TCM Underground: Get Down and Boogie and Thank God It's Friday

While scanning the digital cable guide to see what Turner Classic Movies was airing Friday night (12-18/12-19), I found they have a super 70s double feature scheduled for their cult movie showcase TCM Underground. At 2 am EST, they are showing a movie I had never heard of until today... 1975's Get Down and Boogie. Originally titled Darktown Strutters and described as a blaxploitation spoof in the digital cable guide, Get Down and Boogie stars Trina Parks (the first African-American female to appear in a Bond film) as a motorcycle gang member who is searching for her kidnapped mother. Also in the cast are such familiar faces as Roger E. Mosley (T.C. from Magnum P.I.), Stan Shaw (the stuttering boxer in Harlem Nights), and DeWayne Jessie (aka "Otis Day" from Animal House).



If the movie poster's heading doesn't grab you, get a load of what the book Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide has to say about Get Down and Boogie:

"A series of outlandish, highly stylized comedy vignettes performed on sets that look like they were borrowed from Pee Wee's Playhouse"...

"The shenanigans include: extras walking around in bunny suits; a kung-fu session in which a house is completely demolished; and an entire song, Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get, performed by the soul group The Dramatics (from behind the bars of a jail cell)."

Get Down and Boogie may turn out to be horrible on 8 different levels, but I still gotta see it for myself. By the way, if you are a fan of blaxploitation movies and don't own the book Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide, you need to take care of that (right after you finish reading this post).




Airing at 3:45 am EST is the 1978 disco comedy Thank God It's Friday. In addition to featuring the only big screen appearance by one of my childhood crushes (Donna Summer), TGIF also stars Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger, Valerie Landsburg (Doris from the TV show Fame), Terri Nunn (the lead singer for Berlin), and once again... DeWayne Jessie!