Black Cultural TV

BCTV # 33 THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET "The Brother" (Joe Morton) is an alien and escaped slave on the run from his home planet. After he lands in New York City, he tries to adapt to life on the streets of Harlem. Although the Brother is mute, he does have great abilities at fixing machines, and he gets a job. As the Brother tries to blend in with his new culture, he finds an apartment and gradually makes friends. Meanwhile, he is pursued by two agents from his home world who are intent on returning there with him.

BCTV #32 DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS In the Summer of 1948 in Los Angeles, Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins is laid off from his job at Champion Aircraft and needs money to pay his mortgage. Easy's bartender friend Joppy introduces him to DeWitt Albright, a white P.I. looking for a missing white woman, Daphne Monet. Before meeting, Easy feels a little nervous meeting DeWitt, as it reminds him of someone from his past back in Houston, Mouse, a man who got him to go along with car theft, and a murder, which Easy denies he was a part of. Explaining that Monet's disappearance led her wealthy fiancé, Todd Carter, to drop out of the Los Angeles mayoral race, Albright pays Easy to find Daphne, who is known to frequent the juke joints along Central Avenue. Easy begins his search at an illegal club where he sees the bouncer, Junior Fornay, eject a white man. Learning that his friend Dupree Brouchard's girlfriend, Coretta James, is a confidant of Daphne, Easy spends the night with Coretta and discovers Daphne is involved with gangster Frank Green. Albright arranges a meeting at the Malibu pier, where Easy is accosted by racist white youths before Albright viciously humiliates one of the boys at gunpoint. Easy tells him about Green, and is given another payment to continue his search. Returning home, Easy is arrested by LAPD homicide detectives, who reveal that Coretta has been murdered. Interrogated and beaten before being released, he is approached by Matthew Terell, the remaining mayoral candidate. Terell is with a young boy, supposedly his adopted son, and inquires about Daphne, but Easy divulges nothing. After a nightmare about Coretta, he receives a call from Daphne herself. They meet at the Ambassador Hotel, and they talk about Corretta, and how she died, but she called Daphne before she did. Daphne then asks him to drive her to meet Richard McGee - the white man from the club. They arrive to find McGee dead, with his house ransacked. Easy notices a pack of Mexican cigarettes, the same brand smoked by Junior. Traumatized after witnessing the grisly scene, Daphne panics and flees, driving off in McGee’s car and abandoning Easy.

BCTV #31 The Spook who sat by the door The author, Sam Greenlee, was told by Aubrey Lewis (1935–2001), one of the first black FBI agents recruited to the Bureau in 1962,[ that The Spook Who Sat by the Door was required reading at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Having been much rejected by mainstream publishers, Greenlee's spy novel first was published by Allison & Busby in the UK in March 1969, after the author met Ghanaian-born editor Margaret Busby in London the previous year, and in the US by the Richard W. Baron Publishing Company. It was subsequently translated into several languages, including French, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Finnish, Swedish, and German.

BCTV #30 FOX STYLE A wealthy nightclub owner struggles to reconcile his country upbringing with his city environs.

BCTV #29 ABBY with CAROL SPEED Dr. Garrett Williams (William Marshall) explains to his students, "Eshu is the most powerful of all earthly deities. Eshu is a trickster, creator of whirlwinds... chaos." While on an archaeological dig in a cave in Nigeria, Dr. Williams finds a small puzzle box, carved with the symbols of Eshu: the whirlwind, the cock's comb, and the erect phallus. When Dr. Williams discovers the mechanism to open the box and unlatches it, a tremendous wind blasts out, knocking Dr. Williams and his men against the cave walls and floor. The spirit released by Dr. Williams crosses the Atlantic to Louisville, Kentucky to the new home of Dr. Williams' son, Emmett Williams (Terry Carter) and Abby Williams (Carol Speed). After Abby becomes possessed, her behavior becomes exponentially bizarre and dangerous.

