Last of the Mobile Hot Shots 1970
Directed by
Sidney Lumet
Made by
Warner Bros. Pictures
Last of the Mobile Hot Shots Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Myrtle Kane, Lynn Redgrave and Jeb Stuart Thorington, James Coburn, arrive on The Rube Benedict Show where the eponymous host Reggie King selects them and another couple as contestants. Despite not knowing each other, the pair wins the competition and agrees to a single condition: their marriage must be ordained by a minister on set. They decide to use the prize check to restore Waverley Plantation, a decaying mansion their family has owned since 1840, located about 100 miles upstream from New Orleans.
Upon reaching the plantation, Myrtle is introduced to Jeb’s multiracial half-brother, Chicken, Robert Hooks. Chicken earned his nickname for hoarding chickens on the rooftop during childhood. Myrtle reveals her own background in show business, explaining that she was the last surviving member of an Alabama female quintet known as the Mobile Hot-Shots.
Tensions flare as Jeb and Chicken spar over ownership of the mansion. Jeb asserts his right to the house, while Chicken contends that, once Jeb dies of terminal lung cancer, he will become the rightful owner as next of kin. In a series of flashbacks, Jeb confesses he was discharged from the army and frames his history as a kind of personal war with Chicken, ordering his half-brother to leave. Chicken, however, returns to sign an agreement that would name him the next owner of the property.
During a dinner, Myrtle grows wary of her brother-in-law’s pressure, and Jeb orders Myrtle to retrieve the agreement from Chicken’s back pocket. She struggles to accomplish this task, and the moment spirals into danger as Jeb commands her to kill Chicken with a hammer and not to come back upstairs without the document. When Myrtle goes downstairs again, she engages in a tense conversation that leads to the revelation that she never married Jeb.
Chicken refuses to believe the claim and demands the marriage license. Myrtle returns upstairs and then produces the license, causing further conflict. The tense situation gives way to an affair between Myrtle and Chicken, even as Jeb—haunted by memories of his mother and his own past escapades with prostitutes—grows increasingly furious that Myrtle has not secured the document.
Armed with a pistol, Jeb descends to confront the crisis and ultimately burns the agreement. In a startling turn, Chicken reveals that he is, in fact, the plantation’s heir—his claim resting on his mother rather than on any “mistake” from an interracial affair alleged by Jeb’s father, who died in World War II. The discovery devastates Jeb, who collapses and dies.
As the story moves toward its dark conclusion, a cataclysmic flood breaks the levee. Chicken and Myrtle scramble to the rooftop to escape the rising waters, where they seek shelter and, in a final, defiant moment, a sense of refuge and sexual fulfillment amidst the chaos.
Last of the Mobile Hot Shots Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Win on The Rube Benedict Show and marriage condition
Myrtle Kane and Jeb Stuart Thorington appear as contestants on The Rube Benedict Show in New Orleans and win the competition despite not knowing each other. They agree to claim the $3,500 prize only if their marriage is ordained by a minister on set. They plan to use the prize to help restore the decaying Waverley Plantation, tying their on-screen wedding to a real estate mission.
Travel to Waverley Plantation and meet Chicken
Using the prize, the couple travels to Waverley Plantation, located about 100 miles upstream from New Orleans. Jeb introduces Myrtle to his multiracial half-brother, Chicken, a man nicknamed for hoarding chickens on the rooftop. Myrtle shares her background as the last surviving member of an Alabama quintet, the Mobile Hot-Shots.
Ownership dispute erupts between Jeb and Chicken
Tensions flare as Jeb asserts his control over the mansion while Chicken claims that he will inherit it as next of kin. The argument underscores a power struggle over the estate and its future. The mansion sits at the center of a family feud that will color every later decision.
Flashback: Jeb's army discharge and the war with Chicken
In a flashback, Jeb reveals he was discharged from the Army and had a tense history with Chicken over the property. He orders Chicken off the mansion, but Chicken later returns and signs an agreement that would make him the next owner. The past animosity foreshadows the present power dynamics.
Jeb orders Myrtle to kill Chicken and fetch the document
During preparations for dinner, Myrtle is pressed to kill Chicken with a hammer and to return upstairs with the required document. She struggles to obtain the agreement from Chicken, highlighting the coercive and dangerous atmosphere on the estate. The command marks a grim turning point in the couple's arrangement.
Myrtle reveals she never married Jeb; Chicken demands the license
Myrtle returns downstairs after a tense moment and admits to not having married Jeb, shocking Chicken. He refuses to believe the truth and demands that Myrtle produce her marriage license. The revelation intensifies the split between Myrtle and Jeb's plan and Chicken's claim.
Myrtle presents the marriage license to Chicken; Jeb grows angry
Myrtle eventually produces the marriage license, presenting it to Chicken downstairs. Jeb reacts with fury for not retrieving the agreement, revealing the fragility of the couple's leverage. The tension between the characters thickens as loyalties fracture.
Myrtle begins an extramarital affair with Chicken
Following the license reveal, Myrtle enters into an extramarital affair with Chicken. The betrayal strains the household and deepens the web of deception surrounding the mansion and its ownership. Meanwhile, Jeb reels from the ongoing turmoil and his mounting secrets.
Jeb burns the agreement and confronts the document
Jeb, fueled by anger over Myrtle's absence with the document, descends with a pistol and burns the signed agreement. The act destroys the plan to crown Chicken as heir and signals the collapse of Jeb's control. The mansion becomes a crucible of rage, jealousy, and power.
Chicken reveals the true heir and Jeb dies
Chicken discloses that he is the plantation's rightful heir through his mother, not through an interracial extramarital affair. Jeb collapses upon hearing the truth and dies, ending his former ambitions. The revelation shifts the estate's future away from Jeb's control.
