Rest in Peace Roger E. Mosley

[erock308]

Port side buddy.

[Little Garwood]

Of the main actors in MPI, it was Roger who imo had the most interesting pre-Magnum career.

I dunno... John Hillerman starred in quite a few classic 70s films. BLAZING SADDLES and CHINATOWN immediately come to mind. But wasn't he also in PAPER MOON and THE LAST PICTURE SHOW? Probably some others too I'm forgetting.

I wouldn't take anything away from Higgy Baby, and I have seen Chinatown more times than I would admit to a psychiatrist, but those high-profile films in which Hillerman appears aren't as interesting to me as those lesser-known but fascinating-to-me efforts of Roger's.

I think the first time I remember taking note of Roger was as Sonny Liston in the otherwise-forgettable The Greatest, which I watched as a kid back in those dreary 1970s. I remember where I lived and all that meta nonsense. Years later, when I would look up MPI-related trivia, Roger's performance was usually among that film's few highlights.

[eagle]

Thanks for that list, 308GUY. I'll be watching these in the upcoming days. And, cool that you had some shirts printed. I'd love to get an Island Hoppers shirt, or a few of them. A friend of mine has a couple; maybe I should find out where he got them.

[Pahonu]

Over the past several months I've been enjoying watching Roger's many performances in the so-called Blaxploitation films of the early-to-mid '70s. Mosley was also superb as Electric Larry in his Rockford Files episode Dirty Money, Black Light from S3.

Of the main actors in MPI, it was Roger who imo had the most interesting pre-Magnum career.

I agree with that last statement l. I remember him well in Sweet Jesus, Preacher Man and The Mack as Max Julien’s brother. I also recall seeing him in something with Pam Grier and also with Jayne Kennedy, but that’s about it for blaxploitation films. I don’t even remember which films those last two were but it wasn’t Coffey or Foxy Brown. I remember him in guest appearances on LOTS of TV shows though, and some TV movies. I think of him doing much more TV than film, but I could be wrong on that.

[Little Garwood]

A previous post of mine referencing Mosley's appearance in the 1972 Blaxploitation film Hit Man went predictably unnoticed in this 1980s-oriented forum, but Roger features in it. Roger's character spends most of the trailer getting his a$$ kicked.


youtu.be/2UIxegXqfwM

Hit Man is essentially an Afrocentric take on 1971's Get Carter, a film most here from the US probably haven't seen but is a film most Europeans of a certain age know all too well.

On a note of much lighter note, it was a crushing disappointment for me to learn that many an early '70s "Natural" was actually just a wig.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

A previous post of mine referencing Mosley's appearance in the 1972 Blaxploitation film Hit Man went predictably unnoticed in this 1980s-oriented forum, but Roger features in it. Roger's character spends most of the trailer getting his a$$ kicked.


youtu.be/2UIxegXqfwM

Hit Man is essentially an Afrocentric take on 1971's Get Carter, a film most here from the US probably haven't seen but is a film most Europeans of a certain age know all too well.

On a note of much lighter note, it was a crushing disappointment for me to learn that many an early '70s "Natural" was actually just a wig.

Lol, I can't even spot Mosley in that trailer. So if he's getting his butt whooped I sure can't tell.

[MagnumsLeftShoulder]

TC was always my second favorite character on the show. It's sad to know he's gone.

I dunno... John Hillerman starred in quite a few classic 70s films. BLAZING SADDLES and CHINATOWN immediately come to mind. But wasn't he also in PAPER MOON

Yes Hillerman played a sheriff in Paper Moon and he got to use his natural Texas accent. Paper Moon is a good flick!

I would recommend to any fans that you try and find his film Leadbelly.

I saw part of it last year on TCM. I hope they show it again so I can catch the whole thing. I'd like to see his portrayal of Sonny Liston. Liston is sort of an icon here in Arkansas.

[Pahonu]

A previous post of mine referencing Mosley's appearance in the 1972 Blaxploitation film Hit Man went predictably unnoticed in this 1980s-oriented forum, but Roger features in it. Roger's character spends most of the trailer getting his a$$ kicked.


youtu.be/2UIxegXqfwM

Hit Man is essentially an Afrocentric take on 1971's Get Carter, a film most here from the US probably haven't seen but is a film most Europeans of a certain age know all too well.

On a note of much lighter note, it was a crushing disappointment for me to learn that many an early '70s "Natural" was actually just a wig.

I think this might be one of the other movies I remember Mosley from. I just looked it up on IMDB and Pam Grier was in it, as I remembered. I don’t remember much else unfortunately.