BCTVV #28 COTTON COMES TO HARLEM Deke "Reverend" O'Malley, a con man, is selling shares at a Harlem rally, for the purchase of a Back-to-Africa movement ship to be called The Black Beauty. During the rally, several masked gunmen jump out of a meat truck and steal $87,000 in donated cash from the back of an armored car. Two Harlem detectives, "Gravedigger" Jones and "Coffin Ed" Johnson, chase the car, and a bale of cotton falls out of the vehicle, unremarked at the time. Though the authorities approve of O'Malley, regarding his "Back-to-Africa" movement as a way to solve American racial problems, both Jones and even more so Johnson are hostile towards him, viewing him as a charlatan who is exploiting the impoverished black community of Harlem. Captain Bryce—who has a portrait of Richard Nixon prominently displayed in his office—tells Jones and Johnson not to treat O'Malley as a suspect, orders that the duo ignore. Jones and Johnson go to the apartment of Iris Brown, O'Malley's mistress, believing he will come to see her at some point, but are called away. Iris is able to escape from the policeman sent to guard her. Iris is shocked to discover O'Malley seducing Mabel Hill, the widow of one of his subordinates killed in the robbery, leading to a fight between the two women and Iris being disillusioned with O'Malley. Uncle Budd, a scavenger, finds the bale of cotton and sells it for $25 to a junk dealer, but later buys it back for $30. There is a reward out for the $87,000, and Gravedigger and Coffin deduce that the money was hidden inside the bale that fell out of the getaway vehicle during the chase, leading to a violent search as rival gangsters seek the money. Iris tells Jones and Johnson the truth—namely that the robbery was part of a plan to allow O'Malley to steal the money without discrediting himself, but that he was double-crossed by his partner Calhoun, a white career criminal whom he met in prison who decided to take the money for himself. Calhoun kidnaps Iris to torture her for information about where the bale is, but after a shoot-out, Jones and Johnson rescue her. At a theater in Harlem, Iris's friend, the dancer Billie, uses the bale of cotton as part of her act, which attracts both Calhoun and O'Malley to the theater. Jones and Johnson arrest and humiliate Calhoun—who was dressed in blackface—at the theater. In the back of the theater, Johnson beats O'Malley in a fight. Jones and Johnson expose the Reverend O’Malley to the audience of the theater as the fraud that he is, remarking that he could have been another Marcus Garvey or Malcolm X, but instead he chose to be just a petty conman who exploited ordinary people. As O'Malley begs for support, the audience turn their backs on him and walks out. Detectives Jones and Johnson then blackmail Tom, a white mob leader, to give them $87,000 — to be restored to the original donors — after discovering that Uncle Budd has run off with the stolen money and emigrated to Ghana, to live in retirement with his ill-gotten gains and a harem.

BCTV #27 GETTING OVER This tuneful drama features the rock group Love Machine as it tells the tale of a record promoter hired by a crooked producer to fulfill affirmative action quotas. It is the hard-working, independent-minded promoter who discovers and develops the Love Machine, an all female group. The trouble begins when the group's lead singer is kidnapped and the promoter learns that his employer's label is really a front for the mob.

BCTV #26 THE BLACK SIX The plot involves an African American veteran of the Vietnam War, played by Gene Washington, who returns home to find that his brother (played by Robert Howard) has been killed. The killing was done by a white supremacist motorcycle gang, led by Ben "Thor" Davidson, who objected to the fact that Howard had been dating Thor's sister. Washington and his motorcycle gang, known as the Black Six, vow to avenge his brother's death. The Six encounter a number of obstacles, including hostile motorcycle gangs (particularly Thor's), and racist policemen. The movie climaxes with an inconclusive battle royal between the Six and Thor's Caucasian-supremacist biker gang, in which Thor (apparently) blows them and himself up by igniting the gas tank of his own motorcycle. The film concludes with the caption Honky, look out...Hassle a brother, and the Black 6 will return!.

BCTV #25 RON O’NEAL SUPERFLY TNT Youngblood Priest and Georgia are now living in Rome, having relocated from New York City. Priest drops Georgia off and when she goes to the place, she meets a black American man named Jordan who recognizes her from New York City. Priest meanwhile has been feeling bored in Rome, so he plays poker games with Italian businessmen every day to entertain himself. In one of the games, Priest has a run-in with Dr. Lamine Sonko, whose country of Umbria was destroyed by battle tanks and who came here to talk to Priest, however he ignores him. Priest then has a dinner engagement with Georgia, Jordan and his girlfriend, Lisa and after they talk, Jordan starts singing, much to the dismay of Priest. Georgia tells Priest that she wants children and to start a family, but Priest refuses. He then meets Jordan the next morning and they talk about their previous lives in New York City, with Priest mentioning a little bit about him being a drug dealer. After he has a horse riding lesson, Priest meets dr. Sonko, however they’re attacked by an assassin, but dr. Sonko manages to subdue him in time. Priest and the doctor go to Priest’s place, where they talk about Umbria, Priest refuses to help dr. Sonko however and he leaves. Priest then realizes that dr. Sonko was right about Umbria and tells Georgia that he’s going there, which makes her angry. The next morning, Priest arrives in Umbria, and then back in Rome, decides to help dr. Sonko. In one of his casino games, he talks to one of the businessmen, Matty Smith, to help him with the weapons.

