This month Mill Creek has released a couple of new double-feature Blu-rays. One of these new releases includes two slightly lesser-known films featuring Richard Pryor—the 1977 R-rated comedy Which Way Is Up?, and the 1976 baseball comedy/drama The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings.
The films are as follows:
Which Way Is Up? (1977)
Leroy Jones (Richard Pryor) is a bit sexually frustrated. His wife Annie Mae (Margaret Avery) seems to have lost interest in him physically, and to make matters worse, he lives in the same small house as his father Rufus (also Pryor), who’s constantly, loudly getting it on with his new young wife. Leroy works as an orange picker for Agrico Industries. The leadership is nervous as the ranch is going to have its first-ever union election in a few days. Activist Ramon Juarez (Luis Valdez) has been working hard to try to unionize the farmers, and the company has been trying to squash his efforts. When Leroy accidentally steps up in support of Juarez, he is run out of town by management and their goons, leaving behind his wife and family. However, tales of Leroy’s bravery (mostly embellished by Leroy himself) start to spread, and he catches the eyes and heart of activist Vanetta (Lonette McKee), who agrees to go out with him as long as he promises to not have sex with any other woman. But, much like his father, Leroy can’t help himself in this matter, and he tries to balance not only a secret relationship with his newly-interested wife, but also with Sister Sarah (Marilyn Coleman), the wife of Reverend Lenox Thomas (also Pryor). Meanwhile, Leroy finds himself rising up the ranks at work, but constantly suspicious that those in charge are out to get him.
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)
In the late 1930’s, professional baseball has not yet been integrated. Black players have their own Negro League, and two of its star players are Bingo Long (Billy Dee Williams), pitcher for the Ebony Aces, and Leon Carter (James Earl Jones), catcher and home run champ of the Elite Giants. During a game between these two teams, one of the Aces’ players, Rainbow (Otis Day), gets hit by a pitch, and team owner Sallison ‘Sallie’ Potter (Ted Ross) docks the players to pay for his medical bills and travel back home. This is the last straw for Bingo, who decides it’s time to form his own team of All Stars, which will travel around the Midwest, playing exhibition games against small town teams. And so he starts recruiting some of the top players from the various Negro League teams, as well as promising young newcomer Joe Callaway (Stan Shaw, The Monster Squad), as his center fielder. This new team reinvigorates the players’ love and joy of playing the game, and they’re having a great time traveling around with one another. However, their new venture doesn’t sit well with the Negro league team owners, who want their star players back. The owners have hired goons to try to prevent the players from being able to play their games, buying out venues, stealing the team’s money, making and carrying through with physical threats, and more—anything to try to get these players to return to their teams. However, Bingo and the others aren’t so quick to give into their demands.
I had never seen either of these films before—I hadn’t even heard of the latter until this release. While die-hard Pryor fans seem to love Which Way Is Up?, I found it completely forgettable, and a film that doesn’t really hold up well today. Leroy is not a likeable guy and not someone you really care about or root for. When we first meet him, he’s in bed, trying to force himself upon his wife, who’s made it clear she’s not interested. Him trying to separate her legs is played off as comedy—something that would never fly if this film was made today. The language is also very dated, with Leroy dropping the N-word constantly, as well as the F-word when referring to gay people. There didn’t really seem to be much of a plot other than Leroy trying to juggle several women and finding himself in various uncomfortable situations, where dumb luck and happenstance usually ends up making things work out for him. While I didn’t really find the film that funny, it did have its moments, such as a scene involving an electric toothbrush and Leroy’s PTSD from an “intimate” moment involving his wife and a toy. Much like Eddie Murphy did in the 80s/90s, Pryor takes on numerous roles, acting against himself. The editing of these scenes is well done, making it feel believable and not just some gimmick.
Bingo Long, on the other hand, was a delightful surprise. The film has this more celebratory and positive tone, watching these baseball players follow their dreams, happily welcomed into each city to play ball. Usually their arrival is accompanied by Dixieland music and dancing in the streets. There’s this fun comradery and competition amongst the team members. However, in addition to the fun and humor, the film also has a bit of action and drama, with the Negro league team owners trying to “convince” the players to return, which can get a bit violent at times. The film also doesn’t shy away from exploring the lynching mentality and dangers that these men faced at the time. Richard Pryor has a much smaller role in this film. He brings some humor to the character, though it would likely be considered a problematic role these days. Right fielder Charlie Snow is a young Black ballplayer who hopes to break out of the Negro league and into the regular league by pretending that he’s just a dark-skinned Cuban. And later in the film, we see him trying the same thing, but this time with a shaved head and mohawk, posing as a Native American. This movie also has some dated language and terminology that’s not really acceptable today, but it is a product of and representative of its time.
This is the first time both of these films have been made available on Blu-ray in the U.S. (though Bingo Long had recently received a Special Edition Blu-ray abroad that is region B locked). Both films reside on a single Blu-ray disc, which has a basic menu with a subtitle on/off option and a play button for each of the two movies. There is no slipcover or digital copy included with this release.
The picture quality generally looks pretty solid, and certainly better than DVD quality, though there are black and white specks that pop up here and there, especially during the opening credits. While neither film includes a surround track, the dialogue always remains clear, and the music (particularly in Bingo Long) sounds great. Unfortunately no bonus material has been included for either movie. The original DVD release of Bingo Long had contained a director’s commentary track, which had been ported to the foreign Blu-ray release, but unfortunately it didn’t make it onto this release.
What’s Included:
Films:
- Which Way Is Up? (1977) (1:34:07)
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English SDH
- The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976) (1:50:44)
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English SDH
Extras:
-
No bonus material included.
Final Thoughts:
This new Richard Pryor double feature Blu0ray is a bit of a mixed bag. I wasn’t really a fan of Which Way is Up?, but The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings was a pleasant surprise—a film I had never even heard of before receiving this Blu-ray. Both films feature a solid presentation that will surely please fans. It’s just disappointing that the commentary track from the previous DVD release of Bingo Long was left off. That said, I think the release is worth checking out for the latter movie alone, which features a very recognizable cast and a fun uplifting story.
Richard Pryor Double Feature: Which Way Is Up?, The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings [Blu-ray]
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