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Petey Wheatstraw

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    Ian Jane
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  • Petey Wheatstraw



    Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
    Released on: July 26th, 2016.
    Director: Cliff Roquemore
    Cast: Rudy Ray Moore, Jimmy Lynch, Leroy Daniels, Ernest Mayhand, Ebony Wright
    Year: 1977
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Movie:

    Rudy Ray Moore's third feature would be 1977's Petey Wheatstraw, a film that dials down the raunchy elements that were so key to his first two movies. At least it sort of does - there's still plenty of fighting and an orgy where Petey gets it on with a bevy of black beauties. This time out? There's quite a bit more to the story and even some attempts at creating some legitimate atmosphere. Of course, Moore's inimitable stamp is still all over this one, but this is a decidedly different film than those he'd been involved with prior.

    The movie opens up with one of Moore's trademark rhymes in which he talks about how he came to be - cut to a scene in a shack where a woman gives birth not to an infant but, first, to a watermelon and then to a boy who looks roughly twelve (Cliff Roquemore II)! He's named Petey Wheatstraw and after getting picked on by some bullies, he's taught the martial arts by a kindly old man named Bantu (Brian Breye). Now a highly trained ass kicker, young Petey levels with his sensei: all he wants to do is make people laugh.

    A few years later and Petey is now a fully grown man (and of course played by Moore). His star is on the rise and he and his pals (one of whom is Wildman Steve of Supersoul Brother fame!) are preparing to launch a big show sure to be the talk of the town. This doesn't sit well with rival comedians Leroy (Leroy Daniels) and Skillet (Ernest Mayhand). They've just finished setting up their own show, backed by a cranky token white guy named, of course, Mr. White (George Mireless). They aim to stop Petey before he can pull the rug out from under them and to do that, they hire a trigger happy hitman named Scarface Willie (Marvin Jones). When the kid brother (Bryan L. Roquemore) of one of Petey's friends is shot, the whole crew attends the funeral, at which point Willie and his crew show up with machine guns and lay waste to everyone they can.

    Petey is sent to Hell where Lucifer (G. Tito Shaw) makes him a deal: if Petey agrees to marry his daughter and give him a son, he'll send him back to Earth before the massacre and give him a magic cane to help him set things right. Petey agrees, then finds himself in the unenviable position of trying outsmart Satan himself.

    Once again directed by Cliff Roquemore (who had previously helmed The Human Tornado a year earlier), Petey Wheatstraw might be a slightly kinder, gentler outing for Moore and company but it's still nuttier than a fruitcake. The movie goes on about ten minutes longer than it needs to, but even when it's clear that things are being padded it's pretty entertaining stuff. Moore does what he does here very well, giving his character all the bravado and cockiness you'd hope for and often times speaking in his patented rhyming style. Along for the ride this time are Leroy and Skillet, who are probably better known for a stint on TV's Sanford And Son than this particular movie. Regardless, they were predecessors of Moore's to a degree, doing their own standup routine and finding reasonable success at it. They're a lot of fun here, quirky and corny to be sure, but comical in the way that over-exaggerating goofball fat guys tend to be in comedy films. Marvin Jones (who also popped up in Penitentiary II) is pretty great as Scarface Willie, using his strangely contorted face to create a memorable character. The real scene stealer in this one, however, is Shaw as the devil. He's older than the others, his white beard giving him a sort of distinguished look, and he brings a classy vibe to a ridiculous film.

    The movie, like all of Moore's pictures, was made on a low budget but Roquemore gets most of it up there on the screen. There isn't quite as much bad kung-fu here as in the first two movies but there's still a fair amount of it. The wardrobe is just as over the top as what we've come to expect and the raucous score helps to keep things going with plenty of bounce. The scenes where Petey and Satan discuss the details of their arrangement are shot in the dark and lit using only red lighting, giving things an appropriately Hellish vibe. Towards the end, when the devil's minions arise to do his bidding, we are treated to some ambitious but not particularly good costuming and makeup effects - you've got to give these guys credit for trying their best with what they had! The tone is all over the place and pacing more than a little erratic, but Petey Wheatstraw still works as a pretty great showcase for Moore's comedic skillset and Roquemore's bizarre directorial talents.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    Presented on a 50GB Blu-ray disc restored from the original 35mm negative in 2k, Petey Wheatstraw makes its high definition debut from Vinegar Syndrome in AVC encoded 1080p framed at 1.85.1 widescreen. Like their recent releases of Dolemite and The Human Tornado, this new transfer vastly improves over the old DVD from Xenon. Detail is considerably stronger and the colors really pop throughout the movie, especially when those flashy fashions are on display - in fact, this one might even look a bit better than the first two Rudy Ray Moore/Vinegar Syndrome releases. Some minor print damage still shows up but it's just that - minor. Clarity, texture and detail are leaps and bounds above what the old DVD could provide, and it actually makes some of those scenes where Petey talks to Satan while in Hell reasonably atmospheric! There are no problems with compression artifacts, obvious noise reduction or edge enhancement to note and once again, fans are given a substantial upgrade in the video department.

