December 7 - Gordon Parks Jr.

 

Happy Birthday, Gordon Parks Jr.! Born today in 1934 as Gordon Roger Parks Jr., this African-American film director was the oldest son of Gordon Parks ('Shaft'), one of the most notable contributors to the blaxploitation genre. 

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Parks. Jr. was the oldest son to Parks Sr. and Sally Alvis. 

Parks Jr. was also later the older brother of African-American photographer, artist and musician Toni-Parks Parsons. She was deeply committed to African-American life and culture. 

In 1950, Parks Jr. spent some time in France with his father. While there, he learned to speak some French.  

During this time, Parks Jr. later attended the American School in Paris. However, he then returned to the United States and graduated from high school in White Plains, New York. 

Two years later, Parks Jr. graduated from White Plains High School in 1952. Afterwards, he got his first job in the garment industry. Parks later served in the U.S. Army from 1955-56. 

During the early 1960s, Parks Jr. performed as a classical guitarist and singer in Greenwich Village, located on the west side of Manhattan, New York City, New York within Lower Manhattan. 

Aside from this, Parks Jr. was also an accomplished horseman and automobile racer. This was due to his father being a noted photographer for LIFE. Early on, Parks Jr. used the name Gordon Rogers to distinguish himself from his father. 

Parks Jr. served as a cameraman on his father's first directorial effort with the 1969 American Technicolor drama/coming-of-age film 'The Learning Tree'. 

Later on, Parks Jr. followed in his father's footsteps after Parks Sr. had success in directing the hit 1971 American blaxploitation action/crime film 'Shaft'. 

The following year, Parks Jr. did both still and motion picture photography for other films, including Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 American drama/crime film 'The Godfather'. This was before Parks Jr. directed his own project. 

Later that same year, Parks Jr. directed the film of which he is best known for directing. 

This was the definitive 1972 American blaxploitation crime/drama film 'Super Fly'. It starred Ron O'Neal as Youngblood Priest and Carl Lee as Eddie, Priest's partner. 

Upon release, it was one of the most artistically and financially successful black‐oriented films of the early 1970s. 

On a budget of under $500,000 'Super Fly' grossed more than $30 million at the box office. 

'Super Fly' is well known for its soundtrack, written and produced by African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer Curtis Mayfield. He was one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music. 

The film later earned Warner Bros. $24.8 million internationally. It also became famous from Mayfield performing the hit song "Freddie's Dead". 

American film and theatre critic Vincent Canby, then-chief film critic of The New York Times, wrote in November 1972 that of all the current black‐oriented movies, “Super Fly,” about a cocaine dealer, was the only one with any “original distinction.” 

The following year, Ron O'Neal reprised his role as Youngblood Priest. This was in the 1973 American blaxploitation crime action/drama film 'Super Fly T.N.T.', of which he also directed. 

After 'Super Fly', Parks Jr. he made three other features. These were 'Thomasine and Bushrod' (1974), 'Three the Hard Way' (1974) and 'Aaron Loves Angela' (1975). 

Four years later, Parks Jr. passed in a small private plane, of which crashed on takeoff from Wilson Airport on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. This occurred on April 3, 1979. Parks Jr. was 44. 

Witnesses who saw the crash said that the plane seemed to develop engine failure on takeoff.  

It had lifted to about seventy feet, bounced back onto the runway, careened into an airport fence and burst into flames. The cause of the accident was not determined. 

Kenyan photographer Peter Gilfillian and three others, including director Parks Jr., were killed while filming the 1975 adventure film 'Revenge' in Kenya.  

The four victims were traveling to a camp near the Masai Mara game reserve in southern Kenya, near the Tanzanian border, for location shooting. 

'Revenge' was to be the first production of Parks Jr.'s new company, Africa International Productions. The spokesman said that the company planned to finish the film, of which was one‐third completed. 

Almost two decades later, American film director and producer Sig Shore made a second sequel to Parks Jr.'s blaxploitation hit. 

This was with the 1990 American crime/blaxploitation drama film 'The Return of Superfly'. Shore had played Deputy Commissioner Reardon in the original film, billed as Mike Richards. 

It starred African-American actor of popular soap operas Nathan Purdee as both Superfly and Youngblood Priest. It also starred Samuel L. Jackson.  

In the late 2010s, a remake, the 2018 American crime action drama film 'SuperFly', was released. 

It was directed by Canadian film and music video director and producer Julien Christian Lutz, (credited professionally as Director X). African-American actor Trevor Jackson starred as Youngblood Priest. 

Upon release, the film was met with mixed reviews. On a budget of $16–29 million, the film grossed $20 million at the box office.

Surviving Parks Jr., in addition to his father, are his mother, Sally, and a sister, Toni, both of Los Angeles, California, and a brother, David, of Austin, Texas.  

Parks Jr. had been active from 1972–1975. 

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