''Black Belt Jones'' is a 1974 American

blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

directed by

Robert Clouse Robert Clouse (March 6, 1928 – February 4, 1997) was an American film director and producer, known primarily for his work in the action/adventure and martial arts genres. He died on February 4, 1997, in Oregon of kidney failure. Clouse di ...

and starring

Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United State ...

and Gloria Hendry. The film is a spiritual successor to Clouse's prior film ''

Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly. It was Lee's final completed film appearance before his death o ...

'', in which Kelly had a supporting role. Here, Kelly features in his first starring role as the eponymous character; is a local hero who fights the

Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

and a local drug dealer threatening his friend's

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

Plot

The

have learned of the construction of a new civic center, and have bought up all the land at the intended building site except for a

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

owned by "Pop" Byrd (

Scatman Crothers Benjamin Sherman Crothers (May 23, 1910 – November 22, 1986), known professionally as Scatman Crothers, was an American actor and musician. He is known for playing Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show ''Chico and the Man'', and Dick Hallo ...

), who refuses to give up his property. The Don contacts an indebted drug dealer named "Pinky", who had laundered $250,000 from the Mafia that he'd subsequently loaned to Pop Byrd in-order to get the dojo built. The Don orders Pinky to either get his money back or repossess the property. "Black Belt" Jones (

), an expert

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

and hand-for-hire, is contacted by his old friend Pop to help protect the dojo. Though Pinky intends to offer Pop to trade the building in exchange for clearing their mutual debt to the Don, he accidentally kills him during an intimidation attempt. Before he dies, Pop tells Pinky that he couldn't give them the building even if he wanted to, as it belongs not to him but his daughter Sydney. Pinky sends thugs to the dojo to try and intimidate the other employees. Though he was unable to protect his friend, Jones and the other students effortlessly fend off the thugs. Sydney ( Gloria Hendry) returns home upon hearing of her father's sudden death. She's told about his debt to the Mafia, but refuses to sell the building, instead seeking vengeance on those responsible for her father's death.. Sydney approaches Pinky's men and ends up in a brawl, managing to overcome them due to her own martial arts training. As retaliation, Pinky kidnaps one of the students, Quincy (

Eric Laneuville Eric Gerard Laneuville (born July 14, 1952) is an American television director, producer and actor. His first acting roles were in the science-fiction film ''The Omega Man'' (1971) with Charlton Heston, and the ABC television series ''Room 222' ...

) and demands for them to turn over the school or give him the money. Jones and Sydney, with support from the police department, rob the Mafia and proceed to give it to Pinky, framing him for the heist. They rescue Quincy, and Pinky proceeds to send his henchmen after Jones, who has to take them on all at once. Jones and his allies manage to subdue them, and they are subsequently arrested.

Cast

as "Black Belt" Jones * Gloria Hendry as Sydney Byrd *

as "Pop" Byrd *

as Quincy * Alan Weeks as "Toppy" *

Andre Philippe Andre Philippe (November 3, 1927 – April 29, 2007) was an American film and television actor. He was best known for playing the role of Mr. Everett Johns in the American drama television series ''Mr. Novak'', and the role of Paul in '' Hawaii ...

as Don Steffano * Vincent Barbi as "Big Tuna" *

Mel Novak Mel Novak (born June 16, 1942) is an American actor who is best known for villainous roles in ''Black Belt Jones'', ''Game of Death'', and ''An Eye for an Eye''. He is also known for doing all of his own stunts and fighting scenes. Career 1970s ...

as "Blue Eyes" * Malik Carter as "Pinky" * Eddie Smith as Oscar *

Earl Jolly Brown Edwin Earl "Jolly" Brown (October 18, 1939 – August 26, 2006) was an American actor. Brown's best known role was as Whisper, a henchman in the 1973 James Bond film '' Live and Let Die''. Other film appearances include ''Black Belt Jones'' (197 ...

as "Jelly" * Jac Emil as Marvin "Marv The Butcher" *

Earl Maynard Earl Maynard (born November 28, 1935) is a bodybuilder and professional wrestler as well as a film actor, producer and director from Barbados. Career Bodybuilding Maynard won the 1964 Universe - Pro - NABBA bodybuilding competition - part of the ...

as Bogart *

Marla Gibbs Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer and television producer, whose career spans six decades. Gibbs is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, in th ...

as Betty *

Ted Lange Theodore William Lange III (; born January 5, 1948) is an American actor, director and screenwriter best known for his roles as bartender Isaac Washington in the TV series ''The Love Boat'' (1977-1986), and Junior in ''That's My Mama'' (1974-197 ...

as Militant * Clarence Barnes as "Tango" *

Esther Sutherland Esther Sutherland (August 29, 1932 – December 31, 1986) was an American film actress who made a name for herself in several features of the 1970s and 1980s often portraying nurses, maids, spinster aunts, Jamaican women, cleaning ladies, an ...

as Lucy * Nate Esformes as Roberts

Production

The

Shaw Brothers Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...

, a major Hong Kong movie studio, initiated the U.S. Kung Fu film invasion with 1972's ''

Five Fingers of Death ''King Boxer'' (, lit. "Number One Fist in the World"), also known as ''Five Fingers of Death'', is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Jeong Chang-hwa () and starring Lo Lieh. It was produced by Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. (Chinese: 邵 ...

'' and other films depicting realistic and brutal action. In 1973, ''

Cleopatra Jones ''Cleopatra Jones'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by Jack Starrett. Tamara Dobson stars as an undercover government agent who uses the day job of supermodel as her cover and an excuse to travel to exotic places. Bernie Casey, Sh ...

'' connected martial arts in Blaxploitation, with a strong Black female lead, skillfully trained in karate. As a teenager born in Millersburg, Kentucky and raised in Paris, Kentucky

grew up as an all-around athlete, and had a chance to become a professional football player. He gained his fame in the martial arts community through the 1971 Ed Parkers Internationals. After completing ''

'', he immediately signed a three-film deal with

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. Di ...

. ''Black Belt Jones'' was filmed soon after. Kelly is still arguably most known for his role in ''Enter the Dragon''.

Reception

The film had a mixed reception. Some reviewers critiqued Kelly for trying to be too much like Bruce Lee, and thought the acting was only fair. Yet it still gained a cult film status later on.

Soundtrack

Funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

guitarist

Dennis Coffey Dennis James Coffey (born November 11, 1940) is an American guitarist. He was a studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings, and is well known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single " Scorpio". Biography Coffey learned to play guitar at the ...

is credited for the film's soundtrack.

Sequel

The film was followed by a sequel, '' Hot Potato''.

References

External links

* * * {{Robert Clouse 1974 films 1974 martial arts films American martial arts films Blaxploitation films Karate films Kung fu films Jones, Black Belt Warner Bros. films American action films 1970s action films American films about revenge American vigilante films American action adventure films American exploitation films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films