‘The Cat Who Won’t Cop Out’ Trying to Cop a New Image

The photographer was not trying to mess with Richard Roundtree, the Man Best Known as Shaft.

Really.

He was just trying to get the right shot, positioning the actor against a pillar outside the Walt Disney Studios so that a shadow would fall across his face. “You know, so we can get this shaft of light hitting your eyes just right,” the photographer said.

Roundtree and the cameraman realized the unintentional quip at the same moment. Although the actor smiled good-naturedly, a quick flash in his eyes strongly sent the unspoken message to the embarrassed photographer to be a lot more careful next time with his choice of words.

It’s not that Roundtree is trying to give John Shaft the shaft. His portrayal of the no-nonsense, leather-adorned detective of the popular “Shaft” films in the early 1970s has provided him with an inescapable image that has lasted more than two decades. “Shaft,” directed in 1971 by famed photographer Gordon Parks, was the precursor of the so-called blaxploitation craze that is enjoying a renaissance on college campuses and among urban youths.

But the infectious wah-wah guitar of Issac Hayes’ “Theme From ‘Shaft’ ” does not start playing when Roundtree walks into a room. In real life, he is far from, as the lyrics of the song proclaim, “a bad mother--(shut your mouth!).” And the only leather in sight is his brown leather cigar case with the gold plate that reads “Roundtree.”

Even though he is grateful for “Shaft” and the visibility it brought him, Roundtree said he hopes his role as a determined businessman on the new ABC comedy “Buddies” will further help him crawl from under the bittersweet shadow of Shaft with fans and producers who still expect him to crash through windows, chase crooks and curse out cops.

“Shaft is someone I have not been able to get away from for 25 years,” Roundtree said quietly as he sat in the offices of Touchstone Television, the division of Walt Disney Co. that produces “Buddies.” “A few years ago, I did a role on ‘Roc’ where I played a gay guy who gets married. That’s as far from Shaft as you can get. In spite of that, I’m still identified with Shaft.”

Carmen Finestra, one of the executive producers of “Buddies,” can understand Roundtree’s dilemma.

“You’re always thrown when he walks into the room,” Finestra said. “I saw all the ‘Shaft’ movies, and they were fun. The sad thing is, everyone starts humming the ‘Shaft’ theme when he’s around.”

It is easy to see why. The large afro is gone, and his closely cropped hair is speckled here and there with touches of gray, but the 52-year-old Roundtree looks young, fit and trim enough to step into the leather Shaft gear tomorrow.

“Invariably, people want me to play a detective,” said Roundtree, cigar smoke cruising around his face. “I always seem to play authority figures.” He paused, chuckling: “It could be worse. They could be asking me to play a pimp or a drug dealer.”

In recent years, Roundtree has tried to land serious roles that go against the hard-boiled image. Tim Reid, producer and director of the recently released period drama “Once Upon a Time . . . When We Were Colored,” said he took delight in casting Roundtree against type as a friendly iceman who inflames racial friction when his business is threatened by discrimination.

*

But Finestra, one of the Wind Dancer Production Group principals who developed the hit “Home Improvement,” said he was immediately impressed by Roundtree’s comedic instinct: “I think this show will change people’s opinion about Richard’s ability to do comedy. He’s very big in it.”

“Buddies” revolves around Dave Carlisle (Dave Chappelle), a young black man who dreams of being a filmmaker and who goes into business with his white best friend, John Bailey (Christopher Gartin). Roundtree plays Dave’s father, Henry, a gruff, self-made businessman who takes a less than benevolent view of his son’s aspirations and his association with a white man.

“This is a real departure for me,” Roundtree said. “I’m not driving the comedy of the show. Henry is very much a straight-ahead guy. He’s no-nonsense. He pulled himself up by his bootstraps and wants his son to do the same. I totally understand where he’s coming from.”

Roundtree, who played football briefly at Southern Illinois University and did some modeling before his acting career took off, has appeared in numerous movies, including “City Heat,” “Man Friday” and “Seven,” and has been featured on several television series, including “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “A Different World” and the black soap opera “Generations.”

But it was as Shaft that Roundtree made his biggest impression, fighting crime in a fashion that made Dirty Harry look like a Girl Scout. The first film was followed by “Shaft’s Big Score!,” “Shaft in Africa” and a short-lived television series in 1973 that featured a significantly watered-down version of the character.

When asked about the spate of blaxploitation films sparked by “Shaft,” and the images of African Americans in films, Roundtree bristled slightly.

“I don’t know anything about black exploitation, especially in the context of ‘Shaft,’ ” he said with more than a touch of firmness in his tone. “I leave the subject alone. I’m proud to have done that film with a class act like Gordon Parks. You can’t say his name and blaxploitation in the same sentence.”

Roundtree got an opportunity to reunite with several of his fellow stars from those days last year while filming “Original Gangsters,” a soon-to-be-released film featuring Pam Grier, Ron O’Neal and Fred Williamson.

But right now, getting the laugh is Roundtree’s goal.

“I am by no means totally comfortable with comedy. I can’t tell a joke for the life of me, always mess up the punch line. But I’m coming along.” He said with a chuckle: “Maybe by the second year of this show, I’ll have it down.”

* “Buddies” airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on ABC (Channels 7, 3).