Trick Baby
| Trick Baby | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Larry Yust |
| Produced by | Marshal Backlar James Levitt |
| Written by |
Novel: Iceberg Slim Screenplay: A. Neuberg T. Raewyn Larry Yust |
| Starring |
Kiel Martin Mel Stewart |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Trick Baby is a 1972 Blaxploitation film starring Kiel Martin and Mel Stewart. This crime-drama is based and named after a novel by Iceberg Slim written in 1967. The film was directed by Larry Yust and produced by Marshal Backlar and James Levitt. The film first premiered at the DeMille Theater, Seventh Avenue and 47th Street theatre, Juliet 2 Theater, and Third Avenue and 83 Street theatre in New York. This film is distributed by Universal Studios, runs for eighty-nine minutes, and is rated R.
"Blue" Howard (Mel Stewart) and "White Folks" (Kiel Martin) are two con men in Philadelphia. Blue is an older black hustler who raised White Folks and taught him "the con". White Folks is the son of a black mother who is a prostitute and a white father, a customer. Being born to a black prostitute and her white "trick" is the reason why his enemies call him "Trick Baby". Folks' complexion is light enough for him to pass as a white man which gives him an advantage in the con. The duo exploit the dynamics between whites and blacks to achieve their cons. "Blue" usually plays a vulnerable black man being exploited by "White Folks" which allows Folks to gain the credibility needed to pull off the con. In a 1973 review in the New York Times, Roger Greenspun wrote "Trick Baby seems most interesting in its understanding of race relations…relations between Folks and Blue are absolutely normal, not very competitive, resilient, and rich in a kind of mutual professional appreciation." While Folks' skin color has various implications in society and is crucial to the con that the pair runs, it does not impact the relationship between Blue and Folks. Due to Folks’ ability to pass, the pair pull off the biggest score of their lives. Before they can collect the money, a previous con complicates things. Unbeknownst to them their previous victim had mob ties and now they have run afoul of the Mafia and a corrupt cop. They must decide whether to leave town or risk their lives to collect the $130,000 from their most brilliant con.
The racial dynamics in Trick Baby drive the plot of the movie. Due to Folks’ ability to pass as white, each plan is executed and ultimately is successful. When they are running a con, Blue plays the poor Negro man who is easily exploited by white men while Folks play a white man preying on the unassuming Negro. For this reason, Blue states that “his white skin gives us a slick edge”. He is trusted by the white men they are trying to con because he looks like one of them, all the while, identifying as black. While his look allows him to gain access to white spaces, it causes him to be ostracized within the black community. It is during interactions with Black people that he is derogatorily referred to as a “trick baby”. His light skin and white blood does not allow him to be recognized as Black by other Black people.
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