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<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Melvin Van Peebles.jpg|thumb|right|Melvin Van Peebles, circa 2001, as seen in the documentary "The Real Deal (What it <s>Was</s>...Is!)"]] -->
'''Melvin Van Peebles''' (born [[August 21]], [[1932]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]]) is an [[United States|American]] actor, director, screenwriter, playwright and composer, and the father of actor and director [[Mario Van Peebles]].

== Biography ==

Van Peebles joined the Air Force thirteen days after graduating from [[college]], staying for three and a half years.<ref name="DariusJames">{{cite book |last=James |first=Darius |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=That's Blaxploitation!: Roots of the Baadasssss 'Tude (Rated X by an All-Whyte Jury |year=1995 |publisher= |location= |isbn=0312131925 }}</ref> He lived in [[Mexico]] for a brief period, earning a living by painting portraits,<ref name="DariusJames"/> before coming back to the United States, where he started driving [[San Francisco cable car system|cable car]]s in [[San Francisco]]. He began writing about his experiences as a cable car driver. What evolved from an initially small article and a series of photographs was Van Peebles' first book, ''The Big Heart''.<ref name="DariusJames"/>
Van Peebles joined the Air Force thirteen days after graduating from [[college]], staying for three and a half years.<ref name="DariusJames">{{cite book |last=James |first=Darius |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=That's Blaxploitation!: Roots of the Baadasssss 'Tude (Rated X by an All-Whyte Jury |year=1995 |publisher= |location= |isbn=0312131925 }}</ref> He lived in [[Mexico]] for a brief period, earning a living by painting portraits,<ref name="DariusJames"/> before coming back to the United States, where he started driving [[San Francisco cable car system|cable car]]s in [[San Francisco]]. He began writing about his experiences as a cable car driver. What evolved from an initially small article and a series of photographs was Van Peebles' first book, ''The Big Heart''.<ref name="DariusJames"/>

One day, a passenger suggested that Van Peebles should become a filmmaker. He shot his first short film, ''Pickup Men for Herrick'', in 1957.<ref name="DariusJames"/> He made two more short films during the same period. According to Van Peebles, "I thought they were features. Each one turned out to be eleven minutes long. I was trying to do features. I knew nothing."<ref name="DariusJames"/> As Van Peebles learned more about the filmmaking process, he found out that "I could make a feature for five hundred dollars. That was the cost of ninety minutes of film. I didn't know a thing about shooting a film sixteen to one or ten to one or none of that shit. Then I forgot you had to develop film. And I didn't know you needed a work print. All I can say is that after I did one thing he would say, 'Well, aren't you gonna put sound on it?' and I would go, 'Oh shit!' That's all I could say."<ref name="DariusJames"/>

When Van Peebles completed his first short films, he took them with him to [[Hollywood]] in order to try and find work, but was unable to find anyone who wanted to hire him as a director. In [[New York City]], Van Peebles met a man who saw his films and wanted to screen them in [[France]]. "And they said—'Jesus! This man's a genius! Where is he? He should be making films!'"<ref name="DariusJames"/> In France, Van Peebles learned the language and was hired to translate [[Mad magazine]] into French.<ref name="DariusJames"/> He began to write plays in French, utilizing the [[sprechgesang]] form of songwriting, where the lyrics were spoken over the music. This style carried over to Van Peebles' debut album, ''[[Brer Soul]]''.<ref name="DariusJames"/>


Prior to entering [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]], Van Peebles directed the French film ''[[Story of a Three Day Pass]]'' (''La Permission''). His first Hollywood film was the 1970 comedy ''[[Watermelon Man (film)|Watermelon Man]]'', written by [[Herman Raucher]]. The movie told the story of a casually [[racism|racist]] but well meaning white man who suddenly wakes up black and finds himself alienated from his friends, family and job. In 1970 Van Peebles was also to direct filming of the [[Powder Ridge Rock Festival]] which was banned by court injunction.
Prior to entering [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]], Van Peebles directed the French film ''[[Story of a Three Day Pass]]'' (''La Permission''). His first Hollywood film was the 1970 comedy ''[[Watermelon Man (film)|Watermelon Man]]'', written by [[Herman Raucher]]. The movie told the story of a casually [[racism|racist]] but well meaning white man who suddenly wakes up black and finds himself alienated from his friends, family and job. In 1970 Van Peebles was also to direct filming of the [[Powder Ridge Rock Festival]] which was banned by court injunction.

Van Peebles then wrote and directed the independent feature, ''[[Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song]]''. His son Mario's 2004 film ''[[BAADASSSSS!]]'' tells the story behind his father's film. Despite the success of ''Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'', he has directed only a few other films.

Melvin Van Peebles speaks English, [[French language|French]] and [[Dutch language|Dutch]]. He was educated at [[Ohio Wesleyan University]].

