Max Julian probably got this screenplay of his produced because of his success in "The Mack" the previous year, though the studio seems to have still had some reluctance because it was obviously made with a limited budget. Julian himself doesn't help things; he gives a really bland performance here, enough so that it may explain why he didn't act again in a motion picture for more than 20 years later! Vonetta McGee shows talent, though she never really gets to break out, even though the screenplay focuses much more on her character than Julian's. Perhaps she was beaten down by the drab storyline; there's not much exciting or really interesting here. Possibly it was originally even more long and dull, since the movie seems to have been extensively reworked in the editing room (take that long sepia-colored montage sequence, for example.) Pretty unmemorable - goes to show it's not always music rights that have prevented a video or DVD release of a movie.
Review of Thomasine & Bushrod