Levee breaks; rooftop refuge and final fulfillment
As floodwaters surge, Chicken and Myrtle climb to the mansion's rooftop to escape. The rooftop serves as a final refuge where they confront their complicated relationship and seek sexual fulfillment amid disaster. The ending ties together themes of inheritance, power, and survival.
Last of the Mobile Hot Shots Characters
Explore all characters from Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Myrtle Kane (Lynn Redgrave)
An ex-showgirl and the last surviving member of an Alabama quintet, Myrtle uses performance charisma to navigate a dangerous marriage plot. She reveals a background in show business and becomes entangled in an extramarital affair with Chicken, while trying to survive Jeb's coercive demands. Her choices expose a pragmatic, survival-driven temperament under pressure.
Jeb Stuart Thorington (James Coburn)
A domineering, war-haunted patriarch who asserts ownership over the mansion and family legacy. He arranges and reacts with extreme measures, including coercion and violence, to keep power, and his past is revealed in bitter flashbacks. His push for control culminates in a fatal confrontation that ends his life.
Chicken (Robert Hooks)
Jeb's multiracial half-brother, cunning and defiant, who hoards knowledge of the inheritance and acts as a foil to Jeb's authority. He claims kinship through his mother and asserts his own claim to the plantation. He becomes Myrtle's lover and the catalyst for the revelation of the true heir.
Rube Benedict (Reggie King)
The host of The Rube Benedict Show who catalyzes the contestants' dramatic entanglements. He represents the external pull of spectacle and fame that frames the power struggle inside the mansion.
George (Perry Hayes)
One of the contestants on The Rube Benedict Show. The summary doesn't detail his background, but he participates in the competition that kickstarts the chain of events at the mansion.
Last of the Mobile Hot Shots Settings
Learn where and when Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Time period
Mid-20th century
The story unfolds in a mid-20th-century Southern setting, with flashbacks that touch on earlier decades. The backstory references World War II, including a father who dies in the war, and a televised competition indicates a concurrent era of stage and screen. The environment—decaying mansions, crowded antebellum tensions—grounds the film in a period when tradition and spectacle collide.
Location
New Orleans, Waverley Plantation
The action shifts from New Orleans to a decaying plantation mansion owned by the family since 1840, located about 100 miles upstream from the city. The mansion and its grounds sit on a river, serving as the claustrophobic stage for the couple's marriage scheme and the family feud. The setting contrasts vibrant showbiz life with looming ruin, underscoring themes of legacy and betrayal.
Last of the Mobile Hot Shots Themes
Discover the main themes in Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Family Legacy
The plot centers on inheritance, kinship, and who truly owns the family estate. Jeb asserts control over the Waverley Plantation, while Chicken claims next-of-kin status through his mother. The revelation about rightful inheritance destabilizes pretensions and drives escalating conflict. The mansion itself becomes a symbol of the lineage's fragile grip on power.
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Secrets & Deception
Myrtle's marriage plot and the missing license drive a web of lies and double-crossing on the show stage and in the mansion. Jeb's manipulation and the insistence on a forged or erased agreement reveal how appearances are kept intact while truth lies hidden. The couple's interactions—Myrtle's affair with Chicken and Jeb's suspicions—further complicate loyalties. The eventual exposure of hidden motives destabilizes the household.
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Decay & Flood
The decaying plantation mansion mirrors the moral decay within the family and their ambitions. The levee breach at the end forces survival on the rooftop, turning the environment into a literal and figurative battleground. Water and ruin symbolize the collapse of old orders and the vulnerability of those who cling to power. The stormy setting reinforces the Southern Gothic mood.
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Desire & Power
Interpersonal desire drives key plot turns, from Myrtle's affair with Chicken to the violence of jockeying for control. The pursuit of sexual fulfillment is entangled with hereditary claims, manipulation, and murder. The characters leverage affection and attraction to secure status, then pay a tragic price as loyalties fracture. Love, lust, and power collide in a fatal finale.
Last of the Mobile Hot Shots Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In a world where the remnants of ante‑bellum grandeur clash with the flash of 1970s television, a newlywed couple steps onto the set of The Rube Benedict Show and wins a prize that promises to resurrect a crumbling family estate. The plantation, perched on the banks of the Mississippi and tied to a lineage that stretches back to 1840, becomes a stage for the uneasy marriage of tradition and modernity. The mood is thick with Southern gothic undertones—humid air, whispered histories, and a looming sense of decay—punctuated by the bright, almost absurd sparkle of a game‑show‑era contest.
Myrtle Kane arrives from the world of touring variety acts, the last surviving member of the Mobile Hot‑Shots, a once‑popular Alabama female quintet. Her performer’s poise masks a deep curiosity about the life she has just entered, and she must quickly learn the unspoken rules that govern a plantation house and a family whose roots run deep and tangled. Opposite her, Jeb Stuart Thorington carries the weight of a lavish lifestyle and an inheritance that feels both a gift and a burden, his expectations of extravagance intersecting with an undercurrent of secrecy and familial duty.
The presence of Chicken, Jeb’s half‑brother raised in the shadows of the same estate, adds a layer of cultural tension that ripples through every interaction. As a Black man with a shared history and a complicated claim to the property, his relationship with Myrtle and Jeb becomes a delicate dance of loyalty, rivalry, and unspoken longing. Together, the trio navigates a world where social expectations, family allegiance, and the looming specter of a changing South converge, setting the tone for a story that balances sensual intrigue, dark humor, and the haunting pull of a house that refuses to be forgotten.
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