Van Peebles was recently the subject of a documentary entitled ''[[How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It)]]'' (2005). Van Peebles' next project will be a double album with [[Madlib]], to be released on [[Stones Throw Records]]. The first disc of the album will be ''[[Brer Soul Meets Quasimoto]]'' and the second disc will be the Madlib Invazion remix. Madlib had previously sampled Van Peebles heavily on both of his albums under the [[Quasimoto]] moniker.<ref>[http://www.stonesthrow.com/news/melvinvanpeebles/ MELVIN VAN PEEBLES & MADLIB – BRER SOUL MEETS LORD QUAS]</ref> He is also working on a new film, titled ''Confessions of an Ex-Doofus Mutha''.<ref>[http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Melvin+Van+Peebles/ Melvin Van Peebles] interview from [[Suicide Girls]]</ref><ref>[[Village Voice]]: [http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0603,tate,71754,20.html The MVP of Black Cinema]</ref>

== Bibliography ==
* (As "Melvin Van".) ''The Big Heart.'' San Francisco: Fearon, 1957. With photographs by [[Ruth Bernhard]], a book about life on San Francisco's [[Cable car (railway)|cable cars]]. "A cable car is a big heart with people for blood. The people pump <!-- sic --> on and off &mdash; if you think of it like that it is pretty simple" (p.&nbsp;21).
<!-- And there are other books too. -->
* ''[[La Permission]]'', (1967)

== Filmography ==
=== As director ===
* ''[[Pickup Men for Herrick]]'' (short, 1957) also writer and composer
* ''[[Sunlight (short film)|Sunlight]]'' (short, 1957) also writer, composer and producer
* ''[[Cinq cent balles]]'' (short, 1963) also writer and composer
* ''[[The Story of a Three-Day Pass]]'' (also known as ''[[La Permission]]'', 1967) also writer, from his novel La Permission, and composer
* ''[[Watermelon Man (film)|Watermelon Man]]'' (1970) also composer
* ''[[Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song]]'' (1971) also actor, writer, composer, co-producer and editor
* ''[[Don't Play Us Cheap]]'' (1973) also writer, from his book ''[[Harlem Party]]'' and stage musical ''Don't Play Us Cheap'', and composer
* ''[[Identity Crisis (film)|Identity Crisis]]'' (1989) also actor, producer and editor
* ''[[Vroom Vroom Vroooom]]'' (segment from ''[[Tales of Erotica]]'', also known as ''Erotic Tales'', 1996) also writer, composer, producer and editor
* ''[[Gang in Blue]]'' (1996) co-director, actor and producer
* ''[[Le Conte du ventre plein]]'' (also known as ''[[Bellyful]]'', 2000) also writer, composer and delegate producer
* ''[[Memories of an Ex-Dufus Mother]]''

=== Other credits ===
* ''[[Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death]]'' (1971 Broadway musical book and score)
* ''[[Just an Old Sweet Song]]'' (also known as ''Down Home'', Robert Ellis Miller, 1976) made for television; screenwriter and theme song
* ''[[Greased Lightning]]'' (Michael Schultz, 1977) screenwriter
* ''[[The Sophisticated Gents]]'' (Harry Falk, 1981) made for television; actor, screenwriter, song “Greased Lightning” and producer
* ''[[The Day They Came to Arrest the Book]]'' (Gilbert Moses, 1987) made for television; screenwriter
* ''[[O.C. and Stiggs]]'' (Robert Altman, 1987) actor
* ''[[Jaws: The Revenge]]'' (Joseph Sargent, 1987) actor
* ''[[Sonny Spoon]]'' (1988) television series; actor
* ''[[Posse (1993 film)|Posse]]'' (Mario Van Peebles, 1993) actor
*''[[Terminal Velocity (film)|Terminal Velocity]]'' (Deran Sarafian, 1994) actor
* ''[[Panther (film)|Panther]]'' (Mario Van Peebles, 1995) based on his novel ''Panther'', screenwriter, actor and producer
* ''[[The Shining (mini-series)|The Shining]]'' (Mick Garris, 1997) television movie; actor
* ''[[Melvin Van Peebles' Classified X]]'' (Mark Daniels, 1998) documentary; screenwriter, actor and executive producer)
* ''[[The Hebrew Hammer]]'' (Jonathan Kesselman, 2003) actor

== Discography ==
* ''[[Brer Soul]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Watermelon Man (soundtrack)|Watermelon Man OST]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Ain't Supposed To Die A Natural Death]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (soundtrack)|Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song OST]]'' (1971)
* ''Ain't Supposed To Die A Natural Death Broadway Cast'' (1972)
* ''[[Don't Play Us Cheap (soundtrack)|Don't Play Us Cheap OST]]'' (1973)
* ''[[As Serious As A Heart-Attack]]'' (1974)
* ''[[What the....You Mean I Can't Sing?!]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Ghetto Gothic]]'' (1995)
* ''[[X-Rated by an All-White Jury]]'' (1997)