DCTV #24 THE WEIRD WORLD OF BLOWFLY The Weird World of Blowfly is a 2010 documentary film about rapper and hip hop musician Clarence Reid, a/k/a Blowfly, directed by Jonathan Furmanski. In addition to Reid, the film features collaborators Tom Bowker and Otto von Schirach along with perspectives from Chuck D, Ice-T, and Die Ärzte.

BCTV #22. RUDY RAY MOORE AS DOLEMITE HUMAN TORNADO After coming off a successful comedy tour, Dolemite throws a get-together at his mansion. The party is crashed by racist police officers and they find out that the sheriff's wife is offering Dolemite money for sexual services. When the sheriff catches them red-handed, he orders his deputy to shoot them both. The deputy shoots the sheriff's wife, but is shot and killed by Dolemite, who escapes. Dolemite and his friends kidnap a young man and decide to head to California to meet Queen Bee. There, they find out that the local mob boss, Joe Cavaletti, has kidnapped two of Queen Bee's girls, forcing her to close her business and work for him. Dolemite rescues Queen Bee and her girls and teaches his enemies a lesson, all the while being chased by the sheriff, who has pinned the murder of his own wife on Dolemite.

BCTV #23 THE MACK DOCUMENTARY with MAX JULIEN After a few years in the slammer on a drug bust, John "Goldie" Mickens (Max Julien) returns to Oakland, Calif., determined to raise himself up in the world. When his old friend turned prostitute Lulu (Carol Speed) asks him to look out for her, Goldie accepts and enters the life of pimping. Soon he's the most notorious "mack" in town, but it earns him some unwanted attention. A pair of crooked cops wants him back in jail, and a rival pimp (Dick Williams) tries to steal his business.

BCTV #21 JOHNNY TOUGH Tough, also known as Johnny Tough, is a 1974 blaxploitation film about a young teenager who rebels against authority.

BCTV #20 THE BLACK GODFATHER The Black Godfather is a 1974 American blaxploitation film written and directed by John Evans and starring Rod Perry, Don Chastain, Diane Sommerfield and Jimmy Witherspoon. The plot is about J.J. (Rod Perry), a rising star in the black crime scene, who is in the process of consolidating his power over the neighborhood. One of the only remaining obstacles is the white heroin cartel that is reluctant to abandon such a lucrative market. Tensions rise, and an explosive confrontation is the result.

The film tells the story of a woman (Lola Falana) who is released from jail for 24 hours prior to testifying against her ex-boyfriend (James A. Watson Jr.) and is placed in police protection for that timeframe. The film mimics the plot-line in theoretically the first blaxploitation movie, Carmen Jones. Adjustments are made to that traditional story so that the protecting officer does not meet a pathetic end nor that our heroine nastily lose her life to him.

BC TVV#17 RUDY RAY MOORE IS DOLEMITE Dolemite is a pimp, comedian, and nightclub owner who is serving twenty years in prison after being set up by a rival, Willie Green (D'Urville Martin), and framed by detectives Mitchell and White, at the direction of the mayor (Hy Pyke). Released by the governor thanks to lobbying by fellow pimp "Queen Bee" (Lady Reed), Dolemite is freed in order to discover the source of the out of control drug problem in the "Fourth Ward" of the city, and take revenge on the corruption that put him in prison. He rekindles his reputation on the streets while trying to get back his "Total Experience" club from the hands of Willie Green. He enlists the help of Queen Bee and his own stable of karate-trained prostitutes to settle the score, while an undercover FBI agent (Jerry Jones) lurks in the shadows, viewing the proceedings.

BCTV ~16 TNT JACKSON The film is about Diana Jackson (aka TNT), who learns her brother is missing. She suspects a powerful gangster and his friends are behind the disappearance. Determined to get at the truth, she goes to Hong Kong, and along with a friend named Joe, wages war on the criminal gang she's out to nail.

BCTV #15 THE RIVER NIGER In a poor African-American neighborhood in Los Angeles, once-aspiring poet Johnny Williams (James Earl Jones) takes a low-paying job as a house painter in order to support his family. Already struggling to make ends meet, Williams -- who rests his hopes on his son Jeff (Glynn Turman), an Air Force lieutenant -- grows more despondent when he learns his wife, Mattie (Cicely Tyson), has terminal cancer. Now, Williams must summon the depths of his spirit to overcome his family's plight.

