#Zara Cully

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Sugar Hill (1974)

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Zara Frances Cully (January 26, 1892 – February 28, 1978)

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The beautiful actress Zara Frances Cully aka Mother Jefferson 🖤🖤

[jmreynolds]

Blacula Vs Sugar Hill (1975)

Blacula Vs Sugar Hill (1975). Starring William Marshall, Marki Bey and Yaphet Kotto. Based on a screenplay by Bill Gunn and directed by Larry Cohen.

In 1975, American International Pictures decided to roll the dice one last time on the Blacula franchise; but this time, the vampire would be facing another AIP original – Sugar Hill. With a script by Ganja & Hess (1973) writer and director Bill Gunn, and directed by Larry Cohen, Blacula Vs Sugar Hill (also known as Blacula Lives!) found a reluctant William Marshall returning to the role of Prince Mamuwalde, and Marki Bey once again sliding into the white jumpsuit of Diana ‘Sugar’ Hill.

Other members of the cast included Yaphet Kotto as the menacing bokor, Mr. Sunlight; Julius Harris as hitman turned vampire, Turner; Art Lund as scheming mob boss Morgan; Don Pedro Colley as Baron Samedi; Geoffrey Holder as Baron Cimitière; Zara Cully as Mama Maitresse; Don Mitchell as Justin Carter; Thalmus Rasulala as Dr. Gordon Thomas; with a special cameo by Pam Grier, who reprised her role as Lisa Fortier in a stunning dream sequence that Roger Ebert called ‘phantasmagorical and indulgent’.

A sequel to both Scream Blacula Scream (1974) and Sugar Hill (1974), the film opened with Mamuwalde’s resurrection by the villainous Mr. Sunlight. Sunlight, working for mob-boss Pretty Johnny Morgan, has drawn Mamuwalde back to the land of the living for one purpose: to destroy the woman who calls herself Sugar Hill.

What follows is an overstuffed-but-exciting seventy-minute psychedelic showdown between the living, the dead, and the in-between. Zombies battle vampires; Baron Samedi is captured by Sunlight’s magics; Mamuwalde’s old foes, Justin Carter and Gordon Thomas, are summoned by Baron Cimitière to fight the vampire; Mr. Sunlight matches his mystic powers against those of Mama Maitresse; and in the gore-soaked finale, Mamuwalde and Sugar Hill put aside their differences and invade Sunlight’s island-fortress, battling undead mobsters in an effort to reach the man responsible for their respective difficulties.

The film proved to be a moderate success, revitalizing AIP’s then-waning interest in horror films. Marki Bey was quickly signed to a two-picture deal for further Sugar Hill sequels, including Sweet Babylon (1977) – written and directed by Gunn – and Sugar Hill in Hell (1979), written and directed by John Carpenter, with a script consultation by Dario Argento. Kurt Russell had a notable role in the film as lycanthropic gangster Johnny Moon.

Marshall, less interested in returning as Mamuwalde, was nonetheless convinced to give it a fourth and final go in Blacula, Prince of Darkness (1976), which was the first – though not the last – of AIP’s joint-ventures with overseas studios – in this case, Hammer. In the film, Mamuwalde finally comes to grips with Dracula – played by an equally reluctant Christopher Lee – in a ‘senses-shattering showdown of the supernatural’.

While neither actor is what one might call invested, the very act of sharing a screen seemed to bring out the best in both Lee and Marshall, and the confrontation between them proved memorable – just as senses-shattering as promised. Appearances by Don Mitchell as Justin Carter and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing cemented the film’s status as a cult classic, as did Gene Page’s return for the soundtrack.

The success of its horror catalogue kept AIP financially afloat in the difficult years ahead. A revitalised Samuel Arkoff turned his attentions to new properties, including The Mist (1980) and Escape from Detroit (1981), both written and directed by John Carpenter, with script assistance from Nick Castle and Bill Gunn. Escape from Detroit was followed by two sequels – Escape from Hollywood (1984) and Escape from Hell (1985). All three films starred Kurt Russell and Yaphet Kotto, with Lee Van Cleef as the embittered Bob Hauk.

