GO DOWN, DEATH!-1944-In this long forgotten “race” film, Big Jim Bottom (Spencer Williams who also directed) runs a gambling joint. He decides to frame the new reverend Jasper Jones (Samuel H. James) because he has too much influence on the town. His goons take an incriminating photo of Jones and a woman hired by Big Jim. Jim's adopted mother Caroline (Myra D. Hemmings) pleads with her son to end his bad ways but he refuses. She prays for guidance to a picture of her dead husband. His ghost/spirit comes back to help by taking the incriminating photos out of Jim's safe and giving them to Caroline. Jim tries to take them away from her. He pushes her to the floor and she hits her head. He pretends to not know anything when niece Betty Jean (Eddye Houston) comes into the room. Caroline lies in bed dying and a choir sings. Betty and Rev. Jones discuss the circumstances while Jim paces and drinks. When Caroline dies, the reverend gives a long sermon while images of heaven are shown. Jim's conscious gets the better of him and he drinks even more. He tries to run away but he can't escape the sinister accusing voice which shows him a vision of hell (from a foreign movie) where he'll “be with his own kind”. Later they find Jim dead in a canyon.
Much like THE BLOOD OF JESUS it uses crude sfx, characters superimposed on other scenes and gospel singing. Sometimes there's dialogue but the actors' mouths don't move. The sermon the reverend gives is the poem “Go Down Death” by James W. Johnson. Although the acting and editing isn't very good it's nice to see this film rescued from obscurity. This is one of 14 movies actor Spencer Willimas directed between 1928 and 1949. Some were religious morality tales like this. Others were cool musicals. Williams later played Andy on the (now) controversial TV sit-com “The Amos 'n Andy Show”.
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