This film begins in Los Angeles with a black jazz musician by the name of "Jerry Ellsworth" (Richard Gilden) learning that his young daughter has just been killed by members of a racist organization in the small town of Turnerville, Alabama. Seeking revenge upon the people that committed this act, he immediately boards a flight to Turnerville where he hopes his light-skinned complexion will allow him to masquerade as a white man long enough for him to infiltrate the local chapter of the KKK. What he doesn't know, however, is that his white girlfriend "Andrea" (Rima Kutner) and his good friend "Lonnie" (James McEachin) have followed right behind him and their appearance creates unforeseen difficulties which endangers his extremely hazardous plan. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a fairly interesting film which was hindered somewhat by the rather low-budget production values and mediocre acting of all concerned. It does, however, serve as a decent precursor to the blaxploitation films which followed a few years later and for that reason I have rated this film accordingly. Average.
Review of The Black Klansman
The Black Klansman
(1966)
A Decent Precursor to the Blaxploitation Films that Followed Later
14 March 2022