Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

MartinHafer In the early 1970s, one of the most profitable genres in films were the Blacksploitation movies. Some were made by major studios and featured excellent actors and scripts. Most were made by tiny studios and with second-rate acting, scripts and effects. Regardless, they all were quite entertaining and watching new black heroes and anti-heroes fighting 'the man' was quite enjoyable...especially for audiences not used to seeing their race winning against the traditional white establishment. Considering the cultural and political climate at the time, it's easy to see why these films were wildly successful. "Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes" ("Jive Turkey") is one of those movies in the second group--very low budget and not particularly polished. Most of the cast are obviously not experienced actors and the production values are not great--especially since the film is supposed to be set in 1956 but looks mostly like 1974! It was obviously made on the cheap and has a homemade quality about it. But despite its shortcomings, is it any good? Paul Harris stars as Pasha...the black mob boss who controls Harlem. However, the white mobsters are looking to push into his territory and eventually you know it's going to erupt into an all-out war with Big Tony (Frank DeKova). Up until then, there is a lot of nudity, prepping for war and jive talk from the brothers...as well as the cops, who are ALWAYS working for the man, rousting the folks of Harlem and putting a cramp on Pasha's style...and man, does he have style!The acting ranges from decent to terrible in this film. Blame the budget for this. But it is entertaining and never is dull-- especially when the trans assassin beats her johns to death with her high heels! And, like most of the blacksploitation pics, this one is very adult...with ample boobage, cursing, extreme violence (at a much higher level than usual for these films) and incredibly politically incorrect language!

Adam (VonCouch) I just saw this film a few days ago under the name "Jive Turkey". In it, a numbers kingpin tries to keep control of his empire. In the process, he has to go against the Italian mob, the cops, snitches and all kinds of unscrupulous folks.As far as low-budget blaxploitation goes (and really, what isn't?), it's not that bad. The acting is decent, sometimes even good. The direction and cinematography is competent, sometimes even great. But what really stands out here is the story. Yeah, yeah. Same old brother-against-whitey plot that's in 99 out of a hundred of blaxploitation films. But there's a desperation in there that shines through. The best example is a scene of Russian roulette between the kingpin and the mafia boss. It's actually fairly well acted and well written.There's some confusing moments, like what the hell is up with the murdering-psycho man-girl that everyone wants to bang? And there's sprinkles of cheesy acting and poor production values. But there's actually a lot in here that, given better people behind it, could equal a pretty damned good movie. As it is, however, it's certainly above average on the Z-grade blaxploitation flick.All in all, recommended.

lemon_magic When you first see a film like this included in a "Drive-In Movie" 50 pack, you expect it to be fairly crummy, but "Jive Turkey" (as it is titled in this collection) turned out to have some good things going for it. (BTW, I think the "Baby Needs A New Pair Of Shoes" title is a much better one for this film. It's unclear who the Jive Turkey is supposed to be - the Italian boss played by Dekova? The informer? Who?)Some of the acting is surprisingly effective. Fortunately, this includes the lead role. Paul Harris (as the numbers king "Pasha") is the best thing about the movie and the main reason to see it. He really is a pleasure to watch, and he pretty much carries the movie. Most of the supporting actors tend to be stiff and amateurish; but even so,the director can often get a good reading of a nice zippy line of dialog out of his supporting cast when it really counts. There is even some snappy camera work in spots, and Ernie Banks chips in with a couple of nicely understated soul pieces that complement the atmosphere the film wants to generate. This happens often enough that the movie never sinks to the of camp or kitsch. However, the screenplay and low budget production values cripple the director's attempt to generate a compelling experience. After a moderately interesting opening scene which promises a gang war between the black numbers racketeers and "Italian" gangsters, things just settle down into a meandering plod; you never really get the sense that Pasha is in any real trouble. Indeed, it's typical of the movie's problems that Pasha's enforcer 'Serene' kills the Italian bosses right hand man in that opening scene (in a contrived but reasonably compelling way), but nothing seems to come of it, and there seems to be no lasting consequence. Come to think of it, the opening credits feature a (badly staged) massacre by the Italians that also never is mentioned again. The rest of the movie is more of the same. It's obvious that people worked their fingers to the bone to make the most out of a tiny budget; but good camera work and location scouting can't hide the fact that the movie is obviously a 70's production trying to pretend it was set in 1956. And it's a real shame that the producer and director didn't have a good story editor to help them polish their screenplay. The final showdown between Pasha and "Big Tony" doesn't make a lot of sense and doesn't really follow from anything that came before. The "surprise" revelations about 'Serene' and the identity of the informer in Pasha's organization are meant to end the film with a bang, but I saw both those plot twists coming in the first five minutes, and again, they didn't really organically connect with the rest of the plot.Still, I thought it was worth seeing once on the strength of Paul Harris' performance and for some moments of real interest and good film-making. I'd love to see what the Ransoms could have done with a real budget and a ghost writer to help them tighten their story ideas. As a previous reviewer mentioned, a revisionist filmmaker like Quentin Tarentino could work wonders with a remake. Not worth seeking out, but if the "Drive In Move 50 pack" falls into your possession, this movie is worth taking the time to see.

dbborroughs This is a low budget, made on the cheap film that does possess some charm. The problem is that it meanders all over the place and never picks up any real steam. The plot begins with a sit down between Pasha and his Italian gangster counter part Big Tony (played by the top billed Frank DeKova aka Chief Wild Eagle from F-Troop in the first of his two scenes). Tony tells Pasha he has to hand everything over to him and his boys or they will kill him. Pasha's girl kills Tony's man, which you would think woulds spark a gang war, it doesn't, instead it spurs the Mayor to try and close Pasha down. This leads to the numbers operation being moved, police raids and some talk about fighting back. The Italian mob does try to kill Pasha but it never amounts to much. This is a black-ploitation crime drama that is short on action.The problem seems to be that they had almost no money to make this movie. its suppose to be set in 1956 but people wear clothes from the 1970's and the streets are filled with cars made well after 56. I'm guessing that they couldn't afford any money for blanks, or if they did they didn't have very many. What violence there is tends to be fist fights or beatings, which can be very bloody. Its disappointing especially after the opening scene. I had the sense while watching it that this was suppose to be a larger, more detailed story (there are details hanging off the screen that seem to connect to a longer story) and it wasn't filmed because of money or the film was unfinished.Its a messy movie but I liked it. The writing is at times sharp and witty, even if the cast isn't up to it. There are numerous lines of dialog that deserve to be quoted. You have a bunch of interesting characters that seem very real. I also liked that the plot never went where you expected it to go, even though it became clear early this was headed for left field by a completely new route. Its best described as a low budget attempt at something other than your typical crime drama (black or white). No it won't win any awards but if you're an adventurous film goer it deserves to be seen, if for no other reason than to imagine it remade by Mario Van Peebles, Quentin Tarantino or the Hughes Brothers. You probably won't rave, but it will stick in your head.