Petey Wheatstraw (film)

Petey Wheatstraw (also known as Petey Wheatstraw, the Devil's Son-in-Law)[3] is a 1977 American blaxploitation[4] comedy horror film[5] written and directed by Cliff Roquemore, and starring comedian Rudy Ray Moore alongside Jimmy Lynch, Leroy Daniels, Ernest Mayhand, Ebony Wright, and Wildman Steve Gallon. It is typical of Moore's other films from the same era, such as Dolemite and The Human Tornado, in that Moore rhymes nearly every sentence in the movie with the next one.

Not to be confused with musician Peetie Wheatstraw.
Petey Wheatstraw
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCliff Roquemore[1]
Produced byBurt Steiger
Theodore Toney
Written byCliff Roquemore[1]
StarringRudy Ray Moore
Jimmy Lynch
Leroy Daniels
G. Tito Shaw
Ernest Mayhand
Release date
  • November 1977 (1977-11) (North America)
Running time
95 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Petey Wheatstraw (Rudy Ray Moore) is born during a great Miami hurricane, and after a difficult labor by his mother, emerges as a talking, diaper-wearing, six-year-old boy who promptly attacks the doctor and then his father for "disturbing me in my sleep every night." His mother stops him, puts him in his place, and names him "Petey Wheatstraw".

While a young teenager, after being beaten up by a gang, Petey meets a mentor named "Bantu" who teaches him the philosophy of "Kung Fu" and "self-respect", taking a vow not to bow before any man, living or dead. Petey grows up to become a successful nightclub comedian, who books a series of shows at a club in Los Angeles called "Steve's Den" - much to the dismay of comedy rivals Leroy and Skillet, who have just borrowed a large sum of money from the Mob to finance their own opening at another club the following day. Realizing that their show is likely to fail with Petey in town (and therefore default on the loan, and putting their lives at risk), they beg Petey to delay his act. When Petey refuses to do so, Leroy and Skillet send out their henchmen to convince Petey otherwise.

Leroy and Skillet's henchmen gun down Petey's business partner Ted's little brother Larry, and then attempt to wipe out Petey himself at the boy's funeral by machine gunning the entire party. Mortally wounded, Petey is visited by "Lou Cipher" - the Devil himself - who tells him that his death was a mistake. He is willing to undo Petey's death on one condition - that Petey marry the Devil's daughter and provide him with a grandson. Petey nearly quashes the deal when he sees the picture of the Devil's ugly daughter, but hears the words of Bantu - and decides to make a deal.

Petey and his friends are brought back to life, and Petey tells them of the Devil's deal and his plans to gain revenge on Leroy and Skillet - and trick the Devil by not marrying his daughter.

Armed with the Devil's own magic "Pimp Cane", Petey sets out to exact his revenge.

Cast
  • Rudy Ray Moore as Petey Wheatstraw[6]
    • Danny Poinson as Young Petey[2]
    • Clifford Roquemore II as Baby Petey[2]
  • Jimmy Lynch as Jimmy[2]
  • Leroy Daniels as Leroy[2]
  • Ernest Mayhand as Skillet[2]
  • Ebony Wright as Nell, Petey's girlfriend / Pet, the Devil's daughter[2]
  • Wildman Steve as Steve[2]
  • G. Tito Shaw as Lucifer / The Devil[1]
  • Ted Clemmons as Ted[2]
  • Marvin Jones as Scarface Willie[2]
  • George Mireless as Mr. White[2]
  • Bryan L. Roquemore as Larry[2]
  • Brian Breye as Bantu[2]
  • Rose Jewel Williams as Petey's Mother[2]
  • Sy Richardson as Petey's Father[2]

Home media

Petey Wheatstraw was released on DVD in 2002 as part of the Dolemite Collection box set.[7][8] In July 2016, the film was restored in 2K and released on DVD and Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome.[9][10][11]

As of November 2020, the film is available for streaming on IMDb's FreeDive video channel.

References
  1. Lanier, Hunter (September 17, 2018). "Petey Wheatstraw". Film Threat. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  2. Mitchell, Charles P. (2010). The Devil on Screen: Feature Films Worldwide, 1913 through 2000. McFarland & Company. p. 221. ISBN 978-0786446995.
  3. Guzmán, Rafer (August 15, 2019). "LI's Eddie Murphy plays blaxploitation star in his comeback movie: Watch the trailer". Newsday. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  4. R., Robin; Coleman, Means (2011). Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present. Routledge. p. 221. ISBN 978-0415880190.
  5. Trussell, Jacob (October 29, 2019). "The Horror Legacy of Rudy Ray Moore". Film School Rejects. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  6. Frometa, RJ (June 22, 2018). "Dolemite and Other Rudy Ray Moore Classics on VOD for the First Time!". VentsMagazine.com. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  7. "Dolemite Collection: Bigger & Badder (Widescreen)". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  8. Rabin, Nathan (April 29, 2002). "The Dolemite Collection (DVD)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  9. "Petey Wheatstraw – Vinegar Syndrome". Vinegar Syndrome. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  10. "Petey Wheatstraw (Blu-ray + DVD)". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  11. Hobbs, Charlie (August 9, 2016). "Now on Blu-ray: Rudy Ray Moore's Petey Wheatstraw, The Devil's Son-in-Law". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.