In terms of blaxploitation films, I most remember Bernie Casey from Cleopatra Jones with Tamara Dobson.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Roger was awesome in the "Dead Heat" episode of The Rookies in 1975. It was redone on T.J. Hooker in 1984, but both swiped the great, tension packed elevator scene from the film
"Report to the Commissioner". However Roger's and George Sanford Brown's elevator scene blows away the other two, they put on a acting clinic, with certain cultural "signifyin"
words/moments giving deeper meaning to the moment.
Great writing too, with two unexpected twists, the kind of which Hollywood would never have normally chosen the way the plot unfolded,with the character Mosley was portraying.
I seldom ever get to be surprised by plot twists anymore, I almost always can see where the writers are going, so "Dead Heat", like the best Hawaii 5-0 episodes, is a welcome change.
In my opinion Roger's role as Rawlins has to be in the top 5 of his career.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"One day we shall be strangers in our own land"....Hawaii 5-0

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Roger was awesome in the "Dead Heat" episode of The Rookies in 1975. It was redone on T.J. Hooker in 1984, but both swiped the great, tension packed elevator scene from the film
"Report to the Commissioner". However Roger's and George Sanford Brown's elevator scene blows away the other two, they put on a acting clinic, with certain cultural "signifyin"
words/moments giving deeper meaning to the moment.
Great writing too, with two unexpected twists, the kind of which Hollywood would never have normally chosen the way the plot unfolded,with the character Mosley was portraying.
I seldom ever get to be surprised by plot twists anymore, I almost always can see where the writers are going, so "Dead Heat", like the best Hawaii 5-0 episodes, is a welcome change.
In my opinion Roger's role as Rawlins has to be in the top 5 of his career.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"One day we shall be strangers in our own land"....Hawaii 5-0

Hey Dobie, by the way, did you ever get to see that T.J. Hooker episode? "Deadlock". Dennis Lipscomb played Rawlins in that one. He sure hated cops and really wanted to blow Hooker away. Until the tables were turned and Hooker got the last laugh. That was some sweet comeuppance!

[Magnum T.]

I just read about his death and Olivia Newton-John's too and I am very sorry for both.
Very sad.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Roger was awesome in the "Dead Heat" episode of The Rookies in 1975. It was redone on T.J. Hooker in 1984, but both swiped the great, tension packed elevator scene from the film
"Report to the Commissioner". However Roger's and George Sanford Brown's elevator scene blows away the other two, they put on a acting clinic, with certain cultural "signifyin"
words/moments giving deeper meaning to the moment.
Great writing too, with two unexpected twists, the kind of which Hollywood would never have normally chosen the way the plot unfolded,with the character Mosley was portraying.
I seldom ever get to be surprised by plot twists anymore, I almost always can see where the writers are going, so "Dead Heat", like the best Hawaii 5-0 episodes, is a welcome change.
In my opinion Roger's role as Rawlins has to be in the top 5 of his career.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"One day we shall be strangers in our own land"....Hawaii 5-0

Hey Dobie, by the way, did you ever get to see that T.J. Hooker episode? "Deadlock". Dennis Lipscomb played Rawlins in that one. He sure hated cops and really wanted to blow Hooker away.
Until the tables were turned and Hooker got the last laugh. That was some sweet comeuppance!

Yes Ivan, it was a good one and I love Shatner, though I once accidentally blinded him in the Hotel Pennsylvania. Thank you for previously citing that episode "Deadlock" to me, somewhere on these
boards. MeTV Plus reran it not long ago but my DVR misfired, too bad because I wanted to soak in the details on a second viewing. I had seen it before via a very poor quality You Tube edition, on
a channel that seemed to be up for two days and then was shut down.

Anybody here see Roger in McQ(1974), a John Wayne film that also had the late Clu Gulager in it. Did Roger ever talk about his part in the film?

[Chris109]

I just read about his death and Olivia Newton-John's too and I am very sorry for both.
Very sad.

It's been a tough week. Bill Russell, ON-J, Roger, Nichelle Nichols, Tony Dow ( I believe he died twice). And I know I've missed a few. Anne Heche
didn't die, and she brought it on herself, but to get burned pretty bad, is not ideal. Luckily, the woman who was inside the house that she hit and burned to the ground, got out.

Depressing cause they were people we grew up with.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Anybody here see Roger in McQ(1974), a John Wayne film that also had the late Clu Gulager in it. Did Roger ever talk about his part in the film?

Dobe, I mention this film in the obscure films thread, here: http://magnum-mania.com/Forum/viewtopic ... &start=119

[Little Garwood]

Lol, I can't even spot Mosley in that trailer. So if he's getting his butt whooped I sure can't tell.

You're slipping in middle age, Ivan! Roger is the one shooting at Bernie Casey and later getting curb stomped by same later in the trailer.