Exploitation Encore: Lady Cocoa

Hiya folks, I'm back. Where did I go? Working on my novel and didn't want to ruin the flow. Yeah I do write more than just reviews of films, TV and video games. Well I checked rottenreelzreviews@gmail.com and got absolutely...zero responses on what I should be writing. It's there folks. Give it a message or two. You can also reach me at Rotten Reelz Reviews on Facebook or hey a nutty idea would be to leave a message on the blog Rotten Reelz Reviews at blogspot.com. This week's theme a fall back to exploitation. Worry not my readers, I shan't be delving into nunsploitation (and yes that is a sub sub-genre of exploitation evolving nuns sexually or with violence) but we will keep the venue fairly board and open. Today's flick involves prison, ratting on mobsters and some racketeering. This is Lady Cocoa.

So damn bored.

Starring role of Coco is played by the First Lady of Las Vegas, Lola Falana (A Man Called Adam, Quando dico che ti amo, Black Tigress, The Mod Squad, The New Bill Cosby Show, The Streets of San Francisco, The Klansman, The Love Boat and Mad About You) who amazingly is not singing, "Whatever Lola wants, Lola Gets" but is playing Coco, a young woman rotting in prison for a year and a half for contempt of court and non-cooperation with the Feds as they are moving in on her mobster boyfriend Eddie (James A Watson Jr of Returning Home, Police Woman, Wonder Woman, Goldengirl, Quincy M.E., Airplane II: The Sequel, and The Rockford Files: I Still Love L.A.)

Psst, the old guy stinks.  B.O. big time.

Coco finally cops to flipping on Eddie so long as her conditions are met. She wants out of prison for a night on the town before having to testify in court the next morning...so have a bender in Reno gambling, drinking and dancing the night away before testifying in a courtroom. Yup, sounds reasonable to me. So what does the DA do to keep their nitwit tattletale alive? Does the girl get surrounded by 30 some odd bodyguards?? Nay, she gets Old Guy that is 3 months from retirement Ramsey (Alex Dreier of The Boston Strangler, Chandler, Sweet, Sweet Rachel and Murdock's Gang) a rookie from pounding the pavement beat cop turned detective...Doug (San Francisco 49ers Wide Receiver Gene Washington) Yeah not the equivalence of SWAT or hell if I was the DA I would have hired a team of mercs to keep this twit alive but instead, two whole cops.

Polyester and suede is the name of the game as it is almost everywhere in Reno. Have not seen that much vinyl outside of a record store. (Yup I am old or something something) Coco tries putting the moves on Doug almost instantly as they have to share a hotel room for expenses...of course if the DA was that worried about cost, the would-be couple would have to bunk with Old Guy who snores like a log-saw jammed in an oak tree.

Is Coco on the up and up? Will "Doug" fall for her charms? Can Old Guy make it to retirement?

Prior to Lady Cocoa, Gene Washington did star in Black Gunn with Joe Brown and The Black Six with then and here Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Tackle "Mean Joe"Greene. Alas similar to The Black Six, Joe got no lines at all. Mind you a 6 foot 4 260 lb beast of a man doesn't need to say much and just glare.

Better not let them know I'm counting cards.