T.N.T. Jackson : The Greatest in Blaxploitation Flicks

“Her name is Diana Jackson, but you can call her T.N.T. When T.N.T.’s brother is killed by ruthless drug dealers, the beautiful young karate expert goes to the most dangerous part of Chinatown to find the killer. In trouble with the law since she was 13, T.N.T. wants no help from the pigs; but she does befriend a Chinaman named Joe, whose impressive martial arts skills prove useful more than once. In her quest for the killer, she’ll meet the white drug lord, Sid; Elaine, his bitchy girlfriend; his suspicious Chinese assistant, Ming; and Charlie, his handsome black assistant with criminal ambitions of his own. Before her search is over, she’ll find herself making love to Charlie, trading insults with Elaine, and fighting criminals while nude and in the dark. Just call her T.N.T” – Internet Movie Data Base

 

 

 Blaxploitation movies. Blaxplotation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1971. These exploitation films were made specifically for an urban, black audience. The word itself is a portmanteau of the words “black” and “exploitation”, and was coined in the early 1970s by the Los Angeles NAACP head, and ex-film publicist, Junius Griffin. Blaxploitation films were the first to feature soundtracks of funk and soul music and they featured a primarily black cast. Variety magazine credited Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, released in 1971, with the invention of the blaxploitation genre while others argue that the Hollywood-financed film Shaft, also released in 1971, is closer to being a Blaxploitation piece; and thus is more likely to have begun the trend. – Wikipedia

 

Blaxploitation films were an off shoot of exploitation “B” movies that have been around for years. These were movies starring black people, made by black people and catered to a black audience. The themes and setting usually revolved around crime in the ghetto. Through the years the audience broadened to any race. Despite the b quality and sometimes bad acting these movies became cult classics and are still loved today.

 

The most popular of them were the one’s featuring black women. The more well known were the blaxploitation movies starring the gorgeous and talented Pam Grier. In my opinion the best Pam Grier movies were directed by Jack Hill like Foxy Brown and Coffy. They also featured cult icons like Sid Haig (House of a Thousand Corpses) and Antonio Fargas.

 

I recently went on a female blaxploitation binge like Get Christie Love starring Teresa Graves, Cleopatra Jones starring Tamara Dobson and TNT Jackson starring Playboy Playmate Jeanne Bell. TNT Jackson is by far one of the greatest movies of the sub genre.

 

First of all besides being a bad ass in general, TNT Jackson was a karate export and the movie takes place in China. Basically it’s a revenge movie. I love revenge movies especially women revenge movies. This is a sexy black karate expert badass woman revenge movie. I was hooked before I ever saw it years ago for the first time. She goes to China seeking the people that killed her brother. Action ensues from the beginning and keeps going until the end.

 

Jeanne (sometimes credited as Jeanie) Bell (born as Annie Lee Morgan) was the first Afro-American Playboy playmate in October 1969. Under the name of Jean Bell she even graced the centerfold (another first). She went on to enjoy a brief acting career, working on such films as Mean Streets directed by Martin Scorsese starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel and The Klansman along side of Lee Marvin and Richard Burton. It was TNT Jackson that she did her best work in her fist and only leading role.

 

She was TNT Jackson. She showed what she was made of as an actress and a woman in this blaxploitation movie directed by Cirio H. Santiago. A great under rated find.

 

 

Jeanne Bell’s personal details-

 

Born          November 23, 1944 (age 66)

St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

Measurements          Bust: 34″

Waist: 23″

Hips: 36″

Height          5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)

Weight          117 lb (53 kg; 8.4 st)

 

If you’ve never seen Jeanne or TNT Jackson google her and rent or buy the movie and have a great time. Yes it’s slightly campy and over the edge but so much fun.