But with both Bey and Marshall moving on to greener pastures in the early eighties, AIP was forced to get creative with its horror films. Fresh off of his run on Ironside (1967-1975), Don Mitchell agreed to reprise his role as Justin Carter for further films. The first of these, Q (1982), was directed by Larry Cohen and found occult expert Carter locked in battle with another supernatural menace and lumbered with a conniving sidekick, Jimmy Quinn, ably played by Michael Moriarty.

The duo proved to be popular enough that Cohen agreed to direct another two, including The Substance (1985), which finds Carter and Quinn investigating an alien menace, and Monster Cop (1988), which had the distinction of being written by Cohen himself, and saw the duo go up against Robert Z’dar’s titular undead cop.

The Carter and Quinn films were followed by a short lived and largely forgettable television series, Carter & Quinn, that lasted for a single season. Even a surprise appearance by William Marshall as Mamuwalde in the season finale did little to perk up the ratings but it found a new lease on life later, on DVD.

More happily, Cohen and Z’dar would go on to write Monster Cop II: Bloody Justice (1990), which positioned Z’dar’s monstrous Cordell as an anti-hero, fighting a corrupt police force. Bloody Justice was the first of a popular direct-to-video series, and co-starred Robert Davi and Laurene Landon. While a possible crossover with several of AIP's other horror stars were posited, Cordell never encounters his predecessors. The closest he comes is an encounter with Don Pedro Colley's Baron Samedi in Monster Cop IV: Voodoo Beat (1995). Cohen, a fan of the 'AIP Expanded Universe' as some critics have begun to call it, encouraged fans to view it as an unofficial Sugar Hill crossover.

By the late Nineties, the well of creativity at AIP was at last beginning to run dry. Arkoff had long since retired, and AIP was soon bought out by a struggling Orion Pictures Corporation. When Orion was bought in its turn by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, the AIP catalogue vanished into the vaults – until 2018, when remastered Blu-Ray editions of the Blacula and Sugar Hill films were released to great acclaim.

[mikijamcf]

Zara Cull

Remembering Zara Cully Brown (January 26, 1892 – February 28, 1978) Actress. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts she did not come into acting until quite late. She made her television debut in "Run For Your Life" in 1966 at the age of 74. She appeared in character roles through out the 1960 and 1970 in such television series as "Night Gallery," "Days of Our Live," and "The Mod Squad." Her best remembered role, however, was that of Mother Jefferson who was introduced in a 1974 episode of "All in the Family." She reprised the role once more before the spinoff series, "The Jeffersons" saw her as a recurring character through some thirty episodes from 1975 through 1977; her last appearance was the episode "The Last Leaf." She succumbed to cancer the following year at the age of 86. She was sometimes credited as Zara Cully Brown

[lboogie1906]

Zara Frances Cully (January 26, 1892 – February 28, 1978) was an actress. She was known for her role as Olivia 'Mother Jefferson' Jefferson on The Jeffersons, which she portrayed from the series beginning in 1975 until her death. She was the eldest of 10 surviving children born to Ambrose E. and Nora Ann Cully in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Cully family was musical with Ambrose serving as the music director of the church they attended, Zion AME Church. Zara's younger brother, jazz trumpeter Wendell Cully, played with Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. She graduated from the Worcester School of Speech and Music. In 1940, after an appearance in New York City, she became known as "one of the world's greatest elocutionists". After moving to Jacksonville, Florida, she began producing, writing, directing, and acting in numerous plays. For 15 years she was a drama teacher at her studio as well as at Edward Waters College. She had become known as Florida's "Dean of Drama." Upset by the racism she experienced in the Jim Crow-era South, she decided to move to Hollywood, where she became a regular performer at the Ebony Showcase Theatre. By the time she acquired the role of 'Mother' Jefferson, she had accumulated a long list of acting credentials spanning a half-century, including such movies as The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970), a starring role in Brother John (1971), and Sugar Hill (1974) and Darktown Strutters (1975). Her TV career went back to what critics call 'the Golden Age of Television', including appearances on the highly acclaimed Playhouse 90 series. Aside from The Jeffersons, her television credits included The People Next Door, Run for Your Life, Cowboy in Africa, The Name of the Game, Mod Squad, Night Gallery, and All in the Family. She was one of the oldest performers active in television at the time of her death. She married James M. Brown, Jr. (1914-1968) and they had four children. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn4XZDLrBYE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Zara Cully 👀💕💦💖💥 January 26, 1892 – February 28, 1978 HAPPY BIRTHDAY - R.I.P. Actress (at West Hollywood, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn4LoL5LMo9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Birthday remembrance - Zara Cully “Mother Jefferson”

[venicepearl]

Zara Frances Cully (January 26, 1892 – February 28, 1978) was an American actress. Cully was best known for her role as Olivia 'Mother Jefferson' Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons, which she portrayed from the series beginning in 1975 until her death in 1978.

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January: Happy Birthday List

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19) 1: Josette Simon  2: Erica Hubbard, Renée Elise Goldsberry 3: Angelique Perrin, Nicole Beharie 4: Jill Marie Jones, Miss Tina Lawson, Lenora Crichlow, Alexandra Grey, Coco Jones, Sindi Dlathu 5: Ms. Juicy Baby, Olunike Adeliyi 6: Betty Gabriel, Jacqueline Moore, Tiffany Pollard, Armelia McQueen, Tanyell Waivers 7: Blue Ivy Carter, Ruth Negga, Sofia Wylie, Zora Neale Hurston 8: Butterfly McQueen, Ryan Destiny, Cynthia Erivo, Shirley Bassey 9: Amber Ruffin, Flo Milli, Anais Lee/Mirabel Lee 10: Kathleen Bradley, Sisi Stringer, Teresa Graves

11: Adepero Oduye, Aja Naomi King, Amiyah Scott, Kim Coles, Mary J. Blige 12: Cynthia Addai Robinson, Erinn Westbrook, Issa Rae, Naya Rivera, Amerie 13: Janet Hubert, Andy Allo, Shonda Rhimes 14: Adjoa Andoh, Vonetta McGee, Emayatzy Corinealdi 15: Regina King, Kellita Smith, Sanai Victoria 16: Debbie Allen, Aaliyah, FKA Twigs, Sade 17: Eartha Kitt, Indya Moore, Michelle Obama, Ann Wolfe, Quen Blackwell

18: Ashleigh Murray, Estelle, Samantha Mumba 19: Simone Missick, Lidya Jewett, Shaunette Renée Wilson

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18) 21: Anastarzia Anaquway 22: Blesnya Minher, Dwan Smith 23: Lanei Chapman 24: Kenya Moore, Tatyana Ali 25: Ariana DeBose, Jenifer Lewis, Tati Gabrielle, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Willow Nightingale 26: Angela Davis, Anita Baker, Bessie Coleman, Ciera Payton, Desiree Burch, Sasha Banks, Zara Cully  27: Betty Adewole 28: Tyra Ferrell 29: Oprah Winfrey 30: Jody Watley, Kylie Bunbury 31: Miss Peppermint, Kerry Washington

List will be updated as needed... I don't know everybody's birthday, and sometimes, the search engine don't either. I be using Google, and if something's wrong, it's wrong until I figure out the right date. Thank you.

Ones left off in 2024, when I made the list:

Vanity, Sindi Dlathu, Tanyell Waivers, Zaraah Abrahams, Zabryna Guevara, Quen Blackwell, Lanei Chapman, Willow Nightingale

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[davidosu87]

Another Featured Review on Journey with a Cinephile: A Horror Movie Podcast as part of Black Appreciation Month. This is one of the major titles in the blaxploitation sub-genre I hadn't seen yet. I'm a fan of older zombie movies and this takes it back to the roots with voodoo. I do have my issues with the story, but this is a solid, fun movie for sure. What are your thoughts here?

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Brother John Trailer star. Sidney Poitier, Beverly Todd, Lincoln Kilpatrick, Paul Winfield, Richard Ward, & Zara Cully (Columbia Pictures, 3/24/71)