Watch Poor Pretty Eddie

Poor Pretty Eddie is a 1975 film that tells the story of a black singer named Liz Wetherly (played by Leslie Uggams) who is heading to Los Angeles with her boyfriend Johnny Tyrone (Ted Cassidy) to record some new music. They’re on the road in the southern United States when their car breaks down, and they end up stranded in a small town in Tennessee.

The town is populated by some of the most eccentric characters you’ll ever see in a movie. Chief among them is Bertha (Shelley Winters), a middle-aged white woman who owns the local bar and restaurant. Bertha is quick to take Liz under her wing, offering her a place to stay and a meal to eat. It doesn’t take long for Liz to realize that there’s something sinister going on in this town, and that Bertha is far from the kind and motherly figure she appears to be.

As Liz becomes more and more suspicious of her host, she begins to be haunted by the local law enforcement officer, a man named Eddie (Michael Christian). Eddie is also known as "Poor Pretty Eddie" because he’s a former music star who now works as a bartender and entertainer, but his looks and charm are still enough to draw a crowd. Eddie has some serious emotional problems, and he’s prone to violent outbursts. He becomes obsessed with Liz and starts stalking her, and she realizes that she’s not safe in this town.

Despite Liz’s fears, Johnny decides to stay in the town and fix their car, leaving her alone with Bertha, Eddie, and the other strange characters who populate the area. Liz will have to use all her wits and resourcefulness to escape from this place and get back on the road to her future.

Poor Pretty Eddie is a unique film that combines elements of horror, thriller, and exploitation cinema. It’s a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what’s going to happen next. The acting is superb, with Leslie Uggams giving a standout performance as the tough-as-nails singer who refuses to be a victim. Shelley Winters is perfect as the deceptively sweet Bertha, and Michael Christian is chilling as the unstable Eddie.

The film’s atmosphere is also a major asset. The small town in which it’s set feels like a character in its own right, with its dilapidated buildings and eerie silence. The movie is shot in a way that makes you feel like you’re right there with Liz, experiencing everything she’s experiencing. There are several scenes that are genuinely creepy, and the tension keeps building until the final act.

One of the film’s most interesting aspects is its commentary on race relations in America. Liz is a black woman traveling with a white man in the South during the 1970s, and she encounters racism and hostility throughout the film. There’s a particularly disturbing scene in which she’s taunted and threatened by a group of white men, and it’s clear that the filmmakers are making a statement about the state of race relations in the country.

Poor Pretty Eddie is not a perfect film by any means. There are moments that feel gratuitous, particularly in the final act, and some of the dialogue is clunky. However, these minor flaws don’t detract too much from the overall experience.

In conclusion, Poor Pretty Eddie is a film that is worth checking out. It’s a cult classic that deserves more recognition than it’s received, and it’s a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll.