The Grapevine Magazine · Grapevine, September-October 1979

Title

eng Grapevine, September-October 1979

Relation

eng Grapevine Magazine

Date

eng 1979-09

Format

eng PDF, 64 pages

Identifier

eng SCMS_gvmz_00055

extracted text

75¢

SEPTEMBER /
OCTOBER

1979

FEA U
G
o tthern Californ a'
lad, ii 1onaires
• Black Pioneer
Blad, Bu iness Leaders
Other Black News & Events

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S FASTEST GROWING RADIO STATION IS . . .

103.9FM
YOUR BEST DEAL IN MUSIC
TUNE US IN AND FIND OUT WHY WE'RE MORE THAN JUST A RADIO STATION.
Remember. . . K-ACE sponsors 15 Big Sunday Concerts in the Park each Sunday .
Now thru Labor Day (September 3rd).
LISTEN EACH DAY FOR ALL OF THE HAPPENINGS.

......

Volume 11, Number 2, September-October 1979
Thank You Note. • • • • • . • • • • • . • • • 6
Andrew Youaa llaips.......... 7
Businas - John Tumblin. • • • • • • • 9
Black Woman Promoted. ........ 12
Consumer News••••••••••••••••• 14
Youth •••••.••••••••••••••••••• 15
Special - Dionne Warwick ...... . 17
Black Milliooaira. .............. 20

8usinas - Chuck llma. ......... 24
Business - Moody Slalea ..•..... 26
Black Lepl Pioneers •.•.•..••.••• 28
Hollywood - Felton Perry •••..•• 31
Community Lader.............. 33
Black Hi tory...••..•..•••.••••• 34

Book Rcvicw ••••••••••••••.•••• 36
Bible Bill A. Pieces. .............. 37
ArethaFranltlin ..•.••••••....... 38
Roxie Roker•••••••••••••••••••• 40
Remcmberiq•••..••.••...•.•... 42
People••••••••••••••..••••••••• 43
AACP ••••••.•..••..•.....•.. 44
Black History Tat .••..••..••.... 45
Pro-Line - Cottrell Brother ....• 47
Carl Weathers .•....•.•...•..... 51

RecordReview .................. 54

Dinina Out ...•..••...••.••..••. 58
Model of Month ................ 61
Stacy ,I Tracy - Twins ...•...... 62

Editor and Publlllwr
frank J. Johnson

Public Rn,tio,u

Fasltlon Editor
Betty J. Johnson

Pltoto,rtllllwr,

Ray Johnson
Earl Bradley
Cal Hamilton
Troy Johmon

Ad11~rtising Dirrctor
Anthony Kelley

Contributing Writ,rs
Stacy Kasee Richmond
Contrlbtltin1 Plloto1roplwn
Flo Jenkins
Willie Dooley
Dee Dee McNeil
ArtHamen
Typut
Michael Leroy
Florence Roaers
Johnny Daniels

~u,ry-Accountont
Sharon L. Bridacs

Distributor
Frank Johnson II
Ronnie Arch

Published bi-monthly by Qrapeylne Mapzine, tnc. Southern California office a1 3600
Wilshire Blvd .• Suite 1510, Los Aqclcs, California 90010. Central California office at 1012
S. Trinity, Frano, California 93706. © Copyripu 1979 by Grapevine Mapzine, Inc.
Reproduction of any artwork, editorial material or copy prepared by the publisher ~ &Ppearina in this publication is strktly prohibited without the wrlucn CONCnl of the publisher•

Fresno, (209) 416-f273

Los Anaela, (213) lll-69IO

5

ANDREW YOUNG RESIGNS ...
ffilSSION ACCOffiPLISHED!

[/hank

You
Note

Vear :Reaoers ano JlJvertisers,
Clhank you Jar the very warm reception
that you have given the Qrapevine staff
since expanoing our magazine to Southern
California.

~
-·~
~ranhi~h~~n
'Bitar &-1 Publisher
6

National

preacher's sense of vocation.
Unimpressed by anyone's rank,
Young believed that most conflicts
could be worked out without
violence if honesty and an outlet
for communication could be
established. Because of that attitude, he got a foot in Third
World doors that had been closed
to American diplomats for years.
He never swayed from his sympathy for Third World underdogs - always speaking his mind
about any situation when he felt it
necessary. Having been a top
by Flo Jenkins
aide to Martin Luther King, Jr.
during the 60's civil rights
Andrew Young had reigned as
struggle, Andrew Young believed
U.S. Ambassador to the United
strongly in resolving situations
Nations for 31 controversial
beginning at least with open commonths when in July he shocked
munication. He dealt from a
the nation by announcing his
humanistic point of view - perresignation from that post. The
haps better defined as a "New
nation's Black population in parTestament approach'' - but his
ticular was saddened by Young's
approach obviously did not fit indeparture because of the great
to conventional ideas about
work he was doing to ease tensions
diplomacy. But hi s kind of apamong Third World countries and
proach might very well be the only
Africa in particular. Nevertheless,
way humanity can survive.
though controversy had followed
Andrew Young has left a
this southern preacher ever since
definite impact not just on the
his appointment by President Carpolitical society, but on the entire
ter three years ago, Andrew
country and the world. Perha ps if
You?g left his post with some very
nothing more, hi s "controversial"
important personal things intact-outpourings are the seeds that will
his dignity and honesty, along
with a sense of having accomp- generate productive thinking and
action where humanity in general
lished something worthwhile.
is concerned. If such is the case,
Andrew Young dealt with
then , indeed , a much greater
politics and life with candor - in
mission was accomplished.
many ways he maintained a

7

Busi11ess
JOHN TUffiBLIN HEADS CARSON'S
SffiALL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
of Commerce, Masons, and
John Tumblin, one of Carson,
California's most progressive and
several other organizations in the
versatile Black businessmen, has
Carson area.
Tumblin states, "We need the
been elected president of Carson's
Small
Business
Association
support of small businessmen to
(CSBA). Mr. Tumblin, who owns
better represent them to city
and operates several businesses in
government, and to do this, I am
the Carson area, states that CSBA
going from business to business
was established for the purpose of
recruiting new members.'' Tumpromoting the smaller businesses
blin, who is an active observer of
of Carson. He believes that CSBA
politics, is very concerned about
can provide the kind of leadership
certain inconsistencies in city
to
insure
that the small
government
and
political
businessmen of the corporate Carmanagement. He states, "I believe
son area have better represenin good responsible government
tation in the city's economic
that serves the needs of the
development.
people."
Tumblin, a native of Texas, is
Tumblin is married and has two
vice-president of the AACP, and
children.
an active member of the Chamber

8

9

j

V

Ms. Jacqueline Richardson, Lo Angele bu ine s woman and entrepreneur is pictured with Danny Bakewell, left, Pre ident of United
Brotherhoods rusade and actor Brock Peters, right, at a recent charity
benefit affair. Richardson, a new entrepreneur on the horizon, i the
developer of Beauty Plu , a beauty upply house located in Lo Angele
that specialize in products for Black people. Richard on, a former entertainer, i owner of La Bronze enterpri es which feature a line f hair
care products.

10

LOU BROCK DAY
Mayor Tom Bradley and his wife Ethel congratulated the St. Louis
Cardinals' great Lou Brock on Lou Brock Day at Dodger Stadium.
Brock show off the resolution Mayor Bradley presented him on behalf
of the citizens of Lo Angeles.

