Poor Pretty Eddie

One of the most deeply disturbing films of the early 70s, bar none, POOR PRETTY EDDIE is also, at times, morbidly comical as well. A murky, surreal tale centering on a black superstarlet singer(Leslie Uggams) who becomes stranded alone in a small, backward Southern town. She takes a room in a tumbledown lodge run by Shelley Winters and "Eddie", her handsome "kept" boy. Eddie becomes discordantly smitten with Uggams, rapes her, beats her, and vows his undying love to her as a distraught Ms. Winters looks on.

Flush with heterodox characters and nightmarish imagery, POOR PRETTY EDDIE is a mind-bending, jaw-dropping, head-scratching freak-on-wheels which is equal parts effective and defective.

6.5/10...file under "uncategorizable".

Like several people here, I too saw this in the wee hours of the morning on TCM, where yes folks, it ran with no introductory info, and NO TITLES. It simply ended and faded into nothingness where TCM switched back to some old Black and While film suitable for Gramma like it never happened. Maybe it didn't.

Plot: It's one of those "woman fights for her life versus redneck" films that were around a lot in the 70s. This one has an African-American singer getting stuck in the rural south where she stays at a run down inn/bar while she waits for her car to get fixed.

Meanwhile, the dashing bar owner falls in love with her, which results in the expected rape scene, this one rendered even more distasteful by the inter-cutting of shots of local mouthbreathers watching dogs screw.

She goes almost catatonic from that point forward, and every person she turns to for help just leads her deeper into a maze of grotesque public officials who don't really want to help. It's like Kafka rolled around in batter and deep-fried.

It's all so off-putting, the result is less one of bloody revenge than it is of confusion...that something so odd could have ever existed, or actually been shown on late-night television on a channel that so many people get.

Be aware film fans...reruns of this could be lurking around your next sleepless night. Try to get some sleep.

A friend and I watched "Poor Pretty Eddie" on the big screen, during a film night special appropriately entitled Rednecksploitation. Let me tell you, along with the ramshackle cinema hangar & the poor quality of the original film spool, the story & atmosphere of this movie catapulted us straight back to the glorious highlight-years of rancid 70's drive-in grindhouse exploitation! Movies like "Poor Pretty Eddie" will not and simply cannot be made anymore nowadays, because they're filthy, always discriminating to someone, rough, women-unfriendly and shameless. If someone made something like this today, groups of protesters would march outside the theaters until the owners have no other choice but to cancel the showings. Anyway, this fabulously entertaining film is shockingly perverse, hilarious and nightmarishly uncanny all at the same time. You've never encountered a bigger bunch of disturbed rednecks, not even in "Deliverance" or "Just before Dawn", and the script covers even the most controversial themes, like racism and rape. Leslie Uggams portrays a popular (and rather cocky) whose car naturally breaks down at the wrong place at the wrong time. On her way to a vacation Liz Wetherly strands in Southern Redneck Hell, at a miserable motel owned by a faded showgirl (now an obese and depressed old lady), a creepy-looking hunting dog lover and last but not least the wide-smirking & clearly deranged Elvis lunatic Eddie Collins. Eddie wants to keep her there, very much against the will of ol' Bertha, and continuously tries to impress her with his questionable singing talents, big white smiling teeth and flamboyant outfits that reveal his muscles and massive amount of chest hair. When all friendly approaches fail, Eddie rapes Liz and forces her into marrying him. Needless to say she slowly & tragically starts losing her senses. This low-budget exploitation classic naturally thrives on atmosphere & demented character drawings instead of on convoluted plotting and special effects. The lead characters are wondrously twisted, but literally every single one of the supportive characters are remarkable as well, like the sleazy tomato-sucking sheriff (the late grate Slim Pickens), his slingshot operating retard-sidekick and the perverse & fat-bellied judge/pool bar owner. Many of the crazed sequences in "Poor Pretty Eddie" literally need to be seen to be believed, for example the astonishingly tasteless montage of Liz' rape interlarded with images of two dogs copulating in front of an assembly of seemingly aroused farmers and to the tunes of another great country song. The acting performances are great; notably outstanding are Shelley Winters (Oscar winner AND exploitation siren, respect!), Ted Cassidy (the original Addams Family's Lurch) and of course Michael Christian as the titular not-so-poor and not-so-pretty Eddie. The climax sequence, set during an authentic and joyful hillbilly wedding party, is terrifically violent with slow-motion massacres and a total absence of sound. The film is overall poorly made, but several shots are surprisingly imaginative and the filming locations were definitely enchanting. "Poor Prettie Eddie" is most definitely a hidden gem. Sometimes falsely promoted as a Blaxploitation flick (with an a.k.a title "Black Vengeance") and the cover image here on the website makes it look like an average Psycho-inspired slasher movie, in reality the film is a totally unique and unforgettable drive-in experience.

Just found this on DVD today, in a much better transfer than the old VHS versions. Let's face it, the film would be even more obscure, had the producers not had the vision to cast Shelley as Bertha, the faded beauty who "used to be an entertainer", but now owns a run down inn that is way off the beaten path. She's also an alcoholic plagued with loneliness and insecurity, which is somewhat relieved by Eddie, a good looking but psychotic stud about 25 years younger, with whom she maintains a desperate sexual and emotional relationship.

There is some debate about Shelley's acting, that her character is really just Shelley playing herself. That is an insult to the actress, who like any talented actor draws emotion from her own experiences. This is a tour-de-force performance, particularly when she explains to Leslie Uggams (in a very one-dimensional performance) that Eddie is all the man she's got, and at her age, there won't be any others. It's a heartbreaking scene that leaves no doubt about Miss Winters acting abilities. The crazy plot reminds me of HG Lewis' "2000 Maniacs". Slim Whitman has some choice lines. Entertaining in a "Bad Movie We Love" kind of way, this trashy treasure is worth seeking out.

This great but weird film is certainly among my favorites .Its probably not for all tastes ,but a superb film I think.Y'know its like that car wreck you can't take your eyes off it.The acting by all incredibly good !And the direction excellent. What makes this film so much better than a hundred exploitation films like it ? The detail in each scene is fascinating !I've often wondered what creating this film must have taken on the cast and crew etc. Its a real shame this piece of artistic fantasy remains obscure and forgotten .Maybe the powers that be want it that way ,no doubt.Fortunately I obtained the videotape many years ago. If you can find this ,grab a rare 70's cult classic (dare I say?).You won't believe your eyes .