Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

1974

Crime / Thriller

4
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 25%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 25% · 50 ratings
IMDb Rating 4.6/10 10 401 401

blaxploitation cinema

Plot summary

In 1950s Harlem a vicious Italian gangster (Frank deKova) tries to muscle in on a black racketeer's (Paul Harris) numbers game.

Director

Bill Brame Photo
Bill Brame

Top cast

Henry G. Sanders Photo
Henry G. Sanders as Sam Kingston
Frank DeKova Photo
Frank DeKova as Big Tony
Paul Harris Photo
Paul Harris as Pasha
Reginald Farmer Photo
Reginald Farmer as Sweetman
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
788.8 MB
1280*718
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 25 min
Seeds 2
1.43 GB
1920*1078
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 25 min
Seeds 3

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Scott_Mercer 4 / 10

Low Budget Blaxploiter Period Piece - Dire!

Reviewed by dbborroughs 6 / 10

A numbers king pin tries to stay in business as the mafia and police close in around him. Its a below poverty production that is decent but deserving of a bigger budget

This is a low budget, made on the cheap film that does possess some charm. The problem is that it meanders all over the place and never picks up any real steam. The plot begins with a sit down between Pasha and his Italian gangster counter part Big Tony (played by the top billed Frank DeKova aka Chief Wild Eagle from F-Troop in the first of his two scenes). Tony tells Pasha he has to hand everything over to him and his boys or they will kill him. Pasha's girl kills Tony's man, which you would think woulds spark a gang war, it doesn't, instead it spurs the Mayor to try and close Pasha down. This leads to the numbers operation being moved, police raids and some talk about fighting back. The Italian mob does try to kill Pasha but it never amounts to much. This is a black-ploitation crime drama that is short on action.The problem seems to be that they had almost no money to make this movie. its suppose to be set in 1956 but people wear clothes from the 1970's and the streets are filled with cars made well after 56. I'm guessing that they couldn't afford any money for blanks, or if they did they didn't have very many. What violence there is tends to be fist fights or beatings, which can be very bloody. Its disappointing especially after the opening scene. I had the sense while watching it that this was suppose to be a larger, more detailed story (there are details hanging off the screen that seem to connect to a longer story) and it wasn't filmed because of money or the film was unfinished.Its a messy movie but I liked it. The writing is at times sharp and witty, even if the cast isn't up to it. There are numerous lines of dialog that deserve to be quoted. You have a bunch of interesting characters that seem very real. I also liked that the plot never went where you expected it to go, even though it became clear early this was headed for left field by a completely new route. Its best described as a low budget attempt at something other than your typical crime drama (black or white). No it won't win any awards but if you're an adventurous film goer it deserves to be seen, if for no other reason than to imagine it remade by Mario Van Peebles, Quentin Tarantino or the Hughes Brothers. You probably won't rave, but it will stick in your head.
Reviewed by VonCouch 5 / 10

Cheap Blaxploitation With A Spark Of Possibility

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.
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