missing. He was wrongfully accused of the theft, brutally interrogated and given drugs ... Read all

BCTV #49 JUST AND OLD SWEET SONG family from Detroit takes a two-week vacation in the south which makes multiple changes in their life they didn't think were possible

BCTV #48 THE GREAT WHITE HOPE Jack Jefferson (James Earl Jones) is the boxing heavyweight champion of early 1910s America. But as a black man, he's not only fighting other boxers, but discrimination and prejudice as well. The boxing fans and press resent the idea of a black champion and are actively searching for a "great white hope" that can defeat him. But it's Jefferson's activities outside the ring, primarily involving the white Eleanor Bachman (Jane Alexander), that may prove to be his downfall.

BCTV #47 WILLIE DYNAMITE When enterprising pimp Willie Dynamite (Roscoe Orman) refuses to agree to a mandate that would assign pimps to specific districts, he sets himself on a collision course with Bell (Roger Robinson), the kingpin of New York prostitution. Worse yet, Willie comes under the scrutiny of a pair of detectives. And then there's Cora (Diana Sands), a former prostitute now employed as a social worker, who aims to take down Willie's operation by preaching reform to his girls.

BC TV }46 ALL GOD’S CHILDREN featuring Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis An unpopular court decision by town Judge Parker Denison (Richard Widmark) to bus select black students to white schools threatens to tear the community apart when two teens -- one who is black, the other who is white -- steal and wreck a school bus in protest. Sadly, only one of the teens survives the brutal accident; the other runs off and goes into hiding. Tensions mount as anxious family members await the results of the autopsy identifying the body.

BCTV #45 HONEY BABY The film follows "Honey Baby" on her trip to Beirut where she is hunted down by a variety of people seeking a micro dot from her, which was planted on her by Madame Chan and contains a sought-after secret formula. Honey Baby's role as a target becomes evident once she is approached by an African man who is inquiring about the disappearance of Madame Chan, and murdered shortly after. Honey Baby then meets a man named "Liv" (Calvin Lockhart) who she proceeds to go on a date with. Liv's ulterior motive is revealed at the conclusion of their date as he confesses to his interest in the disappearance of Madame Chan, despite enjoying Honey Baby's company. Amidst driving home from their date, Liv's car is chased by multiple men in an attempt to assassinate Honey Baby. Upon reaching a dead-end, Honey Baby is involved in a shootout as Liv gives her a gun with instructions to 'run like hell'. Following the shootout, Madame Chan's missing body is put into Honey Baby's closet by "Makuba" (Head of the Operations). The next day, Honey Baby begins to face different pressures from the producer of the game show, Sam (Seth Allen), who wants to constantly shoot her "having fun" to show the viewers back home. He even suggests that "if we get you in a pants suit, on a horse, and put you in an Afro hairdo we got something" as a solution to re-brand her. Honey Baby rejects this because she just wants to be herself and doesn't want to change. However, she does eventually agree to go on a live game show to continue her trip to Lebanon. She is to be filmed sitting on a ski lift over Lebanon. Before the show can begin, an assassin cuts the rope steadying her, causing her to speed down the line and almost die on National Television.

BCTV #44 HOLLOW IMAGE A black New York career girl, who has made it big in the fashion world, is torn between her new life "downtown" and her roots in Harlem with an old boyfriend still living there., Shared for historical ...

BCTV #43 THE SHERIFF featuring OSSIE DAVIS Ossie Davis stars as Sheriff Lucas, a good cop who has a white deputy with whom he gets along just fine. However, Lucas is facing a huge case..

