Cast:
Rudy Ray Moore (Tucker Williams), Carol Speed (Noel), Jimmy Lynch ("Sweetmeat"), Jerry Jones (Dr. Fred Mathis), Lady Reed (Mrs. Edwards), Hawthorne James (Ray "Stinger Ray"), Julius Carry ("Bucky")", Hazel Spears (Ellen Davis), Frank Finn (Lieutenant Frank Hayes), Fitz Houston (Kilroy), and Pucci Jhones ("The Angel of Death") Directed by J. Robert Wagoner.
Review:
This was the fifth and final movie where you could reasonably see Rudy Ray Moore on the big screen in a substantial role (okay so he wasn't in The Monkey Hustle [1976] that much, but he was on the poster, so...). Honestly, he pretty much peaked with his first one with Dolemite (1975), which somehow soared in its amusement and entertainment value despite clear and obvious flaws (the filmmaking, for one). The Human Tornado (1976) could've gone better. Petey Wheatstraw (1977) was flat out weird. By this point, Moore was actually in his fifties. Okay, so here is a movie written by two people: Cliff Roquemore (who directed Moore in The Human Tornado and Petey Wheatstraw and did a performance film of Moore's act in 1982) and J. Robert Wagoner. For the rest of his life, Moore would make bit appearances in a variety of programs of television and direct-to-video and theatrical works while doing his comedy albums and even being invited to appear in songs. Needless to say, he lived a colorful life that very well could be a hero of what he called "ghetto expression"*.
Well, there were a few disco-related movies at the time too, so why not cross that with a message about angel dust? Sure won't see that in Roller Boogie (1979), I imagine. I'm not exactly sure why the movie is called "Disco Godfather", because the lead character is an ex-cop that goes on a double-sided crusade: cracking down on where the drug structure is coming from and pushing along with a community alliance of activists to (no I'm not joking) "Attack the Wack". What I wish I could know about the movie is what type of atmosphere this film was made under: sure, it was probably a B-movie made fast and cheap (Moore was also co-producer) but was there any sort of substances involved to come up with such an incoherent movie? You get plenty of hallucinations (get it, because PCP is like being in hell) for a movie that actually does feature plenty of blood from its array of goofy fights (and one suicide because, yes, a guy gets busted for being an informant) and even goofier stakes, at least when not detailing PCP-affected people that may or may not recover from their addiction while others apparently deal with the ramification of roasting babies when high. Consider one scene where our hero has a hit put on him where the hitmen are right at the disco ready to shoot him...only for the bad guy to put a hit on the hitmen! Because he wants the hero to be alive to deal with. You might wonder how the movie lasts 97 minutes. Well, between all of the goofy sequences involving disco (don't take a shot every time someone says "weight"), I think you can understand. There is a sense of tiredness that becomes apparent in the imagination of all involved with Moore (suffice to say, one does miss the kung-fu trained prostitutes of Dolemite). Here you just get a movie that would probably make a goofy doubleheader with Reefer Madness (1936). As a whole, the film is a goofy hit-or-miss experience that never really clicks into serious gear for any of its interests but is at least committed enough in its vision to provide curiosity that may be up your alley if you like old-time oddball movies.
Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.
*I'm not sure if I ever linked to this article, but it is interesting to note that Moore apparently was in the closet: My Coke-Fueled Nights With Dolemite - OZY | A Modern Media Company + New Doc Reveals Details Of ‘Dolemite’ Actor Rudy Ray Moore’s Sexuality
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