11

Busil)ess
BANK OF FINANCE
PROffiOTES BLACK womAN

Bank of Finance president, Herman Hendricks, recently announced the promotion of Clair
Olivia Williams to the position of
vice-president and manager of the
mortgage department. Mrs. Williams will have full responsibility
of administering this department's
$30.5 million realty portfolio.
This important recognition of
12 Mrs. Williams is in keeping with

Mr. Hendrick's policy to promote
the employee whose loyalty and
personal efforts have served to the
interest of the customers and provided growth for the bank.
Mrs . Williams had been employed by Bank of Finance for
twelve years and served as escrow
officer, assistant cashier and
assistant vice-president of the
mortgage investment department
before her recent promotion.
A native of Detroit, Michigan,
Mrs. Williams attended Wayne
State University, UCLA, and the
American Institute of Banking.
She holds a membership in the
Redeemer Baptist Church and
serves as music coordinator. She is
a member of the NAACP, National Council of Negro Women,
Black Women's Forum, Los Angeles Escrow Association, and is
the immediate past chairman of
the Los Angeles chapter of the
National Association of Bank
Women, Inc.
Mrs. Williams and her husband ,
Percy, are the proud parents of
three young adult children.

FAffill Y AFFAIR
Muhammad Ali 's recent retirement tribute held in the Forum in Los
Angeles was attended by approximately 18,000 fans. In attendance for
the spectacular event were his wife and parents. From the left is hi s father, Cassius Marcellous Clay, Sr., his wife, Veronica, and on the right is
his mother, Mrs. Odessa Clay. Forum owner Jerry Buss surprised the
champ by flying his parents out for the occasion.

13

Consumer-----~ Youth
ILLEGAL HARASSffiENT
BY BILL COLLECTORS

JAYCEES NAffiE CARR
OUTSTANDING YOUNG ffiAN
The letter confirming his selection stated the award "recognizes
young men throughout the nation
for professional achievement and
community service."
Carr will be included in the 1979
edition of Outstanding Men of
America, a special volume containing a complete biographical
sketch and records of accomplishments of all those selected.

by Willlo m Potterson

Whatever your reasons for not
paying your debts, you have the
right to keep your private financial affairs from becoming common knowledge where you work.
Harassment at work or any
place else by a bill collector is
illegal. However, it is not illegal
for a bill collector to call you at
work unless it is inconvenient.
Any bill collector who calls you at
work to discuss payment of your
debt after you have advised them
not to would be breaking the law.
Collectors can call people in
your office to try to locate you,
but they are not permitted to say
you owe money. Neither can they
send a postcard to your place of
employment. And they can't use
envelopes which indicate the sender is in the debt collection
business.
The Fair Debt Collection Prac-

tices Act forbids debt collectors
from telling your boss or coworkers you owe money unless,
( I ) you say it is all right, (2) a
court says it is all right, or (3) such
an announcement is part of a
court judgment.
Of course, collectors can contact you al work to tell you that no
further collection efforts will be
made or to inform you he is taking
you to court or that the court has
ordered your wages attached .
Otherwise, it is no one's business
but yours and the debt collector's.
You have a right to bring a
lawsuit if the debt collector
violates the FD PA, but it is advisable that you keep a record of
calls received and of your attempts
by mail to stop them. If you ue in
bad faith or only to hara s a
collector, you could be forced to
pay the debt collector's legal fee .

(Reprinted from "Fresno Bee")

14 1.-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - '

Melvin Carr, a Hughes employee, bas been named an Outstanding Young Man of America
for 1979 by the U.S. Jaycees.
Carr, a scienti fie employment
representative in Electro-Optical
and Data Systems Group's Industrial Relations Department,
wa recognized for his "outstanding personal and professional
achievements."
" I was very honored and very
urpri ed ,to receive the award,"
said arr, who was nominated by
a former business associate in
Cincinnati, Ohio, prior to his
move to California.

BROOKHURST, INC.

HAL & EUNICE BOVITZ
TWO MILLION DOLLAR CLUB

(714) 898- 1121
2091 Brookhurst Ave.
Huntington Beach, CA 92646

15

DIONNE WARWICK!
An Exquisite Lady ... A Quolit_y Performer
by Flo Jenkins

Dionne

Warwick

Dionne Warwick!. ..Speak the
name, and immediately the picture
of a tall, dark, exquisite lady
comes into sharp focus in the
mind' eye, evoking a broad sm ile
aero one' face; and just a
quickly, her name alone recapture for you the golden sound
you've heard her sing hundreds of
times on your radio.
In a word, Dionne Warwick i
"clas , " but even more so, the
lady i quality, with a capital

"Q."
Born Marie Dionne Warwick,
into a family of gospel-oriented
inger , Dionne Warwick's trek to
fame began in 1960, when she wa
potted by music man Burt
Bacharach while he was singing
background with a group of
yesteryear fame called The Drifter . Soon
after,
Warwick,
Bacharach and his partner Hal
David were a team. Dionne's first
hit from that union was " Don 't
Make Mc Over" in 1962. A string
of hit
followed,
including
"Anyone Who Had A Heart,"
"Walk On By," "You'll ever
Get To Heaven," "A Hou e I
ot
Home, " all of which were
hit in the fir t two years of her
career! The Ii t of beautiful tune
continued with "Message to
Michael," " I'll Never Fall In
Love Again," and others too
numcrou to mention.

16

For her talent, Dionne was
honored generously with applause, plaques, trophies, TV appearances, and words of praise.
Indeed, for at least 13 year Dionne' star hone brightly! he was
among the cream of the crop.
And
then,
the
WarwickBacharach-David musical marriage dissolved. And the hit music
came to a halt almost a suddenly
as it had begun. Dionne changed
record companies; yet for nearly
four years the hit music still was
avoiding her. What happened that
could have been so powerful lo
move this artist from her muchdeserved musical pedestal?
Dionne explains the pa t four
year thusly: "At first, I thought it
was me. I figured it couldn't have
been my producer , becau e I had
only the best, including Thom Bell
and Ashford & Simp on. A
usual, I had surrounded my elf
with quality musicians, quality
producer , but nothing happened.
After carefully analyzing the
ituation, I di co ered it , a not
me - nor the producer , and the
product \i a not to blame. I came
to the conclu ion that my record
company (Warner Bro .) was to
blame."
ontinuing, he ay ,
"And of course there were the circum tance of my life at the time.
I was going through a personal
divorce as well a a mu ical divor- 17

ce. But the time off was good for
me. Lt gave me a chance to really
check myself out and assess my
life."
Re-assessing her life brought
about some very positive changes.
Careerwise, she signed with
another record label, Arista
Records . And her current debut
album
entitled,
"Dionne,"
produced by Barry Manilow is a
solid hit! Dionne says, "The new
quality I was accustomed to in the
past, I wanted to continue. And
with my new album, 1 think I've
maintained that. 1 have always et
certain standards for myself, and I
was not going to get caught up into the disco aspect of music."
I'm very excited about the new
album," says Warwick, "but
what I'm more excited about is the
way the people in the industry
have responded to the album ...
disc jockeys, promotion people,
everybody . .. their
excitement
and happiness for me has just
been overwhelming! Because they
are so happy for me, makes me
even more happy.''
Dionne's
new
album
is
definitely a plus in her life, but it' s
only one aspect of this lady' s Ii fe.
Aside from her career, she 's a
mother, and a very proud woman.
Her career has awarded her with
thrilling moments Grammy
awards, NAACP Image Awards,
performances al the White House,
a n appearance on the famed
Academy Awards TV show - the
list of exciting moments is endless.
18 But, according to Dionne, they

