Customer Reviews

Look-Out Sister [VHS]

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Louis Jordan and his "T-6" band perform almost continuously in this novel musical western. The Jordan band even provides the brassy instrumental background for the action scenes! Fans will especially enjoy "Barnyard Boogie" and "Look Out Sister" (a sequel to his record hit "Beware"). Jordan is obviously having a good time in western gear, and good-naturedly participates in the climactic fight scene and horseback chase. Production values are higher than usual for this kind of picture. Print is in excellent condition except for a gap about halfway through (one song number suddenly jumps to a much slower song). Students of black cinema and fans of Louis Jordan should enjoy this.

Jordan fans rejoice at this. This is perhaps his best-remembered film. Odie Hawkins spoke well of it in his autobiographical "Scars and Memories," and James Brown recalled joyously seeing this film as a youngster in his bio. Granted, the story & acting are full of corn, but Jordan's jumpy music and fine showmanship overcomes all of this. Well alsmost all-there is a rather cruel sequence where LJ sings "You're Much too Fat" to a sad, obese young lady near the swimming pool who falls in to the laughter of the onlookers. This low moment aisde, enjoy the antics of "two-gun Jordan."

The line up includes Bill Doggett (yes, Bill "Honky Tonk" Doggett") on piano and Chris "Sonny Payne's Dad" Columbo on drums... A rare chance to see Jordan in his prime shot with much better sound and picture quality than the old soundies. - - Don't worry about the plot getting in the way... although the story is cute (making the film even more watchable) the fact is that the Jordan pretty much sings, swings and wails straight through the film... and that's what keeps the film going. Each scene is a set up for the next number. - - Scenes also include some of Jordan's "Jump" meets "Calypso" sounding stuff (pre-Dizzy Gillespie Latin Jazz so to say !) - - "Look-Out Sister" is a "rap" delivered behind a boppish horn vamp, where Jordan gives a little message to the ladies regarding the battle of the sexes - - and of course, the texpected Jump Boogie stuff is there.

All in all... whether you're a Jazz, early R & B, B-movie or black Western buff, this film has it all... incidentally the Western outdoor setting gives the film a nice look (though the band's Western get ups do look a bit silly at times.)