BCTV #41 Diana Ross Lady Sings The Blues In 1936 New York City, Eleanora Fagan, a.k.a. Billie Holiday, is arrested on a drug charge. In a flashback to 1928, Billie is working as a housekeeper in a brothel in Baltimore. When she returns to her aunt's house, she is home alone and is raped by a man who followed her home from the brothel. She runs away to her mother Sadie, who sets up a job cleaning for another brothel in the Harlem section of New York. The brothel is run by arrogant and selfish owner Lorraine, who pays Billie very little money. Eventually, Billie tires of scrubbing floors and becomes a prostitute, but later quits and returns to a nightclub to unsuccessfully audition to become a showgirl. After "Piano Man" accompanies Billie when she sings "All of Me", club owner Jerry books her as a singer in the show. Billie's debut begins unsuccessfully until Louis McKay arrives and gives her a fifty dollar tip. Billie takes the money and sings "Them There Eyes". Billie takes a liking to Louis and begins a relationship with him. Eventually she is discovered by Harry and Reg Hanley, who sign her as a soloist for their southern tour in hopes of landing a radio network gig. During the tour, Billie witnesses the aftermath of the lynching of an African-American man, which presses her to record the controversial song "Strange Fruit". The harsh experiences on the tour result in Billie taking drugs, which Harry supplies after Billie collapses on stage. One night when Billie is performing, Louis comes to see Billie. In her dressing room, Louis notices her needle marks, knows that she is doing drugs, and tells her she is going home with him. Billie promises to stay off the drugs if Louis stays with her. In New York, Reg and Louis arrange Billie's radio debut, but the station does not call her up to the stage to sing; the radio sponsors, a soap company, objected to her race. The group heads to Cafe Manhattan to drown their sorrows. Billie has too much to drink and asks Harry for drugs, saying that she does not want her family to know that the radio show upset her. He refuses and she throws her drink in his face. She is ready to leave, but Louis has arranged for her to sing at the Cafe, a club where she once aspired to sing. She obliges with one song but refuses an encore, leaving the club in urgent need of a fix. Louis, suspicious that Billie has broken her promise, takes her back to his home but refuses to allow her access to the bathroom or her kit. She fights Louis for it, pulling a razor on him. Louis leaves her to shoot up, telling her he does not want her there when he returns.

BCTV #42 SOUL OF THE GAME Branch Rickey is the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers who is determined to integrate Major League Baseball. He begins sending his scouts to Negro league games to find the best players. Rickey directs his scouts to look not only at playing ability but also at the players' maturity and capacity to withstand the hostility that is sure to be directed

BCTV #40 DISCO 9000 Black is the owner of Disco 9000, and the record label, 9000. In his club, he only plays selections from his own label, and rightly so. After a pair of thugs want to muscle their own tracks into the disco, and Fass refuses, the pair send their jackboys off to do some dirty work.

BCTV #40 THE MONKEY HUSTLE The film includes a loose plot centered on the ensemble cast of characters in which Foxx mentors "Baby D" (Calloway), "Player" (Carter), and "Tiny" (Harper) in the ways of small-time hustling. An example of a hustle is the boys apparently stealing some televisions from a truck for Foxx in sight of a local shop owner. The boys then steal the televisions from Foxx's truck and stash them in some trash. The shop owner offers the boys $55 cash for the televisions which they accept. However, when the shop owner returns with his dolly, he finds that the boys have run off with the cash as well as the televisions (which were actually empty boxes). The overarching plotline is to prevent the construction of an expressway through the neighborhood in which all the characters reside. Using facilities that are not adequately described in the film, Foxx and local numbers man "Glitterin' Goldie" (Moore) use potentially corrupt connections within the city government to prevent the construction.

BCTV #39 VELVERT SMOOTH Somebody's running a takeover on crime lord King Lathrop's (Owen Watson) operation using bogarts in Hannibal Lecter lookalike masks. Clueless, King Lathrop calls private detective Velvet Smooth (Johnnie Hill) for help. With the help of her friends Ria (Elsie Roman), a lawyer, and Frankie (René Van Clief), she infiltrates the criminal underworld to investigate. Velvet finds this may be an inside job led by King Lathrop's man Calvin (James Durrah). When Velvet reports this to Lathrop, he denies it at first but the problems come closer to Calvin. Hurt by it all, Lathrop fires Calvin. Although Lathrop thinks Calvin masterminded the take-over on his own, Velvet remains unconvinced and seeks further to find out who was the man behind the man.