Dionne

Warwick

have not been the only highlights
of her life. She says with pride,
"The most thrilling thing in my
life was the birth of my two sons,
who are now 10 and 6 years old."
The bright glow on Dionne
Warwick' s face and the smile in
her voice indicate that she's
genuinely pleased with her life
these days. "I'm very happy with
my life and my work. My personal
life is shaping up beautifully; so
there' s nothing I shouldn't be
happy about! I love life, I like
people, in general. l hate liar ! I'm
just your basic honest girl!" she
laugh s. Those are the qualities
that Dionne projects onstage. She
presents herself - the real, honestto-goodness Dionne. She gi ves
them her talent - no gimmicks attached. "I like me," confesses
Dionne, " and the reason l think
people come to see me perform is
because they like the 'me' that I
present. "
A ide from being talented and
exquisite, it's obvious that Dionne
Warwick is confident - sure of
herself - a place of growth she's
attained that many fail to experience in a lifetime. She's an inspiring woman in many ways, but
mainly because she has not compromised the high standard she
has set for herself personally and
careerwise. As she puts it, "It'
just a matter of knowing what you
want and doing it; not ettling for
anything less. Entertainers are a

Musical Greats - Dionne Warwick and Quincy Jones meet at recent
benefit.
little crazy," she muses, "but the
real artists sustain because we
have et certain standards and we
refu e to let anything shake
us ... unfonunately, there aren 't
many of us like that sti ll
around ... '

The lady is so right. Quality in
all aspect of life is a rarity.
Thank fully, however, we can still
point to Dionn e Warwick a a
woman who has maintained a high
degree of Quality not just
profe sionally, but as a per on.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S
Today there are over 520,000
American
millionaires.
The
distribution
of
millionaires
around the United States is uneven
with California ranking second
with 33,509 behind New York's
51,031. The distribution of
millionaires among Blacks in the
U.S. is also uneven, but Southern
California has its share. It is
estimated that approximately 120
Blacks in Southern California
have found that you don't have to
be a Rockefeller or a Ford to be a
millionaire.
Black people who live in
Southern California are similar to
Blacks throughout the U.S. as it
pertains to wealth. Most are very
poor and a few are very rich. The
majority of the extremely wealthy
Black people have earned their
money in sports, entertainment,
business and professional fields.
Southern California's wealthy
Black people have been observed
to be very conservative to very
liberal. Many are very religious
such as the Jackson's family and
some are athiest. Many donate
money to worthy causes such as
Richard
Pryor's
$100,000
donation to the Charles R. Drew
Medical School in Los Angeles,
and others are very stingy. Many
join and participate in various
civil rights organizations such as
Sammy Davis, Jr. and Comer
Cotrell and others will not even

20

Muhammad Ali

Kareem Abdul Jabbar

BLACK ffilLLIONAIRES

Berry Gordy, Jr.

Donna Summ er

Berry Gordy, Jr., the nation's
most successful Black businessman, opened a music store 20
years ago in Detroit and went
broke. A year later, he borrowed
$800 and started Motown Records
which became the biggest Black
business in history, grossing more
than $46 million annually.
Today Gordy's empire turns out
some of the most popular musical
hits of the times, recorded by the
most popular artists. He is
recognized as a Hollywood tycoon
and lives in a massive Bel Air
estate once owned by Red Skelton.

Disco Queen Donna Summer
made her millions by making hit
recordings and entertaining fan s
at concerts throughout 'the world.
One of eight children, LaDonna
Andrea Gaines of Boston
Massachu setts has come a Ion~
way. She states, "I don 't believe
where you came from is as important as where you're going."

21

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S

22

join the NAACP. Some are very
outspoken on issues that affect
Black people such as Dick Griffy
and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, while
others will not speak out on any
issue. Some are well-known
because of their professions such
as O.J . Simpson and Muhammad
Ali and some are very shy and not
well-known. Some are known to
be nashy and flamboyant, owning
as many as eight to ten cars and
others are very plain and common.
Several Black people who live in
Southern California have al so
earned millions and lost it. Many
Blacks live like millionaires but
are not considered wealthy such as
Mayor Thomas Bradley who lives
in a $700,000 home which is
owned by the City of Los Angeles.
Some of the richer of the rich
are Muhammad Ali who earned
over $36 million boxing, Berry
Gordy whose company gros~e
over $46 million a year whi ch
leads all Black businesses in th e
U.S., O.J. Simpon, who ea~n
over $2 million a year pl~ymg
football and from other busme
investments, and Wilt ~h_amberlain who earned m1ll1_o n s
laying sports and curremly li ve
fn a $4.5 million home.
.
.
Many
Southern
Cali forn1a
Black millionaire
al o have
homes in foreign countries uch ~
the Famous Amo who e cook1.e
retail
co mpany has numerous
.
outlet in Australia.

BLACK ffilLLIONAIRES

Wallace Amos
Wilt Chamberlain

Richard Pry or

Eula McClaney

Wally Amos, 44, was a talent
scout agent for 13 years before he
launched the Famous Amos
Chocolate Chip Cookie in 1975, in
a cookie store on
Sunset
Boulevard. Today his cookies are
sold thro ughout the world including three stores in Hawaii.
Today he sells over three tons of
cookies a day which is estimated
to gross Amos some $4 million a
year.
Eula McClaney, forty years
ago, was a dirt-poor farmer's wife
living in a wooden shanty in
Alabama. Today, she is a real
estate millionaire living in a
million-dollar 22-room French
Provincial mansion on an estate in
Los Angeles' fashionable Holmby
Hills, an area even more exclu sive
than Beverly Hills.
With only a sixth grade
education and through determination, sacrifice, a shrewd
business sense, and an overwhelming belief in the power of
prayer, Mrs . McClaney has built
the lucrative real estate business
which includes valuable apartment
properties scattered about some of
the choicest sections of Los
Angeles .
23

Busi11ess
FROffi PLAYGROUND DIRECTOR TO
CHAIRffiAN OF THE BOARD
In February, 1973, Chuck
Revis, 39, opened his first small
carpet store. Today he is President
and Chairman of the Board of
Revis, Ltd., a California corporation which has four divisions
including a commercial interior
decoration service, a record company, a land development company and of course a carpet
marketing service, a business
which will gross in excess of
$5,000,000 this year. Revis has a
staff of 60 people and has offices,
stores, warehouses, apartments,
and land located throughout
California.
Revis has five carpet stores in
the Los Angeles area and one
located in Palm Springs. Some of
his commercial carpet clients include K-ACE and KJLH Radio
Stations, Angelus Funeral Home,
Crenshaw-Stocker Medical Center, and the Universal Garden at
USC. He has also carpeted the
homes of many celebrities including Ester Phillips, Nancy
Wilson, Bill Withers, Ken Norton,
Sammy Davis, Jr., Della Reese,

and Willie Davis.
Before going into his own
business, Revis attended UCLA
and worked part-time as a
playground director in Los
Angeles. Later, he became district
manager for Kinney Services of
California, a private manpower
placement company, during which
time he saved and accumulated
over 80 acres of land.
Revis went into the carpet
business with only the advice and
knowledge he gained from a
friend who was in the business. He
states that because of his lack of
experience and the attitude of
banks and loan companies toward
minority businesses he could not
get adequate financing which he
believed could have helped his
company grow to twice the size it
is today. But, Revis, who belongs
to several local, state and national
business organizations, says that
he is not disturbed because he
believes in one of Jessie Jackson's
quotes, "lf you can conceive it
and believe it, then you can
achieve it."

