Back Alley Rip-Off [2025 Preservation Print]
Identifier
F.2013-02-0066
Date Of Production
1970
Abstract
An unfinished narrative film by artist Don McIlvaine, shot in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago with local actors. It follows two men that win a sweepstakes lottery, and the people who want to take the winning ticket from them (including a mobster and a man who wants to use the money to improve the neighborhood). The Art & Soul Gallery and several of McIlvaine's murals can be seen.
Back Alley Rip-Off is discussed briefly in Rebecca Zorach's 2019 book Art for People's Sake: Artists and Community in Black Chicago, 1965-1975. Zorach describes that McIlvaine "wrote a treatment and portion of a script and shot sample scenes" and that "the script is inspired both by local context and by the sense of possibility in Hollywood's newfound interest in Black subject matter that spawned the blaxploitation trend."
Back Alley Rip-Off is discussed briefly in Rebecca Zorach's 2019 book Art for People's Sake: Artists and Community in Black Chicago, 1965-1975. Zorach describes that McIlvaine "wrote a treatment and portion of a script and shot sample scenes" and that "the script is inspired both by local context and by the sense of possibility in Hollywood's newfound interest in Black subject matter that spawned the blaxploitation trend."
Format
16mm
Extent
337 feet
Color
Color
Sound
Optical
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Notes
This 16mm preservation print was made in 2025, thanks to a Basic Preservation Grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation.
Language Of Materials
English
Element
Preservation print
Genre
Form
Subject
City and town life
Economic and social conditions
African Americans
Alcoholic beverages
Chicago (Ill.)
Economic and social conditions
African Americans
Alcoholic beverages
Chicago (Ill.)
Preservation Sponsor
Related Collections
Related Places
Main Credits
McIlvaine, Don (is director)
McIlvaine, Don (is producer)
Additional Credits
McIlvaine, Don (is writer)
Do you know more about this item?
If you have more information about this item please contact us at info@chicagofilmarchives.org.