BCTV #38 BINGO LONG TRAVELING ALL STARS Tired of being treated like a slave by team owner Sallison Potter, charismatic star pitcher Bingo Long steals a bunch of Negro league players away from their teams, including catcher/slugger Leon Carter and Charlie Snow, a player forever scheming to break into the segregated Major League Baseball of the 1930s by masquerading as first a Cuban ("Carlos Nevada"), then a Native American ("Chief Takahoma"). They take to the road, barnstorming through small Midwestern towns, playing the local teams to make ends meet. One of the opposing players, "Esquire" Joe Calloway, is so good that they recruit him. Bingo's team becomes so outlandishly entertaining and successful, it begins to cut into the attendance of the established Negro league teams. Finally, Bingo's nemesis Potter is forced to propose a winner-take-all game: if Bingo's team can beat a bunch of all-stars, it can join the league, but if it loses, the players will return to their old teams. Potter has two of his goons kidnap Leon prior to the game as insurance, but he escapes and is key to his side's victory. As it turns out, there is a Major League scout in the audience. After the game, he offers Esquire Joe the chance to break the color barrier; with Bingo's blessing, he accepts. Leon glumly foresees the decline of the Negro leagues as more players follow Esquire Joe's lead, but Bingo, ever the optimist, cheers him up by describing the wild promotional stunts he intends to stage to bring in the paying customers.

BCTV #37 BLACK FIST Featuring RICHARD LAWSON very interesting entry in the world of Blaxploitation films, this one is revealed to have a shocking revelation, which could described the constant use of fade ins and fade outs throughout most of the film. Leroy Fisk is a man in Los Angeles trying to earn a living for his family. He ends up working as a fighter for local mob boss Logan, despite the fact that he is more or less a racist. However, Leroy only does it because of the money so he can provide for his family. He hopes to get out in the game once he has enough money to put a down payment on a nightclub. When Heineken, a racist cop, forces Leroy to cut him in on the money he makes from the fights, Leroy knows he doesn’t have a choice. He soon learns that Logan and Heineken are in cahoots with each other. When Leroy decides that one more fight can get him the money needed for the club, he accepts and defeats Logan’s big heavy Moose. Adding insult to injury, Leroy smears Logan on top of Moose’s bloody body. Logan, very upset by what has transpired, decides that since Leroy won’t continue to fight under him that he must be eliminated. However, when a car bomb kills Leroy’s wife and brother-in-law instead of Leroy, the fighter is now seething with revenge. With the ally of family friend Florence, Leroy begins his plan to get revenge on the mob once and for all. Directed by Timothy Galfas, this has an interesting distinction of at first being a rare film until it ended up in the public domain. With the constant fade ins and outs and the changing of Leroy, one must wonder whether this is a straight film shot all at once. The answer finally was revealed a few years back by the film’s lead actor himself, Richard Lawson. This could also explain why the future Tubbs from Miami Vice, Philip Michael Thomas, plays two pimps, an African-American named Fletch and then a Latino named Boom Boom.

BCTV #36 THE HITTER RON O’NEAL & SHELIA FRAZIER An ex-professional boxer who killed a man in the ring tries to make a new start when teaming up with a fast talking but ageing hoodlum and an ex-call girl but soon get more than they bargained for when crossing an adversary from their past.

BCTV #35 BLACK GIRL LESLIE UGGAMS & BROCK PETERS The 17-year-old dreamer Billie Jean (Peggy Pettit) is the youngest in a family of loving yet discouraging women. Billie Jean's mother, Mama Rosie (Louise Stubbs), cares deeply about her three biological children. However, her own personal disappointments have left her embittered, and she only offers encouragement to her adopted daughter, Netta (Leslie Uggams). When Netta, a successful teacher, returns to visit the family, she may be the voice of guidance and hope Billie Jean desperately needs.

BCTV #34 BLIND RAGE FRED WILLIAMSON Five friends get together and decide to plan an operation to rob a bank. The main difference between this and other bank-robbing gangs, however, is that all five men are blind.