When prominent abortion clinic owner Cinderella (Frances Nealy) goes missing along with a string of other black community leaders, her singing daughter Syreena (Trina Parks) and her fellow female biker gang members tangle with the bumbling, racist police and equally inept Ku Klux Klan members before uncovering a nefarious plot by barbeque ribs magnate Commander Cross (Norman Bartold) to undermine the entire political organization of the black community.
Far from a simple black action film, Darktown Strutters shoehorns references to the past hundred years of African-American pop culture and history into its quick running time. The title alone carries a significant meaning as it refers to the popular '20s jazz standard "Darktown Strutters' Ball" (about a one-night gathering of black revelers in evening dress), covered by artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Fats Domino, which in turn also inspired the 1994 novel Darktown Strutters by Wesley Brown, a searing fictional examination of minstrel shows in America. The film satirically incorporates images of police oppression, the KKK, fried chicken and ribs, watermelon, and other racially-charged elements, all set within an exaggerated, comical storyline whose only possible contemporary might be Ralph Bakshi's animated Coonskin from the same year, which makes far more inflammatory use of these same elements.
While it was common practice in the '70s for established white directors to call the shots behind the camera (e.g., Jack Hill directing films for Pam Grier), the helmer of this particular film couldn't be more surprising. William Witney got his start directing western and action serials from the early days of the sound era. He progressed to a string of western programmers and became a regular TV director, occasionally venturing into more ambitious territory like AIP's 1961 Jules Verne adaptation, Master of the World. In fact, on the surface Darktown Strutters might sound like another idiosyncratic offering from AIP, but in fact it's a rare venture into blaxploitation territory by one of its main rivals, Roger Corman's New World Pictures.
Another AIP alumnus, screenwriter George Armitage, got his start writing and producing Corman's last film with that company, Gas-s-s-s (1970), whose mishandling prompted the filmmaker and company to part ways. Corman took Armitage along to New World where they turned out Private Duty Nurses (1971) and Night Call Nurses (1972). Armitage went solo to MGM in 1972 where he wrote and directed the successful Hit Man, a black action remake of Get Carter starring Bernie Casey and Pam Grier. By this point the Armitage stamp was becoming clear: unique, highly stylized dialogue and eccentric supporting characters thrown into unexpected action sequences with wild tonal shifts. Darktown Strutters is the only '70s film Armitage wrote but did not direct, though it still reflects an extreme representation of his style. The rest of his career was filled with long gaps of inactivity, highlighted by 1976's drive-in staple Vigilante Force, the outstanding oddball cult favorite Miami Blues (1990), and his most popular film to date, 1997's Grosse Pointe Blank with John Cusack.
Though it boasts no significant stars, this film does feature a few familiar faces apart from athletic singer and dancer Parks, who tangled with Sean Connery as "Thumper" in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. Roger E. Mosley earned a slot in TV history as T.C. on Magnum P.I., Christopher Joy created memorable moments of character comedy in Cleopatra Jones (1973) and Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke (1978), singer/actor Otis Day (aka DeWayne Jesse) brought down the house performing "Shout!" in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), Stan Shaw appeared in a wide variety of '70s films including Rocky (1976) and The Great Santini (1979), and reinforcing the Roger Corman connection, busy character actor Dick Miller has appeared in dozens of films ranging from A Bucket of Blood (1959) to Gremlins (1984). However, the most scene-stealing appearance may be the Dramatics, a popular R&B group who pop up during a prison scene to perform a unique rendition of their hit "What You See Is What You Get," already performed to powerhouse effect in the landmark 1973 concert film, Wattstax. It's an unforgettable moment in a film already loaded with more highlights than most other studios' entire output.
Producer: Gene Corman
Director: William Witney
Screenplay: George Armitage
Cinematography: Joao Fernandes
Art Direction: Peter Jamison
Film Editing: Morton Tubor
Cast: Trina Parks (Syreena), Edna Richardson (Carmen), Bettye Sweet (Miranda), Shirley Washington (Theda), Roger E. Mosley (Mellow), Christopher Joy (Wired), Stan Shaw (Raunchy), DeWayne Jesse (V.D.), Norman Bartold (Commander Cross), Charles Knapp (Officer Tubbins), Edward Marshall (Officer Emmo), Dick Miller (Officer Hugo), Milt Kogan (Officer Babel), Gene Simms (Flash), Sam Laws (Philo Rasberry), Frankie Crocker (Stuff), Della Thomas (Lixie).
C-90m.
by Nathaniel Thompson
