Fictional private investigator
John Shaft is a fictional private investigator created by author/screenwriter Ernest Tidyman for the 1970 novel of the same name. He was portrayed by Richard Roundtree in the original 1971 film and in its four sequels—"Shaft's Big Score!", "Shaft in Africa", "Shaft" (2000) and "Shaft" (2019)—as well as in the seven 1973–74 "Shaft" television films. Samuel L. Jackson portrayed his son (introduced as his nephew), named John Shaft II, in "Shaft" (2000) and "Shaft" (2019), and Jessie Usher portrayed the character's grandson (named John "J.J." Shaft Jr.) in "Shaft" (2019). The blurb on the paperback on which the original film is based states Shaft is "Hotter than Bond, cooler than Bullitt."
Fictional biography.
Abilities.
John Shaft's weapon of choice is a Smith &amp; Wesson Model 36, Beretta 92FS or an M1911 pistol. Shaft is also a practitioner of several styles of martial arts that includes western Boxing, Wing Chun, Judo, Jujitsu, Shotokan, and Kyokushin Karate.
Shaft franchise.
Novel series.
The franchise began with the novel "Shaft", which provides a much more detailed backstory for John Shaft than the one seen in the film series. All of the books in the original 1970s series are credited solely to Shaft creator Ernest Tidyman, but from "Shaft's Big Score" onward Tidyman wrote them with assistance from ghostwriters Robert Turner and Philip Rock.
Comic strip.
Between the release of the first "Shaft" film and the novel "Shaft Among the Jews", Tidyman began developing a "Shaft" daily syndicated newspaper comic strip. He commissioned artist Don Rico, with whom he produced 24 sample strips, but despite the character's popularity in both novels and films he was unable to find a syndicate interested in distributing the "Shaft" strip, which remains unpublished.
Comic book series.
The Shaft! comic book was published by Dynamite Entertainment, written by David F. Walker and illustrated by Bilquis Evely, beginning in December 2014. New stories following young John Shaft's earliest adventures were adapted closely from the Ernest Tidyman novels.
Film and television franchise.
Television films.
The television show ran from 1973 to 1974, with Richard Roundtree reprising the role of John Shaft. There were seven 90-minute movies, part of the "New CBS Tuesday Night Movies", rotating with "Hawkins", which starred James Stewart.
Cast and characters.
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Reception.
The character has had a mostly positive response. Shaft had an enormous impact on the way Black men were portrayed in American film. Prior to Shaft many depictions of Black men showed them as servile, mild-mannered, and in positions of low status such as servants or janitors. The way Richard Roundtree portrayed Shaft created a Black male style that was so distinct and pervasive it became known as “swag”. After Shaft the representation of Black masculinity in American films was dramatically changed. It became the norm to see black men in roles that before would have been filled by white men.
References.
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