Two film critics who REALLY cared about movies and how they influence our society. They didn't have to do this special but they did because they wanted to point out inequality on the screen

I remember watching this with my father when it originally aired on our St. Louis PBS station.

I always liked Yaphet Kotto. He always played a good part no matter what he was in.

I'm white and Shaft, Sounder and Superfly are mainstays in my movie collection!

Interesting and thoughtful clip. Curtis Mayfield’s ‘Freddie’s Dead’ from the ‘Superfly’ soundtrack makes me smile every time I hear it. Thanks for uploading!

5 years later it would all change with Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It”, followed by Robert Townsend’s “Hollywood Shuffle” in 1987 (co-starring Keenan Ivory Wayans, who himself would create several classics along with his brothers).

Should be noted that "The Blues Brothers" had trouble finding places to show, in certain spots, because theatre owners didn't want to book a "Black Film" Belushi went on an interview rampage over it.

Remember loving the movie Sounder as a little boy. Was very sad when Paul Winfield passed away. He was a great actor.

Damn. "Penitentiary." I've been wanting to know for DECADES which movie clip I heard that dialogue: "Being at the wrong place at the wrong time" and "I don't box. I kill". This has been a pebble in my shoe for so long that my foot got used to it and the callus absorbed it. And now, here it is, I can't believe it.

How ahead of their time...They would be so happy this past decade

1981: The year BEFORE Eddie Murphy hit BIG - with 48 Hours and then Trading Places (still one of the best comedies of that decade)

Amazing that a few years later there would be a resurgence of black films, thanks to Spike Lee.

Sounder is amazing!

The biggest star of 80’s would be Eddie Murphy so things did change

They forgot Cab Calloway had a huge pt in Blues Bros. Aretha Franklin ,Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, & James Brown had small pts

Gene Wilder and Rich Pryor were absolute comedy dynamite together!

In 1981 the Blaxploitation films had faded hard, corny as most were and tired stereotypes growing old, but I don't believe the black actors faded due to anything other than a lack of intrinsically captivating actors. That was soon to change, and changing as this was made--Eddie Murphy, Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, the Wayans, Will Smith, Mario Van Peebles, Lawrence Fishburn, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, and many other fine talents were just on the cusp of breakouts. Most of their films weren't just "black", but all-audiences, and the American public proved that they LOVED these actors by coming out in droves to see their excellent films. Put any black actor in a crappy screenplay and they'll fade as fast as any other race.

C Jackie Brown

Then Madea showed up and went all Gangsta on the white people box office

Oh look at how "high-minded" S and E are here.

Bill Cosby....if they could only see the future.

If they only knew! Today they’d need to do a show on the life and death of the white movie!

do realize Roger's wife was blk?

Maybe just maybe. skin color is not infinitely utterly fascinating to everybody in the entire world.... Chinese want to see Chinese Indians wanna see Boliwood.. People want to be entertained assortively primarily. Groups of People need to write and make the movies they want to see.

I TRULY MISS THEM. In a lame SJW SOY BOY FEMITERRORIST WORLD today we are lost without men keeping it real to their opinions. They always supported diversity n indie black FILMMAKERS. Kudos to beinf brave makin an episode like this where they are hints away from EDDIE MURPHY, SPIKE LEE and DENZEL

Please. The Wiz flat out SUCKED. Diana Ross as Dorothy? GTFO!

So all Black actors are "Helpers" when they COSTAR in a movie with a white actor? That is the most condescending thing I have ever heard a movie critic say. It just sounds so demeaning and racist. How did he get away with this? Yaphet Kotto COSTARS in the Academy Award nominated "Brubaker." Kotto has more dialogue than most of the white actors in the film. Billy Dee Williams plays Stallone's partner in the cop movie "Nighthawks", why does Siskel refer to him as "Stallone's helper?" Somebody should have done a show on how racist Siskel was.