    The English language DTS-HD Mono track, which comes with optional subtitles in English only, also gets a pretty noticeable upgrade from past releases on home video particularly where the music is concerned. There are no problems with any hiss or distortion, and the track is nicely balanced and quite clear. The music sounds a lot stronger here than it did on the DVD while the dialogue is always perfectly audible and quite clear.

    Once again, the extras for this release start off with a commentary track featuring Rudy Ray Moore's biographer, Mark Jason Murray, who is joined by co-star Jimmy Lynch. This is another solid track. Murray knows his stuff and does a great job of leading the track. Lynch can occasionally be a bit hard to understand (the levels on the commentary are a fair bit lower than the feature so you might want to turn it up) but when he's engaged he tells some interesting stories. They not only talk about Moore's involvement in the film, the origins of the lead character and the different cast and crew members who worked on the shoot but they also go into some interesting minutia. Murray notes how Roquemore was proud of this movie after directing Human Tornado, as he got to both write and direct this picture. Background details like some of the graffiti seen in the movie or the making of the horrible looking mask towards the end of the movie are covered here along with the more conventional topics you'd expect to learn about! There's also some discussion about the involvement of Leroy and Skillet in the film, how white people are always the bad guys in Rudy Ray Moore films, Rudy's 'incredible acting' with the magic stick, and of course the use of music in the film. Towards the end of the track we get some 'closing comments' from director Cliff Roquemore that last about a minute - the recording quality here is rough, but he speaks fondly about working on the picture. The Rudy Ray Moore commentary that was on the old Xenon DVD has not been ported over to this release and while it wasn't very good to begin with, collector's and completist types may want to note that.

    The third installment of the I, Dolemite Part III making-of documentary series that Vinegar Syndrome has been producing to accompany each of their Rudy Ray Moore releases is found here too, this time clocking in at roughly eighteen minutes. Commentary Murray pops up here too, as does Jimmy Lynch, editor Jack Tucker, cinematographer Nicholas Von Sternberg, and Cliff Roquemore's two sons (who share some pretty amusing stories about their own involvement in this film!). As with the first two installments it's a great look back at the history of the film, with Murray providing some historical context for the picture and those who participated in its making looking back on it fondly. Archival clips of Moore himself talking up this particular film are also included - it's quite a well-rounded examination of all that went into making Petey Wheatstraw what it is. There's also some interesting talk about the trials and tribulations of shooting a movie in a haunted hotel! The disc also includes a nine minute Shooting Locations Revisited archival featurette with Rudy Ray Moore, where he takes us around to various Los Angeles locations that were used for the shoot. The audio here is rough but it's neat to see regardless.

    Outside of that, the disc also includes an original radio spot for the film, the original theatrical trailers for Disco Godfather, The Human Tornado and Dolemite, the film's soundtrack as an isolated audio track, a still gallery, animated menus and chapter selection.

    As this is a combo pack release, the clear Blu-ray case also holds a DVD disc for the film. Wrapping all of this up is a reversible cover sleeve featuring slick new original cover artwork by Jay Shaw on one side and the original one sheet art on the flip side.

    The Final Word:

    Petey Wheatstraw isn't a perfect film but it is impressive in how ambitious it is and in just how much it gets right. The movie is a wildly entertaining genre mash-up with an emphasis on the type of humor Moore was known for but with a few completely unexpected twists into strangely dark territory thrown in too. It really is one of a kind, and Vinegar Syndrome has knocked it out of the park with their Blu-ray debut.

    Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!






























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