Keenan Ivory Wayans on the Blaxploitation Films that Inspired "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka."
Keenen Ivory Wayans. He co-wrote and acted in "Hollywood Shuffle," Robert Townsend's film about a black actor trying to make it in a world of show business stereotypes. Earlier this year, he released his own film, "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka," a comedy that parodies black exploitation, kung fu and wild action movies. He wrote, directed and stars in the film. (Rebroadcast. Originally broadcast on Thursday, January 12, 1989.)
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Other segments from the episode on August 9, 1989
James Cameron Discusses Underwater Directing.
Director James Cameron. Though his career is relatively young, Cameron has established himself as one of the best directors and writers of intense dramas that jump between exhilaration and terror. His best-known work is "Aliens," the sequel to the 1979 sci-fi classic in which Lt. Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, stalks a vicious alien that's invaded her spacecraft and is slaughtering the crew. The film was nominated for seven Oscars and won two.
Igor Markevitch Conducts French Music Composed for the Ballets Russes.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of music originally written for The Ballets Russes. The five ballets featured in the recording all have music written by French composers, among them Erik Satie and François Poulenc.
"Batmania" is a Triumph of Shameless Hype.
Writer and critic Patricia McLaughlin looks at the wave of "Batmania" now at full force throughout the country.
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Film Director and Actor Keenan Ivory Wayans
Wayans wrote, directed, and starred in the new movie I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka, which is both a parody of and homage to the blaxploitation movies of the 1970s. He says those films were notable for creating more complex roles for African American men.
Black Artists and Black Narratives
Critic-at-large Laurie Stone reviews a new play and movie about the African American experience, both written by African American artists. She says the works should be celebrated for their refusal to pander to white audiences.
Resisting Hollwood's Demand to "Be Blacker"
Film actor, writer, and director Robert Townsend satirizes his experiences as an African American in Hollywood in the new film, Hollywood Shuffle. He says that television commercials have given him more opportunities than movies to play diverse roles.