Shaft in Africa: Richard Roundtree’s Workwear

Richard Roundtree as John Shaft in Shaft in Africa (1973) Vitals Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, tough private detective Ethiopia to Paris, Winter 1972 Film: Shaft in Africa Release Date: June 20, 1973 Director: John Guillermin Wardrobe Credit: Frank Balchus WARNING! Spoilers ahead! Background Who’s the cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about? Shaft! (Right on.) The groundbreaking role of private investigator John Shaft was originated across three films in the early 1970s by Richard Roundtree, who died three years ago today on October 24, 2023. After successful back-to-back installments set in Shaft’s native New York City, the character crossed the ocean for the bluntly titled 1973 sequel Shaft in Africa. Unlike the previous two films, Shaft in Africa was a box office bomb that resulted in the property beign moved to television for a short-lived series. It would be more than a quarter century until Roundtree reprised the role in two more films, both titled Shaft,…