Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

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!

Red-Barracuda Black gangsters and the Italian mob embark on a turf war in 1950's Harlem.Jive Turkey seems to be the retitled name for this film which seemingly went under the insane original title of 'Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes'. It's a typically low-budget bit of Blaxploitation that starts out claiming that it is based on a true story, only to then hilariously state that despite this it contains different names, places and events! So I initially thought this had to be a comedy, yet it never actually plays out like one at all, so have to imagine these opening lines were intended with no irony whatsoever. One definite defining feature though is the fact that it's a period piece given that it's set in the 50's. The trouble with this approach, however, is that the low budget hampers this quite drastically and it never feels very much like the 50's at all. It would've been far more sensible if it had been set in the present day as period detail costs money – something of which there was clearly not an abundance of here. But you have to at least give the film-makers credit for having the nerve to try to execute something so ambitious though.Overall, despite certainly having interesting things about it, this is not truly a very successful movie. It really lacks focus and doesn't tell its story in a particularly engaging way, despite the fact that the plot elements have a fair bit of promise. There isn't even too much action either to make up for this. One definite standout aspect though was the inclusion of a transvestite psychopath hit-man character that killed people with spiked stilettos and a sharpened ring. I was interested to read here that the movie intended the fact that this character was a man to be a bit of a major surprise twist in the plot, yet I thought it was so obvious this was a guy in drag I just kind of assumed we were all meant to know this up front. On the whole, this is certainly one mainly for fans of Blaxploitation cinema; it's a bit rough around the edges and not especially good but it still has enough of that sub-genre's energy and attitude to ensure it has some interest level.

scriptsurfer This is what a grind house fan likes most a movie of the era that is not the best but a treat for some. It has it's moments with classic and forgotten songs of the area, one is especially timely of that style's vibe. And Sweetman was a slick numbers runner in the urban mafia who had to help his boss fight the Italian mob who wanted to take over the urban mafia. Not the best film but fun for a watch. It turns out the writers and director didn't go on to do many films after this. Sometime the plot gets confusing and not many of the actors ever went on to do much else. Could be why they changed the title is that it didn't do to well when released. As a fan of African American cinema in the 70's it still is a must to see them all, and the best ones are the ones in the early seventies. I guess this was shot right around 1973. Thanks for reading.

Scott_Mercer *** YO MAN! LOOK OUT FOR THE SPOILERS!!! *** I saw this under the reissue title of "Jive Turkey." This MUST have gotten some play at the inner-city grindhouses back in the 1970's. And those poor souls that sat in a theater and watched it must have wanted their $2.00 admission back.Where to begin? This is a crime action flick with a mostly black cast, released in 1974. So far, so good. But it is also a PERIOD PIECE that takes place in 1956. Whoa. And they don't pull it off successfully. The costumes are not right, everyone's hair is just too big, and you can see 1973 cars driving by in the background of most of the exterior shots. Okay, I know, it's low budget. But the producers clearly bit off more than they could chew here.As far as the plot, here it is: Italian mobsters try to muscle in on the racket of the iron-fisted "Pasha", big daddy of the numbers rackets in The Hood. (I think it's filmed in Cleveland, but it's never specified. I saw an Ohio license plate at one point.) He'll let the Eye-Ties sell heroin, but Pasha doesn't sully himself with such things, 'cause only some people shoot smack, but EVERYBODY runs the numbers.But once the Mafioso (played by F-Troop's Frank DeKova!) starts messing' with the Pasha, some heavy duty s*** is gonna go down. There's a few hits, stabbings, shootings, some time at the local cathouse, and a drag queen hit man (not revealed as a man until the end of the film -- although I've seen much uglier transvestites, it was no big shock that she was a man). Some highly bloody murders here, with the psycho hit queen laughing maniacally as the camera lens is covered in fake blood.In the end, "Pasha" kills the Mafioso (just strangles him to death, that's kind of lame), wipes out the "rat" in his own organization, and blows town with a butt load of cash before the cops can get at him (it's an election year and they can't be bribed right now). Our "hero" survives yet again.The writing is okay, with a few good zingers here and there. The acting is not bad (if you want some really bad acting in a movie like this, check out THE GUY FROM HARLEM), but no great shakes either. The direction is acceptable, but the poor execution of the 1956 setting is highly distracting. Didn't allow me to suspend disbelief for a second. One more thing I should mention is the music by ERNIE BANKS! Is that Mr. Cub, or a different Ernie Banks? There is some entertainment value here, and the whole effect is quite shlocky, so I give it a 4. You could do worse. Of course, if you're a fan of this genre, you need to check this out. Definitely a rare item, and probably one of the few period pieces from the classic Blaxploitation period. Available on a 50 Movie DVD box set called "Drive-In Classics," but I doubt this played at too many drive-ins. This same box set also contains THE GUY FROM HARLEM among other treats of bargain basement celluloid.