Bullet Points: Friday Foster
Pam Grier was the undisputed Queen of the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s, playing the main protagonist in several movies including the subject of this edition of Bullet Points, 1975’s Friday Foster…
- New Year’s Eve: The movie begins on New Year’s Eve, Friday Foster (Pam Grier, Class of 1999) is getting ready to go to her friend Cloris’ New Year’s Eve party when she receives a call from her boss at Glance Magazine, Monk Riley (Julius Harris, Live and Let Die). Monk has receive word that “The Black Howard Hughes” Blake Tarr (Thalmus Rasulala, Above the Law) was returning to the United States and Monk wants Friday at the airport to snap pictures of the elusive Tarr but to keep her distance and not get involved in anything. Friday uses her charm to gain access to the private hangar where Blake Tarr’s private plane will land, but she wasn’t the only one… three assassins have also gained access, two posing as security guards and one as a mechanic. After Blake Tarr’s plane taxis into the hangar and Tarr exits the plane, he takes a bullet to the shoulder… this prompts a big shootout between the actual security/police on hand and the three would be assassins. All of this action is caught on film by intrepid photographer Friday Foster and in typical Friday Foster fashion she gets a little too close to the action and actually bumps into one of the hired hitmen, Yarbro (Carl Weathers, Action Jackson) as he is making a hasty retreat.
- Fashion Show: The next time we see Yarbro he is slinking around a fashion show being hosted by designer Madame Rena (Eartha Kitt, The Pink Chiquitas). Fortunately for Yarbro, Friday doesn’t spot him as she is too busy schmoozing and catching up with her friend and private investigator Colt Hawkins (Yaphet Kotto, Eye of the Tiger). The fashion show begins but when it is time for Friday’s friend Cloris to take to the runway, something isn’t quite right… Cloris slowly stumbles onto the runway before falling face first and revealing she has a knife in her back! Friday runs over to her friend’s aid, who says something about “Black Widow”. Yarbro has struck again! And he isn’t done yet…
- Special Delivery: Yarbro poses as a delivery man with a package for Friday Foster. Yarbro bumps into Friday’s entrepreneurial younger brother Cleve (Tierre Turner, Bucktown) outside their apartment building and Cleve confirms his sister is in fact upstairs in their apartment. And Cleve wasn’t lying, Friday was in fact upstairs and in the shower (Pam Grier’s first nude scene in the movie) Yarbro catches Friday as she is getting out of the shower and lunges at her with a knife, Friday manages to evade the attack, running out of her apartment in nothing but a towel and raising the eyebrow of one of her neighbors… with witnesses on hand, Yarbro chooses to retreat once again, but this will not be the last time Friday sees him…
- One Car Chase and a Funeral: Friday spots Yarbro next at the funeral of Cloris of all places. When Friday goes to point him out to Colt, Yarbro is long gone… that’s when Friday realizes he is driving away in his convertible and the hunter is about to become the hunted! Friday finds the nearest vehicle and is in hot pursuit of Yarbro, I should point out that the nearest vehicle was in fact a hearse, making this one of the more unique car chases I have seen. I especially liked the part where a parked car is bumped and instantly catches fire. The chase ends with Yarbro dipping into an abandoned building and Friday following him inside… Friday will soon realize this may not have been her best idea and it probably would have been the end of her, had the cops not arrived and arrested her for stealing a car and breaking and entering… once again, giving Yarbro an out.
- Ms. Foster Goes to Washington: After getting arrested, there is no way Monk is going to allow Friday to chase down a lead that a United States Senator may have something to do with Cloris’ death and whatever the hell “Black Widow” is… but in typical Friday Foster fashion she goes anyway and Colt Hawkins is right there at her side. This is the point of the movie where Colt becomes a more vital character and the movie benefits greatly from it. Friday gets some action (and naked) with both Senator David Lee Hart and Blake Tarr, while Colt (keeps his clothes on) and engages in a rooftop battle with Yarbro which for me was an epic moment seeing two of my favorite actors collide! The dynamic duo of Friday and Colt slowly learn more about “Black Widow”, eventually finding out it is a plot to destroy the Black Power movement on Valentine’s Day, with the end result being another St. Valentine’s Day Massacre!
Friday Foster was another in a string of starring roles for Pam Grier, but whenever Yaphet Kotto was on screen I felt like Yaphet’s star was shining just a little bit brighter. Kotto’s charisma was off the charts in Friday Foster as he delivered great line after great line… THE Carl Weathers was easily the best villain in the movie, and certainly the one that did the most damage… But I must bow down to the queen herself, Pam Grier… much like any great action star, Pam knew what her audience wanted and did her best to give it to them in each and every movie.
I know what my audience wants, some Bonus Bullet Points…
- Comic Strip Movie: Friday Foster was based off the comic strip Friday Foster that was syndicated by the Chicago Tribute Syndicate in newspapers around the country from 1970 to 1974.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Carl Weathers crush a man in a phone booth FLAT with a truck, then Friday Foster is the movie for you.
- Familiar Faces: Scatman Crothers (Truck Turner) plays Reverend Noble Franklin, a close confidant of Senator Hart and a dirty old man… Ted Lange (aka Isaac the Bartender from The Love Boat) plays Fancy an admirer of Friday Foster, whose lavish gifts end up in Cleve’s private money making stash.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Pam Grier steal a milk truck and then run a guy over with it and then crash some gates with it, then Friday Foster is the movie for you.
- The #1 Spot: Carl Weathers is officially my favorite Yarbro of all-time, my second favorite would be Yarbrough & Peoples and more specifically their song, “Don’t Stop the Music”…
