Ernest Tidyman

Writing

Ernest Tidyman

Born January 1, 1928 · Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Died July 14, 1984 · aged 56

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Ernest Tidyman (January 1, 1928 - July 14, 1984) was a Cleveland-born American author and screenwriter, best known for his novels featuring the African-American detective John Shaft. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film version of Shaft with John D.F. Black in 1971. His screenplay for The French Connection garnered him an Academy Award for Best Adap…

Known For

High Plains DrifterHigh Plains Drifter · 1973
High Plains Drifter
7.31973
MovieWesternDrama
A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago. After gunning down three gunmen who tried to kill him, the townsfolk decide to hire the Stranger to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.
ShaftShaft · 2019
Shaft
6.52019
MovieActionCrime
JJ, aka John Shaft Jr., may be a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, but to uncover the truth behind his best friend’s untimely death, he needs an education only his dad can provide. Absent throughout JJ’s youth, the legendary locked-and-loaded John Shaft agrees to help his progeny navigate Harlem’s heroin-infested underbelly.
ShaftShaft · 2000
Shaft
6.02000
MovieActionAdventure
New York police detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr. for a racially motivated slaying. But the only eyewitness disappears, and Wade jumps bail for Switzerland. Two years later Wade returns to face trial, confident his money and influence will get him acquitted -- especially since he's paid a drug kingpin to kill the witness.
The French ConnectionThe French Connection · 1971
The French Connection
7.51971
MovieActionCrime
Tough narcotics detective 'Popeye' Doyle is in hot pursuit of a suave French drug dealer who may be the key to a huge heroin-smuggling operation.
ShaftShaft · 1971
Shaft
6.41971
MovieCrimeThriller
Cool Black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
Street PeopleStreet People · 1976
Street People
5.01976
MovieDramaAction
A Mafia boss is enraged when he is suspected of smuggling a heroin shipment into San Francisco. He dispatches his nephew, a hotshot Anglo-Sicilian lawyer, to identify the real culprit. The lawyer also enlists the aid of his best friend, a grand prix driver with an adventurous streak.
Shaft in AfricaShaft in Africa · 1973
Shaft in Africa
6.11973
MovieAdventureCrime
Detective John Shaft travels incognito to Ethiopia, then France, to bust a human trafficking ring.
Shaft's Big Score!Shaft's Big Score! · 1972
Shaft's Big Score!
6.11972
MovieCrimeThriller
John Shaft is back as the lady-loved black detective cop on the search for the murderer of a client.

Filmography

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Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking StoryAlcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story · 1980
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story
5.51980
MovieCrimeDrama
Filmed on location at Alcatraz Island, this two-part "whole story" actually concentrates on a handful of the denizens behind the cold grey walls of "The Rock". Michael Beck plays the real-life Clarence Carnes, an Oklahoma Choctaw Indian said to be the youngest man ever incarcerated in the notorious maximum security prison. Serving a 99-year sentence for a gas station holdup and murder, Carnes makes periodic attempts to escape, the final attempt being the most violent. Many of the subordinate characters are fictional (as are most of the details concerning Carnes' escape efforts); the one exception is Robert Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz", here portrayed by Art Carney as a gentle, kindly philosopher. Telly Savalas, a costar of the Burt Lancaster vehicle Birdman of Alcatraz, also guest starred in the 1980 film. Originally titled Alcatraz and Clarence Carnes, this made-for-TV movie wavers between gritty realism and "I'm bustin' outta here!" artifice.

Teleplay

ShaftShaft · 1973
Shaft
7.21973
SeriesDramaAction & Adventure
Shaft is a series of TV movies that aired along with Hawkins during 1973-74 television season on The New CBS Tuesday Night Movies. The series was based on three films beginning with Shaft, and starring Richard Roundtree as private detective John Shaft. Because it was aired on over-the-air television, CBS felt that the character needed to be toned down. Now instead of working against the police, he worked with them. The series rotated with Hawkins starring James Stewart as a country lawyer who investigates his cases, similarly to his earlier film Anatomy of a Murder. Contemporary analysts suggested that since the two shows appealed to vastly different audience bases, alternating them only served to confuse fans of both series, giving neither one the time to build up a large viewership.

Creator