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John Shaft is a fictional character created by author/screenwriter
Ernest Tidyman Ernest Ralph Tidyman (January 1, 1928 – July 14, 1984) was an American author and screenwriter, best known for his novels featuring the African-American detective John Shaft. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film version of ''Shaft'' wi ...
for the 1970 novel of the same name. He was portrayed by
Richard Roundtree Richard Roundtree (born July 9, 1942) is an American actor. Roundtree is noted as being "the first black action hero" for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film '' Shaft'', and its four sequels, released between 1972 and 2 ...
in the original 1971 film and in its four sequels, '' Shaft's Big Score!'' (1972), '' Shaft in Africa'' (1973), ''Shaft'' (2000) and ''Shaft'' (2019), and the seven 1973–74 ''Shaft''
television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
s, with Samuel L. Jackson portraying his son (introduced as his nephew), named John Shaft II, in ''Shaft'' (2000) and ''Shaft'' (2019), and Jessie Usher portraying the character's grandson (named John "J.J." Shaft Jr.) in ''Shaft'' (2019). The blurb on the paperback on which the original film is based states Shaft is "Hotter than
Bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemical ...
, cooler than
Bullitt ''Bullitt'' is a 1968 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Philip D'Antoni. The picture stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Jacqueline Bisset. The screenplay by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleine ...
."


Fictional biography


Abilities

John Shaft's weapon of choice is a
Smith & Wesson Model 36 The Smith & Wesson Model 36 (also known as the Chief's Special) is a revolver chambered for .38 Special. It is one of several models of J-frame revolvers. It was introduced in 1950, and is still in production in the classic blued Model 36 and the ...
, Beretta 92FS or an
M1911 pistol The M1911 (Colt 1911 or Colt Government) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The pistol's formal U.S. military designation as of 1940 was ''Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911'' for t ...
. Shaft is also a practitioner of several styles of martial arts that includes
western Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing boxing glove, protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a ...
,
Wing Chun Wing Chun (Chinese: 詠春 or 咏春, lit. "singing spring"), sometimes spelled Ving Tsun, is a concept-based fighting art, form of Southern Chinese kung fu and close-quarters system of self-defense. In Mandarin, it is pronounced "Yong Chun. ...
,
Judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...
, Jujitsu, Shotokan, and
Kyokushin is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...
Karate.


Shaft franchise


Novel series

The franchise began with the novel ''
Shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...
'', which provides a much more detailed backstory for John Shaft than the one seen in the film series. All of the books in the original 1970s series are credited solely to Shaft creator
Ernest Tidyman Ernest Ralph Tidyman (January 1, 1928 – July 14, 1984) was an American author and screenwriter, best known for his novels featuring the African-American detective John Shaft. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film version of ''Shaft'' wi ...
, but from ''Shaft's Big Score'' onward Tidyman wrote them with assistance from
ghostwriter A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often ...
s Robert Turner and Philip Rock. * ''
Shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...
'' (1970) * ''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) * ''The Last Shaft'' (1975) - published only in England * ''Shaft's Revenge'' (2016) (written by David F. Walker)


Recurring relationships in the novels and films

* Vic Anderozzi: A lieutenant of detectives with the New York Police Department, and Shaft's contact. * Rollie Nickerson: Owner of the ''No Name Bar'' which Shaft frequents, and a part-time actor. * Mrs. Klonsky: Shaft's Polish-American housekeeper. * Mildred: The phone operator who handles Shaft's answering service. * Ben Buford: A black revolutionary who grew up with Shaft. * Marvin Green: Shaft's accountant. * Helen Green: Wife of Shaft's accountant. * Bumpy Jonas: A mobster turned ally. * John Shaft II: Shaft's son. A brash, headstrong, and sharp NYPD detective who quits the force and becomes a private investigator after growing tired of corruption in the legal system. Appears in the 2000 and 2019 films. * John Shaft III, a.k.a. "J.J." : Shaft's grandson. A nerdy, well-mannered FBI agent and computer expert who eventually opts to join his father and grandfather in their private investigations. Only appears in the 2019 film.


Comic strip

Between the release of the first ''Shaft'' film and the novel ''Shaft Among the Jews'', Tidyman began developing a ''Shaft'' daily syndicated newspaper comic strip. He commissioned artist Don Rico, with whom he produced 24 sample strips, but despite the character's popularity in both novels and films he was unable to find a
syndicate A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies, corporations or entities formed to transact some specific business, to pursue or promote a shared interest. Etymology The word ''syndicate'' comes from the French word ''syndicat ...
interested in distributing the ''Shaft'' strip, which remains unpublished.


