Andy Taylor, Commercial Director "Rudy Ray Moore was an influential figure in the "Blaxploitation" genre. In the 1960s, he began his career as a stand-up comedian where he developed the character Dolemite. Later, Rudy had the opportunity to play Dolemite in a number of now-iconic films. Eddie Murphy reintroduced the character to a whole new audience in his 2019 film Dolemite is My Name, a biography of Rudy Ray Moores." He continued "We believe there's an opportunity to promote this catalogue to existing fans, as well as to introduce it to a wider audience. Our team is excited to be collaborating with Xenon Pictures on this classic, iconic collection."
The films in the catalogue are Abar: Black Superman / Black Godfather / Black Sister's Revenge / Blackenstein / Ralph Bakshi’s Coonskin / Disco Godfather / Dolemite / Human Tornado / The Legend of Dolemite / Rudy Ray Moore: Live at the Wetlands / Lord Shango / Penitentiary / Penitentiary II / Petey Wheatstraw / Rudy Ray Moore Live / Soul Vengeance.
Reviews:
Abar: Black Superman: “Strikes fear into the hearts of intolerant racists everywhere” - Rovi
Dolemite: “The Citizen Kane of Kung-fu pimpin' films” – New York Times
Disco Godfather: "Rudy Ray Moore is a comic genius"– ColeSmithey.com
Penitentiary: “Comparisons to Rocky are inevitable, but Penitentiary is too vital and personal to be a copy of anything” – Los Angeles Times
Soul Vengeance: “Blaxploitation made legendary” – Rottentomatoes.com
The Rudy Ray Moore catalogue will be released on numerous digital platforms across the summer of 2021.