Pam Grier
Pam
Grier is ultra cool. Always calm and well articulated, with a remarkably
positive philosophy
of life. Even before I even knew her name, I considered myself a fan.
She paved the way to a new generation of actresses that could held their
own in any action picture with a fearless manner, all the while remaining
feminine and sexy. Furthermore, if I may share a somewhat macho observation,
she has the honor of having one of the most beautiful chest ever displayed
in the history of motion pictures.
Born on May 26, 1949, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Pamela Suzette Grier is the daughter of an army mechanic and a nurse. Consequently, she followed her dad around many army bases, including stays in England and Germany. Reaching her 18th birthday, when the family was now stationed in Denver, Pam became a contestant in the Miss Colorado Universe Pageant. Are you ready to bet with me that some Hollywood agent would take notice? Bullseye. Her first job in the movie industry, as legends go, seems to be as a switchboard operator for American International Pictures, where she would be considered its Queen in the future. Finally, she found herself cast in a minuscule role for Russ Meyer's legendary Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in 1970. Then came The Big Doll House the following year, which remains the starting point of a most amazing career for an American actress.
Oddly,
who would've thought that by working in so many Women In Prison films
(like The Big
Bird Cage, Black Mama White Mama, Women
in Cages), Pam Grier became a respected figure for feminist
groups and the black community? She remains to this day an immortal
symbol of
the Blaxploitation genre, a style of action pictures that were marketed
for the African-American moviegoers, with such offerings as Cool
Breeze, Hit Man, Coffy, Foxy
Brown, Friday Foster, Sheba Baby...
Coffy remains a personal favorite, primarily for the
scene where our heroine hides some razor blades in her large afro in
case
of an eventual attack!
Sometimes
vulnerable, often unrelenting, Pam's characters of the era were more
often than not
good girls in search of justice. All the Blaxploitation series is still
enjoyable to watch today, considering its unique and soulful soundtracks
and extravagant dress code. Many are released on DVD these days, with
a good choice of Pam Grier titles. The majority of prison movies were
filmed in the Phillipines, where at one point Pam contracted some mysterious
and sometimes fatal tropical disease, which resulted in a total loss
of
hair and eye vision for a month!
Pam worked on more cult films outside of gangsters movies: we can mention Twilight People (where she can be seen as an alluring cat-woman), Scream Blacula Scream, and The Arena (sadly, the only movie dedicated to female gladiators?). Many more were to come, as Pam also became a sex-symbol, posing nude in Players magazine. But oddly, as Blaxploitation came to a stop, her work schedule was dramatically reduced. She worked on Greased Lightning with Richard Pryor in 1977, a more serious role that she hoped would open the way for productions of higher quality. No such luck: she would have to wait four years for her next project, Fort Apache: The Bronx with Paul Newman, where she played a murderous prostitute. As reward, the majority of her scenes were cut in the editing room.
Some well-deserved respect
finally came her way in 1983 for Something Wicked This Way Comes,
based on a Ray Bradbury story. Pam has a silent role as a witch, considered
the "world's most beautiful woman". She would soon find herself in a Canadian
sci-fi production, The Vindicator, directed by Jean-Claude
Lord and was even cast in a semi-regular role in TV's Miami Vice.
Then came a supporting role in Steven Seagal's Above the Law
in 1988 and from that point, work came on a more regular basis. But the
same year, Pam was diagnosed with cancer and given no more than 18 months
to live. A positive attitude remains the reason why the actress is still
with us as beautiful as ever.
She played a robot-teacher in Class of 1999 and took part in Ted & Bill's Bogus Journey. In an homage to Blaxploitation, Pam was united with three other veterans of the genre: Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree and Fred Williamson, for Original Gangstas. A most threatening foursome! In 1996, Pam was in John Carpenter's mediocre Escape from L.A. and Tim Burton's misunderstood Mars Attacks! But the best was yet to come.
If Quentin Tarantino
ever did something right, it was to give the starring role of Jackie
Brown to Pam, like he promised her many months before shooting
began (she had actually auditioned for a role in Pulp Fiction).
Looking at least 20 years younger than her real age, Pam gave us
the performance of her career. I particularly like her character's first
appearance, when we can hear the theme song of Across 110th Street
while she stands still on a moving escalator. For this role, she was nominated
as Best Actress for the Golden Globes Awards, the Screen Actors Guild
Awards, the Image Awards, the Golden Satellite Awards and actually won
at the Csapnivalo Awards... but was not even considered for the Academy
Awards (?).
What has the future got in store for Pam Grier? Back to B-Movies like Fortress 2? Or more parts in films directed by people who grew up with her seventies' roles? It remains to be seen. Her talent and enthusiasm should not be wasted. In my eyes, she's still one of the most fascinating actress of the last 35 years.
