Rhubarb (1951). This occasionally diverting comedy concerns a wealthy eccentric (Gene Lockhart) who leaves his fortune to a feisty alley cat instead of his spoiled daughter. She is miffed, to say the least, and so is the old man's baseball team, a group of superstitious losers who believe it's unlucky to be owned by a cat. Although its outstays its welcome and wastes the talent of Ray Milland, this silly effort still contains some inspired lunacy (e.g., a court case to determine if Rhubarb is an imposter). It's also notable as one of the first films to satirize television commercials. The supporting players include Strother Martin, Alice Pearce (the original Mrs. Kravitz on Bewitched), someone who looks like Leonard Nimoy, and a photogenic kitty with more star quality than Morris. For a better Ray Milland baseball comedy, check out It Happens Every Spring (1949).Ray Milland and Rhubarb.
The Big Brawl (1980). This was Fred Weintraub's and Robert Clouse's second attempt to repeat the success of their 1973 martial arts smash Enter the Dragon. And though it's better than their first effort, Black Belt Jones with Jim Kelly, it's still an uneven mixture of broad kung fu comedy and Depression-era gangster drama. The plot, loosely borrowed from the 1975 Charles Bronson film Hard Times, is about a bare-knuckle fight staged by rival gangland bosses (Jose Ferrer and Ron Max). Perennial loser Ferrer blackmails martial artist Jackie Chan into being his fighter at an unofficial national competition (hence, the film's title). The affable Chan provides plenty of comedy as well as some amazing acrobatic feats. However, at that point in his career, Chan lacked Lee's intensity. Also, director Clouse never gives him an opportunity to display his skills against a fellow martial artist. Mako, who plays Uncle Herbert, comes off best, spouting lines such as: "Sometimes, you make me tremble--with disgust"). Fortunately, Jackie Chan eventually found the right vehicle to reintroduce him to mainstream American audiences: 1995's Rumble in the Bronx.Jackie Chan gets ready!
Hit! (1973). When his teenaged daughter suffers a drug-related death, a government agent (Billy Dee Williams) goes to Marseilles in search of the drug dealers responsible. This brutal revenge tale, obviously influenced by The French Connection (1971), was made at the peak of the "Blaxploitation" film era. These modestly-budgeted movies cast Black stars in violent action films such as Slaughter, Black Caesar, Coffy, and Superfly. This was one of the better efforts, though the film's slow-moving second half and uninspired ending take the edge off a promising premise. A typical 1970s anti-hero, Williams' revenge-minded father resorts to blackmailing prostitutes and killers in order to exact his wrath. Displaying no signs of his future stardom, Richard Pryor has a supporting role as one of Williams' allies (however, it you watch the film on TV, you may miss half of his profanity-filled dialogue). Hit! is sometimes confused with another Blaxploitation film made a year earlier: Hit Man, which stars Bernie Casey. That film is a respectable remake of Get Carter (1971).Billy Dee Williams looks cool!