Meanwhile, they evade and outsmart the KKK, corrupt white police officers, and deflect a hostile take-over from a nearby mafia gang.
The film begins with narration by Dave Greene (Philip Michael Thomas) about how he and Blueboy Harris (Raymond St. Jacques) had saved up enough money to quit their jobs as waiters and move to Arkansas with the intention of starting a numbers racket.
The remainder of the film is a flashback to the illegal business with his partner and mentor, Blueboy, their struggles with the mafia, the KKK and a corrupt police force.
A nearby white mafia boss, Luis Antoine (Gilbert Greene) sends one of his black lieutenants, Joe Gaines (Jerry Leon) to intimidate Dave and Blueboy into handing over their profits, but they refuse, resulting in a shoot-out where several characters are killed.
They dress up as members of the Ku Klux Klan, sneak over to the rival gang's hideout, and set up a burning cross to frighten Gaine's crew out of the house.
But a posse of the real KKK arrive and attempt to join in the "good action" without realizing that underneath the white hoods were Dave's cohorts.
He beats the conviction when he enters the courtroom and acts like a black stereotype Tom (scraping and begging and wringing his hat) until the white judge lets him off with a warning.
This enrages Dave who is ashamed that Blueboy would degrade himself for the white judge, rather than hire a lawyer and defend himself with dignity and confidence becoming of a powerful businessman.
Actress Freda Payne stated that the offer for her to play the role of Kelly was a shock,[5] and she described the set as hot and humid, but fun to work on.
Here in this uneven but wildly energetic spoof on Westerns, Cleavon Little plays a black man who shows up in a white (and hostile) Old West community.
One theme of the film is the use of illegal or criminal activity for the black characters to achieve financial independence in a white-dominated Depression Era southern community.
After enlisting them to help with their enterprise, everyone can be seen wearing fine suits and hats in later scenes, and they can afford to purchase a large home with numerous recreation rooms.
[10] Playwright and professor of literature at Emerson College, Jabari Asim, writes, "Dave, a young man with a nose for cash, and Blueboy, a 'born professional if ever there was one,' have few legitimate avenues open to them.
Their success – and the creativity and intelligence they must utilize to attain it – make the pair prototypical 'race men,' figures in black whose rise invigorates the community that bears witness to their climb.
The rival gang that tries to muscle in on the protagonists' community is run by a white mafia boss, Luis Antoine, who has hired a black lieutenant, Gaines.
Book of Numbers has a soundtrack by composer Al Schuckman, with performances by blues musicians Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.