25

WEST COAST'S LARGEST ffilNORITYOWNED PLACEffiENT SERVICE
In December, 1970, Moody
Staten founded Executive Opportunities, Inc. (EOI), a Southern
California-based
professional
placement service. Since then, the
company has grown from a oneroom, one-man office to the
largest minority-owned placement
service on the West Coast with an
office in Los Angeles and an affiliate in the Bay Area. Last year
the company grossed $600,000,
compared to $100,000 the first
year. This year Staten expects his
company to gross its first
$1,000,000.

Staten, 53, states that he doesn't
pressure companies to fulfill their
affirmative action criteria. Whal
his company does is match
qualified individuals with the right
company so that the outcome is
mutually beneficial.
Client companies that have been
pleased with Executive Opportunities' profes ional placement

26

service include Atlantic Richfield ,
Rockwell International, General
Dynamics, and Hughes Space
Comm unications - all of whom
maintain a retainer relationship
withEOI.
Before placement, Staten and
his staff of 16 screen, counsel, and
provide management training in
a ll areas of human resource
development to job applicants.
Annually, approximately 400 applicants receive jobs through EO I.
The majority of these jobs are in
the technical and computer cience
fields.
Prior to establishing hi own
business, Staten had eighteen
years experience in Military Personnel
Administration
and
Management behind him and experience with the California State
Department of Employment and
the Manpower Re ource y tern
project at Compton College.

Judge Vaino Spencer

Judge Earl Broady, Sr.

Judge Wiley Manuel

BLACK LEGAL PIONEERS HONORED
The
Brotherhood
Crusade
recently honored nine pioneers in
the legal field at a gala
"Testimonial to Pioneers of the
Black Legal Leadership Dinner"
attended by over 800 people·at the
Bonaventure Hotel.
The nine legal experts are:
Judge Wiley Manuel, Associate
Justice of the California Court of
Appeals, first Black ever appointed to the state Supreme Court;
retired L.A. Superior Court Judge
Earl B. Broady, Sr., appointed to
the McCone Commission to investigate the Watts riots; Attorney
Leo Branton, trial counsel in the
first case to abolish exclusion of
Blacks from the jury system in
Riverside County; retired Judge
Edwin Jefferson of the California
·Court of Appeals, first Black west
of Chicago to be appointed as a
municipal court judge; Superior
Court Judge Vaino Spencer serv-

28

ing 16 years on the municipal
court bench and the first and only
Black to serve on the California
Law Revision Commission; Attorney Charles Lloyd, the first
Black chief trial deputy in the
L.A. city attorney's office, winning an unprecedented 140 jury
trials out of 145; Attorney Samuel
L. Williams, first Black president
of L.A. City Bar Association, also
member of the McCone Commission to investigate the Watt
riots; Attorney Stanley L. Sanders, Rhodes Scholar from Watts,
brought a successful lawsuit
against the NCAA charging racial
and cultural bias ~gainst Black
athletes; and Attorney Johnnie L.
Cochran, Assistant L.A. District
Attorney, third ranking attorney
in the nation's large t prosecutor's
office and one of the highest
ranking Black public attorneys in
the nation.

BLACK
LEGAL
PIONEERS
A tty. John Cochran, Jr.

Atty. Samuel Williams

Judge Edwin Jefferson

A tty. Charles Lloyd

29

In Hollywood with . ..

FELTON PERRY
... A Closer Look
Not only is it a pleasure but undoubtedly a rarity to see year after
year, a familiar Black man's face
surviving the ratings or critics' ax
on stage and in feature films and
television.
But one such familiar face is
that of Felton Perry. He's one of
Hollywood's
sharpest
and
brightest talents to ever hit stage
or screen .
Since arriving in Tinseltown
from his native Chicago, this
powerhouse actor has a list of
credits that include such feature
films as Magnum Force (with
Clint Eastwood), Walking Tall,
Sudden Death, The Towering Inferno, Trouble Man and many
more . Hi s numerous television
appearances read like the who's
who in California gas lines . He' s
portrayed
such
memorable
characters in specials like The Ordeal of Patty Hearst, The Greatest
Story Ever Told (Bicentennial)
and Operation Runaway. He has
also appeared in top-rated long
running series such as Police
Story, MacMillan and Wife, Ironside, Critical List, Marcus Welby
and recently Julie Farr, M.D. , and

the list goes on and on.
"Buy the Bi and Bye" a play
Felton
wrote,
directed and
produced just closed off Broadway and there' s heavy talk of
negotiations on Broadway to
move this box office smash there
sometime in the fall.
Presently he's keeping his directing talents well-oiled with the
play "Mordida" at the De Ja Vu
Coffee/ Playhouse in Hollywood.
It's rather unbelievable that
when asked about his most rewarding experience, his jolting reply was, "I feel my greatest accomplishment in life was getting
out of the Marines ... alive!"
1.n a year when television has
seen more show and character
changes than the Buckingham
Palace
guard,
it' s
purely
refreshing to view an actor who's
sensitive, entertaining and compels his audience to react to the
characters he portrays. But, as
sure a in nation and taxes are here
to stay, you'll be seeing more of
Felton Perry, actor extraordinaire, in the future.
Stacye Kasee Richmond 31

•

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a division of REVIS, LTD . - a California Corporation

32

GRAPEVINE ffiAGAZINE SALUTES
ffi ARY HENRY - cornmUNITY LEADER
The
Grapevine
Magazine
alutes Mary Henry for her contribution of endless hours of
devoted service to the Southern
California community.
Mrs. Henry, who is Executive
Director of Avalon Corner Community Center in Los Angeles, has
been lauded for her outstanding
contribution in the development
of a national anti-poverty project
during President Johnson's administration. She has received the
Los Angeles Times " Woman of
the
Year"
award,
"Civic
Awareness Award" presented by
the L.A . Urban League, the
ational Council of Negro

Women's "Community Relations
Award," The National Association of College Women's "Merit
Award" and the P.T.A.'s "Outstanding Achievement A ward .''
Mrs. Henry, who holds membership
in
numerous
c1v1c
organizations, is a native of Gary,
Indiana. She is a graduate of
Marquette University and holds
an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Windsor University of Los Angeles. She is a member of the American Lutheran
Church.
A widow, Mrs. Henry is the
proud mother of four sons.

