A 1972 American blaxploitation sci-fi horror comedy movie directed by Lee Frost, which has a dying, racist white doctor's (Ray Milland) head getting grafted onto the body of a black death row inmate (Rosey Grier).
The movie also stars Don Marshall, Roger Perry, Kathy Baumann, Chelsea Brown, John Dullaghan, Lee Frost, Rick Baker, John Bliss, and Jane Kellem.
It was released on July 19, 1972.
Tropes for the film:
- Aborted Arc: Jack never gets a chance to clear his name, since the issue with Kirshner is more important.
- Apathetic Citizens: The other motocross racers don't pull over or stop when police begin chasing on the track.
- Bigger Is Better in Bed: Lila asks Jack if he "has two of anything else".
- Chase Scene: The main plot pretty much goes out the window for about 20 minutes as the police chase the protagonists down streets, across a motocross race, and through a field.
- Clear My Name: Jack's motivation throughout the movie.
- Color Me Black: Dr. Maxwell Kirshner, a dying, wealthy racist who demands that his head be transplanted onto a healthy body. As he health rapidly deteriorates, there remains only one alternative: graft Kirshner's head onto the body of a black death row inmate, Jack Moss.
- Dark Lord on Life Support: The racist Kirshner gets his head attached to an unwilling black man, Jack. At the end of the movie, he becomes this even more so, as Williams disconnected him from Jack's body and left him hooked up to a machine begging Desmond to get him another body.
- Failed a Spot Check: at one point police blockade a road and don't notice the perfectly serviceable dirt road running parallel.
- Fanservice Extra: The vast majority of nurses are young and nubile.
- Insufferable Genius: Kirshner. It doesn't get much more insufferable than racism or more genius than being able to transplant heads.
- Left Hanging: Does Jack ever clear his name? Will this experience make Kirshner a better man? Can Williams be able to maintain his career after this? We never find out.
- Lemming Cops: A large amount of the Chase Scene involves police cars running into and off of things.Radio announcer: all of the officers involved seem to be in good health. The chase, which took place in a field near the city of Ackersfield, resulted in the total demolition of fourteen police vehicles.
- Multiple Head Case: Aside from the obvious Kirshner/Jack, there's also a two-headed gorilla Kirshner made at the start of the movie.
- National Stereotypes: At the dinner scene Kirshner cracks a few african american stereotypes, and everyone else razzes him about it.
- No Communities Were Harmed: The movie takes place in the fictional town of "Akersfield, California". Not to be confused with "Bakersfield, California", though, nossir!
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Kirshner is only stopped from firing Fred Williams (who he hired for his skill before learning he was black) by the contract he has and doesn't stop insisting that Jack really did the crime he was convicted of.
- Sharing a Body: Maxwell's head to grafted onto Jack's, leading to Chained Heat hijinx as they battle for control.
- Sudden Musical Ending: Jack, Lila and Williams drive off singing the gospel song "Oh Happy Day".
- Tagline: "They transplanted a white bigot's head on a soul brother's body!".
