Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Smiling_Jolly_Roger ...was there a little kid wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers cap in one scene? The Dodgers played in Brooklyn until 1958! Other than that, this film was worth watching twice and I'll watch it again next time it's on BOUNCE TV. I enjoyed Paul Harris' performance, although I think BOUNCE does him a disservice in its promos by touting Frank DeKova as the star. (Just as bad is that DeKova doesn't even appear in the promos!) The main reason I watched this movie the first time was to see if Frank DeKova was actually black. I never knew what he really looked like when he played a Native American on "F-Troop," so I was intrigued to find out.

fearmaker2002 In addition to all the modern cars on the street, everyone in the movie keeps making declarative statements that it is 1956, as in "You know, this is 1956!" Also, all the white men have 70s haircuts and sideburns. The mayor would have been considered a bum, a beatnik or a surfer in 1956. Perhaps a missing subplot about a time machine wasn't fully explored. I don't know why they just didn't make it take place in present day except that the film is supposed to be based on a true story--In 1956!If you are into blaxploitation, it's not a bad story--the main characters do their best considering the mangled plot, but Serene's secret wasn't much of a secret--if you can't figure it out right away you aren't paying attention even though it's 1956.The other odd thing (among many odd things) is how this movie ends. It's a real WTF moment. Saying there are loose ends would be an understatement--Especially for 1956.It's available on the "50 Drive-In Movie Classics" collection. At about 50 cents a movie, I can't complain. It's low budget but has some nudity and some cartoon-like violence. This also appears to be the only movie in this pack that takes place in 1956.

lemon_magic When you first see a film like this included in a "Drive-In Movie" 50 pack, you expect it to be fairly crummy, but "Jive Turkey" (as it is titled in this collection) turned out to have some good things going for it. (BTW, I think the "Baby Needs A New Pair Of Shoes" title is a much better one for this film. It's unclear who the Jive Turkey is supposed to be - the Italian boss played by Dekova? The informer? Who?)Some of the acting is surprisingly effective. Fortunately, this includes the lead role. Paul Harris (as the numbers king "Pasha") is the best thing about the movie and the main reason to see it. He really is a pleasure to watch, and he pretty much carries the movie. Most of the supporting actors tend to be stiff and amateurish; but even so,the director can often get a good reading of a nice zippy line of dialog out of his supporting cast when it really counts. There is even some snappy camera work in spots, and Ernie Banks chips in with a couple of nicely understated soul pieces that complement the atmosphere the film wants to generate. This happens often enough that the movie never sinks to the of camp or kitsch. However, the screenplay and low budget production values cripple the director's attempt to generate a compelling experience. After a moderately interesting opening scene which promises a gang war between the black numbers racketeers and "Italian" gangsters, things just settle down into a meandering plod; you never really get the sense that Pasha is in any real trouble. Indeed, it's typical of the movie's problems that Pasha's enforcer 'Serene' kills the Italian bosses right hand man in that opening scene (in a contrived but reasonably compelling way), but nothing seems to come of it, and there seems to be no lasting consequence. Come to think of it, the opening credits feature a (badly staged) massacre by the Italians that also never is mentioned again. The rest of the movie is more of the same. It's obvious that people worked their fingers to the bone to make the most out of a tiny budget; but good camera work and location scouting can't hide the fact that the movie is obviously a 70's production trying to pretend it was set in 1956. And it's a real shame that the producer and director didn't have a good story editor to help them polish their screenplay. The final showdown between Pasha and "Big Tony" doesn't make a lot of sense and doesn't really follow from anything that came before. The "surprise" revelations about 'Serene' and the identity of the informer in Pasha's organization are meant to end the film with a bang, but I saw both those plot twists coming in the first five minutes, and again, they didn't really organically connect with the rest of the plot.Still, I thought it was worth seeing once on the strength of Paul Harris' performance and for some moments of real interest and good film-making. I'd love to see what the Ransoms could have done with a real budget and a ghost writer to help them tighten their story ideas. As a previous reviewer mentioned, a revisionist filmmaker like Quentin Tarentino could work wonders with a remake. Not worth seeking out, but if the "Drive In Move 50 pack" falls into your possession, this movie is worth taking the time to see.

Scott_Mercer *** YO MAN! LOOK OUT FOR THE SPOILERS!!! *** I saw this under the reissue title of "Jive Turkey." This MUST have gotten some play at the inner-city grindhouses back in the 1970's. And those poor souls that sat in a theater and watched it must have wanted their $2.00 admission back.Where to begin? This is a crime action flick with a mostly black cast, released in 1974. So far, so good. But it is also a PERIOD PIECE that takes place in 1956. Whoa. And they don't pull it off successfully. The costumes are not right, everyone's hair is just too big, and you can see 1973 cars driving by in the background of most of the exterior shots. Okay, I know, it's low budget. But the producers clearly bit off more than they could chew here.As far as the plot, here it is: Italian mobsters try to muscle in on the racket of the iron-fisted "Pasha", big daddy of the numbers rackets in The Hood. (I think it's filmed in Cleveland, but it's never specified. I saw an Ohio license plate at one point.) He'll let the Eye-Ties sell heroin, but Pasha doesn't sully himself with such things, 'cause only some people shoot smack, but EVERYBODY runs the numbers.But once the Mafioso (played by F-Troop's Frank DeKova!) starts messing' with the Pasha, some heavy duty s*** is gonna go down. There's a few hits, stabbings, shootings, some time at the local cathouse, and a drag queen hit man (not revealed as a man until the end of the film -- although I've seen much uglier transvestites, it was no big shock that she was a man). Some highly bloody murders here, with the psycho hit queen laughing maniacally as the camera lens is covered in fake blood.In the end, "Pasha" kills the Mafioso (just strangles him to death, that's kind of lame), wipes out the "rat" in his own organization, and blows town with a butt load of cash before the cops can get at him (it's an election year and they can't be bribed right now). Our "hero" survives yet again.The writing is okay, with a few good zingers here and there. The acting is not bad (if you want some really bad acting in a movie like this, check out THE GUY FROM HARLEM), but no great shakes either. The direction is acceptable, but the poor execution of the 1956 setting is highly distracting. Didn't allow me to suspend disbelief for a second. One more thing I should mention is the music by ERNIE BANKS! Is that Mr. Cub, or a different Ernie Banks? There is some entertainment value here, and the whole effect is quite shlocky, so I give it a 4. You could do worse. Of course, if you're a fan of this genre, you need to check this out. Definitely a rare item, and probably one of the few period pieces from the classic Blaxploitation period. Available on a 50 Movie DVD box set called "Drive-In Classics," but I doubt this played at too many drive-ins. This same box set also contains THE GUY FROM HARLEM among other treats of bargain basement celluloid.