Detroit 9000
Encyclopedia
Detroit 9000 is a 1973
American
cult film
directed by Arthur Marks from a screenplay by Orville Hampton. Originally marketed as a blaxploitation
film, it had a resurgence on video 25 years later.
) teams with educated black detective Sgt. Jesse Williams (Hari Rhodes
) to investigate a theft of $400,000 at a fund-raiser for Representative Aubrey Hale Clayton (Rudy Challenger).
Terminal train station. Fort Street Station was already closed when filming was taking place and the approach tracks to the station were used for a chase scene. The now restored Book Cadillac Hotel was used in the reception scenes, including the hotel's famed crystal ballroom. Although the hotel closed in 1983 and sat dormant for over 20 years, it was restored and reopened by the Westin Hotel group in 2009. Although Detroit suffered from race rioting in July of 1967, and the riots are referred to in the movie, the film avoided showing areas that still showed signs of heavy damage from the rioting.
Championed by Quentin Tarantino
it was released on video by Miramax in April 1999.
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
directed by Arthur Marks from a screenplay by Orville Hampton. Originally marketed as a blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
film, it had a resurgence on video 25 years later.
Plot
Street-smart white detective Danny Bassett (Alex RoccoAlex Rocco
Alex Rocco is an American actor. His roles have ranged from comedy to playing gangsters in Mafia movies.-Early life:...
) teams with educated black detective Sgt. Jesse Williams (Hari Rhodes
Hari Rhodes
Hari Rhodes was an American author and actor whose career spanned three decades beginning around 1960....
) to investigate a theft of $400,000 at a fund-raiser for Representative Aubrey Hale Clayton (Rudy Challenger).
Filming
The movie was shot on location in downtown Detroit and close-in neighborhoods. A number of now demolished landmark buildings can be seen including the J.L. Hudson Company, and the Fort StreetFort Street
Fort Street may refer to:*Fort Street, North Point, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong*Fort Street , a Michigan highway*Fort Street High School, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia*Fort Street Mall, Downtown Honolulu, Hawaiij...
Terminal train station. Fort Street Station was already closed when filming was taking place and the approach tracks to the station were used for a chase scene. The now restored Book Cadillac Hotel was used in the reception scenes, including the hotel's famed crystal ballroom. Although the hotel closed in 1983 and sat dormant for over 20 years, it was restored and reopened by the Westin Hotel group in 2009. Although Detroit suffered from race rioting in July of 1967, and the riots are referred to in the movie, the film avoided showing areas that still showed signs of heavy damage from the rioting.
Championed by Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
it was released on video by Miramax in April 1999.
Cast
- Hari RhodesHari RhodesHari Rhodes was an American author and actor whose career spanned three decades beginning around 1960....
as Sergeant Jesse Williams - Alex RoccoAlex RoccoAlex Rocco is an American actor. His roles have ranged from comedy to playing gangsters in Mafia movies.-Early life:...
as Lieutenant Danny Bassett - Vonetta McGeeVonetta McGee-Life and career:Vonetta McGee was born in San Francisco, to Alma and Lawrence McGee. She graduated from San Francisco Polytechnic High School and made her debut in 1968 as the eponymous character in the Italian comedy Faustina...
as Ruby Harris - Ella Edwards as Helen Durbin
- Scatman CrothersScatman CrothersBenjamin Sherman "Scatman" Crothers was an American actor, singer, dancer and musician known for his work as Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show Chico and the Man, and as Dick Hallorann in The Shining in 1980...
as Reverend Markham - Herb Jefferson, Jr.Herb Jefferson, Jr.Herbert Jefferson Jr. is an African-American actor. He graduated with honors from New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1969. He is probably best known for his role as Lieutenant Boomer on the original Battlestar Galactica television series...
as Ferdy - Robert Phillips as Captain Chalmers
- Rudy ChallengerRudy ChallengerRudolph "Rudy" Challenger is a retired African-American supporting actor who had a roles in various projects over the course of his thirty-four year career in films and television in Hollywood. He has appeared on such shows as Sanford And Son, Kojak, Lou Grant, and the Fall Guy...
as Aubrey Hale Clayton - James Gates as Detective in the background of one of the police station scenes
- (Council Cargle as Drew Sheppard