The mission of The Department of Afro-American Research Arts and Culture to identify the global significance of the creative contributions pioneered by an international diaspora of Blackness
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Sunday, November 20, 2016

Gang Wars (1940)






 




 


 





Starring:


Storyline
Bullets fly and blood flows in the streets of Harlem as three rival gangster bosses vie for control of the lucrative jukebox racket. Aptly named "Killer" Meade (Ralph Cooper) eventually rises to the top of this seamy heap by ruthlessly exterminating the competition, but the one person closest to him puts the police on his trail. The all-powerful crime lord is caught in a running gun-battle with the cops across the rooftops of the city.A rugged and charming actor, multi-talented Ralph Cooper was variously billed as the "Bronze Bogart" and the "Dark Gable." A song-and-dance man, he learned the movie trade by paying close attention on the set while choreographing the Shirley Temple film, Poor Little Rich Girl. He went on to make a series of hits on the "Black" cinema circuit. Cooper was also one of the founders and early emcees at Harlem's famed talent showcase, the Apollo Theater.  

Saturday, November 19, 2016

One Way Out [a.k.a. Crazed Cop] (1986)















Starring:


Storyline
Ivan Rogers (Ballbuster) stars in Crazed Cop as Detective Joe Weeks, a man who live by the law. When his beautiful wife is found savagely raped and murdered, he tracks down and systematically kills known drug dealers with an insane revenge. All his fury, pain and frustration explode as this Crazed Cop becomes the most wanted man on the list...by the Mob and the Police!

Freeman (1977, Broadway Theater)




















Starring:


Storyline
This drama deals with the sad division between what a man hopes for and what he achieves. In the title role, Dick Anthony Williams (The Mack) portrays a naïve, ambitious, recklessly optimistic man who finds himself in difficulty because of his unrealistic hopes. Directed by Tony-winner Lloyd Richards ("Fences") , and featuring Oscar-winner Louis Gossett, Jr. (Carolina Skeletons).