BCTV #14 SHEBA BABY -PAM GRIER When the loan business of her father, Andy (Rudy Challenger), is trashed by thugs looking to force a sale, Chicago private investigator Sheba Shayne (Pam Grier) travels back to her hometown of Louisville, Ky., to even the score. Together with old flame Brick Williams (Austin Stoker), she attacks the henchmen of local loan shark Pilot (D'Urville Martin), but a retaliation leaves Andy dead. Blind with rage, Sheba vows to take out Pilot's boss, mob kingpin Shark (Dick Merrifield).

BCTV #13 THE BLACK GESTAPO The Black Gestapo (also released as Ghetto Warriors) is a 1975 American crime film about a vigilante named General Ahmed, who starts an inner-city "People's Army" to protect the black citizens of Watts. However, when the Army succeeds in chasing the mob out of town, Ahmed is replaced by his colleague Colonel Kojah, who reforms the movement into a National Socialist criminal organization in order to have complete control over the town.

BCTV #12 Let’s Do it again!!Sidney Poitier & Bill Cosby! Milkman Clyde Williams (Sidney Poitier) and his best friend, Billy Foster (Bill Cosby), are members of a fraternal lodge, The Brothers and Sisters of Shaka, that needs money for the retirement home they sponsor. Since Clyde has a gift for hypnotism, they decide to fix an upcoming boxing match by hypnotizing the underdog fighter (Jimmie Walker). The scam works, and the men collect big winnings before a couple of mafia dons realize they've been tricked and decide to track Clyde and Billy down.

BCTV #11 TOGETHER BROTHERS In one of the poorer neighborhoods of Galveston, Texas, a respected black police officer is killed, and the only witness to the crime is 5-year-old Tommy (Anthony Wilson). The killers want to silence the boy but don't reckon on his older brother, H.J. (Ahmad Nurradin), the leader of a local gang of black and Latino youths called "Brothers United." The gang members make it their mission to protect Tommy while simultaneously working to bring the cop killers to justice.

BCTV # 10 PAM GRIER AS FRIDAY FOSTER On assignment from her editor, photographer Friday Foster (Pam Grier) travels to an airport to capture a few shots of the richest black man in the United States (Thalmus Rasulala). But it turns out Foster isn't the only one taking shots as she witnesses -- and photographs -- an assassination attempt on her subject. With definitive evidence in her possession, she also becomes a target of the assassins. Joining a private eye (Yaphet Kotto), Foster sets out to discover the truth behind the attempt.

BCTV #9 ONE DOWN, TWO GO Chuck Wells (Jim Kelly) and his partner Ralph Dart (Richard Roundtree) are the owners of the International Martial Arts dojo which is located in Los Angeles. A martial arts tournament is taking place with a prize of $400,000. Chuck and Ralph have their best student enter the event. The organizer of the event Frank Rossi. Rossi is in alliance with mobster Gabe Mario who has put up half of the prize money. Rossi tries to fix the tournament so that the outcome will be the way he wants it. Chuck becomes aware of this and Rossi learns that he is in the know. He sends his henchmen out who shoot Chuck in the chest. However the shooting isn't lethal. The efforts of the organizers to rig the tournament aren't successful and the student from the International Martial Arts dojo wins the tournament. The prize money is promised to Ralph the next morning but Mario goes back on his word. In amongst this, Chuck manages to get to an alley behind a tavern where his girlfriend Teri works. He tells her and her co-worker to let Ralph know about the shooting and to contact his two associates in California, Cal and J.[ Cal (Fred Williamson) and J (Jim Brown) are a couple of tough cops who go after the mob that jinxed the martial arts tournament Peter Dane plays Rossi and Victoria Hale plays his wife Maria. Mario is played by Tom Signorelli.

BCTV #8 THE ORIGINAL SPARKLE In 1950s Harlem, Sparkle (Irene Cara), Sister (Lonette McKee) and Dolores (Dwan Smith) are three musically gifted sisters whose mother, Effie (Mary Alice), supports them by working as a maid. Encouraged by Sparkle's boyfriend, Stix (Philip Michael Thomas), the three form a singing group and become a sensation at a local nightclub. However, tensions rise when Sister is appointed the group's lead singer and begins dating Satin (Tony King), an abusive, drug-addicted pimp.