''Black Samson'' is a 1974

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

blaxploitation film, starring

Rockne Tarkington William Rockne Tarkington, Jr. (May 14, 1932 – April 5, 2015) was an American stage, film and television actor. Career Born in Junction City, Kansas, Tarkington began his career as a stage actor, and made the transition to television with g ...

, Carol Speed, William Smith and Connie Strickland. The film was written by Daniel B. Cady (who also produced) and Warren Hamilton Jr., directed by Charles Bail and released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

It was the directorial debut for Bail, more commonly billed as Chuck Bail, a renowned stunt co-ordinator best known for playing himself in Richard Rush's ''

The Stunt Man ''The Stunt Man'' is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Richard Rush, starring Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback, and Barbara Hershey. The film was adapted by Lawrence B. Marcus and Rush from the 1970 novel of the same name by Paul Brodeu ...

''.

Plot

Armed with a

quarterstaff A quarterstaff (plural quarterstaffs or quarterstaves), also short staff or simply staff is a traditional European pole weapon, which was especially prominent in England during the Early Modern period. The term is generally accepted to refer t ...

and his pet African lion named Hoodoo, noble

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

owner Samson (

) does his best to keep his neighborhood clean of crime and drugs. When vicious mobster Giovanni "Johnny" Nappa ( William Smith) tries to muscle in on Samson's territory, Samson takes a stand against Nappa and his flunkies.

Cast

as Samson * William Smith as Giovanni "Johnny" Nappa * Connie Strickland as Tina * Carol Speed as Leslie * Michael Payne as Arthur * Joe Tornatore as Harry *

Titos Vandis Titos Vandis ( el, Τίτος Βανδής; 7 November 1917 – 23 February 2003) was a Greek actor. Biography Vandis began his career on the Greek stage in the late 1930s. In 1962, he won the Best Actor award for the film ''Poliorkia'' at ...

as Giuseppe "Joe" Nappa *

Napoleon Whiting Napoleon Whiting (September 21, 1910, Mississippi – October 22, 1984, Los Angeles, California), was an American character actor. He played many bit parts, often uncredited, as a menial worker such as the African American butler, a stereoty ...

as Henry "Old Henry" * John Alderman as Michael Briggs * Fred Scheiwiller as Charlie Frisco * Ernest Robinson as "Ragamuffin" * Kenneth Crowe as Vic * Nick Dimitri as Milo * Ken Bell as C.T. * Junero Jennings as "Shine" * Marvin Walters as Junkie * Shelley St. Clair as Nappa's Secretary *

Gene Lebell Ivan “Judo” Gene LeBell (October 9, 1932 – August 9, 2022) was an American martial artist, stunt performer, actor, and professional wrestler. Nicknamed "The Godfather of Grappling", he popularized grappling in professional fighting ci ...

as Nappa's Gang Member * Bob Minor as Samson's Street People

External links

* * 1974 films Blaxploitation films American crime thriller films 1970s crime thriller films Warner Bros. films American exploitation films 1970s English-language films Films directed by Charles Bail 1970s American films {{crime-thriller-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

External links