ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour (409)

Thank you for joining us today

Before our feature presentation, ACME would like to start the evening with another Daffy Duck Looney cartoon, the 1967 The Spy Swatters, (co-starring Speedy Gonzales,) directed by Rudy Larriva.



This was the last of the three "buffer cartoons" produced by Format Films in between Warner Bros. ending its contract with previous Looney Tunes producers DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and re-establishing its own cartoon studio. Likewise, it is also the last short Rudy Larriva directed.


Before the start of our feature presentation, the staff of The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour would like to watch with you another episode of Puddles Pity Show -



So by all means, please enjoy his show before the feature presentation. (It's a pretty good cover of the old Tony Bennett classic.)


We've picked another entry from the excellent reference book, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die by Steven Jay Schneider. Today's film is the 1971 blaxploitation crime drama (with the funkiest soundtrack ever!,) Shaft, directed by Gordon Parks , and starring Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John, and Lawrence Pressman. . The film became one of MGM's most profitable films that year, making over $13 million dollars during it's initial release. Richard Roundtree's portrayal of Shaft was groundbreaking for other black actor to be consider for leading men roles in Hollywood. While Shaft is now considered a quintessential New York movie, the studio fearing brutal NYC winters, nearly shot in Los Angeles. Through a combination of charm, perseverance, threats (that he'd quit if he had to film in Los Angeles), Gordon Parks convinced MGM executives to let him shot the film on location. Parks brought Shaft in on time and under budget ($500K). So push away from the table, get comfortable and join us in watching Shaft.



Isaac Hayes auditioned for the title role. Producers cast Richard Roundtree, but were so impressed with Hayes that they asked him to write the now legendary score to the film. Isaac Hayes was the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Song. In fact, he was also the first African-American to win an Oscar for a non-acting category.



Demand Euphoria!