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There've been some things floating around on my radar recently that came into view several times, and actually made your favorite slacker curious enough to investigate them further (something rarely done, haha).
First up is this dude Eamonn Walker that folks are talking about as Howlin' Wolf in Cadillac Records. I first heard of him when UBM said "he was like the Idris Elba of the 90's". I saw from Thembi that he was on "OZ", but I have reported on this blog that I never really watched that show, and why.
He does seem to be a good choice to play Howlin' Wolf, as he has the old school manly look about him, good to play someone from the southern back woods of the 40's and 50's like Wolf was. This role may propel him to the mainstream stardom that seemed to escape him, as I see he's done an awful lot of TV (and British at that) and not too much film. He was in "Unbreakable" with Bruce Willis and Samuel Jackson, but I don't really remember that....
The next dude is way more obscure...at least to folks born after 1975. I have been watching a lot of throwback movies on cable, and this dude kept popping up with his big bubblicious eyeballs..."Across 110th Street", "Gordon's War", "Body And Soul"...there he was, with his intense stares and super-dooper fly "threads"--always the bad guy putting foot to ass. Who was this guy, anyway? Well, it turns out his name is Gilbert Lewis, and he was also in "Cotton Comes To Harlem" and "Fort Apache The Bronx", two of my faves, tho not in prominant or memorable roles.
Just as obscure seems to be pictures of him from back in the day...I could only find the blurry one of him above, and even in that one he's in the background. He's done a lot of guest starring stints on TV, but guess what? He was "The King Of Cartoons" on "Pee Wee's Playhouse". I thought that was the dude from Blackula? Hmmm...maybe both of them played him. Someone on that show was obviously a Blaxplotation fan with a wicked sense of humor....high five!
And last on my current obscurity list is a film called "Proud". When Spike was going around talking ish while promoting "Miracle At St. Anna" he was saying how there were no films available about Black WWII heroes and their battles. Well, lo and behold, he showed Pete Chapmon's "761st" to his cast of "Miracle" for inspiration (?) and when I thought about it, there was also the movie about the Tuskegee Airmen, with Laurence Fishburne, Allen Payne, Malcolm- Jamal Warner, Andre Braugher, Courtney B. Vance, Mekhi Phifer, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. I believe that last time I looked, they were Black.
Then there's the film "Proud" which is being shown on cable all this month, with the plot described as this:
Lorenzo DuFau (OSSIE DAVIS) is a hero. As a World War II sailor, he helped save the world in 1944. As a black man, he had to fight to get in the fight -- yet his country ignores him ...His son dismisses him as a failure ...
His grandson hardly knows him ...
Until late one night when he finally tells his grandson Larry (ALBERT JONES), and Larry's two college friends Kevin (ERIK LARAY HARVEY) and Marcus (JEFFREY NASH), about his ship, the USS Mason.
In the segregated Navy, with the vast majority of black men relegated to duty as stewards or laborers, DuFau and his shipmates were the only crew to take a warship into combat.
From IW: You can read the rest of the plot, as well as read the film blog and get inside information about the movie HERE. It also stars Denise Nicholas, Kidada Jones, and Keisha Whitaker (Forest's wife).
Madame Invisible may have to do some detective work and find some more Black war hero stories....
**Update**: Blacula did also play "The King Of Cartoons". His name is William Marshall....you're welcome. :-)
8 comments:
That first brother played 'Sayeed' as I recall in Oz. He was straight-up Muslim character ... very strong in the series. In the photo you have he reminds me of someone else. I can't remember his name right this moment ... but, he was one of the male roommates in Queen Latifah's television series (Khadeesha & her crew). Anyhow, that's who the photo reminded me of at first. Eamonn's character always wore one of those knit caps in the Oz series.
Good catch on the other two WWII movies with Blacks. I enjoyed Tuskegee Airman quite abit. The other one ('Proud') was more of a made-for-television type of feel...
peace, Villager
Eamonn Walker is a fqavorite of mine who has done some quality work, he was in Tears of the Sun with Bruce Willis, and Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DeCaprio. He is always rocking that gotee, I wonder if he is a muslim for real?
Thanks for hipping me to some of these movies and actors. I knew William Marshall because Blackula is a fave of mine.
I'm going to check out Cadillac Records this weekend.
im waiting for Cadillac Records to show over here(i live in england btw)
and PS: ur site is toooo awesome. i love the shit u write about
@boris, Cadillac Records probably wont get released til '09, if at all.
We are going through proper beyonce withdrawal here.
--aulelia
@villager: hi there--had to change the picture cause of those limeys in the UK took it down...i keed! but they did take it down.
I saw half an episode of oz and remember sayeed--thought he was ver strong and sexy :-)
@clnmike: he was in tears of the sun? i don't remember that...but i do know that was a very underrated flick!
@sdg1844: as you can see, i saw CR. Please let me know what you thought if you see it--i'd really like to know!
@boris and charcoal ink: thanks my UK crew! :-)
IW,
Yeah he played second in comand behind Bruce Willis.
@clnmike: dang, still don't remember! i guess the only thing that made a lasting impression on me with him was OZ, and I only saw that for about 20 minutes. Go figure.
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