Jump to content

Dolemite

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused withDolomite.
For the 2019 film about Dolemite actor Rudy Ray Moore, seeDolemite Is My Name.

Dolemite
Original one-sheet poster forDolemite
Directed byD'Urville Martin
Screenplay byJerry Jones
Story byRudy Ray Moore
Produced byRudy Ray Moore
StarringRudy Ray Moore
D'Urville Martin
Jerry Jones
Lady Reed
Hy Pyke
West Gale
John Kerry
Vainus Rackstraw
CinematographyNicholas Josef von Sternberg
Edited byRex Lipton
Music byArthur G. Wright
Distributed byDimension Pictures
Release date
  • April 26, 1975(1975-04-26)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$100,000 (estimated)
Box office$12 million[1]or $1.1 million[2]

Dolemiteis a 1975 Americanblaxploitationcrime comedy filmand is also the name of its principal character, played byRudy Ray Moore,who co-wrote the film and its soundtrack. Moore, who started his career as astand-up comedianin the late 1960s, heard a rhymedtoastabout an urban hero named Dolemite from a regular at the record store where he worked, and decided to adopt the persona as analter egoin his act.[3]

The film focuses on a professionalcomedian,pimp,andnightclubowner. He serves a prison sentence after being framed bydirty cops,but he is released by the governor and tasked with dealing with his hometown'sillegal drug trade.He uses his prostitutes as aprivate army,since they arekarate-trainedmartial artists.

Plot[edit]

Dolemite is apimp,comedian,and nightclub owner who is serving twenty years in prison after being set up by a rival, Willie Green (D'Urville Martin), and framed by detectives Mitchell and White, at the direction of the mayor (Hy Pyke).

Released by the governor thanks tolobbyingby fellow pimp "Queen Bee" (Lady Reed), Dolemite is freed in order to discover the source of the out of control drug problem in the "Fourth Ward" of the city, and take revenge on the corruption that put him in prison.

He rekindles his reputation on the streets while trying to get back his "Total Experience" club from the hands of Willie Green. He enlists the help of Queen Bee and his own stable ofkarate-trainedprostitutesto settle the score, while an undercover FBI agent (Jerry Jones) lurks in the shadows, viewing the proceedings.

Cast[edit]

  • Rudy Ray Mooreas Dolemite
  • Lady Reed as "Queen Bee"
  • D'Urville Martinas Willie Green
  • West Gale as Reverend Gibbs
  • John Kerry as Detective Mitchell
  • Jerry Jones as Blakely
  • Hy Pykeas Mayor Daley
  • Vainus Rackstraw as "Creeper"

Production[edit]

Moore first developed the character of Dolemite in his stand-up comedy routines, and the character later appeared on Moore's 1970 debut album,Eat Out More Often,[4]which reached the top 25 on theBillboard200.He released several more comedy albums using this persona. In 1975, Moore decided to create a film about Dolemite, paying for most of the production out of his own pocket, and using many of his friends and fellow comedians as cast and crew. The film was directed byD'Urville Martin,who appears as the villain Willie Green.[5]

Release[edit]

Critical reception[edit]

The film received middling reviews from film critics. Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,the film holds an approval rating of 57% based on 14 reviews, with an average score of 5/10.[6]OnMetacritic,the film received a score of 67 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]

Home media[edit]

Dolemitewas released on VHS in 1987 by Xenon Home Video (#X-006), 91 minutes

Dolemitewas released toDVDon September 13, 2005, by Xenon Pictures and also as part of a boxed set (The Dolemite Collection) on the same date. A widescreen,high definitionremastered version, from an original print of the film, was released onBlu-raydisc on April 26, 2016, byVinegar Syndrome.The prior VHS and DVD releases from the early-1990s were incorrectly transferred with anopen matte,which revealed theboom micat the top of the frame frequently (with the correct matte in a theatrical presentation, this area would have been covered). Over the years, the appearance of the boom mic due to the oversight during the VHS and DVD transfer was the source of amusement by viewers, and in acknowledgement of this, the Blu-ray also features an open matte version as an alternate "boom mic" presentation.

Legacy[edit]

A sequel,The Human Tornado,was released in 1976. A second sequel,The Return of Dolemite,was released in 2002 and was later re-titledThe Dolemite Explosionfor DVD release. A quasi-sequel,Shaolin Dolemite,starringRudy Ray MooreasMonk Ru-Dee,was released in 1999.

