Richard Roundtree (Shaft) dies at 81

Cafe Society
,
1

Shaft has the ultimate movie title double entendre. You’ll understand if you know the theme song and movie franchise.

Richard Roundtree and Pam Grier were the earliest black action stars. Important part of movie history.

RIP

Shaft
Who’s the black private dick
That’s a sex machine to all the chicks?
(Shaft)

You’re damn right
Who is the man
That would risk his neck for his brother, man?
(Shaft)

Can ya dig it?
Who’s the cat that won’t cop out
When there’s danger all about
(Shaft)

Right on
You see this cat, Shaft is a bad mother
(Shut your mouth)

But I’m talking about Shaft
(Then we can dig it)
He’s a complicated man
But no one understands him but his woman

2

Great music

3

Richard was one baaaaaaad mother-******!

RIP, sex machine!

4

I saw Shaft in the Theater in 1978. It had been rereleased. The big screen makes a big difference for action films.

I saw the Shaft revival in 2000 with Samuel L Jackson and Roundtree.

5

“Shaft” won Best Song at the 1972 Oscars. Isaac Hayes was:

  1. The first Black person to win that award,
  2. The first Black person to win ANY Academy Award besides an acting award,
  3. The first person to win the award with a song that was rock or soul, and
  4. The first person to win the award who personally both composed and performed the music.

Oh, Richard Roundtree. Man was HANDSOME. At his peak, he might have been the handsomest leading man in Hollywood. To have his looks, I’d trade in my body and my kids and I’d throw in some cash.

I wonder how many “Handsomest actors” there have been? It’s gotta include Robert Redford, George Clooney, maybe Bradley Cooper at one point. People seemed to think Burt Reynolds was really handsome. Billy Dee Williams was incredibly handsome, but did he lead enough movies to really have the charisma score? Cary Grant held the title for awhile back in the day, right?

To me the handsomest man, ya gotta lead movies.

6

TIL: Richard Roundtree is his birth name. Richard Arnold Roundtree was born on July 9, 1942, in New Rochelle, New York, to John Roundtree and Kathryn Watkins.[

I thought it was a made up stage name.

Link Richard Roundtree - Wikipedia

7

Bart and Lisa sing tribute to the man:

8

Does anyone live after finding out they have pancreatic cancer? RIP, handsome man.

9

I didn’t watch the original until shortly before Jackson’s version, and I was pleasantly surprised that Roundtree’s Shaft was actually a pretty good movie. I thought it was better than Jackson’s. I’m sorry that Roundtree is gone, but dude had a pretty good run. Not many actors get an iconic character like Shaft.

10

As I understand it, by the time most people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer it’s too late. i.e. You just don’t know its there until you get sick.

11

LOL :laughing:

Roundtree made a beer commercial cool.

12

…how do your kids feel about this statement? :grinning:

13

I missed the second one but caught the 2019 one with Roundtree, Jackson and Jessie T Usher. Three generations of Shafts in one film!

14

Lets not forget Sam and Kizzie. (Richard and Leslie Uggams)

15

And by the time it actually makes you feel sick, it’s often very advanced and difficult to treat effectively.

16

A groundbreaking actor and great talent.

17

The one that surprised me was Frank Zappa.

18

I have a friend who was diagnosed in his thirties or forties, had surgery (long operation) and is still with us into his late sixties but, yeah, it’s rare.

19

My auntie lasted 11 months. Fuck cancer.

20

Cancer had Richard’s number. The treatment in 1993 helped him survive another 30 years.

From Wikipedia
Roundtree was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993 and underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy.