Richard Roundtree in Shaft (1971)

Image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

Director Gordon Parks brought the original Shaft to the silver screen in 1971. Richard Roundtree plays the title character, with Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John and Gwenn Mitchell in support.

Ernest Tidyman’s Shaft Novel

Shaft was based on the novel of the same name by Cleveland-born Ernest Tidyman (1928-1984). One of only several Caucasians to win an NAACP Image Award, Tidyman garnered the title for his novel after looking out of his publisher’s window, where he spied the sign “Fire Shaft.”

Shaft was published in 1970 by Macmillan. It was followed by six other novels in the series: Shaft Among the Jews (1972), Shaft’s Big Score (1972), Shaft Has a Ball (1973), Goodbye, Mr. Shaft (1973), Shaft’s Carnival of Killers (1974) and The Last Shaft (1975).

Gordon Parks Directs Shaft

Ernest Tidyman and John D.F. Black penned the Shaft screenplay for MGM. Directing the action was Gordon Parks (1912-2006). In 1969, Parks had become the first African-American to direct a film for a major studio: The Learning Tree (Warner Bros.).

The great Isaac Hayes (1942-2008) provided the music score along with the film’s popular, super-hip theme song.

Richard Roundtree Heads Shaft Cast

Richard Roundtree heads the cool cast as John Shaft. Other players include Moses Gunn (Bumpy Jonas), Charles Cioffi (Lt. Vic Androzzi), Christopher St. John (Ben Buford), Gwenn Mitchell (Ellie Moore), Lawrence Pressman (Sgt. Tom Hannon), Victor Arnold (Charlie), Sherri Brewer (Marcy), Drew Bundini Brown (Willy), Al Kirk (Sims), Rex Robbins (Rollie), Camille Yarbrough (Dina Greene) and Antonio Fargas (Bunky).

Director Gordon Parks makes an uncredited cameo appearance as an apartment landlord.

Shaft Filmed in New York City

Budgeted at $1.2 million, Shaft was filmed on location in New York City. Familiar landmarks included Cafe Reggio in the West Village, Times Square and the mean streets of Harlem.

John Shaft: Spade Detective

John Shaft is a private eye – or “spade detective,” as he calls himself – who lives in Greenwich Village. He operates his PI agency out of a seedy, rented office in mid-town Manhattan.

When tipped off that two hoods are looking for him, Shaft gets the jump on one of them, taking him to his office at gunpoint. The other thug comes to his pal’s rescue, with a brawl ensuing and one of the hoods taking a plunge out of an office window.

Too bad, but all they really wanted was to arrange a meeting between Shaft and Harlem gangster Bumpy Jonas. Lt. Vic Androzzi of the NYPD learns of this development, and wants to use Shaft as a source of information on organized crime in Harlem.

Bumpy Jonas, head of a black syndicate that traffic in drugs and prostitution, hires Shaft at $50 an hour to find his daughter, Marcy, who has been kidnapped by the Mafia. Shaft locates the girl at a Greenwich Village hotel, and with the help of a black militant group called the Lumumba storms the fleabag joint. A hail of gunfire ensues, with Shaft and his volunteer army deposing the bad guys and whisking Marcy away in a caravan of four taxicabs.

Shaft Release, Reviews

Shaft was released on July 2, 1971.

“There have been lots of movies about black cops…but Gordon Parks’ Shaft gives us the first really convincing black private eye,” reported Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times (7/1/71).

“About a razzle-dazzle black private eye, the film is outrageously funny in its tough, campy, compendium of mod attitudes and expressions…” opined William Wolf of Cue magazine (7/3/71).

Shaft Box Office, Academy Award, DVD, Sequels, Remakes

• Shaft grossed $7.068 million at the box office, good for #16 on the list of Hollywood’s top moneymaking films of 1971.  
• Shaft won one Academy Award for Best Music/Original Song, “Theme from Shaft,” written and performed by Isaac Hayes.
• For all you cool cats Shaft is available on DVD (Warner Home Video, 2000).
• Shaft spawned two sequels, Shaft’s Big Score! (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973), a Shaft (1973-74)television series also starring Richard Roundtree and one remake, Shaft (2000), starring Samuel L. Jackson.

“Who’s the cat that won’t cop out/When there’s danger all about?”

We know…SHAFT! Right on!