The action comedy movieBlack Dynamite(2009) parodiesDolemiteand other blaxploitation films.

A biographical film about Moore and the making ofDolemite,titledDolemite Is My Nameand starringEddie Murphyas Rudy Ray Moore, was released theatrically and onNetflixin October 2019.[8][9][10]

In popular culture[edit]

In the 1990 filmHouse Party,Pops (Robin Harris) mentions the film as he laments the fact that Kid (Christopher Reid) would rather go to an unattented house party being thrown by Play (Christopher Martin) than stay at home and watch a movie that Kid "grew up on".

The song "Glare" on Big Chief's albumDrive It Off(1991) opens with a quote from the film: "I'm gonna let 'em know that Dolemite is my name, and f***in' up motha f***as is my game!"[11][12]

The filmThe Great White Hypeshows the love scene from Dolemite as the grim reaper roper (Damon Wayans) is preparing for the main fight. He refuses to fight until he sees the scene and is angry when his trainer shuts off the film.

Snoop Doggmentions Dolemite in his final verse onDr. Dre's 1992 single "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang",[13]Chilly B ofNewcleusraps that he "learned to rock like Dolemite" in "Jam On It",[14]and the character has also been name dropped in songs byWu Tang Clan,Eazy-E,Beastie Boys,Lupe Fiasco,Fugees,andA$AP Rocky.[15]Additionally, a number of rappers, includingToo $hort,Luther Campbell,Big Daddy Kane,andDel the Funky Homosapienhave given testimony to Moore's influence on them and on rap generally.[15]

The video for "Got Your Money"byOl' Dirty BastardandKelisfeatures clips of this movie.

ComedianAries Spearsriffed on the Dolemite character during his time onMadTV.

Schoolly D's "Signifying Rapper" was inspired by Moore's version.

A sample ofDolemitewas used as the intro for the song "Wit My Crew x 1987" byLil Uzi Vert,included on his 2015 mixtapeLuv Is Rage.

Two samples ofDolemiteappear in theScott Hendersontrack of the same name, from hisTore Down Housealbum.

TheFuturamaepisode "Jurassic Bark" makes reference to a fictional mineral called "Dolemite", where Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth describes it as "the tough black mineral that won't cop out when there's heat all about".

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Jet".Johnson Publishing Company. December 11, 1975 – via Google Books.
  2. ^Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987).American film distribution: the changing marketplace.UMI Research Press. p. 298.ISBN978-0-8357-1776-2.Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  3. ^Reid, Shaheem (April 1, 2002)."Dolemite Tells Dirty Jokes, Warns Snoop Of His Mic Supremacy - Music, Celebrity, Artist News".MTV. Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2011.RetrievedAugust 17,2012.
  4. ^Yamoto, Jen (October 20, 2019)."Rudy Ray Moore was his name, and 'Dolemite' is just one part of his legacy".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedNovember 11,2019.
  5. ^Koch, Stephen (November 4, 2019)."Straight outta Westark: Rudy Ray Moore".Arkansas Times.RetrievedNovember 12,2019.
  6. ^"Dolemite(1975) ".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedNovember 23,2019.
  7. ^"Dolemite(1975) ".Metacritic.RetrievedJuly 22,2022.
  8. ^Galuppo, Mia (June 7, 2018)."Eddie Murphy to Star as Rudy Ray Moore for Netflix".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedJune 7,2018.
  9. ^McNary, Dave (June 7, 2018)."Film News Roundup: Eddie Murphy to Star in Biopic 'Dolemite Is My Name' for Netflix".Variety.RetrievedOctober 14,2019.
  10. ^McClintock, Pamela (August 27, 2019)."Netflix Dates 'Marriage Story,' 'Laundromat' and Other Fall Award Films".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedAugust 27,2019.
  11. ^"big chef - glare".YouTube.November 11, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on December 12, 2021.
  12. ^"Big Chief".Discogs(in French).RetrievedJuly 13,2020.
  13. ^"Dr. Dre (Ft. Snoop Dogg) – Nuthin' But a G Thang"– via genius.
  14. ^"Newcleus – Jam on It (Definitive Version)".
  15. ^abChow, Andrew R. (October 25, 2019)."Rappers Reflect on the Enduring Hip-Hop Legacy of 'Dolemite' Comedian Rudy Ray Moore".Time.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dolemite&oldid=1231339047"