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The Black Six

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The Black Six
Directed byMatt Cimber
Written byGeorge Theakos
Produced byGeorge Theakos
Matt Cimber
Jefferson Richard
StarringGene Washington
Lem Barney
Mercury Morris
Joe Greene
Willie Lanier
Carl Eller
CinematographyWilliam Swenning
Edited byRobert Carlson
Music byDavid Moscoe
Distributed byCinemation Industries
Release date
  • March 13, 1974(1974-03-13)
Running time
94 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Black Sixis a 1974 Americanblaxploitationandoutlaw biker filmwritten by George Theakos and directed byMatt Cimber.[1]It starred severalNational Football Leaguestars in the title roles.[1][2]It was one of the first all-black biker films.[3]

Plot[edit]

The plot involves anAfrican Americanveteran of theVietnam War,played byGene Washington,who returns home to find that his brother (played by Robert Howard) has been killed. The killing was done by awhite supremacistmotorcycle gang, led byBen "Thor" Davidson,who objected to the fact that Howard had been dating Thor's sister. Washington and his motorcycle gang, known as the Black Six, vow to avenge his brother's death. The Six encounter a number of obstacles, including hostile motorcycle gangs (particularly Thor's), and racist policemen. The movie climaxes with an inconclusivebattle royalbetween the Six and Thor'sCaucasian-supremacist biker gang, in which Thor (apparently) blows them and himself up by igniting the gas tank of his own motorcycle. The film concludes with the captionHonky, look out...Hassle a brother, and the Black 6 will return!.[2][4]

Cast[edit]

The titular "Black Six" was played by six then-current National Football League stars:

The players' teams appeared with the actors' names in the film's credits. In addition, the cast includesBen Davidson,who had recently retired from football, as a member of a motorcycle gang opposing the Black Six.[2]Maury Wills,a recently retiredMajor League Baseballstar, also has a role in the film.[1]

Washington was given the lead role due to him having previous acting experience; he and several other cast members (many of whom did more acting afterwards) later criticized how poorly the script had been written. All six protagonists (and Davidson) were All-Pro, while Greene, Barney, Lanier and Eller have since been inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame.

Production[edit]

Filmed on location inFrazier Park, CA.Several of the football players were disappointed with elements in the original script, especially that the black motorcyclists would be killed in the end, despite the fact that they stood for truth, justice and the American way.[2]As a result of their protests, an inconclusive ending was shot.[2]

DVD[edit]

The Black Sixwas released on DVD on October 12, 2004.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abc"Internet Movie Database - The Black Six".IMDb.Retrieved2008-08-03.
  2. ^abcdeEugene "Mercury" Morris with Steve Fiffer (1988).Against the Grain.pp. 67–69.ISBN0-07-043195-7.
  3. ^"TV Guide Review The Black Six".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-22.Retrieved2007-08-07.
  4. ^"Internet Movie Database - The Black Six Plot".IMDb.Retrieved2008-08-03.

External links[edit]

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