Reginald Hudlin, the producer behind the Hollywood Bowl’s “Black Movie Soundtrack” night, launched his career writing and directing the 1990 film House Party.
For a pre-adolescent at the dawn of the ’90s, House Party doubled as a beginner’s guide to hip-hop.
Before its release, most cinematic depictions of the genre were cash-ins, eager to capitalize on its swiftly rising stature in urban youth culture. It’s slightly reductive to say that House Party changed everything — that honor goes to the early work of Spike Lee — but the film’s genius lay in its accessibility, the charismatic performances of its young stars (Kid ‘n Play, Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell), a highly quotable script and the center stage it offered to the music.
If Lee demonstrated the incendiary power of hip-hop, his longtime friend, House Party director Reginald Hudlin, captured how much fun it could be. The dances, the freestyles, the high-top fades. Made for just $2.5 million, House Party grossed more than $26 million in theaters and remains one of the best hip-hop films in history.
“Most prior hip-hop movies had been made to exploit it — like, this is ‘the thing’ right now,” Hudlin says at his office in North Hollywood, where he’s in postproduction on Marshall, a film about a pivotal early case in the career of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
“Hip-hop movies weren’t being made from the inside by people who were fans, and I was a fan who kind of knew nothing,” Hudlin continues with a laugh. “It felt like there was something really happening and we got to capture it.”
The roots of House Party stretch to the Illinois native’s days at Harvard. It was originally made as a short for his senior thesis, but the success of Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It opened up opportunities for other black directors, which ultimately led to then-fledgling New Line Cinema agreeing to finance a feature-length version.
Thanks to New Line’s successful lawsuit against the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff for sampling the theme from A Nightmare on Elm Street without permission, there’s an alternate reality where Kid ‘n Play were replaced by Will Smith and his DJ sidekick. “As part of the settlement, they were obligated to be in a movie for New Line,” Hudlin recalls, leaning back in his office chair, casually clad in a plaid button-up and jeans. After a quarter-century in the industry, he’s seemingly lost none of his enthusiasm for both music and film.
“I met with their manager, who at the time was Russell Simmons, and he was like, ‘We’re not going to be in your little movie; we got a big movie planned for them.’ I was like, ‘OK, they don’t want to be in the movie and I didn’t want you to force them to be in it.’”
The film’s success launched Hudlin’s career. He went on to direct 1992’s Boomerang, presiding over one of the greatest soundtracks of the era, and the unfairly maligned Great White Hype, whose soundtrack is a quietly unsung classic. Hudlin directed The Ladies Man and produced Django Unchained. He’s run BET and co-produced last year’s Academy Awards ceremony.
For his latest production, he spearheaded “The Academy Celebrates the Black Movie Soundtrack II” on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at the Hollywood Bowl. The stacked bill features Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Lalah Hathaway, Gladys Knight, Charlie Wilson, Common, the surviving members of Earth, Wind & Fire and Hudlin’s longtime musical collaborator, Marcus Miller. And, of course, you can’t overlook Full Force, the Brooklyn R&B group who played House Party’s villains.
“This is my dream,” Hudlin says. “I wanted all these great black scores … a chronological survey from the great jazz of the ’40s to the ’70s black exploitation scores, the rock and soul of the ’80s, up through today’s hip-hop. To do that in one night was the best show I could imagine.”
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock (5581765ah) Anthony Anderson 47th NAACP Image Awards, Press Room, Los Angeles, America – 05 Feb 2016
The 48th annual NAACP Image Awards have been set for February 11, 2017 in a ceremony to air live as a two-hour telecast on TV One. Host Anthony Anderson is returning again as part of his multi-year deal with the event, which is being held again at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. TV One’s coverage will again include a live red-carpet preshow, with the production team including executive producers Reginald Hudlin and Phil Gurin returning as part of their own multi-year deals.
Nominations will be announced December 6 in categories covering the accomplishments of people of color in film, TV, music and literature. Last year, Creed scored wins in almost all of the categories it was nominated for including Best Actor and Best Director — Straight Outta Compton was tapped for Best Picture. Creed star Michael B. Jordan was also named Entertainer of the Year.
Here is the 2017 Image Awards timeline:
Tuesday, September 6
Submissions opens
Monday, October 3
Submissions closes
Tuesday, December 6
Nominees’ Press Conference
Saturday, January 28
Nominees’ Luncheon
February 10
Non-Televised Awards Dinner and Ceremony
Saturday, February 11
Red Carpet and Image Awards Telecast Airs Live on TV One
When most people talk about teen movies the first films that come to mind often come from the narrow mind of John Hughes. They immediately throw around titles like SIXTEEN CANDLES, THE BREAKFAST CLUB, or FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF — but in my opinion you can’t talk about quintessential teen movies without mentioning HOUSE PARTY.
This film defined what it meant to be young, black, and fly. On the surface it’s a simple story about a kid (pun intended) who has to sneak out of his back window to attend one of the dopest house parties of the year. But underneath it’s about what it means to be a good friend. There are rules. You never go for the girl your best friend wants. You don’t hit below the belt, even in a rap battle. If three bullies threaten to kick your friend’s fucking ass — you have his back. And if one of you goes to jail, you do whatever you have to do to get the money to bail him out.
I love everything about this movie. It’s special from beginning to end. From the moment you hear Luther Vandross singing about an epic party to the very end when you hear Kid getting his ass beat by his pops — this teen movie is an unforgettable gem. Kid and Play aren’t boys in the hood — they’re two kids who live in the suburbs that want to chase girls, wear fly clothes, and have fun.
This film might sound like a light silly movie, but for me — it was like a warm hug. It was so familiar yet aspirational. It was revolutionary. And that’s why, in my opinion, it’s a classic.
HOUSE PARTY is available to rent via YouTube, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, and Google Play.
We’ll finish up the first week of #EssentialTeenFilms tomorrow!
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 28: Craig Robinson entertians at the Dana Brunetti’s Pre Oscar party hosted by Steve Shaw at the private residence of Jonas Tahlin, CEO of Absolut Elyx on February 28, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images for Absolut Elyx)
Seems like the actor Craig Robinson is everywhere these days. He offers up his voice in the new comedy Sausage Party, shows up in the hit series Mr. Robot, headlines a new film out this month, Morris from America, and he’ll host yet another rousing production of the Black Movie Soundtrack at the Hollywood Bowl.
The first show, which took place in 2014, was “a soulful celebration of black cinema classics.” This year, it’s back by popular demand with Robinson once again at the helm as host.
He spoke with Take Two host Alex Cohen about the event and started off by listing some of his favorite black cinema films, what artists he’s looking forward to and previewed some of his singing skills with Luther Vandross.