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* {{imdb name|id=0887708|name=Melvin Van Peebles}}
* [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/03/van_peebles.html Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database]
* [http://openvault.wgbh.org/saybrother/MLA000986/index.html: "Melvin Van Peebles interview"] on the WGBH series, Say Brother
*[http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Melvin+Van+Peebles/ Interview at SuicideGirls.com]

{{Melvin Van Peebles Films}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peebles, Melvin Van}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:African-American actors]]
[[Category:African American film directors]]
[[Category:American experimental filmmakers]]
[[Category:American film directors]]
[[Category:English-language film directors]]
[[Category:Ohio Wesleyan University alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Chicago]]

[[als:Melvin Van Peebles]]
[[fr:Melvin Van Peebles]]
[[pl:Melvin Van Peebles]]

Revision as of 15:41, 1 March 2008


Melvin Van Peebles (born August 21, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright and composer, and the father of actor and director Mario Van Peebles.

Biography

Van Peebles joined the Air Force thirteen days after graduating from college, staying for three and a half years.[1] He lived in Mexico for a brief period, earning a living by painting portraits,[1] before coming back to the United States, where he started driving cable cars in San Francisco. He began writing about his experiences as a cable car driver. What evolved from an initially small article and a series of photographs was Van Peebles' first book, The Big Heart.[1]

One day, a passenger suggested that Van Peebles should become a filmmaker. He shot his first short film, Pickup Men for Herrick, in 1957.[1] He made two more short films during the same period. According to Van Peebles, "I thought they were features. Each one turned out to be eleven minutes long. I was trying to do features. I knew nothing."[1] As Van Peebles learned more about the filmmaking process, he found out that "I could make a feature for five hundred dollars. That was the cost of ninety minutes of film. I didn't know a thing about shooting a film sixteen to one or ten to one or none of that shit. Then I forgot you had to develop film. And I didn't know you needed a work print. All I can say is that after I did one thing he would say, 'Well, aren't you gonna put sound on it?' and I would go, 'Oh shit!' That's all I could say."[1]

When Van Peebles completed his first short films, he took them with him to Hollywood in order to try and find work, but was unable to find anyone who wanted to hire him as a director. In New York City, Van Peebles met a man who saw his films and wanted to screen them in France. "And they said—'Jesus! This man's a genius! Where is he? He should be making films!'"[1] In France, Van Peebles learned the language and was hired to translate Mad magazine into French.[1] He began to write plays in French, utilizing the sprechgesang form of songwriting, where the lyrics were spoken over the music. This style carried over to Van Peebles' debut album, Brer Soul.[1]

Prior to entering Hollywood, Van Peebles directed the French film Story of a Three Day Pass (La Permission). His first Hollywood film was the 1970 comedy Watermelon Man, written by Herman Raucher. The movie told the story of a casually racist but well meaning white man who suddenly wakes up black and finds himself alienated from his friends, family and job. In 1970 Van Peebles was also to direct filming of the Powder Ridge Rock Festival which was banned by court injunction.

Van Peebles then wrote and directed the independent feature, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. His son Mario's 2004 film BAADASSSSS! tells the story behind his father's film. Despite the success of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, he has directed only a few other films.

Melvin Van Peebles speaks English, French and Dutch. He was educated at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Van Peebles was recently the subject of a documentary entitled How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) (2005). Van Peebles' next project will be a double album with Madlib, to be released on Stones Throw Records. The first disc of the album will be Brer Soul Meets Quasimoto and the second disc will be the Madlib Invazion remix. Madlib had previously sampled Van Peebles heavily on both of his albums under the Quasimoto moniker.[2] He is also working on a new film, titled Confessions of an Ex-Doofus Mutha.[3][4]

Bibliography

  • (As "Melvin Van".) The Big Heart. San Francisco: Fearon, 1957. With photographs by Ruth Bernhard, a book about life on San Francisco's cable cars. "A cable car is a big heart with people for blood. The people pump on and off — if you think of it like that it is pretty simple" (p. 21).
  • La Permission, (1967)

Filmography

As director

Other credits

Discography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i James, Darius (1995). That's Blaxploitation!: Roots of the Baadasssss 'Tude (Rated X by an All-Whyte Jury. ISBN 0312131925. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ MELVIN VAN PEEBLES & MADLIB – BRER SOUL MEETS LORD QUAS
  3. ^ Melvin Van Peebles interview from Suicide Girls
  4. ^ Village Voice: The MVP of Black Cinema
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