Watch Jive Turkey For Free

Overrated and overhyped

One of my all time favorites.

Excellent adaptation.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

There's a big laugh in this movie's opening, which proclaims what we're going to see is a true story, but then states that the names, places, and events have been changed to protect the innocent - uh, wouldn't all that then make the movie complete fiction? Whether or not the movie has basis in fact, all the same it ends up being an almost complete bore that is badly made. I see other commenters have pointing out the movie's various anachronisms, so I won't bother to list them. But the script and the direction are more of a problem. The movie for the most part is far too serious for its own good, without a sense of fun and with the characters endlessly talking about boring topics. I will say some of the acting by the participants actually is okay, but that only helps a little. Whether you're looking for a serious (while engaging) movie or a blaxploitation romp, this movie simply doesn't work for any audience.

...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.

I just saw this film a few days ago under the name "Jive Turkey". In it, a numbers kingpin tries to keep control of his empire. In the process, he has to go against the Italian mob, the cops, snitches and all kinds of unscrupulous folks.As far as low-budget blaxploitation goes (and really, what isn't?), it's not that bad. The acting is decent, sometimes even good. The direction and cinematography is competent, sometimes even great. But what really stands out here is the story. Yeah, yeah. Same old brother-against-whitey plot that's in 99 out of a hundred of blaxploitation films. But there's a desperation in there that shines through. The best example is a scene of Russian roulette between the kingpin and the mafia boss. It's actually fairly well acted and well written.There's some confusing moments, like what the hell is up with the murdering-psycho man-girl that everyone wants to bang? And there's sprinkles of cheesy acting and poor production values. But there's actually a lot in here that, given better people behind it, could equal a pretty damned good movie. As it is, however, it's certainly above average on the Z-grade blaxploitation flick.All in all, recommended.

*** 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.