33

Black Histoiy
BLACK INVENTORS & SCIENTISTS
Despite illiteracy, overwhelming odds, and derision, the earlier
African-Americans have managed to contribute abundantly to every
aspect of American life.
However, two areas of American achievement in which the contributions of African-Americans have almost remained obscure a re
science and inventions.
For various reasons, the accomplishments and the actual number of
individual Black inventors and scientists cannot be accurately determined.
One example of this could be Augustus Jackson, a confectioner in
Philadelphia in 1832 known as "the man who invented ice crea1:1 ." .
Another example is in the opinion of Henry E. Baker, an examiner in the
United States Patent Office in the late 18th century, who stated that the
slaves in the South experimented with the separation of the seeds from
cotton and made the first appliances which, when observed by Eli Wh itney, were assembled by him as the cotton gin.
There were many Black scientists and inventors who have not been
buried in anonymity and the following pages are dedicated to a few of
them and their achievements.
Andrew J. Beard (1850-1910) Inventor
In 1897 Andrew Beard received $50,000 for an invention whi ch has
since prev~nted the death or maiming of countless railroad men.
While working in an Alabama railroad yard, Beard had seen me_n lose
hands even arms in accidents occurring during the manual coupling of
railro~d cars. The' system in use involved the dropping o f a metal pin into
place when two cars crashed together. Me~ were o ften ca~ght between
the cars and crushed to death during this spilt-second operation.
Beard's invention called the " Jenny Coupler," was an a utomati c
device which secured' two cars by merely bumping them together.
Henry Blair - Inventor
On October 14, 1834, Henry Blair of Maryland was gra nted a patent
for a corn-planting machine and two years later, a seco nd patent was
granted for a similar device used in ~lanting_corn.
.
"
ln the registry of the Patent Of_f,~e, _Blair was d_es1gnated a co lored
man" _ the only instance of ident1f1cat1on by race in _these earl~ record s.
Since slaves could not legally obtai~ patents, . Bia,: was ev ident!~ a
freedman and is probably the first Afncan-Am en can inventor to recei ve
34 a U.S. patent.

George E. Carruthers (1940) Physicist
George Carruthers is one of the two naval research laboratory people
responsible for the Apollo lunar surface ultraviolet camera/spectrograph, which was placed on the lunar surface in April of 1972. It was
Carruthers who designed the instrument while William Conway adapted
the camera for the lunar mission. The spectrographs include the first
photographs of the ultra violet equatorial bands of atomic-oxygen that
girdle the earth.
David N. Crosthwait, Jr. (1898) Engineer
Some of David Crosthwait's inventions and patents are: the automatic
water feeder, 1920; Automobile indicator, 1921; thermostat-setting apparatus , 1928; vacuum heating system, 1929; and the vacuum pump,
1930.
In his capacity as consultant and technical advisor to utility companies
of metropolitan areas, Crosthwait helped develop the method and apparatus for heating the 70-story Radio City Music Hall in New York
City.
William A. Hinton (1883-1959) Medical Scientist
Long one of the world's authorities on venereal disease, Dr. William
A. Hinton is responsible for the development of the "Hinton test," a
reliable method for detecting syphilis. During his lifetime, he also
collaborated with Dr. J .A. V. Davies on what is now called the "DaviesHinton test '' for the detection of this same disease.

1

Lloyd Augustus Hall (1894) Chemist
As the chief chemist and director of research for Griffith Laboratories
of Chicago, Lloyd Hall discovered curing salts for the preserving and
processing of meats, thus revolutionizing the meat-packing industry. He
has more than 25 patents registered for processes used in the manufacturing and packing of food products, especially of meat and bakery
products.
Frederick McKinley Jones (1892-1961) Technician
In 1935, Frederick McKinley Jones inaugurated the first successful application of mechanical refrigeration techniques to railroad cars and
trucks, enabling them to ship perishable food products over long distances. Previously, foods were packed in ice so slight delays led to spoilage.
Jones' new method instigated a change in eating habits and patterns of
the nation and allowed the development of food production facilities in
almost any geographical location.
Repri nt ed from BSJA - LACC 35

•

BIBLE BITS&' PIECES

Boolc Review

Bible Bits & Pieces is an on-going series of articles geared to stimulate
further reading and knowledge of the Holy Bible. Its purpose is to assist
in clarifying (via the Bible) certain myths and misunderstandings about
biblical events, people, places, etc ... . However, readers can and should
research through the Bible verses where these answers can be found. By
utilizing this method, you will be able to receive more complete answers
and develop your personal interpretation. Some of the Bible answers to
these test questions may surprise you and we welcome your comments
and thoughts.

THEY CAffiE BEFORE
COLUffiBUS
Author: Dr. Ivon Von Sertimo

36

Dr. Ivan Van Sertima published
his book, "They Came Before
olumbu " by Random House of
ew York approximately three
year ago. IL i
lowly being
re ognized
by
historians
throughout the world as history,
not fiction. In his book Dr. Van
ertima proved through hi years
of re earch that African first
came to the Americas 2000 years
before
olumbu . He states
repeatedly that African did not
come 10 the Americas originally as
laves and Afro-American history
cannot be aid to have originated
in lavery.
In a recent article in " epia"
agaLine,
Dr . Van Sertima
tated, "The effect is to prove
frican history on thi continent
did not begin with slavery. When
Blacks look back into the history
of America, they must not think
of being dragged acros the ocean
a lave . Actually African were
the fir t of the explorers to these
hore , but the history of their
travel here has been ob cured or
di regarded. Their ancient visits to
merica contributed greatly to
American civilizat ion. "
For Black Americans, Dr. Van
ertima ha a pecial message:
"One of the thing that ha left

According to the Bible . . .
T
I. After Jesus died, his soul went to Hell?
2. Hell is not the final punishment after death, because all
enormous scars on the psyche of
American Blacks is the amnesia
about their own history. They
can't see themselves as significant
members of a world civilization .
They have been made to think of
themselves
as
appendage ,
without any knowledge of their , ,
role in ancient and medieval
history with which they can repair
the damage. One' conception of
one's history is very important in
the development of one's consciousness, ' the anthropology
professor says.
Dr. Van Sertima's credential
are impeccable. He was born and
raised in Guyana. He wa
educated in England and i a
professional historian and anthropologist. He i a member of
Rutgers University staff.
If you don't have thi book in
your home library, then your 1
library i n't complete.

3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

those in hell will be resurrected to be judged and then
sinners will be sent to a second death?
There is only one Heaven?
Jesus actually prayed to God to ask Him, if possible,
that He not be crucified?
Moses was married to an Etheopian (or Cushite) woman?
God will forgive any sin if we ask Him?
Jesus and His disciples didn't wash their hands before
eating, and the quote, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness,"
is never stated?
There was a total of twelve disciples?
Jesus said that there will always be poor people among us.
The Book of Jonah states that Jonah was swallowed by a
whale?

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37

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ARETHA FRANKLIN GETS GOLD STAR
Aretha Franklin , the winner of four Grammy Award received her
gold tar on the "Walk of Fame" in Hollywood. A tearful but happy
Aretha, accompanied by her actor husband, Glynn Turman, dedicated
her star to her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, who ha been ho pitali zed
38 in Detroit after burglars broke into his home, hot and wounded him.

