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Released by: Cheezy Flicks
Released on: 9/30/2008
Director: Bill Brame
Cast: Paul Harris, , Frank de Kova, Don Edmondson, Serena, Reginald Farmer
Year: 1974
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The Movie:
Pasha (Paul Harris, Truck Turner, Across 110th Street, The Mack) plays a smooth, mid-level crime lord running a numbers game, plus prostitution, in what is probably Cleveland, Ohio. Big Tony (Frank DeKova, The Mechanic, and Chief Wild Eagle in tv's F Troop) is having some trouble with his narcotics business, and wants Pasha to give him a piece of the numbers game. Pasha doesn't really have a choice though, since Big Tony informs him that the bigger boss in Chicago is going to put out a hit on Pasha if he doesn't comply. Pasha says he needs 30 days to get his affairs in order, and Big Tony tells him not to bother with anything funny because Tony's got a man on Pasha's crew that tells him everything. With that, Pasha takes his transvestite Serene (sorry pal, you do NOT look like a woman) and they split the scene.
One of Pasha's guys, Sweetman (Reginald Farmer, one of the mean guys at the all-black bar in Animal House) basically does all his footwork, collecting numbers and money from all the merchants. Pasha's got his eyes on a young guy named Nathan as a potential player, who has a little brother Billy who eats a lot of potato chips. Then there's a guy named DuDirty, who doesn't amount to very much other than provide a funny name, but add him to the list of people that could be working for Big Tony. Plus the cops have their noses stuck in Pasha's business even though he pays them off (apparently not the right ones) and they also have a man on the inside. Who can Pasha trust? And what's he got up his sleeve to pull one over on Big Tony?
Originally called Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes, then later titled Get Nigger Rich on Number 666, before being re-titled again as Jive Turkey, the film follows a tried and true formula for telling a story that's not very original. Thankfully, the moviemakers threw in some nuggets that keep this one's head above the water and give the viewer a thing or two to remember from the picture. Most notably is the sadistic Serene, who has one scene in particular that's quite brutal and involves a high heel. And a little kid gets shot on his bicycle in the opening credits. No one wants to see a little kid get shot in the back, but when a movie shows that happen, most people will pay attention.
Obviously this is a low-budget movie, probably made to cash in on the flood of the so-called “Blaxploitation†that hit the scene in the early and mid-1970s, and the signs are all there to call it out as a cheaply made movie (visible boom mics, low rent sets). The movie takes places in the mid-50s, but there are vehicles seen in the movie (as well as props) that scream 1970s, but that's forgivable. And the pace is sometimes tedious, but that's forgivable too. Everything's forgivable, including the way it ends, because it's got plenty stuff in it to please those who love this kind of cinema. Guns, gore, boobs, butts, hookers, drugs, a transvestite, a priest who can't keep his lil' pope in his pants, some clunky dialogue, and a character named DuDirty. It also has some solid acting, with lots of familiar faces (Ernie Banks, Frances Williams, and Henry Sanders) and some cool music as well. And the apparent attempt at a moral message at the end, “the dead endâ€, as it is, is pretty good for a snicker. It's a fun movie.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Sadly, Jive Turkey is a public domain title, so nothing was done to make it look nice. Why bother right? The source Cheezy Flicks used is beat up, but not horrible. There's lots of damage and missing frames, and the colors are pretty washed out. It would be great to see this movie get some love in the remastering department but that won't probably happen any time soon. The audio is a simple mono track that sounds pretty crummy, but does what it needs to. Pops and noises are prevalent, but everything is easy to understand.
For extras, the only thing on here, aside from chapter selections and a text page with info about the disc label, is “Cheezy Trailers and Moreâ€, which runs about 5 minutes. It features some drive-in theater promos and a few of trailers: The Firing Line (Reb Brown and a porno moustache) and Savage Weekend (with William Sanderson) and Absolution (Billy Connolly and Richard Burton).
The Final Word:
Worth checking out if you dig on 70s cinema. The extras and the a/v presentation don't add to the value of the disc, but it DVD should definitely be a welcome addition to a genre fan's collection.
