Melinda (1972)

A slick, smooth-talking, womanizing young black DJ falls hard for an enigmatic woman he's just met. Things take a turn for the worse, though, when she is found dead in his apartment. It ... See full summary »

Director:

Hugh A. Robertson

Writers:

Lonne Elder III (screenplay), Raymond Cistheri (story)

Stars:

Calvin Lockhart, Rosalind Cash, Vonetta McGee

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Calvin Lockhart	...	Frankie J. Parker
Rosalind Cash	...	Terry Davis
Vonetta McGee	...	Melinda
Paul Stevens	...	Mitch
Rockne Tarkington	...	Tank
Ross Hagen	...	Gregg Van
Renny Roker	...	Dennis Smith
Judyann Elder	...	Gloria
Jim Kelly	...	Charles Atkins
Jan Tice	...	Marcia
Lonne Elder III	...	Lt. Daniels (as Lonne Elder)
Ed Cambridge	...	Detective (as Edmund Cambridge)
George Fisher	...	Young Man
Joe Hooker	...	Rome's Servant
Allen Pinson	...	Rome

Storyline

A slick, smooth-talking, womanizing young black DJ falls hard for an enigmatic woman he's just met. Things take a turn for the worse, though, when she is found dead in his apartment. It turns out that she was killed by the local mob, which is trying to frame him for the crime. With the police after him, he calls on some of his old acquaintances to help clear his name and avenge the woman's death.

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Plot Keywords:

avenge | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | framed for murder | los angeles california | murder | 

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Taglines:

What she knew could get a man killed

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 1973 (Japan)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Love Is"
Sung by Jerry Butler

User Reviews

A blaxploitaion classic

That super-ego brilliant Mutha Frankie J. Parker played by Calvin Lockhart is a ghetto disc jockey who smooth talks and womanizes until he meets a sultry gal named Melinda played by Vonetta McGee. Things go smoothly until Melinda winds up dead in Frankie's apartment. The mob is behind the hit since Melinda had one of their audio tapes concealed in a cigarette box. Frankie cant take on the mob all by himself so he rounds up a few buddies and struggling businessman and karate instructor Charlie Atkins played by Jim Kelly and together form a small army and go into combat. Kelly, who is responsible for the violence and Lockhart take on thugs, steal their cars and drive up to the mob boss's mob to "clear things up" and "close the deal". In the end Frankie rekindles a lost love interest and Kelly and his crew go back to the real world and leave Frankie and his old time gal to reconcile and understand each other throughout the end of the film. Through this violent action film I saw a lot of the characters emotions, the fear,the struggle,the anger,the courage, and the love and romance. At the end I felt good inside. I could Identify with the characters who went through all that. To me this film has been overlooked and underrated. "Melinda" should be digitally remastered and recorded on DVD. I strongly recommend this film to anyone. Look past the color and the genre. This is your kind of Black Film.