Old Hollywood
Cinema
1900-1979
Nostalgia is a seductive liar - George Wildman Ball

Roy Ayers - Coffy is the Color (Coffy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Pam Grier in Coffy (1973, dir. Jack Hill) “The Baddest One-Chick Hit-Squad that ever hit town! They call her Coffy and she’ll cream you!”

Pam Grier in Coffy (1973, dir. Jack Hill)

“The Baddest One-Chick Hit-Squad that ever hit town! They call her Coffy and she’ll cream you!”

Marvin Gaye - Trouble Man (Trouble Man: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Barbara Mason - A Good Man Is Gone (Sheba Baby: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Willie Hutch - Theme Of Foxy Brown (via Foxy Brown: Original Soundtrack From American International Pictures)

Pam Grier in Foxy Brown (1974, dir. Jack Hill) As for “blaxploitation” - the genre under which her movies Coffy and Foxy Brown were known - is that a term she’s happy with today? “I have no issues with the word, but you have to ask, who do they mean is being exploited? Is it because these movies were the first ones to show black people kicking white butt? Is that black exploitation? Or is it when a female steps into action chases - now it’s blaxploitation? We ran for months in movie theatres, keeping the mainstream [white] films out. They needed to get rid of us — and I know this, I used to hear the distributors talk about it. So how do you get rid of us? Create dissent. Say that it’s exploitative. Make people feel bad about it.”  (via)

Pam Grier in Foxy Brown (1974, dir. Jack Hill)

As for “blaxploitation” - the genre under which her movies Coffy and Foxy Brown were known - is that a term she’s happy with today?

“I have no issues with the word, but you have to ask, who do they mean is being exploited? Is it because these movies were the first ones to show black people kicking white butt? Is that black exploitation? Or is it when a female steps into action chases - now it’s blaxploitation? We ran for months in movie theatres, keeping the mainstream [white] films out. They needed to get rid of us — and I know this, I used to hear the distributors talk about it. So how do you get rid of us? Create dissent. Say that it’s exploitative. Make people feel bad about it.” 

(via)

J.J. Johnson - The Wrecking Yard (via Cleopatra Jones: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Tamara Dobson in Cleopatra Jones (1973, dir. Jack Starrett) “She handles a car like a gun. She handles a gun like a man. And she handles a man like Cleopatra…”

Tamara Dobson in Cleopatra Jones (1973, dir. Jack Starrett)

“She handles a car like a gun. She handles a gun like a man. And she handles a man like Cleopatra…”

Pam Grier, 1973 (via)

Pam Grier, 1973 (via)

Isaac Hayes - Theme from Shaft (Shaft: Music from the Soundtrack)

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