The Black Klansman (1966) User Reviews

Considering who made it, it's an amazing little film.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 2 July 2013]

"The Black Klansman" is a film from Ted Mikels--the same guy who brought us schlock like "The Astro-Zombies", "Blood Orgy of the She-Devils", "Girl in the Gold Boots" (on IMDb's Bottom 100 list), "The Corpse Grinders" and "The Worm Eaters". So, you can only assume that "The Black Klansman" will be a horrible film, right? Well, not really. As I sat and watched the film I was surprised, as the acting was actually pretty good--something you'd NEVER expect! In fact, while this is an exploitation film, it's an awfully good one.

The story is set partially in the South in the 1960s. Despite civil rights laws, the Klan is strong and lynchings and fire bombings continue. And, following one of these incidents, a very light-skinned black man has had enough. He decides he's going to pass as white and infiltrate the mob! What happens next you'll need to see for yourself, but suffice to say that the film ends on a VERY exciting note--very exciting.

Reasonably well-written, very good and natural acting and competent direction. It sure makes you wonder what Mikels could have done if he had tried harder! Well worth seeing.

By the way, if you like this film, try another excellent low-budget film about race from this same era--"The Intruder" by Roger Corman.

Awesome Concept

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 16 May 2013]

After a black man's daughter is killed by the KKK, he seeks revenge by becoming a Klansman.

This film can be dismissed as an exploitation film, and maybe it should be, but I personally thought it was a strong social commentary on color and race in America. Definitely during the 1960s, but probably even to some degree today (2013).

The real honor of this film has to go to the actor who played Jerry, because he had to balance between looking black and looking white and making this believable. He succeeded. I actually do not know if he was completely white or if he was lighter-skinned and black. I could look it up, but I think that his character makes the point -- it does not matter. If he can be treated as either, then race should not matter.

An unusual film for its time

[TumnusFalls · 7/10 · 31 May 2015]

For its time, this was an unusual film. It's not got a lot of things going for it. The writing is sometimes painful. The acting is usually static. The sets are sometimes just pasted together. The fades/dissolves are dated. The music is more dramatic than the scenes deserve.

But ... but ... but ...

This was an interesting and perhaps brave film to make, where it portrays black Americans not as sympathetic powerless people but in actuality just normal people trying to navigate a dangerous society.

*** SPOILER *** After a mixed-race man's black daughter is killed in a church by Klansman, he decides to go undercover with the local KKK Klaven. The mighty are overturned and secrets are discovered.

Hokey, yes, but really, it was a very honest effort to make a film about something few others have made a film about.

A HOOT!

[amityvillehighschool · 24 May 2004]

If ever there was a time and place to utilize the word 'hoot' in reference to a film, the 'Black Klansman' is transcendental material. How is this piece of art not on DVD as of the year 2004? With mighty waving banner of fierce and vengeful fire, the front man of this film undercuts the enslaving white man by going undercover and tearing down the metaphorical burning cross. In a way, this film is to American HISTORY X as SUBURBIA is to SLC PUNK. This is 1966 exploitation baby, and if you've ever heard the 'N' word, you've still never heard it like this! Shocking today even though no one has seen it. Beg, borrow, steal and investigate getting hold of this film directed by the people who brought you film about zombies and machines that grind up women in bikinis. 4 stars.

Important subject; bad acting

[mary_spiro · 6/10 · 22 December 2018]

What can be said? This movie is as disturbing now as it was when it was made. But the acting is so irregular. Sometimes it's comically bad which makes it extremely uncomfortable. The ending is also disappointing.