Comic book series

The ''Shaft!'' comic book was published by Dynamite Entertainment, written by David F. Walker and illustrated by Bilquis Evely, beginning in December 2014. New stories following young John Shaft's earliest adventures were adapted closely from the Ernest Tidyman novels. * ''Shaft: A Complicated Man'' (2014) (writer: David F. Walker, artist: Bilquis Evely) * ''Shaft: Imitation of Life'' (2016) (writer: David F. Walker, artist: Dietrich Smith)


Film and television franchise


Film series


Television films

The
television show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...
ran from 1973 to 1974, with Richard Roundtree reprising the role of John Shaft. There were seven 90-minute movies, part of the ''New CBS Tuesday Night Movies'', rotating with '' Hawkins'', which starred
James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...
.


Cast and characters

* A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.


John Shaft in other media

*
Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant ch ...
utilized the Shaft character for promotion, and even somewhat parodied Shaft utilizing
Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program '' Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greate ...
. * The
USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...
's promo for their series ''
Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...
'' was modeled after the Shaft remake in 2000. * Geena Davis parodied the Shaft remake/sequel in promos for her short-lived television series, '' The Geena Davis Show''. * In Season 2's episode "Ants in Pants!", ''
The Tick ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' featured the Tick meeting "Taft." On confirming that it is he, the man says "Darn right." This would be reprised in the Season 3 episode, "That Moustache Feeling". * A song entitled "Shaft in Greenland" appeared on
The Dead Milkmen The Dead Milkmen is an American punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist ...
's album ''
Soul Rotation ''Soul Rotation'' is the sixth studio album by the Dead Milkmen, released in 1992. It was their first album to be released on Hollywood Records. The album was digitally re-released in 2013, after being out of print for many years. The album peak ...
''. * In the TV series ''
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart ...
'',
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...
frequently references Shaft as one of his favorite film characters, believing the character to be a real person (
Richard Roundtree Richard Roundtree (born July 9, 1942) is an American actor. Roundtree is noted as being "the first black action hero" for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film '' Shaft'', and its four sequels, released between 1972 and 2 ...
himself guest-starred in two episodes of the show, playing two different characters.) * In the anime TV series '' Cowboy Bebop'' episode " Mushroom Samba", he is the namesake of one of the Shaft brothers, hoping to avenge his brother's death. He is voiced by
Hōchū Ōtsuka is a Japanese voice actor and narrator affiliated with the talent management firm Crazy Box. He is best known for his roles as the voices of Kyao Mirao in '' Heavy Metal L-Gaim''; Mont Blanc Noland in ''One Piece''; Yazan Gable in '' Mobile Su ...
in the 1999 Japanese version and by Beau Billingslea in the 2001 English dub. * Broomhilda Von Shaft, a character in
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
's ''
Django Unchained ''Django Unchained'' () is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis C ...
'', was named to suggest a relationship to John Shaft. Stated Tarantino: "Her and Django will eventually have a baby, and then that baby will have a baby, and that baby will have a baby, and that baby will have a baby, and that baby will have a baby ... and one of these days, John Shaft will be born".


Parodies in other films

* ''
Good Burger ''Good Burger'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and written by Dan Schneider with Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert. Starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, it is based on the comedy sketch of the same name on the Nick ...
'' * '' I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'' * ''
I Got The Hook Up ''I Got the Hook-Up'' is a 1998 American crime comedy film, starring Anthony Johnson, Master P, Ice Cube, C-Murder and directed by Michael Martin. This was No Limit Records' first theatrical release. The movie was distributed by Dimension Film ...
'' * ''
Black Dynamite ''Black Dynamite'' is a 2009 American blaxploitation action comedy film starring Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, and Salli Richardson. The film was directed by Scott Sanders and co-written by White, Sanders, and Byron Minns, who also co ...
'' * '' The Hebrew Hammer''


Reception

The character has had a mostly positive response.


Literary references

* *


References


External links


Page from 'Thrilling Detectives'

Steve Aldous' Guide to Shaft
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaft, John Film characters introduced in 1970 Fictional detectives Fictional private investigators Fictional shotokan practitioners Fictional kyokushin kaikan practitioners Fictional Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Fictional Wing Chun practitioners Fictional Shaolin kung fu practitioners Fictional judoka Characters in American novels of the 20th century Male characters in film Series of books Fictional African-American people Black characters in films