Made shortly after Sweet Sweetback's Baadassssss Song, this Melvin Van Peebles musical follows the exploits of two devils who seem to specialize in breaking up parties. When they turn their attention to a raucous birthday party in Harlem, however, they find they have their work cut out for them. Don't Play Us Cheap later went on to become a successful Broadway play, but for one reason or another, this film version has remained unreleased until now. It's a find, too. Though its plot is as bizarre as it sounds—and it does have the look of a filmed play mixed with some incongruous artsy touches—Don't Play Us Cheap is broadly, humorously and exuberantly acted by its cast, which includes Esther Rolle from The Jeffersons. Better still, its songs, such as "You Cut Up The Clothes In The Closet Of My Dreams," are a lot of fun and make up for many of the rough edges. Fans of early-'70s black-themed films will want to give it a look, and those who think of Van Peebles only as an angry young man with a single message will be pleasantly surprised.