The sudden death of singer Isaac Hayes reminded me of a conversation I had this spring with actor Richard Roundtree.

Roundtree played the sexy lead in "Shaft," the 1971 hit movie that earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Hayes, who recently died from a stroke, won an Oscar for the theme song, which he also sang.

The film was among the highest-grossing ones that year and made the mustachioed Roundtree a cinematic heartthrob. It made Hayes a sultry sensation. It also boosted ...

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