Sig Shore
Encyclopedia
Sig Shore was an American
film director
and producer
. His 1972
film Super Fly is considered one of the first "blaxploitation
" films.
, New York
and grew up in the Bronx
. He attended George Washington University
on a basketball scholarship, but left school during World War II
to serve in the United States Army Air Force, rising to the rank of first lieutenant.
After the war he worked as an advertising director for Dance magazine. Shore got his start in the film industry importing dubbed foreign films. One of these films, Ilya Muromets
(retitled The Sword and the Dragon), was mocked in a 1994 episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Other foreign titles that Shore imported include Black Jesus, The 400 Blows
, and Hiroshima Mon Amour
.
Shore's biggest hit was 1972's Super Fly, directed by Gordon Parks Jr. Filmed on a budget of only US$300,000, it later made over US$30,000,000, and helped spawn the blaxploitation craze of the 1970s. Shore directed as well as produced the less-successful 1990 sequel, The Return of Superfly
.
Another well-known film by Shore was That's the Way of the World
(1975) about music business and featuring Harvey Keitel
and also R&B/Funk group Earth, Wind and Fire (who appear in the picture as a fictionalized version of themselves).
Shore spent his last years in Stamford
, Connecticut
. He died from pulmonary complications and respiratory failure
due to chronic pneumonia
. At the time of his death he was in negotiations with Warner Bros.
to produce a remake of Super Fly.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. His 1972
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
film Super Fly is considered one of the first "blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
" films.
Biography
Shore was born in HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and grew up in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. He attended George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
on a basketball scholarship, but left school during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to serve in the United States Army Air Force, rising to the rank of first lieutenant.
After the war he worked as an advertising director for Dance magazine. Shore got his start in the film industry importing dubbed foreign films. One of these films, Ilya Muromets
Ilya Muromets (film)
Ilya Muromets , known in the US as The Sword and the Dragon and in the UK as The Epic Hero and the Beast , is a Russian fantasy film directed by the noted fantasy director Aleksandr Ptushko, made at Mosfilm and released in 1956. It is based on the byliny tales of the bogatyr Ilya Muromets...
(retitled The Sword and the Dragon), was mocked in a 1994 episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Other foreign titles that Shore imported include Black Jesus, The 400 Blows
The 400 Blows
The 400 Blows is a 1959 French film directed by François Truffaut. One of the defining films of the French New Wave, it displays many of the characteristic traits of the movement. The story revolves around Antoine Doinel, an ordinary adolescent in Paris, who is thought by his parents and teachers...
, and Hiroshima Mon Amour
Hiroshima Mon Amour
Hiroshima mon amour is an acclaimed 1959 drama film directed by French film director Alain Resnais, with a screenplay by Marguerite Duras. It is the documentation of an intensely personal conversation between a French-Japanese couple about memory and forgetfulness...
.
Shore's biggest hit was 1972's Super Fly, directed by Gordon Parks Jr. Filmed on a budget of only US$300,000, it later made over US$30,000,000, and helped spawn the blaxploitation craze of the 1970s. Shore directed as well as produced the less-successful 1990 sequel, The Return of Superfly
The Return of Superfly
The Return of Superfly is a 1990 blaxploitation film directed by Sig Shore as the second sequel to the 1972 film, Super Fly . The film starred Nathan Purdee and Margaret Avery and featured a performance by Samuel L. Jackson...
.
Another well-known film by Shore was That's the Way of the World
That's the Way of the World (film)
That's the Way of the World is a 1975 film produced and directed by Sig Shore, starring Harvey Keitel, and features the music of R&B/Funk group Earth, Wind and Fire . The film depicts the music business and the life of record executives...
(1975) about music business and featuring Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
and also R&B/Funk group Earth, Wind and Fire (who appear in the picture as a fictionalized version of themselves).
Shore spent his last years in Stamford
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. He died from pulmonary complications and respiratory failure
Respiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
due to chronic pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. At the time of his death he was in negotiations with Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
to produce a remake of Super Fly.