Friday Foster (1975)

At Los Angeles airport, magazine photographer Friday Foster witnesses an assassination attempt against billionaire Blake Tarr and is drawn into a murky political conspiracy.

Director:

Arthur Marks

Writers:

Orville H. Hampton (screenplay) (as Orville Hampton), Arthur Marks (story)

Stars:

Pam Grier, Yaphet Kotto, Godfrey Cambridge

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pam Grier	...	Friday Foster
Yaphet Kotto	...	Colt Hawkins
Godfrey Cambridge	...	Ford Malotte
Thalmus Rasulala	...	Blake Tarr
Eartha Kitt	...	Madame Rena
Jim Backus	...	Enos Griffith
Scatman Crothers	...	Noble Franklin
Ted Lange	...	Fancy Dexter
Tierre Turner	...	Cleve
Paul Benjamin	...	Sen. David Lee Hart
Jason Bernard	...	Charles Foley
Ed Cambridge	...	Lt. Jake Wayne (as Edmund Cambridge)
Julius Harris	...	Monk Riley
Rosalind Miles	...	Clorils Boston
Carl Weathers	...	Yarbro

Storyline

Friday Foster, an ex-model magazine photographer, goes to Los Angeles International airport to photograph the arrival of Blake Tarr, the richest black man in America. Three men attempt to assassinate Tarr. Foster photographs the melee and is plunged into a web of conspiracy involving the murder of her childhood friend, a US senator, and a shadowy plan called "Black Widow".

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Plot Keywords:

big breasts | breasts | cigar smoking | character name as title | two word title | 

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Taglines:

Wham! Bam! Here comes Pam!

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Genres:

Action

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1977 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Assassinio all'aeroporto

Filming Locations:

Richelieu Apartments - 751 South Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Friday Foster" was based on a newspaper comic strip that debuted January 18, 1970, by writer Jim Lawrence and artist Jorje Longeron. It was the first mainstream comic strip with a black lead character. The movie gives a "thank you" credit to Chicago Tribune Syndication, which licensed the comic strip to newspapers. Ironically, by the time the movie was released in 1975, the comic strip was no more, having ended the previous year.

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Goofs

When Friday goes on assignment to photograph Blake Tarr's arrival in Los Angeles, the iconic Washington Dulles Airport terminal building is shown.

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Quotes

Ford Malotte: [to Friday] Take my advice stay out of it. Get laid have a baby or something.

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Connections

Featured in Arthur's Kids: A Conversation with Arthur Marks (2010)

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Soundtracks

Friday
Written by Bodie Chandler

User Reviews

Most lighthearted & enjoyable Pam Grier vehicle

"Friday Foster" is certainly not as violent or as sexual as Pam Grier's most notable blaxploitation films, those being "Foxy Brown" and "Coffy". Still, "Friday Foster" is an enjoyable action romp for die-hard fans of blaxploitation films or Pam Grier. As the title character, Grier plays a photographer for a black fashion magazine who stumbles onto an assassination attempt on a prominent black politician at the airport. Soon she discovers a larger conspiracy out to eliminate other black leaders. The film features Yaphet Kotto as her do-good boyfriend, Carl Weathers as a menacing hitman, comedian Godfrey Cambridge as a gay club owner, Earth Kitt - purring as usual - as a fashion designer, and Ted Lange as a sweet-talking pimp. There are many other blaxploitation regulars scattered throughout the film. Grier naturally provides her obligatory nude scenes in obvious places. In this film; it's the shower, a jaccuzzi, and then a bed.

This film doesn't examine the dark side of street life, such as drug addiction or prostitution that was addressed in "Foxy Brown" and "Coffy", but it is still enjoyable if these films are your thing. There is still an abundance of funk music, crazy clothes & furniture, and that unmistakable 70's dialogue:

• "Is she crazy or something?" - "No, she's just all woman." - "Damn... I need a beer!"

"Friday Foster" is a worthy rental or purchase for the hardcore fans.