Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold — Cleo Goes Kung Fu

This week on Black Deth 101, Nubius Black and Johnny Deth follow Tamara Dobson’s iconic super-agent overseas for the 1975 sequel Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold. This time, Cleo leaves the streets behind and heads to Hong Kong and Macao, where missing agents, martial arts mayhem, casino corruption, and Stella Stevens’ outrageous Dragon Lady collide in one wild blaxploitation/kung fu mashup.

Directed by Charles Bail, the film stars Tamara Dobson, Stella Stevens, Ni Tien / Tanny, Norman Fell, Albert Popwell, and Caro Kenyatta. The plot sends Cleopatra Jones to Hong Kong after two government agents, Matthew and Melvin Johnson, disappear while investigating a heroin operation connected to the Dragon Lady’s casino empire.

We get into:

Cleo as an international action heroThe first Cleopatra Jones already made her larger than life, but this sequel turns her into a global superhero: fashion model, federal agent, martial artist, rescue squad, and walking disco explosion.

Blaxploitation meets Shaw Brothers energyThe movie leans hard into Hong Kong action, with casino intrigue, kung fu fights, boat ambushes, henchmen, and secret criminal operations. Run Run Shaw is listed as producer on several sources, which helps explain the East-meets-West action flavor.

Tamara Dobson’s presenceRoger Ebert noted Dobson’s striking height and screen presence, calling attention to the film’s parade of capes, hoods, metallic outfits, and impossible-to-miss fashion statements. That’s half the movie right there: Cleo doesn’t sneak into Hong Kong — she arrives.

Stella Stevens as the Dragon LadyIs the villain problematic? Absolutely. Is she memorable? Also absolutely. We talk about the camp, the menace, the stereotype, and the way the film turns its villain into a strange cocktail of Bond villain, casino boss, and grindhouse cartoon.

Mi Ling / Mi Lin-Fong deserves more loveNi Tien, credited in some sources as Tanny, gives Cleo a local partner and brings real action-movie energy to the team-up. The movie works best when Cleo and Mi Ling are fighting, investigating, and moving through the Hong Kong underworld together.

The Johnson Brothers: Matthew and MelvinAlbert Popwell and Caro Kenyatta play the missing agents who kick off the rescue plot. We also ask the important question: are these guys smooth operators, comic relief, or just two brothers who should have stayed off that boat?

Cleo’s wardrobe is ridiculous in the best possible way. The casino setting gives the movie a pulpy Bond-style atmosphere. The Hong Kong location work and martial arts angle help separate it from the first film. And Tamara Dobson still owns every frame she walks into.

The Dragon Lady characterization is loaded with 1970s exploitation baggage, especially in how sexuality and Asian villainy are coded. The plot is thin, some of the comedy is uneven, and the movie sometimes feels like it wants to be Bond, kung fu, and blaxploitation all at once without fully committing to any one lane.

Is Casino of Gold a worthy sequel — or is it just a funky, fashionable, kung fu side mission?

Episode TopicsThings We LovedThings That Don’t Age GreatBig Question of the Episode

Scream Blacula Scream — Blacula Gets His Voodoo Groove Back

This week on Black Deth 101, we return to the coffin for Scream Blacula Scream — the 1973 sequel to Blacula, directed by Bob Kelljan and starring the great William Marshall as Prince Mamuwalde, with Pam Grier stepping into the supernatural spotlight as Lisa Fortier. The film was released by American International Pictures and runs about 96 minutes.

After the death of a voodoo queen, arrogant Willis Daniels gets passed over for leadership of the cult. Mad, jealous, and foolish, he resurrects Blacula — thinking he can control him. Big mistake. Mamuwalde rises again, still tragic, still regal, still cursed, and very quickly reminds everybody that he is no man’s puppet.

In this episode, Nubius Black and Johnny Deth dig into how Scream Blacula Scream shifts the series from gothic romance into voodoo horror, how William Marshall again gives Blacula dignity beyond the script, and how Pam Grier brings strength, intelligence, and spiritual power without simply playing “Foxy Brown with a spell book.” We also talk Richard Lawson’s film debut as Willis, Don Mitchell as Justin Carter, Michael Conrad as Lt. Dunlop, and the movie’s mix of African artifacts, occult ritual, vampire mayhem, and funky ’70s horror atmosphere.

We also get into director Bob Kelljan, best known for the Count Yorga vampire films, and how his horror experience gives this sequel a sharper genre flavor than the first film. Critics were split: Roger Ebert thought the movie looked rushed but praised Marshall and Grier, while Gene Siskel considered it better than the original.

Is Scream Blacula Scream a worthy sequel? Is Mamuwalde a monster, a victim, or the most elegant undead brother in cinema history? And does the movie make the most of Pam Grier, or leave too much power on the table?

Grab your wooden stakes, light the candles, and don’t mess around with bones you bought from a shady old occult dealer.

Featured film: Scream Blacula Scream
Year: 1973
Director: Bob Kelljan
Starring: William Marshall, Pam Grier, Don Mitchell, Richard Lawson, Michael Conrad, Bernie Hamilton
Genre: Blaxploitation horror / vampire horror / voodoo horror
Connection: Sequel to 1972’s Blacula

Blacula, Scream Blacula Scream, William Marshall, Pam Grier, Bob Kelljan, Black horror, Blaxploitation, 1970s horror, vampire movies, voodoo horror, American International Pictures, Richard Lawson, Black Deth 101, Nubius Black, Johnny Deth.

Episode Talking PointsTags / Keywords

Black Deth 101 — Shaft’s Big Score!

Nubius Black & Johnny Deth are back in the cut, and this time the streets are louder, the money is dirtier, and Shaft is moving through New York like a one-man storm.

In this episode, we dig into Shaft’s Big Score! — the 1972 sequel that brought Richard Roundtree back as the smoothest private eye in the game, with Gordon Parks once again behind the camera. The first Shaft made the man a legend. This one gives him more action, more attitude, more style, and a bigger playground to run through.

We break down how the film opens with a bang — literally — as a friend of Shaft’s is killed and a missing stash of money sends gangsters, cops, and hustlers all circling the same prize. From Harlem streets to sleek high-rises, from backroom deals to dockside shootouts, Shaft’s Big Score! takes the detective story and blows it up into a full-blown urban action thriller.

We also talk about:

Richard Roundtree stepping deeper into the Shaft persona
Cool, confident, sharp as a switchblade, and never begging for permission.

Gordon Parks as director and composer
Yes, the man directed it and scored it, giving the movie its own flavor separate from Isaac Hayes’ legendary first-film soundtrack.

The shift from street detective story to bigger action spectacle
Car chases, boat chases, helicopter action, shootouts — this sequel went for scale.

The women, the villains, and the power plays
This film has everyone chasing money, control, respect, and survival.

The deeper subtext
Shaft isn’t just solving a crime. He’s navigating a world where Black power, organized crime, police pressure, and money all collide in the early 1970s urban landscape.

Why this movie still matters
It may not have the same cultural earthquake reputation as the first Shaft, but Shaft’s Big Score! proves the character had room to grow — bigger, bolder, and more cinematic.

So slide on in, cool cats. We’re talking money, murder, muscle, and that leather-coated legend himself.

Shaft’s Big Score!
The baddest private eye is back — and this time the score is bigger than ever.

Listen now to Black Deth 101 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your funky film history.