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Online First: Richard Roundtree attends 'Shaft' screening at FSCC
By Justin Messner
The Fort Scott Tribune
Local residents filled the Gordon Parks Center at Fort Scott Community College Friday afternoon to hear the star of one of Park's most well known projects reminisce about his experiences both in film and with the local legend.
Richard Roundtree, well known for his starring role in Park's 1971 film "Shaft," made an appearance at the center to field questions about his life and how it was affected by Parks just before a special screening of the film.
"He's (Parks) always been a mentor to me," said Roundtree. "I mean, he is obviously a very huge hero to me and an incredible human being; probably the most important male figure in my life."
Roundtree sat alongside David Parks, Gordon's son and fellow film maker, discussing the importance of the film with those in attendance.
"The success of Shaft was really the fact that, here's a (black) guy that makes his own moves and he didn't answer to anyone. He was his own man and that was unique in that point in time," said Roundtree. "You didn't see any of that with the rare exception of Sidney's (Poitier) films. But, the uniqueness of that character was a huge turnaround in that industry."
In addition to the film screening, Roundtree is in Fort Scott to receive the Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award. This award is given annually to individuals who exemplify the same spirit and strength of character as Parks.
"We are very pleased that Richard Roundtree will receive this award," said Gordon Parks Center Executive Director Jill Warford. "He was the star of the Shaft films directed by Gordon Parks, has worked on stage and in film consistently and has done much to promote male breast cancer awareness. Most importantly, he had a long and close relationship with Gordon."
The late Gordon Parks is a Fort Scott native who dedicated his life to inspiration through the arts. His resume includes the authoring of numerous books, poems and screenplays, as well as, directing 10 feature films and photographing pictures known around the world. Parks was the first black director of a feature film and the first black photographer for Life magazine.
"Anything that has Gordon's name on it, that I'm associated with is incredible," said Roundtree. "So, this is very big."
Look for the full story and photos from the event in the Weekend Herald-Tribune.