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39

ROXIE ROKER, CO-STAR OF TV'S
'THE JEFFERSONS' ADVISES,
"Follow Your Dreams!"
by Flo Jenkins

40

Roxie Roker, second from right, with friends left to right, actresses Jayne
Kennedy, Isabelle Sanford, & Marla Gibbs.
" I think people should follow
Born in Miami, Florida, an only
their own dreams, go after it with
child, Roxie (her real name) and
all their heart. Most people who
her parents moved to ew York
give up their dreams end up
before she was ten year old. It
unhappy."
was in New York that she fell in
love with acting and the theatre afThose are possibly some of the
ter seeing a Broadway production
most important words anyone
of "Porgy and Bes . "
could peak, delivered by actress
As a co- tar on the popular
Roxie Roker. Through the years
television serie , "The J efferhe ha followed her own advice,
sons," Roxie Roker i her own
and Roxie' s success is due to the
living proof that dream come
fact that no one was successful in
true. But not without deterpouring water over her childhood
desire · to become an actress.
mination and diligent work. Her

l

work started early, doing plays
and recitation in church and
througho ut high school and
college. After earning a bachelor
of arts degree in drama at Howard
University, she took a postgrad uate course in Shakespearean
and Elizabethan Drama at the
Shakespeare Institute in Stratfordon-Avon, England.
"l was in school studying to
become an actress when there were
probably only three Black people
earning a living at it," Roxie
remembers, "but I still had the
dream and the ambition, and
eventually things opened up."
During her aspiring years,
Roxie led a very hectic life, to say
the least, working a nine-to-five
job at NBC television, and
dashing to auditions after work.
Despite a B.A. degree, Roxie
worked first a a clerk-typist,
event ually moving upwards to
various jobs behind the scenes at
BC. In 1969, he left the company to pursue her acting career
full time.
As for Roxie' s role on "The
Jeffersons," much of the viewing
audience seems to approve. At
least that's what her personal mail
proves. Yet there are some viewers
who dislike the portrayal of an in terracial marriage on television.
Ironically, however, ince he is
married to a white man in real life,
Roxie brings fir thand knowledge
of an interracial relation hip to
her role.
Says Roxie, " I strive for
making the character
play

believeable rather than larger than
life, not some strange human
being in some strange relationship." Roxie Roker speaks with
pride about the role she and the
others portray on "The Jcffersons," and strongly denies some
contentions that the show is
merely a modern day revision of
the old "Amos '
Andy" TV
how.
"The audience gets to ee
another side of the coin for a
change," states Ms. Roker. "They
get to see that Blacks can achieveeven if it's done in silly manner.
Kid get to see that 'George Jeffer on' is a working man , triving
for hi family. He's not a hustler
or on dope. The images portrayed
are not degrading image . I'm
happy about that!"
With plea ant dream
that
became reality, Roxie Roker i a
happy woman ... what more co uld
hcakoflife?
41

a

Rememberiny

Don Newcombe became the
first black pitcher in the major
league when he joined Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella on the
Brooklyn Dodgers team in 1949.
In his rookie year Newcombe
won 17 games including five shutouts and lost only eight. He beat
every other National League team
at least once.
By the time Newcombe retired
in 1960 the strikeout artist had
been named Most Valuable Player

42

ffilNISTER FARRAKHAN KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR
NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
Minister
Louis
Farrakhan,
ational Spokesman for the
of 1956 and winner of the C y
ation of Islam gave the keynote
Young Award, and had won 149
address at the National Bar
ball games in four and a half years
Association (NBA) Conference.
of major league play.
In a spiritually inspired speech,
Today, the 48-year-old former
->
Minister
Farrakhan told the Black
athlete is attempting to secure jobs
lawyers that to meet the challenge
for Blacks. He is an administrative
of the l 980's, there must be a
associate of the Management
reversal of the "slave mentality"
Council in Los Angeles which is
of Black people.
designed to help educate, train
With a standing room audience
and motivate minority persons to
interrupting
his
presentation
prepare them for getting and
several
times
with
standing
keeping jobs. Newcombe is also
ovations, Farrakhan said Black
working with the Office of
lawyers and the Black community
Minority Enterprises, an organizawill have to move together for the
tion which assists minorities in
betterment of Black people.
getting into business.
Newcombe is also director or
community relations for the Los
Angeles Dodgers. Last season he
gave away 40,000 Dodgers home .
games tickets to needy youngsters.
When asked if he missed
playing
baseball
Newcombe
stated, "I don't miss the game as a
player, I miss the money." His top
salary was $40,000 which would
be the equivalent of $100,000
today.
Newcombe,
who
li ves in
Woodland, California, and his
wife Billie are very active in community activities. They have three
children - Tony, Don Jr., and
Kelley .

ACTOR CALVIN
LOCKHART HEADS
DRUG PROGRAffi
Actor Calvin Lockhart is actively involved in the Drug Alert
and Research Assn., which has an
anti-angel dust program for high
school youths in Los Angeles.
When Lockhart lectures to
teenagers about the dangers of
drugs, he does it from experience.
His son Leslie lost both feet in an
accident caused by the influence
of" Angel Dust."
Lockhart and Steven White
founded the Los Angeles "Gettin'
Off Drugs" program.

43

-

-

BLACK HISTORY-muL TIPLE CHOICE TEST

UNITED
Local NAACPers pose as a united front along with National
Executive Director Ben Hooks following recent Los Angeles AACP
Youth and College Division's second annual Unity Affair Dinner in
which Hooks was the keynote speaker. Seen sitting from left to ri ght
are Los Angeles NAACP President, Paul Hudson, Karen Hud on,
southern area youth advisor, and Shauna Gillispie, regional you th
director .

44

7.
Which Black invented the
first automatic traffic signal?
A. C.T. Woods
B. Garrett Morgan
C. W.C. Handley
8.
Who was the first Black to
manage a major league baseball team?
A. John Roseboro
B. Roy Campanella
C. Frank Robinson
9.
Who founded the Black
Muslim religion, now called
The World Community of
Al-lslam in the west?
A. Muhammad Ali
B. Elijah Muhammad
10.
C. MalcomX
4. What is the name of the
Black mayor of Compton,
California?
A. Lionel Cade
B. Yvonne Burke
C. Gilbert Lindsay
5. What is the name of the president of the L.A. chapter of 'l!Bc:I
the NAACP?
A. Paul Hudson
B. Geraldine Green
':::> ·9
C. Benjamin Hooks
6. Who wrote the book, "Autobiography of Malcom X"?
A. Maya Angelou
B. James Baldwin
C. Alex Haley

What Black man performed
the first successful open
heart surgery?
A. Marcus Garvey
B. Daniel H. Williams
C. Paul L. Dun bar
What Black Man became the
first U .S. Congressman?
A. Augustus Hawkins
B. Mervyn Dymally
C . Hiram Revels
Who's the first and only
Black U.S. Supreme Court
Justice?
A. Ronald Dellums
B. Thurgood Marshall
C. Wilson Riles
Who's the first and only
Black Calif. Supreme Court
Justice?
A. Wiley Manuel
B. Willie L. Brown, Jr.
C . Maxine Water