Civil Rights Era Thriller

[zardoz-13 · 4/10 · 12 October 2016]

You've heard of those undercover movies with titles like "I Was a Communist for the FBI" (1951) where somebody infiltrates a secret organization. "Astro-Zombies" director Ted V. Mikels' Blaxploitation epic "The Black Klansman" appropriates this strategy. For the record, the original title was "I Crossed the Color Line," but a title like this is pretty flabby. Whoever renamed this movie was on the right track. "The Black Klansman" marked a turning point in Mikels' cinema because it was the last film he lensed in black & white. When the KKK firebombs an African-American church (like the real Klan did a Birmingham church) and a little girl dies from burns, the estranged father learns the ugly truth and vows to exact revenge on the dastards responsible for this atrocious crime. Like all of Mikels' low-budget classics, "The Black Klansman" presents an audacious premise but the execution is bare-bones at best. Mind you, this Civil Rights era thriller was snatched from the headlines, and it succeeds in some respects as a serious movie. Unfortunately, characterization is sketchy. Jazz musician Jerry Ellsworth (Richard Gilden of "The Unknown Terror") is horrified to learn that his little girl died, so he leaves strife-torn Los Angeles and flies out to his hometown in Alabama to ferret out the guilty parties who killed his daughter. Not only has Jerry's daughter been killed, but also another African-American male was murdered by the Klan. Jerry has a hairpiece fitted for himself so he looks white. Actually, he looks incredibly white, but he claims that he has drops of African-American blood rolling through his veins. Jerry flies back to Alabama and masquerades as California building contractor John Ashley. He has reliable information that real estate agent Rook (Harry Lovejoy of "The Naked Venus") is the head of the KKK in Turnerville. Initially, Rook denies that he has anything to do with the Klan and runs our protagonist out of his office. Ellsworth has concocted a story that Rook doubts. Ellsworth confides in Rook that he wants to form a KKK outfit in Los Angeles to keep the black in line, and he wants to learn everything that Rook can tell him about how to go about creating such an outfit. Rook follows Ellsworth back to Los Angeles after dismissing his suspicions about the businessman. Eventually, Ellsworth learns not only who assembled the bomb, but he also learns who threw it and he avenges his daughter's death. This product of the Civil Rights era qualifies as an interesting but amateurish effort.

A Decent Precursor to the Blaxploitation Films that Followed Later

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 14 March 2022]

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.

Ted V. Mikels gets topical.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 7 July 2013]

The legendary schlock director, creator of such memorable productions as "Astro-Zombies" and "The Doll Squad", actually takes himself seriously for this reasonably effective, interesting comment on race relations in the deep South, circa 1966. This is a time when a civil rights law had been passed, and the white people in this story are none too happy about that. Some of the Klansmen in the small Alabama town of Turnerville try to fire bomb a church and kill the daughter of a man named Jerry Ellsworth (Richard Gilden). Jerry, you see, is a light skinned black who realizes that he could pass for white, so he does so and manages to infiltrate the KKK so that he can get his revenge.

One might have a hard time believing that this is the same Mikels who made those other pictures. It works pretty well, and one can get caught up in the story, written by John T. Wilson and Art Names, and be eager to see the antagonists get their just desserts. This is all done in a very straightforward, no frills manner, and it does get a lot of juice from a standout characterization by Max Julien, later star of "The Mack", as a young revolutionary with a "by any means necessary" type of approach. His scenes are the best in the movie. But star Gilden ('Death Valley Days') does a decent job as well. Harry Lovejoy as Rook is good at playing just the sort of guy who deserves his comeuppance. James McEachin (star of the short-lived 'Tenafly' TV series) makes a strong film debut as Lonnie. Look for Byrd Holland, also the makeup artist on this show, in a small role as the mayor, and B movie legend Gary Kent as Wilkins.

Sharp cinematography by Robert Caramico and atmospheric music by Jaime Mendoza-Nava are solid attributes, and the movie comes complete with a theme song that's a real hoot.

I agree with another review here: it would be too easy to dismiss this as mere exploitation; it does have more depth than some people would expect. It's worth a look.

Eight out of 10.

The Vidiot Reviews...

[capone666 · 5/10 · 31 October 2018]

The Black Klansman

The easiest way to gain acceptance into the Ku Klux Klan is to show up wearing a MAGA hat.

Unfortunately, this drama takes place decades before those symbols of hate were manufactured.

In retaliation for a black man sitting at a lunch counter in Alabama, the KKK bombs a black church. Among those killed in the terrorist act is the daughter of Jerry (Richard Gilden), an LA jazz musician, who subsequently gets revenge against the hate group by becoming a member, and tearing it apart from the inside.

