The dual success of "Shaft" and "French Connection" made Tidyman one of the top screenwriters in the business. "Tidyman from a standing start suddenly looks like a one man resuscitator for the movie as public entertainment", wrote "The" "Los Angeles Times". Tidyman was one of the few filmmakers to speak up for the much-maligned James T. Aubrey, president of MGM, who financed "Shaft". "Nobody ever lied to me at MGM or told me they were going to do something they didn't do", he said.