The Legend of Nigger Charley (1972)

Director:

Martin Goldman

Writers:

James Bellah (story), Martin Goldman (screenplay),

Stars:

Fred Williamson, D'Urville Martin, Don Pedro Colley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fred Williamson	...	Nigger Charley
D'Urville Martin	...	Toby
Don Pedro Colley	...	Joshua
Thomas Anderson	...	Shadow
Jerry Gatlin	...	Sheriff Rhinehart
Alan Gifford	...	Hill Carter
Will Hussing	...	Dr. Saunders (as Will Hussung)
Gertrude Jeannette	...	Theo
Fred Lerner	...	Ollokot
Marcia McBroom	...	Leda
Bill Moor	...	Walker
Tricia O'Neil	...	Sarah Lyons
Tom Pemberton	...	Willie
Keith Prentice	...	Niles Fowler
Douglas Rowe	...	Dewey Lyons (as Doug Rowe)

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

blaxploitation | racial slur in title | african american | first part | character name in title

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Taglines:

Somebody warn the West. Nigger Charley ain't running no more.

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1972 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Legend of Black Charley

Filming Locations:

Charles City, Virginia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (TVC)

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Sept. 1972, Paramount was widely distributing this film on a double bill with Hannie Caulder starring Raquel Welch.

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Connections

Followed by The Soul of Nigger Charley (1973)

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Soundtracks

"In the Eyes of God"
Sung by Lloyd Price

User Reviews

"Blax Films" DVD review of "Legend of N. Charley!"

As of this writing the only way I know of to see this title is thru the "Blax" DVD edition available at Amazon or on ebay. I finally took the plunge and got this disc and watched it last night. The news is not good. But if you, like me, wanted more information about the DVD, here you go.

The DVD is fullscreen. It is transferred from a videotape source, most likely 3/4" betamax. It seems likely the film was originally taped off-air as there seem to be "reception" problems such as a static-filled hiss on occasion, like one might hear when watching an antenna broadcast and a plane flies overhead. Also the image is unclear at times, "ghosting" is present, and there are pervasive video "dropouts" (white dots and lines) throughout. On occasion there is video "wrinkle" that is unique to 3/4" broadcast elements.

The film is edited for broadcast standards. Mild swear words are muted, so phrases come out like "you God-... son of a...," although there are pervasive uses of the "n-word" throughout. Some scenes seem to indicate clumsy editing for content ... Love scenes seem truncated, especially, and there is no blood to be seen on screen.

The film itself has low production values and is little more than a curiosity piece based on the inflammatory title. The cinematography is very soft-focused with tons of diffused lighting and the sound is too hot in interiors, which all lends the impression of a cheap movie made for TV. I was constantly reminded of "Roots" and I suspect the film might have been trying to capitalize on that series' popularity and challenging subject matter. Its nice to see Free Williamson in anything though, and fans will want to see the movie despite the shortcomings of this DVD.

DVD also includes 2 unrelated trailers, one for DOLEMITE and another for DR. BLACK AND MR. HYDE, both of which have been lifted from VHS trailer tapes made by "Something Weird Video," and they retain the SWV watermark in the corner.

I suspect that "Blax" is not necessarily a legitimate, up-and-up DVD label, and viewers should be aware that if a seller claims the film is "factory sealed," that carries very little real merit and the buyer should expect a viewable film but of little more than solid "bootleg" quality.