One of the few movies to confront racism in America at the time, this low-budget feature from 1966 was directed by schlock horror movie-maker Ted V. Mikels, who avoids blaxploitation clichés to deliver a powerful, albeit problematic production - namely the white actor portraying Jerry.

Incidentally, the first sign that Jerry is a white guy comes when he tries to play jazz. Yellow Light

A grade-B masterpiece

[pfrank-4 · 8/10 · 3 February 2011]

Oh, this film has flaws all right: Sloppy edits, phony day-for-night, zero budget, and a lot of bad acting. The ending is a bit syrupy as well. But it takes up fascinating questions and plunges headlong into the dark side of American racism, showing KKK meetings, burning crosses, and violence. It treatment of the race question reminds me of the Roger Korman film "The Outsider," in which William Shatner plays a white racist, but in this case a light-skinned black man goes under cover to join the ranks of prejudice. This film's combination of thematic boldness and slipshod execution makes it wonderfully horrible. Or horribly wonderful, I can't figure out which.

Strange

[Michael_Elliott · 26 February 2008]

Black Klansman, The (1966)

** (out of 4)

Well meaning but wondering exploitation film from director Ted V. Mikels. The KKK are striking terror after the Civil Rights agreement so they decide to bomb a church where a black man is killed as well as a little girl. The father of the little girl, a light skinned man, decides to join the Klan so that he can get revenge. I went into this film expecting exploitation trash but the film actually tries to pass a message and doesn't really exploit the seriousness of the subject matter. The opening scenes of the Civil Rights laws being passed are handled well as one black man wants to go to a white diner for coffee. The Klan scenes are well done and show the horrors of the time and there's some interesting discussion about what violence can actually get done. The only problem is that the story runs out of ideas around the fifty-minute mark and that leaves us with nearly forty-minutes of nothing happening until the final where the father finally gets to see the man responsible for his daughter's death.

Good to even great acting helps film achieve quality status

[morrisonhimself · 8/10 · 28 March 2019]

Though I never heard of any of the actors except the excellent James McEachin, nearly every single player gives a good to excellent performance.

It starts rather badly, and my thoughts were negative about the director, Ted V. Mikels, whose work is apparently mostly exploitative, and the nominal lead, Richard Gilden. But after a few more scenes, everything shifts into a higher gear and actors and director present us with a good movie.

At this writing, March of 2019, the film is 53 years old. Most of the worst aspects of the problem presented by the story have receded. While Ku Klux Klan and similar organizations still exist, they are generally discounted by most of the rest of the population.

Except: the U.S. "news" media and other Democrats and other left-collectivists would have us believe that every problem in these United States derives from "racism" and that most people, especially those who don't buy into the left-collectivist belief system, are "racists."

In addition, among the left-collectivists, including the "news" media, there is a sickening and disgusting emphasis placed on group identity, which is, in fact, what is wrong with such groups as the KKK, but is somehow accepted when it's from Democrat candidates.

In fact, each of us is an individual, no matter what our skin color. And one point made in this film is that the protagonist, with one black parent, looks white enough to be allowed membership in the Klan.

Not stressed in this movie is the notion that one's skin color or ethnicity cannot lead to any particular belief system. But it's a fact.

Yes, one's culture, one's neighbors, one's schooling can certainly bend a person's thinking, but not that person's skin color, not race or ethnicity.

The premise of this mostly very well-done motion picture is excellent, it's timely, even after the decades since its premiere. The acting is first class, its picture of the rituals of the KKK certainly look real, almost, in spots, like a documentary.

I highly recommend this movie, under whichever title, even if the ending is a bit ambiguous. Very, very well done.

The Black Klansman

[a_baron · 8/10 · 25 July 2014]

This is a weird one by all accounts. Shortly after the so-called civil rights movement succeeded in forcing through legislation ostensibly to desegregate the country – in practice the Deep South – there is a backlash in Hicksville, USA which results in the Ku Klux Klan bombing a black church and murdering a young girl. The victim is the daughter of a light-skinned black man who is living the dream in Los Angeles. He decides to pass for white, infiltrate the Klan and...does he have a higher purpose, or does he simply want revenge?

The film takes a brave step in portraying a black villain as well, what was called at the time the hate that hate produced. But was hate, or rather race hate, the real problem?

