Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn discuss and review Cotton Comes To Harlem. Directed by the great Ossie Davis, starring Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques as "Gravedigger" Jones and "Coffin' Ed Johnson as two Harlem cops investigate a robbery, believing that Rev. Deke O'Malley played by Calvin Lockhart, have staged it to steal the money he's collected for a local fundraiser. It also stars and features Redd Foxx, Cleavon Little, and other greats. Based on Chester Himes' novel of the same name.

Hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn

Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn discuss and review Melvin Van Peebles' third feature, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadassss Song," a 1971 American blaxploitation film written, co-produced, scored, edited, directed by and starring Melvin Van Peebles. His son Mario Van Peebles also appears in a small role, playing the title character as a young boy. The film tells the picaresque story of a poor Black man fleeing from the white police authorities. 

Although we couldn't show many clips, we spoke about it. And how we felt about it. 

Hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn

Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn discuss and review Melvin Van Peebles' second feature made in 19070, "Watermelon Man," which is  a satirist comedy with racism as the undertones. Starring Godfrey Cambridge and Estelle Parson, the white couple who becomes interracial when Jeff Gerber (Godfrey Cambridge) becomes Black after too much tanning. It's a mix of 'Black Like Me' and 'Change of Mind' plus 'Putney Swope.'

Many layers and messages in this film. We rate it a "Right on!" 

Hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn

TGP hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn talk about and review Melvin Van Peebles directorial debut of 'The Story of A 3-Day Pass.' Filmed in France and with a touch of the French New Wave Style. A black and white film the was more style than story, with racial undertones and other subliminal messaging. We added some of our own voice-overs to some scenes.

If you haven't seen it, it's definitely something creative you may want to check out. But be ready for something almost un-American Cinema, but yet All-American.

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Hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn

TGP wraps up the pre-Blaxploitation and talk about the movies we discussed thus fat up to this point. Films include: The Cool World, Black Like Me, The Black Klansman, Klansman, Uptight, Putney Swope, Slaves, Halls of Anger, If He Hollers, Let Him Go!, Change of Mind,  Black Angels, and Black Brigade. All from 1964 through 1971. Let's talk about it. On The Grooved Pavement. Hosted by Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn.
https://linktr.ee/Thegroovedpavement​

Hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn

We discuss and review the pre-Blaxploitation era with the films Black Angels aka Bikers From Hell and Black Brigade aka Carter's Army.

Black Angels from Hell was a really bad movie. Period! 

Black Brigade aka Carter's Army, was a war drama movie made for TV with an all-star cast Starring Richard Pryor, Rosey Grier, Robert Hooks, Billy Dee Williams and Moses Gunn. Co-written by Aaron Spelling. It was the Dirty Half Dozen.

Hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn

Episode 4 includes 2 movies starring the great late actor Raymond St. Jacques.

If He Hollers, Let Him Go! (1968) An escaped convict James Lake (Raymond St. Jacques) goes to a small town to clear his name. He becomes part of a murder plot in order to pull his plan off. The setup is a fraud!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKC87...​

Change of Mind (1969) Dramatic sci-fi of a white man's brain is transplanted into a black man's skull. Race in sci-fi. We discuss how he doesn't stay the same. Whence you go Black...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBypW...​

Weekly podcast talkshow about the Blaxploitation era of the mid 60's to late 70's and it's effect in media. Hosted by Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn.

Hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn

Episode 3, we discuss 2 different but connecting classics.

Halls Of Anger (1970), starring Calving Lockhart, directed by Paul Bogart.

Slaves (1969), directed by Herbert Biberman, starring Ossie Davis and features the big screen debut of Dionne Warwick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78yA9...​

Weekly podcast talkshow about the Blaxploitation era of the mid 60's to late 70's and it's effect in media. Hosted by Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn.

Hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn

Hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn discuss 2 classics.

Putney Swope (1969) written and directed by Robert Downey Sr. starring Arnold Johnson featuring Antonio Fargas. Putney Swope elected advertising executive of a marketing firm who turns the coat on the company. The film satirizes the advertising world, the portrayal of race in Hollywood films, the white power structure, and the nature of corporate corruption.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPgId...​

Uptight (1968) drama directed by Jules Dassin, on the aftermath of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Starring a great cast. Julian Mayfield, Ruby Dee, Raymond St. Jacques, Roscoe D. Brown and Max Julien. This is supposed the be an updated version of John Ford's 1935 film The Informer, based on the book of the same name by Liam O'Flaherty. Black militants building up an arsenal of weapons in preparation for a race war are betrayed by one of their own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gam5Q...​

Hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn

TGP hosts Decarius McClearn and Shawn Strong discuss the times the led up to blaxploitation films. Pre-Blaxploitation. Race relations.

4 Films:

1. The Cool World.(1963)
2. Black Like Me. (1964)
3. The Black Klansman aka I Crossed The Colored Line (1966)
4. The BlacKkKlansman (2018)
5. The Klansman (1974)


Weekly podcast talkshow about the Blaxploitation era of the mid 60's to late 70's and it's effect in media. Hosted by Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn. 

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Hosts Shawn Strong and Decarius McClearn