Isaac Hayes auditioned for the title role. Producers cast Richard Roundtree, but were so impressed with Hayes that they asked him to write the now legendary score to the film.
This is one of the first movies that has a character saying he is gay.
One of only three films MGM released in 1971 that made a profit, and it helped save the studio from bankruptcy.
Gordon Parks: [Essence Magazine] Shaft is seen reading a copy of Essence Magazine in his girlfriend's apartment. Parks is a co-founder of Essence. The magazine is spotted when Shaft is engaging in a conversation with a blind newsstand vendor during the opening sequence.