| Black Rodeo | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jeff Kanew |
| Written by | Jeff Kanew |
| Narrated by | Woody Strode |
| Release date(s) | May 1, 1972 |
| Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Black Rodeo is a 1972 documentary by filmmaker Jeff Kanew. It captures the events surrounding the first-time performance of an all black rodeo in Harlem in New York City. The film's tagline, "Nobody ever told you there were Black Cowboys," was accurate for its time. The documentary depicts that the people who attended the rodeo were awed to find black men and women actively involved in skills like bronc riding, calf roping and brahma bull riding. The children who came were thrilled to discover a new set of role models.
Actor Woody Strode attended the rodeo and appears in the film as its narrator. He imparts a number of stories that show the participation of blacks in the development of the American Old West.
The film captures the appearance of Muhammad Ali, who rides a horse on 125th Street (the main street in Harlem), trades friendly verbal jabs with the cowboys and actually straps on chaps and rides a bull.
The rodeo events in the film are set to the music of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Lee Dorsey, Sammy Turner, Little Eva and other R&B greats.
The film was released by Cinerama Releasing in the spring of 1972.
Reviewed in The New York Times, The NY Daily News, and Variety
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