Five on the Black Hand Side

The blaxploitation genre continued with Oscar Williams's "Five on the Black Hand Side", based on a play by the recently deceased Charlie L. Russell. Watching it I was reminded of "All in the Family": the old-school patriarch, the mousy mom, and the rebellious offspring. While the plot centers on the mom's finally standing up to her domineering husband, there's more. A truly outstanding scene takes place in the dad's barbershop. One of the patrons recites some poetry that sounds like comedic rap! The overall point is that this is one enjoyable movie. Every blaxploitation movie that I've seen has been fun, but this one manages to be so without a bunch of high action. It's all about the humor, and it's a flick that you just gotta love.

PS: producer Brock Peters did background vocals on Harry Belafonte's "Day-O" and most notably played Gregory Peck's client in "To Kill a Mockingbird".