I love this flick! Here's my contribution to Little Shoppe of Horrors AMICUS themed issue coming soon...
ade
That one's excellent, Ade. Everything here is really pushing the action at the viewer.
Is
Little Shoppe of Horrors a US magazine? It could be a must for folk here.
^SUPERB!
havent seen it in ages but still remember the actors name was calvin lockhart (sounds like someone who'd write those 'slaver' books..)
Really like this film, have watched my tape countless times and was pleased to get a digital recording recently. I've often wondered what happened to Calvin Lockhart, so your post prompted me to Google him. The text below is copied from Wickipedia. Sadly, he died last year; weirdly, his wife died on the same day.
Calvin LockhartDate of Birth
18 October 1934, Nassau, Bahamas
Date of Death
29 March 2007, Nassau, Bahamas (complications from a stroke)
Birth Name
Bert Cooper
Mini Biography
A strong, confident, smoothly handsome presence, Bahamian-born Calvin Lockhart first caught moviegoers' attention in the supercharged urban films Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) and Halls of Anger (1970) before becoming a fairly steady fixture in the "blaxploitation" movies of the early-to-mid 1970s.
Born Bert Cooper to a large family in Nassau on October 18, 1934, he was raised there before moving to New York in his late teens with initial designs on becoming a civil engineer (Cooper Union School of Engineering). Dropping out after a year to pursue an acting career, Calvin made do as a carpenter and construction worker, among other odd jobs. He first studied with legendary coach Uta Hagen and then hit the New York theater boards. The story goes that he was discovered by playwright Ketti Frings while driving a taxi for a living. She was so impressed with his arrogance that she cast him in her play "The Cool World" in 1960. From there Calvin drummed up interest via a bit of controversy on Broadway when he played a sailor in love with a white girl in the racially-themed "A Taste of Honey" starring Angela Lansbury.
Serious film and TV roles for black actors were scarce at that time, so Calvin moved to Europe. In Italy he owned a restaurant and formed his own theater company, serving as both actor and director. He also lived in Germany before settling in England. He starting building up film credits with minor work in such British movies as A Dandy in Aspic (1968) and Only When I Larf (1968). He made news in another racially-motivated project entitled Joanna (1968), which centered around a "mod", interracial romance with 'Genevieve Waite'.
Returning to the US with a stronger resume, he made a distinct early impression as a slick preacher bent on fraud in the hip cop flick Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) and as an English teacher in the inner-city potboiler Halls of Anger (1970). He also involved himself in such black action features as Melinda (1972), Honeybaby, Honeybaby (1974) and The Baron (1977). Similar in charismatic style and intelligence to Sidney Poitier, the famed actor-director was impressed enough to cast Calvin in his broad comedy vehicles Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Let's Do It Again (1975). Calvin could also play fey upon request, camping it up briefly in Myra Breckinridge (1970). During this rich period he also became an artist-in-residence with the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford (the first black actor so honored) and appeared prestigiously in such productions as "Titus Andronicus" (1972).
Calvin's career grew lackluster, however, by the end of the decade, resorting to trivial guest parts in such TV shows as "Good Times" and "Get Christie Love". He did manage a recurring part on the popular "Dynasty" (1981) nighttime soap in the early 80s. In 1974, Calvin married a woman also from the West Indies and had three children. After his career subsided, he decided to return to his homeland in the mid 90s and resettled in Nassau with his fourth wife, Jennifer Miles. There he involved himself with the Freeport Players Guild as a director. He also returned to films after a 15-year absence, completing Rain (2008), a movie shot in the Bahamas, shortly before he suffered a major stroke. Calvin died of complications on March 29, 2007, and his family is in the process of establishing a scholarship fund in his name for Bahamian student pursuing an acting or filmmaking career.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net
Spouse
Jenifer Miles (1974 - 29 March 2007) (his death) 3 children
Trivia
Originally studied to become a civil engineer at Cooper Union in NYC.
Was the first black actor to play leads with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Turned down the lead role in the popular series "Room 222" (1969) that eventually went to Lloyd Haynes.
After his death on 29 March, 2007, Lockhart's family announced plans to establish a scholarship fund in his name for Bahamian students who are interested in acting and filmmaking.
