Holiday Flix: Jive Turkey

I've avoided Thankskilling for another year.  The trend continues!  Today's Film is Jive Turkey, a 1974 Blaxploitation Film that I've apparently owned for years.  It is part of a 50 Film Drive-In Collection whose most notable Films include Invasion of the Bee Girls, The Werewolf vs The Vampire Woman and The Guy From Harlem.  It also has some random ones like the U.S. Cut of Tenebre (as Unsane), Night Train to Terror and Savage Journey- the tale of the Mormons traveling to Utah.  Yes, the same set with Voodoo Black Exorcist and Black Hooker has the tale of the Mormons.  You're oh so random, Movie Set!  So how festive is this Film?  It is a Pun- get over it!  The Film is oddly-presented as an Historical Tale- go figure.  It is all about Crime in the Ghetto and how a guy from F-Troop is an evil Mobster.  Let's just get this over with, alright?

Just to get this out of the way: the Film is set in 1956 for no apparent reason.  It is not a real Historical Tale as far as I can tell, plus they say this...

All good?  Okay.

So The Blues Brothers shoot some people as war wages between Numbers Men in the Black Community and the Mobsters in the same area.

During an intentionally-hilarious montage, we see the lead guy going around and pulling money out of all sorts of places.

What are the odds that nobody else finds this?  Oh and I'm still not entirely sure what he even does!

We get a Focal Point Character in the form of some guy who looks alot like Billy Dee Williams, but mostly just focus on random bits as the Film literally starts to melt.

Oh and this lady shows up.  Still less random than a Scene involving Della Reese arguing about Racism at a Deli that they added to Psychic Killer though.

Oh look- our Focal Point Character is dead.  How ever will I care?

Seriously, this Film gave us a Transvestite cutting a Mobster's throat in the first 20 minutes.  Where did it have to go from there?

The two Bosses finally meet up (as our Special Guest Star is back!) and F-Troop Guy is killed.

In the aftermath, this other guy is killed while someone nearby laughs.  The (Dead) End.

Was it worth the pun?  Well, I didn't watch Thankskilling or Free Birds, so yes.  Other than that, it is pretty forgettable.  The Acting is pretty amateurish, but never quite bad enough to be funny.  The production values are pretty low.  The whole thing looks and feels cheap.  The whole thing is very dated.  If you love this kind of 70s stuff, it has *some* moments to make you laugh, but is pretty forgettable.  It needed more Dolemite- clearly!  On the plus side, I get to point out how this kid has a Hat from the future.  After all, the Dodgers didn't come to Los Angeles until 1958.  It is either that or this Movie didn't give a crap.  Take your pick, I guess.

Seriously, give thanks for all the good Thanksgiving Films you can watch like...um...anything but Pocahauntus.