The wisest words in this film appear at around ten and a half minutes. After a black man is refused service in a local diner, one of his friends tells him "No sense in going' where you're not wanted."

The reality is that in the Deep South as everywhere else, society has deeply held social mores which may appear repugnant to outsiders, and when those outsiders take their crusades into these societies, they stir up only hatred and resentment. We can see the same thing happening in some African countries at the moment where the "gay rights" movement is viewed as yet another attempt by the Yankee "Imperialists" to impose their will on the people.

The propaganda today portrays blacks in the Deep South as living in virtual slavery, yet at the very beginning of this film we see a mature black woman driving up to her son in a car. Car ownership by blacks was widespread in 1960s America, indeed in 1955, Chuck Berry wrote a song called "No Money Down" in which he described how he bought his first car on credit before World War Two. Berry grew up in the Deep South.

Rather than forcibly desegregate the Deep South and enforce so-called affirmative action policies on the nation as a whole, the government of the day would have been better advised to give grants to black businesses and entrepreneurs, especially the young. Instead, the welfare system has created a poverty trap that persists to this day for blacks and increasingly for lower class whites.

Having said all that, this film by an independent film-maker better known for making weird stuff about astro-zombies, is a brave attempt at portraying the reality of desegregation, even though it misses the point.

Hardly revelatory, but still relevant

[tomgillespie2002 · 25 February 2013]

It was a rare occasion in 1960's American cinema that the screen would reflect the social turbulence surrounding the civil rights movement, or the fundamentally tense race relations in particularly in the southern states. The white supremacist organisation, the Ku Klux Klan, was a dominant and violent presence which was largely controlled and operated by the local powers of small towns and cities. Whilst the subject was on the surface of the film adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer prize winning novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird (1962), but the cinema mainstream was hardly representative of social conscience until Stanley Kramer's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). But a few low budget b-movies in the early '60's did attempt to tackle the subject. Roger Corman's under- seen William Shatner starer, The Intruder (1962), or Carl Lerner's Black Like Me (1964), whilst unsuccessful, at least attempted an intelligent, left-field approach. So it seems almost astounding with hindsight, that Ted V. Mikels, shlock director of later atrocities like The Astro- Zombies (1968) or The Doll Squad (1973), would produce a film that would formulate a film that is both sensitive and intelligent about the deep- seated racism within southern state America.

The film opens in the small town of Turnersville, a young, dumb kid walks into an all white diner, upsetting the patrons of the establishment by being the wrong colour. This small act leads to the local faction of the KKK to "retaliate" by shooting the boy then throwing Molotov cocktails at a congregation of a black church. This, along with the burning crucifix, was a reality in these small-minded towns. However, on throwing the fiery bottle at the doorway, the perpetrator witnesses a very young girl being hit directly with the weapon. The father of the girl, travelling musician Jerry Ellsworth (also notably of mixed race - but played by a white actor), heads to the town on hearing the news. Jerry takes himself to a hair salon and transfers himself into a white man (for all intents and purposes). He charms his way into the life of KKK head, and infiltrates the organisation, biding his time to reap revenge on the evil that killed his daughter.

It is of course a ludicrous concept, but the film offers quite emotional and sometimes dramatic scenes. Jerry is also accompanied by a white woman, Andrea (Rima Kutner), who is in love with him and wants a baby with him (something that an alternative title for the film overly focused on, I Crossed the Color Line). This alone would have been a controversial inclusion to the film, but it also balanced this with a more critical commentary on vigilante justice, and mob organisation (particularly on the black group formed in reaction to the attack). The opening scenes where the KKK shoot the young black boy are truly shocking for its time and budget, a scene that resembles the later opening scenes of Mississippi Burning (1989), which are shot quite similarly, staring starkly in the face of the victim. This is not to say that the film is wholly satisfactory, in true Mikels style the film is technically horrific; bad editing, uninspired camera work, the inevitable bad arrangement of scenes and characters. But, at its heart is something quite remarkable. Not revelatory, or even particularly exciting, but nonetheless, the central theme of social segregation is still relevant today (shockingly), and surprisingly some of the acting ain't too bad.

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