‘70s Black Icons
3 Movies | December 4th
The 1970s ushered in a new era for Black actors in Hollywood. The rising tensions in America, the Civil Rights movement and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had a profound effect on the country as a whole and the movie industry was not immune to this. Tastes and attitudes were changing. A reexamination of our perceptions and values gave way to different forms of creative expression. The ‘70s was the era of Blaxploitation, Black glamour and new themes that eschewed the ones from the previous decades. As film historian Donald Bogle wrote in his book “Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams,”`` “the new personalities as well as the new post-1960s attitudes led to the birth of a new Black Hollywood.” It was an era of change and the new Black icons of the 1970s were leading the way.
This month TCM shines a spotlight on three films that showcase the talents of several ‘70s Black icons including Richard Pryor, Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Billy Dee Williams, Diana Ross and the subject of season 4 of The Plot Thickens podcast Pam Grier.
During the height of the Blaxploitation era, Sounder (1972) stood out for being completely different. Directed by Martin Ritt and based on the Newbery award-winning children’s novel by William H. Armstrong, Sounder is heartfelt family drama that had widespread appeal. Set in the rural South during the Great Depression, Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield play sharecroppers who struggle to care for their three children. While the book focused more on Sounder, the family’s coonhound dog, Lonne Elder’s screenplay shifted the focus towards the family with expanded roles for the two leads and the eldest son, played by Kevin Hooks.
When actress Cicely Tyson first heard of the role of Rebecca, the film’s strong-willed female lead, she knew the role was hers. In an interview with TCM, Tyson recalled that she was considered too pretty for the part and was offered the much smaller role of the schoolteacher. Tyson knew her capabilities as an actress and that Rebecca was just the sort of role she could sink her teeth into. She said, “I always knew it was mine, I was just waiting for them to find out.” Tyson had already been working in film and television for years. She became an important figure in the natural hair movement when she decided to wear a cropped natural style in the television series “East Side/West Side.” However, it was Sounder that catapulted her to stardom. Her transformation and her powerful performance stood out. Film critic Pauline Kael wrote about Tyson, “she is visually extraordinary. Her cry as she runs down the road toward her husband, returning from prison is a phenomenon—something even the most fabled actresses might not have dared.”
Sounder also gave Paul Winfield his moment to shine. The role of Nathan was his breakout performance and his first leading role. Winfield had an extensive background in theatre and became a recognizable face on television playing historical figures and unconventional heroes. In Tyson’s memoir she wrote about their characters in Sounder: “Nathan was his family’s backbone, Rebecca its robust and steady heartbeat.” Winfield played Nathan with a sense of warmth and inner strength that made this fatherly figure captivating to audiences.
Critics and audiences took note of Tyson and Winfield’s outstanding performances. Sounder was a box office hit and helped launch both actor’s careers. Tyson went on to play strong-willed women and while leading parts eluded Winfield, he found steady work in film and television. Sounder was nominated for four Academy Awards: Lonne Elder for Best Adapted Screenplay, Cicely Tyson for Best Actress, Paul Winfield for Best Actor and Best Picture. Prior to their nominations, only three other Black actors were nominated for leading parts. Elder became the first Black writer to be nominated for his category.
Also competing that year for the Best Actress Academy Award was Diana Ross for her performance in the Billie Holiday biopic Lady Sings the Blues (1972). Ross was an established recording star having recently left The Supremes to move forward with her solo singing career. Guiding her career was Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. who recently launched Motown Productions to produce movies for both theatrical and television release. Loosely based on Billie Holiday’s memoir “Lady Sings the Blues,” this biopic had been in the works since the book was published in 1956. Dorothy Dandridge was originally cast in the lead role, but the project changed several hands before producer Jay Weston acquired the rights. At that point, it had already been several years since Dandridge passed away and Gordy, another producer on the film, had arranged for his star Diana Ross to replace her. This stirred up some controversy due to both Ross’s lack of acting experience and her singing style, which differed greatly from Holiday’s distinct voice.
Ross, however, proved her critics wrong by churning out an impressive performance in the movie. She worked with an acting coach and instead of mimicking Holiday, Ross gave her own affecting interpretation instead. Some of the magic of her performance was due to the chemistry she had with her co-star Billy Dee Williams who plays Louis McKay, Holiday’s lover and manager. In his book “Colorization,” author Wil Haygood wrote "Lady Sings the Blues had managed to elevate the idea of Black romance upon the screen… Billy Dee Williams was a movie star. The camera adored him. He had proved he was more than just a handsome face. He could act…” Originally Paul Winfield had tested for the role of Louis McKay, but Williams proved to be a better fit. Having come off the success of Brian’s Song (1971) and his critically acclaimed performance in Lady Sings the Blues, leading roles should have been easier to get but Williams instead struggled to get good parts. Ross and Williams were reunited for another Motown Production, Mahogany (1975). While Ross only made a few films included the cult classic The Wiz (1978), Williams has gone on to enjoy a long acting career including the role of Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise.
Also in a supporting but formidable role in Lady Sings the Blues was Richard Pryor as the Piano Man. This fictional character serves as a guide to Holiday into the world of nightclubs and hard drugs. Pryor gives a nuanced performance that elevates his character. He also served as an adviser to Ross on how to play the addiction sequences
Richard Pryor was already an established stand-up comedian and this was his first major role in a Hollywood movie. The New York Times called Pryor a “groundbreaking comedian whose profanely personal insights into race relations and modern life made him one of Hollywood's biggest stars.” He crafted an audacious comedy style that became known for his colorful language and self-deprecating humor. His larger-than-life persona drew notice and he was cast by Melvin Van Peebles to star in Greased Lightning (1977). This sports biopic starred Pryor in the lead role of Wendell Scott, the first black stock car racing driver to win a NASCAR race.
Greased Lightning was produced by Third World Cinema, a production company founded to develop scripts and train Black and Latino talent for film. It was a troubled production from the start with Van Peebles leaving the film due to creative difference. He was replaced by Michael Schultz as director.
Cast opposite Pryor was Pam Grier. Greased Lightning was a departure for Grier who rose to fame as the star of women-in-prison and Blaxploitation pictures such as Women in Cages (1971), Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974). With her natural confidence, athleticism, statuesque figure and electric screen presence, Grier soon became cinema’s first female action hero. Grier broke the mold by becoming a feminist sex symbol and changing the public’s perception of Black womanhood and beauty. By 1977, Blaxploitation pictures had fallen out of favor and Grier was looking for a different kind of role. In Greased Lightning she plays Wendell Scott’s long-suffering wife who cares for the family and household and worries about her husband’s sporting exploits. In her memoir “Foxy: My Life in Three Acts,” she recalls bonding with Pryor over the disconnect between their public and private personas. She wrote, “we both smiled when we realized that neither of us was at all like the characters we portrayed for the public…” Their bond blossomed into a romance and during the production Grier helped Pryor improve his reading ability. While Greased Lightning is not recognized as a typical Grier vehicle, her subdued performance demonstrated her range as an actress. Over the years Grier has come to be recognized as one of the leading icons of 1970s movies and culture. In season four of The Plot Thickens, Ben Mankiewicz sits down with Pam Grier to discuss her remarkable journey to stardom.
