CATCH THE BLACK SUNSHINE (a.k.a. Black Rage a.k.a. Black Sunshine a.k.a. Sunshine Run) 1972, director: Chris Robinson, starring: Chris Robinson, Anthony Scott, Ted “Lurch” Cassidy
For longer than I can remember, as I’d aimlessly wander the aisles of video stores, this movie would magically appear before me – as if placed there by the unholy demons of VHS. With some guy who looks a lot like Stepin’ Fetchit on steroids glaring at me on the box, the movie seemed to be calling out, “Rent me, motherfucker. I dare you – rent me.” And I resisted, because while I’ve always had difficulty knowing who to date, I’ve prided myself on having the sense to avoid movies with Stepin’ Fetchit-on-steroids lookin’ dudes on the box art (even though chances are good that the dude in question isn’t even in the movie). But sometimes, even as it is with dating, when you have a lapse in better judgment and end up going out with someone destined to boil a rabbit on your stove, I caved in and rented BLACK RAGE. And while it wasn’t my greatest mistake of all time, I can honestly say that my life, in no way, was enriched by the experience.
Set in 1859, the film centers on brothers Sunshine (Robinson) and Levi (Scott), two slaves brutalized by their master (Cassidy) and his sadistic overseer. Sunshine and Levi find a map to a treasure and escape a life of forced servitude with hopes of finding the booty, while Lurch and his posse of evil ofays give pursuit. Now before I go any further into the plot, let me point out that writer, director, and producer Robinson stars as Sunshine, who happens to a Black albino. Never mind the fact that Robinson is a white guy who looks about as much like a Negro albino as I look like legendary topless model Chesty Morgan’s 73-inch bustline (sure, I can be a boob…but I don’t look like those boobies). Anyway, Robinson stars as an albino slave who…wait…nothing more needs to be said about this movie, because the fact that the star (and writer/director) is a white man with bleach-blonde hair, pretending to be an albino Black man, says it all. Seriously, this movie takes blackface to an all new level by eliminating the actual blackface and turning it into some kind experimental exercise in who-the-fuck-do-you-think-you’re-fooling. There’s no need to mention the fact that Ted “Lurch” Cassidy co-stars as the evil slave-owner, or that Robinson’s wife co-stars as his love interest, or that Mel “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” Carter sings the title track, or that everything about this garbage is inept.
For those with too much going on in their lives to remember, Robinson had an impressive acting career, with a long list of film and television credits, including a lead role in the 1960s TV series 12 O’CLOCK HIGH, as well as significant runs on soap operas GENERAL HOSPITAL and THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. But when it comes to writing, producing, and directing – not to mention playing albino Negroes – Robinson is out of his element (unless his element is of a fecal nature). Anthony Scott, the actor who plays Levi, is a bit of a mystery, with this being his only work as an “actor.” Scott looks less like Stepin’ Fetchit than the guy on the video box, and more like the supremely badass actor Ji-Tu Cumbuka. By most measures, Scott would be considered a bit on the talent-challenged side, but when compared to everything else about CATCH THE BLACK SUNSHINE, Scott is practically channeling the spirit of Paul Robeson…but since Robeson didn’t die until 1976, it’s a safe bet to say his spirit/ghost/soul was nowhere near this movie, nor inhabiting the body of Anthony Scott. And since Ed Wood didn’t die until 1978, any rumors of his angry spirit haunting the set of this movie are baseless at best.
CATCH THE BLACK SUNSHINE, which sounds like some made-up lingo for scoring heroine – “Say, man, I need to catch me some of the black sunshine” – was independently produced by Robinson, who financed the film with money he suckered out of a bunch of people in Florida. Coming along fairly early in the blaxploitation cycle, the movie has an earnest ineptitude that makes it seem like Robinson and his partners in crime were desperately trying to make a sincere statement about brotherhood and tolerance, while taking inspiration from the LITTLE RASCALS. In fact, I’m pretty sure there’s an old LITTLE RASCALS short with the exact same plot as CATCH THE BLACK SUNSHINE, only the acting and production values in Robinson’s movie falls woefully short.
*this review of CATCH THE BLACK SUNSHINE appears in my book, BadAzz MoFo 25th Anniversary Compendium and Toilet Reader…which you can purchase as a PDF from my store.