John Shaft

John Shaft
First appearance	Shaft (1971)
Last appearance	Shaft (2000)
Created by	Ernest Tidyman
Portrayed by	Richard Roundtree
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Private investigator
Family	John Shaft (nephew)
Nationality	American

John Shaft is a fictional character created by schoolteacher/screenwriter Ernest Tidyman as a sort of African American version of Ian Fleming's James Bond. He was portrayed by Richard Roundtree in the original 1971 film and its two sequels, with Samuel L. Jackson portraying his nephew (also named John Shaft) in the 2000 version of the film. The blurb on the paperback on which the original film is based states Shaft is "Hotter than Bond, cooler than Bullitt."

Books

• Shaft (1970)
• Shaft Among the Jews (1972)
• Shaft's Big Score (1972)
• Shaft Has a Ball (1973)
• Goodbye, Mr. Shaft (1973)
• Shaft's Carnival of Killers (1974)
• The Last Shaft (1975)

Films based on the character

Year	Title	Starring
1971	Shaft	Richard Roundtree
1972	Shaft's Big Score
1973	Shaft in Africa
2000	Shaft	Samuel L. Jackson

Television series

Main article: Shaft (television)

The television show ran from 1973–1974, 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.

It was short-lived, as the show toned down the John Shaft character.

Future

Paramount Pictures is negotiating a deal with John Singleton to make another Shaft movie to star Richard Roundtree (as Samuel L. Jackson has stated he no longer has interest making another Shaft film). After the release of the 2000 sequel, Singleton planned a sequel where Shaft would battle drug lords in Jamaica, but Jackson's disappointment with the film prevented a sequel from being made. Roundtree has signed on to do three Shaft sequels (the first two which will be filmed back to back), and has the option to write and direct the third.

Parodies in other films

• Good Burger
• I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
• I Got The Hook Up
• Black Dynamite
• The Hebrew Hammer

John Shaft in other media

• Burger King utilized the Shaft character for promotion, and even somewhat parodied Shaft utilizing Shaquille O'Neal.

• The USA Network's promo for their series Monk was modeled after the Shaft remake in 2000.

• Geena Davis parodied the Shaft remake/sequel in promos for her short-lived television series, The Geena Davis Show.

• In Season 2's episode "Ants in Pants!", The Tick featured the Tick meeting "Taft." On confirming that it is he, the man says "Darn right." This would be reprised in the Season 3 episode, "That Moustache Feeling".

• A song entitled "Shaft in Greenland" appeared on The Dead Milkmen's album "Soul Rotation".

• In the TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith frequently references Shaft as one of his favorite film characters.

Shaft-isms

• Towards the end of the film, during the final showdown, Shaft usually dons a leather outfit, fitted with a high-powered shotgun. (This was done in the 1971 movie and Shaft's Big Score, but not in Shaft in Africa or the sequel/spinoff).

• Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa featured a teaser that had no music, just a hook, establishing the plot, after which the opening credits with a vocalist song would show Shaft heading to the location of the crime. (The first film, Shaft featured Shaft heading to the scene of the crime with the famous Isaac Hayes theme on the soundtrack, or at least, heading towards where the plot would be established, but no teaser).

• Ernest Tidyman's final Shaft book The Last Shaft (1975) depicted the death of John Shaft in the conclusion. Despite this, the same John Shaft, as portrayed by Roundtree, was featured in a cameo role in the 2000 sequel, in which he gave his nephew John, as portrayed by Jackson, his P.I. business.

Reception

The character has had a mostly positive response.

Literary References

The Detective in Hollywood, Jon Tuska, 1978 (ISBN #:0385120931)

External links

• Page from 'Thrilling Detectives'