Main Cast: Don Washington, Kevin Willmott, Nadine Griffith, Byon Myrick, Isaac Hayes
Release Year: 1999
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
Plot
A dramatic comedy about life in the African-American community in the late 1960s, Ninth Street take place in Junction City, Kansas, a town that in 1968 looked to the nearby Fort Riley Army base for most of its economic support. Junction City's Ninth Street was home to a string of black-owned bars, clubs and strip joints, and the film follows a crew of Ninth Street regulars, including a tart-tongued nightclub owner (Queen Bey), a pair of philosophical winos (Don Washington and Kevin Willmott), a widowed and emotionally troubled bag lady (Kaycee Moore) and a young prostitute eager to get out of the life (Nadine Griffith). Shot on a shoestring budget over a period of seven years, Ninth Street features a cameo appearance from Martin Sheen as a priest who tends a flock in the ghetto, and a supporting performance from soul music legendIsaac Hayes, who also contributes to the score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The movie is rated R by the MPAA for language, a scene of sexuality and some violent content. Filmed in the USA, the movie was primarily released in English.
Plot
Set in 1968 Junction City, Kansas sometimes called "Jump City" reflect on the history of "East Ninth Street" during the 1940's when famous jazz musicians played the nightclubs. In 1968, the area has deteriorated into strip clubs and cheap bars where Vietnam War draftees from nearby Fort Riley stop and drink. People in the group include a drunk (Don Washington) who lost a leg in WWII, a taxi dispatcher (Isaac Hayes), a saloon owner (Queen Bey), and a crazy bag lady (Kaycee Moore). (Nadine Griffith) who is trying to get out of the business, but is forced to work by a malicious boy friend (Byron Myrick) and the fact that she has to provide for her baby. Martin Sheen also stars as a white preacher who likes the people in the area better than his own congregation.
