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John Shaft is a fictional character created by screenwriter/novelist Ernest Tidyman as a sort of African-American answer to Ian Fleming's James Bond. He was portrayed by Richard Roundtree in the 1971 film, and Samuel L. Jackson portrayed his nephew (also named John Shaft) in the 2000 version of the film. The blurb on the paperback on which the original film is based states Shaft is "Hotter than Bond, cooler than Bullitt."
Books
- Shaft (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)
Films Based on the Character
| No. | Title | Year | John Shaft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaft | 1971 | Richard Roundtree |
| 2 | Shaft’s Big Score | 1972 | Richard Roundtree |
| 3 | Shaft in Africa | 1973 | Richard Roundtree |
| 4 | Shaft | 2000 | Samuel L. Jackson |
Television Series
The television show ran from 1973-1974. There were 7 90-minute movies, part of the New CBS Tuesday Night Movies, rotating with Hawkins, which starred James Stewart.
It was short-lived, as the show toned down the John Shaft character.
| No. | Title | Year | John Shaft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Enforcers | October 9, 1973 | Richard Roundtree |
| 2 | The Killing | October 30, 1973 | |
| 3 | Hit-Run | November 20, 1973 | |
| 4 | The Kidnapping | December 11, 1973 | |
| 5 | Cop Killer | January 1, 1974 | |
| 6 | The Capricorn Murders | January 29, 1974 | |
| 7 | The Murder Machine | February 19, 1974 | |
Parodies in Other Films
John Shaft in Other Media
- Burger King utilized the Shaft character for promotion. And even somewhat parodied Shaft utilizing Shaquille O'Neal.
- The USA Network's promo for their series Monk was modeled after the Shaft remake in 2000.
Shaft-isms
- Towards the end of the film, during the final showdown, Shaft usually dons a leather outfit, fitted with a high-powered shotgun. (This was done in the 1971 movie and Shaft's Big Score, but not in Shaft in Africa or the sequel/spinoff).
- Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa featured a teaser that had no music, just a hook, establishing the plot. Afterwhich, the opening credits with a vocalist song would show Shaft heading to the location of the crime. (The first film, Shaft featured Shaft heading to the scene of the crime with the famous Isaac Hayes theme on the soundtrack, or at least, heading towards where the plot would be established, but no teaser).
- Ernest Tidyman's final Shaft book The Last Shaft (1975) depicted the death of John Shaft in the conclusion. Despite this, the same John Shaft, as portrayed by Roundtree, was featured in a cameo role in the remake, in which he gave his nephew John, as portrayed by Jackson, his P.I. business.
Literary References
The Detective in Hollywood, Jon Tuska, 1978 (ISBN #:0385120931)
External links
Fictional detectives | Characters in written fiction | Series of books | Film characters | Fictional African-Americans
"John Shaft"