Hail Hail Rock

I nearly fainted when I saw the trailer for the new Chris Rock movie. If there was ever a film made for a group viewing of Dusty, PZ, and me, this is it! It's got everything we love and more. I love that he made it and I can't wait to see it:

Gordon, the Pimp

What? He be sellin' ass out on Sesame Street? I can't believe I never saw "Willie Dynamite" before, because as most of you know, I sure do love blaxploitation and am fairly well schooled in it. That makes it even more fun when a gem like this pops up on TCM of all places (who is programming over there? Just hearing Robert Osborne say "Next up, Willie Dynamite" kills me.) Imagine my surprise when Willie turned out to be none other than Gordon of Sesame Street! What? That's right, kiddies! This fine piece of cinematic treasure features costumes so mindblowing that even the NYC crowds stand and gape in the background scenes. Watch the pimp council:



Wonder if Gordon ever brought his "magic watch" to Sesame Street ...

Guilty Pleasure: BET's 'American Gangster'

Now, you know these shows. There's never a good ending. The guy's either in jail, or gets killed in jail, or is out of jail and dead. Imagine my delight when on last night's Midget Molley episode (he wore a crown! I mean, I love anyone who wears crowns - James Brown, Solomon Burke, King Vitamin - you name it, they're crowned, I'm their fan), Molley is not only a free man, he is a community activist in Atlantic City. And he's got his own youtube channel. Go, Midget!


Hmm - BET's page won't let me cut and paste. You can watch here. Oddly, it stars with a feminine hygiene ad. Maybe their know their audience. Want to know more? Here's a wiki, his myspace, and his website.

Nichelle Nichols' finest moment

- in my opinion, anyway: "Shut up, you chunky whore!" I forgot all about this gem from "Truck Turner" until Thom from Fabulon posted it on my fbook.


Meanwhile, I'm off to Iceland.

Season's Greetings From Black Dynamite.

Black Dynamite sends you a special holiday message.

Pam Grier As Foxy Brown

I hope you enjoyed the trailer for Foxy Brown, which is one of my favorite blaxploitation movies. I'm a huge fan of Pam Grier. I've had a crush on her since I can remember. Pam's sexy and tough. She's definitely some fine brown sugar.

DOLEMITE gone to the Total Experience in the sky

Update: Signifyin' Monkey goes to Harvard!

But Mr. Moore could be said to represent a profound strand of African-American folk art. One of his standard stories concerns a monkey who uses his wiles and an accommodating elephant to fool a lion. The tale, which originated in West Africa, became a basis for an influential study by the Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., "The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of Afro-American Literary Criticism."



DOLEMITE IS DEAD: We remember legendary funnyman Rudy Ray Moore.
(October 20, 2008)
*EUR has learned that after an extended illness, seminal comedian Rudy Ray Moore, better known as Dolemite, has died in Akron, Ohio. He was 81. EUR was initially informed of the news by comedienne Luenell, a friend of the family.

Moore, whose actual name was Rudolph Frank Moore, passed away Sunday from complications of diabetes, his only child and daughter, Yvette "Rusty" Wesson, told us.

According to Wikipedia, Moore is perhaps best known as Dolemite, the uniquely articulate pimp (“… rappin’ & tappin’ is my game!”) from the 1975 film "Dolemite," and its sequel, "The Human Tornado." The persona was developed during his earlier stand-up comedy records.

Rudy Ray Moore was also known as the "king of the party records" and released many comedy records throughout the 1960s and 1970s, developing a style even more rude and explicit than contemporaries like Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor. This kept him off of television and major films, but cultivated an enduring fan base. He also guested on Big Daddy Kane's CD Taste of Chocolate, released in 1990.

The 2 Live Crew used Rudy Ray Moore's records as scratch samples on their early work; most notably on "Throw The Di*k."

Moore starred in "Big Money Hustlas," a movie created by and starring the Insane Clown Posse, in which he played Dolemite for the first time in over 20 years.

In 2008 Rudy Ray Moore reprised the character Petey Wheatstraw for the song "I live for the Funk" Featuring Blowfly and Daniel Jordan. This marked the first time Blowfly and Rudy have collaborated on the same record together, and the 30 year anniversary since the movie was filmed.

Moore began his entertainment career as an R&B singer and continued singing through his comedy career. He developed an interest in comedy in the Army after expanding on a singing performance for other servicemen.

Besides his daughter, Moore also leaves behind his 98 year-old mother Lucille. Although, Wesson couldn't tell us the exact dates, funeral services will be in Toledo, Ohio as well as Spokane, Washington where his mother and the rest of his immediate family lives

When Isaac Hayes was Truck Turner

I can't do obituaries, but he had a great voice. Whenever I think of the words 'make' and 'love' (together and in that order), I'll always be reminded of Isaac Hayes.

Movies For Dummies

'The Unholy Three'


'The Great Gabbo'


'Magic'


I haven't got round to watching 'Black Devil Doll from Hell' yet, and I'm not sure if I ever will, so I'll leave it to IMDB to fill you in -

"The only reason to see this is for the unintentionally hilarious rape scene wherein a pious sister of the church is tied down to her bed and given a serious rodgering by an evil, horny ventriloquist's dummy with dreadlocks. The scene where he "orally pleasures" her will forever be burned into my memory, not only because if was silly beyond all human comprehension, but because his tongue looks like a popsicle stick. And, yes, we do get to see his, er...wood. Rent it, and fast forward to this scene. After seeing it, immediately remove the tape from your VCR and use it as a skeet shooting pigeon."

And this led me back to one of my favourite album covers...

Sugar Hill

"When gangsters kill her boyfriend, a woman enlists a Voodoo queen to raise an army of the dead."

TCM showed this little gem the other nite. You can picture Pam Grier throwing the script back at whoever sent it to her, b/c it's a really low-rent mix of all that is AIP, Pam, Blaxploitation, and Horror.

TCM is showing some great stuff this month, esp "Screaming Mimi." I already blogged about it; read it here.

The Hamburger Pimp - with Relish!

I love the Hamburger Pimp. Marky wanted me to do a post on The Lady Reed, aka Queen Bee, and I agree that's a great topic because the Lady R never got the acclaim she deserved. Check out her work on Rudy Ray Moore's "Sensuous Black Man" LP or her tour de force as Queen Bee aka "Queenie" in "Dolemite."


"I put your girls thru karate school - they're good, too."

However, the lack of Queen Bee clips on youtube brought me instead to the Hamburger Pimp, one of the best Dolemite characters ever. I showed this to my nephew when he was younger and we still joke about it.

BLACK JESUS