Three the Hard Way: Blaxploitation in HD

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Producer and author Michael Stradford (Black to the Movies) and George Feltenstein of Warner Bros. join the podcast for a fun discussion of director Gordon Parks Jr.'s, THREE THE HARD WAY ('74), starring Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, and Jim Kelly in their first and only team-up for a film. We also talk about three other Blaxploitation classics of the 1970s: HITMAN ('72) starring Bernie Casey & Pam Grier, BLACK EYE ('74) starring Fred Williamson, Rosemary Forsyth, and Teresa Graves, and BLACK BELT JONES('74) starring Jim Kelly and Gloria Hendry. Our far-ranging discussion covers the missing footage that has been restored to THREE THE HARD WAY, and the impact these films had on popular culture.

All four films were recently remastered in HD by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging and released by the Warner Archive for the first time on Blu-ray, featuring stunning picture and sound quality. They have never looked or sounded better.

Includes audio clips from the Trailers and episodes.

Purchase links:

THREE THE HARD WAY (1974) Blu-ray

HIT MAN (1972) Blu-ray

BLACK EYE (1974) Blu-ray

BLACK BELT JONES (1974) Blu-ray

Author/producer Michael Stradford on Facebook

Gizmoe Press web page

BLACK TO THE MOVIES book

The Extras Facebook page
The Extras Twitter
Warner Archive & Warner Bros Catalog Group

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Chapters

1. Three The Hard Way Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Michael's Connection to the Film (00:06:27)

3. Restoring Missing Footage (00:10:56)

4. The Cultural Impact of Blaxploitation (00:17:18)

5. Hitman: Bernie Casey's Neo-Noir (00:27:12)

6. Black Eye: Fred Williamson's Detective Noir (00:38:45)

7. Black Belt Jones: Jim Kelly's Martial Arts (00:47:51)

8. Preservation and Legacy Discussion (00:55:09)