ABOUT THIS BOOK

Racial politics and capitalism found a way to blend together in 1970s Chicago in the form of movie theaters targeted specifically toward African Americans. In From Sweetback to Super Fly, Gerald Buttersexamines the movie theaters in Chicago’s Loop that became, as he describes them, “black spaces” during the early 1970s with theater managers making an effort to gear their showings toward the African American community by using black-themed and blaxploitation films.

Butters covers the wide range of issues that influenced the theaters, from changing racial patterns to the increasingly decrepit state of Chicago’s inner city and the pressure on businesses and politicians alike to breathe life into the dying area. Through his extensive research, Butters provides an in-depth look at this phenomenon, delving into an area that has not previously been explored. His close examination of how black-themed films were marketed and how theaters showing these films tried to draw in crowds sheds light on race issues both from an industrial standpoint on the side of the theaters and movie producers, as well as from a cultural standpoint on the side of the moviegoers and the city of Chicago as a whole. Butters provides a wealth of information on a very interesting yet underexamined part of history, making From Sweetback to Super Fly a supremely enjoyable and informative book.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Gerald R. Butters, Jr., is Professor of History at Aurora University. His publications include Banned in Kansas: Motion Picture Censorship, 1915-1966 (University of Missouri Press).

REVIEWS

“Butters’ examination of the politics of racial identity both within these films, and in the critical discourse around them, is outstanding.”—Chicago Tribune

“Through exacting, thoroughgoing research, Butters presents an engaging, lucid book that tells a truly interesting story about our American history, film, and race. One might ask: Does this book—with its focus on a neighborhood in Chicago during a particular historical window—hold interest for readers who may not be purposefully seeking a treatise on either the place or time or genre? The lessons here about how this nation’s cities ended up the way they did is relevant across disciplines. The lessons here on the theater industry and how theaters came to serve particular populations and communities (not just those in the Loop) are universal as well. From African American and cultural studies to media and urban studies, this book holds key relevance. A deeply engaging read.”—Robin Means Coleman, author of Say It Loud: African American Audiences, Media, and Identity

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

One. Race, Civil Rights, and Chicago’s Loop, 1945–70

Two. Sweetback and the Rise of Black-Themed Films, 1970–71

Three. Blaxploitation, Black-Themed Films, and Film Spectatorship, 1971–72

Four. Super Fly and Resistance to Blaxploitation, 1972

Five. Karate Rape in Harlem, 1973

Six. The Exorcist and the Decline of the Loop as a First-Run Market, 1973–74

Seven. The Beginning of the End: Loop Theaters under Attack, 1975

Conclusion. Demolition and Rebirth, 1976–

Appendix A. Kuumba: Principles for Creativity and Liberation

Appendix B. Seating Capacities for Downtown Movie Theaters, 1972

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Index of Films Mentioned

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