The Monkey Hustle [The Monkey Hu$tle] (Original poster for the 1976 film)

Los Angeles: American International Pictures [AIP], 1976. Original one sheet poster for the 1976 blaxploitation film "The Monkey Hustle."

A classic entry in the action comedy subset of blaxploitation films, in which a neighborhood must band together in order to prevent the city from demolishing their homes to build a highway. Set in Chicago, and shot there on location.

Largely low-budget and geared towards a young urban audience, blaxploitation films often depicted African Americans overcoming hostile authorities through cunning and violence, as well as conflicts internal to the culture. Though some of the first mainstream films to feature predominantly black casts and introduce previously non-represented elements of black culture, including the notable use of funk and soul music in soundtracks, they were also panned for furthering stereotypes about black people. Despite the controversy that the genre instilled, its motifs remain culturally relevant to this day, often parodied, acknowledged, and imitated in modern films and music.

27 x 41 inches, folded. Near Fine.

Parish and Hill 149. Howard, Blaxploitation Cinema, p. 43-44, 174-175.