Dead Right (1968)

Supercool character actor Raymond St. Jacques gets a rare starring role in the underseen semi-blaxploitation classic If He Hollers, Let Him Go! (1968)--which was also released under the less-inflammatory title Dead Right. Loosely based on a 1945 protest novel written by Chester Himes, St. Jacques stars as James Lake, an innocent man who breaks out of prison and quickly finds himself in a noir-style setup. Leslie Whitlock (Kevin McCarthy) is the leering husband of Ellen (Dana Wynter), and soon enough he's blackmailing the fugitive St. Jacques into murdering his wife, with the promise that he'll make sure Chester goes free if he gets the job done. It’s not like our hero has much to live for, anyways, since his gorgeous old girlfriend Lily (Barbara McNair) has just married his brother and become his sister-in-law! That ain't right! But even if he can't win his girl back, Chester's not going to give up on clearing his own name. Soon enough, he's got it figured out that a disgusting stepdad is the real dude who did the dirty crime he's been accused of, and Chester's going to get a confession out of him one way or another. Originally, this thriller’s biggest shock was the popular singer and Playboy Playmate McNair making us holler with a surprising nude scene. Yes, the glorious pair of Miss McNair hit the air when she and Chester go to bed together. There's also a look at Dana Wynter's dumplings, but that's a blink and you miss it look rather than a long shot of her sweet rack. Is Dead Right a kickass sixties time capsule complete with top notch toplessness? Damn right it is!