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45

THECOTTRELL BROTHERS PERPETUATE
AmuLTl-ffilLLION DOLLAR DREAm
by Dee Dee mcNeil
According to statistics, approximately one out of every 900
Americans is a millionaire, compared with one out of every 11,300
in 1948. The small percentage of
minority American millionaires
sits comfortably in a marginal slot
of the U.S . society. Jim and
Comer Cottrell are a piece of the
rich corporate pie; positive examples of the too often unfulfilled
American dream.
Comer Cottrell admits he's
come a long way from days of
making $.50 per day as a
houseboy, from long hours of
pounding pavement as an insurance representative and a salesman. Today, his current multimillionaire status as President of
Pro-Line Corporation supports his
assertion that "when you're a
salesman you've got the greatest
profession in the world because
you can always make a good
living. As soon as I learned to verbalize and ask for money, I got
it."
The original idea of a Black
cosmetic company came from a
salesman Comer hired during his
4½ year stint as a Sears store
manager. Once his interest was
tickled, he researched the market
and obtained a concensus of Black
barber and beautician needs. The
initial idea was to supply a

professional line of ethnic hair
care products rather than creating
a consumer line . This was how the
name Pro-Line was established. But
Comer experienced disappointment in their marketing approach.
''This was a great marketing
idea, but barbers and beauticians
are technicians and not business
people . We could never educate
them to the fact that they could
control the market."
Three years after Comer's $600
investment to market Oil-Sheen
and his entry into the retail arena,
he called on his only brother,
James Cottrell, to bail him out of
economic hot water. Jim repurchased company stock shares
from an earlier investor for
$10,000 and helped Comer build
his pint-sized business into an international, multi-million dollar
conglomerate. Today, Pro-Line
boasts a variety of 13 products
with the newest one, "Kiddie
Kare," blossoming from a personal problem Comer was having
with his two-year-old son.
The thing that keeps Pro-Line
Corporation successful is the
team work of the Cottrell
brothers. Jim is an expert at
marketing
and
Comer
is
superlative at managing money
and budgeting
funds. Still,

477777777 ;

Pro-Line Dallas Ground Breaking
building the business and keeping
success at an optimum was difficult because of one major obstacle.
"The biggest obstacle for all
Blacks, and we fail to recognize it,
is Blacks have no reluctance to
buy from whites, but whites certainly have a committment not to
buy from Blacks," Comer told
me.
"At this particular time, I think
it's a lot more difficult for Blacks
in business than when we got started," Jim Cottrell spoke with concern. "Not only have we got to
compete with the major ~l~ite
brands, but the Black compet1t1on
is more sophisticated. Then there
are private labels that get shelf
position you can't get. They get
location right next to your product
48 and they will discount their item

one-w-one basis. In L.A. you talk
on a social basis and you're
troked, because everybody is
concerned about social image.
obody seems concerned about
Blacks doing business. Not one
person in California has called us
to say, don't move your corporation out of the state. I bet the
only comment that will be made is
'damn, they won't be buying a
table this year'.''
The corporate relocation to
Texas (where 90 percent of their
West Coast market thrives) will
provide a central location for
Pro-Line distribution. Jim explained that on their new 6 acre
lot, the 3-unit building will house
administrative
offices,
a
warehouse and a manufacturing
far below yours. They don't have
division . Weary of California
to advertise theirs and that makes
beauracracy, Texas offers lower
it tough. It's costing us money.
tax costs and fewer regulatory
Especially on the East Coast.
agencies.
''The greatest mistake Black
With national distribution in 50
people make in business is that ,,.. states and international sales in
they don't realize you can't keep
London, Holland, the Carribean
the company growing if you take
and Africa, Pro-Line grosses over 8
the money out. This is the cause of
million dollars annually. They ofmore Black business failures than
fer their employees on-the-job
anything I know."
training, a profit sharing plan
Comer nodded approval at his
based on 15 percent of each embrother. "Blacks just have so
ployee's salary, free dental and
many problems getting financed .
medical insurance and a host of
Resources are just unavailable.
picnics and activities to promote a
One of the reasons we are moving
family feeling.
to Texas is that we found in Dallas
Comer and Jim Cottrell believe
we had no problems at all,
you reap what you sew . Conwhereas in California you have to
sequently they have invested in a
see the Vice President of Urban
number
of
community
Affairs and the V.P. of Minority
businessmen and most of their
Lending; in Dallas we talked to
hunches have brought dividends.
the presidents and we spoke on a
They purchased the Alondra

r

Square Shopping Center in Compton, California (a predominantly
black area) and donated two of
the stores. One is the Compton
Youth Center and the other is the
Paul Robeson Players Theatre.
They are lifetime members of
several NAACP chapters across
the country and support the
economic efforts of the PUSH
organization.
"There's just one thing I feel is
very important in business,"
Comer Cottrell summed things us.
"That is integrity and to treat
other people in the same way that
you want to be treated. I'm not a
real religious type, but I live my
whole life by the golden
rule .. . This is the only market
Black people should control. Instead of being competitors, we try
to form alliances with all of our
Black competition. Because we are
all on the same team to overcome
white competition. The obligation
is on the part of the Black
businessmen to give Black people
a quality product and good service
at a competitive price. Blacks
don't have any obligation to do
business with us, but they should
have a committment. I don't want
anybody to buy Praline just
because it 's Black. I want them to
buy it because we do have a
quality product, give the best service, exceptional packaging and
competitive prices.''
Obviously, Comer and Jim Cottrell have succeeded in perpetuating their dream and their
principles.

49

CARL WEATHERS - ROCKY II CO-STAR
by Flo Jenkins

Carl Weathers is the handsome
actor whose stellar performances
in the movies "Rocky," and
" Rocky I I" catapulted him from
the ranks of the unknown to the
"overnight star." Even though his
bid for a successful acting career
began many years ago.
"I started acting in school plays
when I was 10 or 11 years old. It
just sort of happened as a result of
someone channeling me into that
direction." Before taking up acting seriously, Weathers played
professional football. "I guess I
played football because I wanted
to prove my prowess," he laughs.
Although acting is considered a
very hard field to crack, Carl
Weathers was undaunted by the
bleak reports. "You do have to be
a little 'wacko' for this kind of
business - I don't mean crazy in
the sense of people who belong inan institution necessarily, but you
do have to be a little 'wacko.' First
of all, for most people, the
chances of success in this business
are really slim. It's very demanding and there's very limited work
for the specialized people. You
have to have something that you
know is a saleable product, meaning you, of course. And then you
have to know your trade well
enough that you can really get that
across and make some sort of demand for that. You have to be so
specialized, so different, so good
at what you do that people will

want to pay to see you," states
Weathers.
Although many talented people
do not make it in the acting
business, Carl Weathers has
managed to garner success. But it
was not acting talent alone that
brought him to this point, rather it
was his special ability to make the
"important" people believe he
was a saleable product.
And
what
makes
him
"saleable?" He explains : "I, first
of all, have a helluva lot of talent,
helluva lot of ego. Besides that,
physically, there isn't anybody no way anyone wouldn't want to
look at me, right?" he playfully
boasts . "I know what I'm doing
when I'm in front of that camera;
it apparently communicates to
other people. Apparently I have a
charisma that appeals to audien ces. Whatever the formula I have
is working for me, and I'm very
fortunate. I'm just a wacko person who happens to be wacko
enough in the right ways to make
it in this business!"
With the giant success of
"Rocky II" Carl Weathers' future
looks even brighter. Watching him
on the screen, he proves that he' s
not the stereotypical "athleteturned-actor." He's taking care of
some serious acting business,
therefore
he's
being
taken
seriously as an actor who knows
his craft.

