Petey Wheatstraw

Petey Wheatstraw (1977)

** (out of 4)

Rudy Ray Moore is back, this time playing the title character, a comedian who is doubled crossed by a couple jerks. Petey is shot dead in the streets and his spirit is visited by Lucifer who offers him a deal. If Petey agrees to marry his daughter and have a son, Petey can continue life and be given a magical pimp stick. Petey takes the deal and enjoys the powers that the stick gives him but when it comes time to pay he wants no part of Lucifer's daughter.

After DOLEMITE and its sequel THE HUMAN TORPEDO, Moore found himself playing a new character and while it's not nearly as entertaining as the earlier movies, if you're a fan of the comic then there's plenty to enjoy here. If you're coming to this film expecting to see anything like THE HUMAN TORPEDO then you had better check yourself because this film is something completely different. As wild as the story sounds, the film is actually pretty straight-forward without too many campy or over-the-top moments.

The direction they took this film is somewhat shocking because it barely registers a R-rating until the final fifteen-minutes when we finally get some exploitation moments including a weird orgy sequence and some nudity. Everything before that is pretty much a straight but bizarre drama dealing with Petey being murdered but then given a chance to seek revenge on the men behind it. All of this is played rather straight and it is entertaining but I'm just not sure the blaxploitation crowd are going to enjoy something straight when it comes to Moore.

The film finally reaches some high marks at the end when Lucifer and his servants come for revenge. The make up on the devils is quite generic but it makes for some fun. As usual Moore doesn't give a great performance but he's certainly quite the character and he manages to make the role fun and keep the viewer interested in what's going on. The supporting cast is nice and for the most part fans of Moore should enjoy this one.

In 1977, comedian Rudy Ray Moore must have gotten tired of the same old Dolemite routine and wanted to branch out into new characters. Rather than go through all the trouble of developing a new character with it's own brand of humor, Moore and writer/director Cliff Roquemore created a carbon copy of the Dolemite character and slapped a new name on him. Thus, we were blessed with Moore's third film, PETEY WHEATSTRAW: THE DEVIL'S SON-IN- LAW. I'm not sure why they saw the need to create an all-new character, but there you have it. If you're a fan of Moore's previous DOLEMITE movies, there is enough here to elicit some chuckles. It's Moore's usual brand of humor with the same flaws we've come to expect from his movies. Petey Wheatstraw (Moore) is…what else…a comedian. Born to his mother as a near ten-year-old child with a watermelon, he is soon taken under the tutelage of the wise old Bantu who teaches him martial arts and the importance of wisdom. Years later as Petey's comedy career explodes, he becomes the target of bumbling duo Leroy and Skillet. The two want to off the comedian before his local performance can damage the profits from the grand opening of their own club. At first it appears their plan has worked and Petey is gunned down, but the Devil has other plans for the comedian. He gives Petey the chance to return to life and seek vengeance in return for marrying his daughter and giving him a son.

Also, there's a magic pimp cane.

As I made my way through my collection of Rudy Ray Moore movies, PETEY WHEATSTRAW is about where my interest began to wane but not enough to keep from enjoying the film. It's still chock full of Moore's trademark humor with the added absurdity of the supernatural storyline. Even after two movies and a few years of experience, Moore and his crew still haven't learned how to tell a proper structured story on film. The movie, as with the two previous, is all over the place. The first act is all about Leroy and Skillet's attempts at sidetracking Petey from performing the same night as their grand opening. The second act introduces the Devil plot but continues to focus on Petey's vengeance against his attempted murderers (and discovering his new powers via the magic cane). And then the final act, which almost feels tacked on, is Petey trying to outsmart the Devil and avoid the marriage to the Prince of Darkness's hideous daughter. The whole "Devil's Son-in-Law" portion of the movie is largely unimportant until the final 30 minutes, after the whole Leroy/Skillet plot has been resolved and most movie's would end. It's a shame too because the whole Devil storyline, the part I was most interested in watching has some of the better WTF moments. It should have been the focus of the movie. With its horrible makeup effects and crappy professional wrestling style demons, there are some awesome fight sequences that'll have you laughing so hard it hurts.

There is a lot of promise for a comedian like Moore in such a bizarre concept but it's all wasted for yet another "save the club" plot. Another interesting point I've noticed: the movie is obsessed with watermelon. Seriously, there is a LOT of it here: Petey's mother gives birth to one, characters are always eating it, and a truck load of watermelons is even blown up. It's everywhere, and this is the only Moore film where he plays so heavily on this stereotype. Not important, just something that really stood out to me. Anyway, the cast is really what makes this movie so fun. Moore is doing his usual routine, but the rest of the cast adds some new flavor. Lady Reed is missing from this movie, and you won't hear a complaint from me. For a women who was billed as a comedian, she couldn't act and I was glad to see she sat this one out. Leroy and Skillet are probably the best part of the movie. A couple of goons, their evil scheming and total idiocy are some of the funniest bits. As funny as the duo are, I would have liked to see them show up in more of Moore's movies. And then there's the Devil himself, G. Tito Shaw. I love it…the man is chewing the scenery with his bravado and attempt at a commanding presence. The characters are a blast and the humor hasn't quite run dry in PETEY WHEATSTRAW; so while it's a little boring at times and the structure needs serious work, I would still recommend this movie to fans of Moore's movies.

This one should have been called Dolemite versus Satan and the Reverend Al Sharpton (Leroy Daniels looks just like the reverend). Rudy Ray Moore stars as Petey Wheatstraw the Devil's Son-in-law in this black action classic. The basic story breaks down like this: Petey Wheatstraw is murdered and makes a bargain with Lucifer to come back and exact his revenge. The only catch is that he has to marry the Devil's daughter, who is a bus station skank. So Petey is given an enchanted pimp cane which gives him superpowers and he begins to plan out his vengeance (as well as a plan to doublecross the devil). In traditional fashion, it's loaded with off the wall humor. For example: Rudy Ray stopping in the middle of the street to comb some kids hair, ridiculous jogging, and watermelon child birth. Petey Wheatstraw is also loaded with the regular Rudy Ray cast, including Jimmy Lynch, Queen Bee, and Sheriff Beatty. Where is Howard Jackson though? It's not quite the masterpiece that is Dolemite, but it does have the greatest sex scene in the history of film. Can you dig it?

This movie is a breath of slapstic fresh air. It combines a ryhming charismatic hero (the devil's son in-law) with 60's Batman-inspired supervillains, hilarious kung-fu battling, black folklore, and a pimp staff with magical powers. I can't think of a better premise. The movie's humor is complete slapstick, the bumbling leroy and skillets doing their best to impersonate the three stooges combined (and they're both fat enough to do it). The acting is terrible, with purposfully, silent-movie style over-the-top expressions and reactions. It's a little bit too long and there are some sound difficulties, but well worth checking out. I would've loved to see a tv show with by R.R. Moore and his group.

A true film classic. Rudy Ray Moore stars as Petey Wheatstraw, a man who makes a deal with the devil and agrees to marry his daughter (the ugliest woman alive) in exchange for his life. The only film that rivals Petey Wheatstraw as best blaxploitation film is Black Belt Jones. Moore, as well as all of the other regular Dolemite regulars, are superb... their best work yet. A certain must see for anyone interested in fine black cinema.