When antiheroes and pimp suits ruled

Is there a filmmaker out there who will do the right thing and make a movie about the Ed Wood-like wonder that is “Dolemite?” A so-bad-it’s-great compendium of blaxploitation movie cliches that surely stirred the fire inside the young Quentin Tarantino, 1975’s “Dolemite” has it all: steely antihero, leering gangsters, corrupt cops, gratuitous sex and violence, outlandish pimp suits and an all-girl kung fu squad.

It would be a story well worth bringing to the big screen, a la Tim Burton’s loving treatment of an earlier era’s famous film fiascoes in his 1994 biopic “Ed Wood.” It’s packed with similarly fascinating ingredients, starting with a cult hero of epic proportions in the movie’s star and producer (and set decorator), maverick black comedian Rudy Ray Moore. There’s also cinematic ineptitude and irrational confidence to spare, and a setting to savor in the down-on-its-heels underbelly of the mid-1970s black entertainment world.

And finally there could be redemption, since Moore is now widely (if still not sufficiently) recognized as a seminal figure in black culture -- a link between its pre-tech urban oral traditions and the flow and personas of such rap figures as Ice-T and Snoop Dogg.

Moore, Alabama-born but long a Los Angeles resident, started as a singer but turned to comedy and in the 1960s and 1970s released a succession of ribald, plain-brown-wrapper albums whose graphic language meant he’d remain isolated from mainstream success. (The character of Dolemite originated in one of his routines.)

But he also had the cachet of the outside, and his influence extended beyond the African American world, informing the voices and attitudes of singer Tom Waits and the late comedian Sam Kinison, to name two prominent disciples. Moore has remained active as a performer, often appearing at in-the-know rock music venues.

The cult classic “Dolemite” -- whose plot involves the title character’s efforts to free the ghetto from the stranglehold of a drug-dealing kingpin played by the film’s director, D’Urville Martin -- has been available on video and DVD for years.

But the “Dolemite” archive has had a glaring gap that will finally be filled on Tuesday, when the soundtrack that propels the action and sweetens the too-much-information love scenes is released on CD for the first time. In keeping with “Dolemite’s” incongruous nature, the 21-track collection comes from a Philadelphia-based independent label known for extreme metal, Relapse Records.

The music, created by Moore, mostly played by a collection of musicians dubbed the Soul Rebellion Orchestra, vividly evokes its era and oeuvre. Hard-edged and derivative but also spirited and flavorful, this funk-dominated score can stand on its own as an eccentric party record.

Much closer to the finish line of professionalism than the film it accompanies (the roster of musicians boasts one star-to-be, James Ingram), the music includes bass-forward urban funk and a more Southern brand of soul music in the style of Otis Redding and other Stax Records artists. There are some bluesy shuffles, and a dip into the Bacharachish waters of ‘60s sunshine soul-pop.

The CD itself was assembled from scattered sources, and just as the movie sports mismatched color registers, the disc features inconsistent dynamics, as well as some jarring, abrupt song endings.

But all that fits the nature of the enterprise, and there’s something strangely gratifying about such moments as the vinyl-popping sound on the fade of the title track.

Bonus tracks include some radio commercials for the movie and songs from its sequel, “The Human Tornado.” There’s also the version of “Dolemite” from the film, with narration by Moore, and a take of the jumpy, up-tempo “Flatland” that sounds like a Captain Beefheart track, with a spoken vocal by the star.

But that’s about it for the monologues that Moore was famous for, a disappointment given that the film includes a couple of fine examples: “Shine and the Great Titanic” and “The Signifying Monkey.” (What are they doing in the film? Well, in the former case, Moore is inspired to oration when a group of parking-lot layabouts gather around and challenge him to prove that he’s Dolemite.)

Moore, 80, hopes to celebrate the release of the CD by returning to his Los Angeles home from the hospital where he’s been confined since June 7 for treatment of various and serious ailments, his manager, Foster Corder, said Friday.

And Moore still plans to appear July 15 for a question-and-answer session scheduled at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood (www.steveallentheater.com) following the screening of his 1977 comedy horror film, “Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son-in-Law.”

But that’s another story....