KEEP IT OLDSKOOL  MOVIE OF THE WEEK

The Mack was released in 1973 and was written  by Robert J Poole and directed by Michael Campus. The movie has become one of the most quoted and popular Blaxploitation movies of all time. The movie starred Max Julian, Carol Speed and Richard Pryor. There was also a scene stealing actor who played a rival to Max Julian’s character played by Dick Williams.

 

Goldie finds out the consequence of dominance

 

Goldie with start- up capital

 

The movie set in Oakland California centers on Goldie (Julian) returning home from a 5 year prison sentence and decides that he doesn’t want to go back to the petty crime and becomes a pimp.  We watch as Goldie with the help of his right hand man Slim (Pryor) climb the ranks and becomes one of the higher echelon flesh peddlers in the city. This ofcourse doesn’t sit well with many people, his brother Olinga a militant who wants to rid the streets of the cancers of drugs and pimps, his former boss Fatman and Pretty Tony a rival pimp who just lost his best earner to Goldie. The movie shows that world of a pimp in 1970s Oakland and although glamorizing it to an extent it does show the down side in vivid detail as we watch it all fall apart around Goldie over the Willie Hutch soundtrack.

 

Goldie and Slim (Julian and Pryor)

 

Goldie “running his game” on Diane

 

Frank Ward, Goldie, Pretty Tony and Ted Ward

 

 

China Doll just “chose” Goldie

 

Many people do not know  the backstory that went into making the movie and the problems that the director Michael Campus had to deal with. Oakland was a powder keg with the pimps and pushers on one side and the militant Black Panthers on the other side. The director was being “protected” by The Ward Brothers who were the dominate figures in crime and prostitution in Oakland in fact the custom Cadillac that Goldie drove in the movie belonged to Frank Ward. Richard Pryor was extremely hard to work with during that time based on his addiction to drugs so much so that he was fired before movie was completed. Although there was a script most of the dialogue between Goldie and Slim was improvised by Max Julian and Richard Pryor . No awards were given for this movie and no box office records were broken but this movie became an instant cult classic and you can hear many of the quotes from this movie in countless rappers songs and videos, was spoofed by Martin Lawrence on his TV show. The Mack is a mainstay at all of the 70s film festivals and one of this authors favorite 70s movies

 

 

WOW YOU SURE LOOK GOOD TO ME!  KEEP IT OLDSKOOL