While Dolemite was a hit, The Human Tornado was an even bigger hit when it landed in theaters in 1976. Rudy Ray Moore knew he had to keep the momentum going with two back-to-back hit films under his belt. Having been impressed with his work on the last movie, Moore rehired Cliff Roquemore as director and writer. Instead of doing another Dolemite picture, Moore adapted another character from his stand-up routine: Petey Wheastraw: The Devil’s Son-In-Law. Much like how Moore gave him an opportunity, Roquemore decided to help out actors like Ebony Wright. With an estimated budget of around $700,000 to $750,000, this was Moore’s most expensive film at the time. Unfortunately, Dimension Pictures was facing financial troubles, so Transvue Pictures picked up the distribution rights. In late 1977, Rudy Ray Moore’s third major motion picture, Petey Wheatstraw, hit the big screen across the US.
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Synopsis
During a great Miami hurricane, a young woman (Rose Jewel Williams) gives birth to a six-year-old boy (Clifford Roquemore II). After the boy asserts dominance towards his father (Sy Richardson), his mother names him Petey Wheatstraw. As a teenager, Petey (Danny Poinson) trains under a martial arts master named Bantu (Brian Breye) after getting bullied. Now an adult, Petey (Rudy Ray Moore) is a successful comedian known for insulting the crowd and generally being loud. Rival comedians Leroy (Leroy Daniels) and Skillet (Ernest Mayhand) want Petey stopped, so they hire thugs to gun him down. In death, Petey meets Lou Cipher, aka Lucifer (G. Tito Shaw), who offers to make a deal with him. Lucifer will bring Petey back to life if he agrees to marry his daughter and bear him a grandson. Petey agrees and exacts his revenge, but he plans to double-cross the devil.
Review
Of Rudy Ray Moore’s movies, Petey Wheatstraw is easily the strangest of them all, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, it’s admirable that they tried doing something different and not retread the same ground. On the other hand, mixing various genres – comedy, horror, drama – might put off fans of Moore’s earlier movies. You know you’ve gone off the rails when a wacky comedy suddenly has a scene of a kid getting shot. Not only that but it’s followed up with an entire group of people getting gunned down after said kid’s funeral. Neither scene is played for laughs, and it’s such a weird tonal shift for such an odd movie. It’s even stranger when the film goes back to comedy, and the earlier dramatic scenes are glossed over. It’s almost admirable how they go all over the place with the film’s tone.
Once again, Rudy Ray Moore is the film’s highlight, spouting off loud insults and making ridiculous faces. Also, there’s another outrageous sex scene with Moore, but this one’s reminiscent of a similar scene from A Clockwork Orange. G. Tito Shaw is almost the Jerry Jones of the film, delivering a very straight-laced performance with moments of outburst. Leroy and Skillet are funny during their stand-up routine, acting as a black version of Abbott and Costello. You can tell that Cliff Roquemore enjoyed having more control over this film, especially with the running motif of watermelons. There are still signs of the movie’s low budget, such as the laughable demon make-up, but these add charm. Your enjoyment will largely depend on how much you can handle the film’s juggling of genres for what it’s worth. Overall, Petey Wheatstraw isn’t as good as the last two, but it’s too weird to miss.
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