''Disco Godfather'' (also known as ''The Avenging Disco Godfather'') is a 1979 American

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

starring

Rudy Ray Moore Rudolph Frank Moore (March 17, 1927October 19, 2008), known as Rudy Ray Moore, was an American comedian, singer, actor, and film producer.Carol Speed Carolyn Ann Stewart (March 14, 1945January 14, 2022), known professionally as Carol Speed, was an American actress, singer-songwriter and author. Speed was best known for her roles in films during the 1970s blaxploitation era, most notably star ...

, directed by J. Robert Wagoner and released by Transvue Pictures. J. Robert Wagoner wrote and directed ''Disco Godfather'' while living in

The Hotel Carver The Hotel Carver is a three-story Victorian Building with full basement at 107 S. Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, California. It was built in the late 1880s as part of the Doty Block in the Old Pasadena district. According to sources at the Pasade ...

. Commonly considered a

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 ...

film, the plot centers on Moore's character Tucker Williams, a retired cop who owns and operates a

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

and tries to shut down the local angel dust (PCP) dealer after his nephew Bucky, (

Julius Carry Julius John Carry III (March 12, 1952 – August 19, 2008) was an American actor. He made his acting debut in the 1979 film ''Disco Godfather'' starring Rudy Ray Moore. He played Sho'Nuff in the martial arts film ''The Last Dragon''. He also act ...

) gets "whacked out" on the drug. Another PCP user's claim to have served her own baby as Easter dinner constitutes a version of the

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

known as "

The Baby-Roast The Baby-Roast, also known as The Hippy Babysitter and The Cooked Baby, is an urban legend in which a baby is roasted alive at home by a babysitter or sibling. It is "one of the classic urban legends". There have been a few isolated cases where bab ...

." The Disco Godfather's trademark phrase is his encouragement of the disco patrons to "Put your weight on it, put your weight on it, put your weight on it!". The film also served as the debut of

Keith David Keith David Williams (born June 4, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his signature deep voice and commanding screen presence in over 300 roles across film, stage, television, and interactive media. He has starred in such films as '' T ...

, who has an unbilled bit part as a patron in the nightclub.

Cast

as Noel * Jimmy Lynch as "Sweetmeat" * Jerry Jones as Dr. Fred Mathis * Lady Reed as Mrs. Edwards *

Hawthorne James Hawthorne James is an American character actor and director, known for his role as Big Red Davis in the 1991 film ''The Five Heartbeats''. He is also known for his role as Sam, the injured bus driver, in ''Speed'' and for films and television se ...

(as James H. Hawthorne) as Ray "Stinger Ray" *

(as Julius J. Carry III) as "Bucky" * Hazel Spears as Ellen Davis * Frank Finn as Lieutenant Frank Hayes * Pucci Jhones as The Angel of Death

References

External links

* * 1979 films Blaxploitation films 1970s crime action films 1970s dance films Disco films American crime action films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films {{1970s-crime-film-stub