Dolemite (1975)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

D'Urville Martin

Writers:

Jerry Jones (writer)
Rudy Ray Moore (story)

Release Date:

July 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

With his All-Girl Army of Kung Fu Killers.

Plot:

Dolemite is a pimp who was set up by Willie Greene and the cops, who have planted drugs, stolen furs...

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | Racial Slur | African American | Surrealism | One Word Title

Cast

Rudy Ray Moore	...	Dolemite
D'Urville Martin	...	Willie Green
Jerry Jones	...	Blakeley
Lady Reed	...	Queen Bee
Brenda DeLong	...	Dolemite Girl
Terri Mosley	...	Dolemite Girl
Marilyn Shaw	...	Dolemite Girl
Lynell Smith	...	Dolemite Girl
Vera Howard	...	Dolemite Girl
Joy Martin	...	Dolemite Girl
Jana Bisbing	...	Dolemite Girl
Brenda Banks	...	Dolemite Girl
Pat Haywood	...	Dolemite Girl
René Van Clief	...	Dolemite Girl
Pat Jones	...	Dolemite Girl

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | USA:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Dunbar Hotel - 4225 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Comedian Intl Enterprise Productions (C.I.E.)

Trivia:

Dolemite is a play on dolomite, a naturally occurring mineral that consists of calcium and magnesium.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Dolemite says "Breathin' down yo neck," we can see the shadows of the cast, crew, and equipment.

Quotes:

Dolemite: Meet me at the Total Experience in one halfa-hour.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Wayans Bros.: Psycho Santa (#2.12)" (1995)

Ultimate Backyard Blaxploitation Movie

1975... before Rudy Ray Moore was hailed as the "Father Of Rap Music" he was touring Black clubs around the nation doing routines from his brisk selling "Party Records". In his spare time and when finances allowed, he would make the opccasional movie on a shoestring budget. This was his first. A classic blaxploitation action movie. The flubs are legendary and have been detailed elsewhere, this looks like a backyard movie, very similar to movies kids would make in their yards with the advent of home Video cameras.

Great flick from a strictly guilty pleasure standpoint. You ignore the errors and weak plot, you see Rudy's obvious pleasure over acting in front of a camera for the first time. I imagine this was a dream come trur for Rudy, he could finally bring his nightclub character Dolemite to the big screen. Of course, Dolemite is an almost mythological character, much bigger than real life, sort of like a Black Paul Bunyan, but Rudy gives an admirable attempt in bringing Dolemite to the screen. This movie had a revival of sorts when Arsenio Hall's TV talk show would feature clips from this movie and also when Arsenio had Rudy Ray on his show. Worth seeing if not taken seriously.