51

Music 1

52

Hecorif Review
OJAYSIDENTIFY YOURSELF
Phillie lntn'I
The
new
O' Jays
album,
produced by Gamble & Huff,
looks to be another hit in the long
line of O' Jays Gold. "Sing a
Happy Song," "Identify" are
good dance tunes without being
overdone like most disco reco rds
today. Side two is for those of you
who want to kick back and listen
to the excellent vocals of the
O' Jays singing of love as only they
can. "Forever Mine" reminds one
of those old. red light garage parties when people were still slow
dancing. It's very refreshing and
like all Gamble & Huff songs,
there's a message in the music.

SOLAR FUNKTRAVIS BIGGS
Source Records
Thi s is the debut album for
Travis Biggs who also produced,
arranged, and wrote all selections.
This talented young man from
Detroit is on hi s way. A violinist,
Biggs has added another dimensio n to Jazz with hi s funky
playing, laid over some excellent
tracks with a latin flavor. Looks
lik e Source Records, a community
ba ed record company in Los
Angeles, has another hit on its
hand s. Much success to Travis
Biggs and Logan Westbrooks.

54

by Tony Kelley

OFF THE WALL

STAY FREE

ffi ichoel Jockson - Epic FE35 745

Ashford & Simpson - WBS 8870

The musical collaboration of
powerhouse duo Quincy Jones,
producer, and Michael Jackson
make for more than what was
expected on his "Off The Wall"
LP. It much more than lives up to
all the excitement The Jackson
Family has given in over a decade.
Thi disc re-kindles the memories
of oldies "I'll Be There" and
" ever Can Say Good-Bye." One
hearing is all it takes to praise his
well-rounded talents as composer,
arranger, producer and vocalist
extraordinaire! Just for
the
reco rd ... side two is the specialmemion 'Stand Out!'
F a vorites to watch: Don't Stop
Til You Get Enough, She's Out Of
M y Life, and I Can't Help It
(Stevie Wonder).

Since their days as Motown
writers and
studio
back-up
singers ... they've been looking for
and "Found A Cure." Their latest
"shiny-vinyl"
displays
the
message and the music of the
country's hot top duo. There's
some here for any format and
Ashford and Simpson do it like
never before! Hot chart busters
"Found A Cure" and "Stay
Free" are both super strong debut
singles .. . but all tunes on this disc
are for every-BODY, dance per- j
feet or easy listening. One thing ,
can be said of this Ashford and
Simpson wax ... They'll only give
you what you can handle.
Picks: Finally Got To Me, Stay
Free, Nobody Knows and Found
A Cure.
by Stacy Kasee Richmond

Poetry

Listen
ChPIBliiHR

56

by Bob Rowland
I was hungry
and you formed a humanities club
and discussed my hunger.
Thank you.
I was imprisoned
and you crept off quietly
to your chapel in the cellar
and prayed for my release.
I was naked,
and in your mind
you debated the morality
of my appearance.
I was sick
and you knelt and thanked God
for your health.
I was homeless
and you preached to me
of the spiritual shelter
of the love of God .
I was lonely
and you left me alone
to pray for me.
You seem so holy;
so close to God.
But I'm still very hungry,
and lonely,
and cold ...

1100~1 L.A. NAIi SALON
3973 ~ South Western Avenue• Los Angeles. CA 90062 • 29S-4468

LARRY BROOKS - lnnov•tor of the

JHERI-KURL
Exclusive Central Los Angeles Distributor For

~~
Professionally Trained
Staff of JfflRI-KURL
Experts to Serve You .

BeautyPmducts

I 0 :00. 7 :00 Tues. • Fri.
8:00 - 3 :00 Saturday

Dining Out

o~A,.._
photo service
ONE DAY SERVICE

753-4326
753-4325
8443 Crenshaw Boulevard, Suite 5A, Inglewood 90320 CA.

head cook at Gene Norman' s
Crescendo. Maurice' s Snack 'n'
Chat is not a misconception like
ome restaurants where you are
cabbage, fresh mixed vegetable , paying for the atmosphere,
black beans, red beans, steamed location or name. Here you are
rice beets and greens. They also strictly paying for the delicious
ser;e candied yams and a line of food - although if you were
delicious desserts such as banana looking on from across the street
pudding, cobblers and di fferent you would think Maurice's
kinds of cakes.
Restaurant, which seats 60 people,
Maurice Prince, the proprietor, was Caesar's Palace with the clienhas a line of fine references to tele and mixed patrons that it
vouch for her talented cooking. receives. Many well-known actors
She has worked for John Garfield, and entertainers are often sighted
Art Linkletter, and other such
private homes. Her previou
location, before moving to the
Pico-Fairfax area in April of 197 ,
was a food concession in a bar at
29th St. and Western Avenue, and

ffiAURICE'S SNACK 'N' CHAT

58

Maurice's Snack 'n' Chat is the
talk of the town . lt is not one of
your ordinary restaurants, as far
as decor, but when it comes to the
food, it out-ranks some of the best
restaurants in Los Angeles . This
unique establishment is not like
eating out, it is more like eating
Mom's home cooking.
The Lunch and Dinner entrees
consist of Short Ribs of Beef,
$6.50,
Meat
Loaf,
$4.95,
Smothered Pork Chops, $5.50,
Home Fried Chicken, $5.50, Liver
and Onions, $4.95, and Pan Fried
Fish, $4.95 with a choice of any
two vegetables which are boiled

pulling up in their Sevilles, Mercedes, Rolls Royces, etc., joining
us regulars in dining out. The
GRAPEVINE recommends that
the next time you dine out try
Maurice's. Incidently, it is best
that you make reservations - even
then, you may have to wait a
while. (Maurice' s Snack 'n' Chat,
5553 W . Pico Blvd., Los Angeles,
CA 90019 - (213) 931-3877.
Restaurant hours are 10 a .m. to 10
p.m., catered parties, no credit
cards, street parking.)

59

Do Something Nice
To Your Hair . ..
Use La Bronze Products

BEAUTY PLUS
Headquarters for La Bronze Products
5425 S. Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles. California 90037

MINORITY PLACEMENT
~ CAREER CENTERS
WE SPECIALIZE IN

ENGINEERING • COMPUTER SCIENCES
MANAGEMENT • MARKETING • SALES
MATERIAL CONTROL • TECHNICIANS
FINANCE&. ACCOUNTING
ENTERTAINMENT&. COMMUNICATIONS
EXCLUSIVELY EMPLOYER RETAINED
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NEVER A FEE TO APPLICANT

We are the largest minorityowned placement service
on the West Coast. Placing
the r ight people with the
right people Is our business.
Our only business!

EXECUTIVE

OPPORTIJNITIES
INCORPffiATED

WE READ IT IN THE GRAPEVINE
Tracy and Stacy Daniels take time out from a fun day at t_he park to
breeze through the Grapevine. Mr. and Mrs. Johnny B. Daniels are the
proud parents of the twin girls .

62

~

MOODY R. ST ATEN
PRESIDENT

(213) 673-4635
330 E. KELSO ST. • INGLEWOOD, CA 90301

e!UJO!!le:J 'ousaJ:J

002110

t,06~ "ON l!W.18d

Library - Periodicals Dept.
Cali1. State Univ. Fresno
Fresno. CA 93710

Ol'Vd
a6elSOd

·s·n

3J. \fl:! >11na

10/01/7'.

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