Come Back, Charleston Blue
Encyclopedia
Come Back Charleston Blue is a 1972 film starring Godfrey Cambridge
and Raymond St. Jacques
, loosely based on Chester Himes
' novel The Heat's On
. It is a sequel to the 1970 film Cotton Comes to Harlem.
. The murders themselves aren't nearly as bizarre as the calling card left by the murderer: a blue steel straight razor
. Legend has it that this was the calling card of Charleston Blue, a vigilante
who tried to rid the neighborhood of all criminal elements using a straight razor. Blue, having disappeared years ago after he went after Dutch Schultz
(with his trusty straight razor) was considered dead by all except his girlfriend, who kept his razors locked away until his "come back."
Soon after the murders began it is discovered that the razors were missing and all evidence points to Joe Painter, a local photographer, who has begun dating Carol, the beloved niece of mafia errand boy, Caspar Brown. Joe and Brown are at odds over Caspar's refusal to help Joe kick the mafia out of the neighborhood, so Joe enlists the help of a group of brothers and the spirit of Charleston Blue. However, Coffin Ed & Gravedigger Jones discover that Joe's plan doesn't seem to be exactly what he claimed it was.
, which required producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. to negotiate with CORE
and other groups over their demands for "money, jobs and control."
In April 1972, less than three months before the film's release, Time magazine called the film "part of a new Hollywood wave of eminently commercial movies by blacks about the black experience," a wave that included Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
, Shaft
, Shaft's Big Score
, Cool Breeze, Buck and the Preacher
, The Legend of Nigger Charley
, Super Fly, and Blacula
.
A. H. Weiler, reviewing the film for The New York Times
, called it "only occasionally funny or incisive" with a "convoluted plot and dialogue that is often too 'in' for the uninitiated."
except "Little Ghetto Boy" (Earl DuRouen / Edward Howard
) and "Come Back Charleston Blue" (Al Cleveland
/ Donny Hathaway / Quincy Jones
).
In November 2007, Rhino Records released a remaster
ed version of the soundtrack album
, which included two new tracks, an alternate version and a live version of "Little Ghetto Boy."
Godfrey Cambridge
-External links:*...
and Raymond St. Jacques
Raymond St. Jacques
Raymond St. Jacques was an American actor.-Career:St. Jacques was born James Arthur Johnson in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Vivienne Johnson, a medical technician...
, loosely based on Chester Himes
Chester Himes
Chester Bomar Himes was an American writer. His works include If He Hollers Let Him Go and a series of Harlem Detective novels...
' novel The Heat's On
The Heat's On
The Heat's On is a movie musical starring Mae West, William Gaxton, and Victor Moore, and released by Columbia Pictures.-Plot:Broadway star Fay Lawrence is a temperamental diva who is reluctantly persuaded by a Broadway producer to star in his latest production.-Production background:Mae West...
. It is a sequel to the 1970 film Cotton Comes to Harlem.
Plot
Coffin Ed Johnson & Gravedigger Jones are confounded by a string of strange murders in the neighborhood of Harlem, New YorkHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. The murders themselves aren't nearly as bizarre as the calling card left by the murderer: a blue steel straight razor
Straight razor
A straight razor is a razor with a blade that can fold into its handle. They are also called open razors and cut-throat razors.Although straight razors were once the principal method of manual shaving, they have been largely overshadowed by the safety razor, incorporating a disposable blade...
. Legend has it that this was the calling card of Charleston Blue, a vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
who tried to rid the neighborhood of all criminal elements using a straight razor. Blue, having disappeared years ago after he went after Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz was a New York City-area Jewish American gangster of the 1920s and 1930s who made his fortune in organized crime-related activities such as bootlegging alcohol and the numbers racket...
(with his trusty straight razor) was considered dead by all except his girlfriend, who kept his razors locked away until his "come back."
Soon after the murders began it is discovered that the razors were missing and all evidence points to Joe Painter, a local photographer, who has begun dating Carol, the beloved niece of mafia errand boy, Caspar Brown. Joe and Brown are at odds over Caspar's refusal to help Joe kick the mafia out of the neighborhood, so Joe enlists the help of a group of brothers and the spirit of Charleston Blue. However, Coffin Ed & Gravedigger Jones discover that Joe's plan doesn't seem to be exactly what he claimed it was.
Production
The film was shot in HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, which required producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. to negotiate with CORE
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
and other groups over their demands for "money, jobs and control."
Reception
This film was a sequel to the film Cotton Comes to Harlem: appearing two years later, it opened to mixed reviews, with critics feeling it was decent, but not riotous like the original 1970 film.In April 1972, less than three months before the film's release, Time magazine called the film "part of a new Hollywood wave of eminently commercial movies by blacks about the black experience," a wave that included Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is a 1971 American independent drama film, written, produced, scored, directed by, and starring Melvin Van Peebles, father of actor Mario Van Peebles . It tells the picaresque story of a poor African American man on his flight from the white authority...
, Shaft
Shaft (1971 film)
Shaft is a 1971 American blaxploitation film directed by Gordon Parks, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. An action film with elements of film noir, Shaft tells the story of a black private detective, John Shaft, who travels through Harlem and to the Italian mob neighborhoods in order to find the...
, Shaft's Big Score
Shaft's Big Score
Shaft's Big Score, released in 1972, is the second film in the trilogy in which actor Richard Roundtree starred as the private-eye, John Shaft. Gordon Parks again directed, and Ernest Tidyman once more supplied the screenplay. Isaac Hayes was unavailable, so Parks, the director, did the score himself...
, Cool Breeze, Buck and the Preacher
Buck and the Preacher
Buck and the Preacher is a 1972 American Western film starring Sidney Poitier as Buck and Harry Belafonte as the Preacher. Buck is a trail guide leading groups of former slaves trying to homestead in the West, immediately after the American Civil War. The Preacher is a swindling minister of the...
, The Legend of Nigger Charley
The Legend of Nigger Charley
The Legend of Nigger Charley is a 1972 blaxploitation western film directed by Martin Goldman. The story of a trio of escaped slaves, it was released during the heyday of blaxploitation films....
, Super Fly, and Blacula
Blacula
Blacula is a 1972 American horror film produced for American International Pictures. It was directed by William Crain and stars William Marshall in the title role about an 18th century African prince named Mamuwalde, who is both turned into a vampire and locked inside a coffin by Count Dracula...
.
A. H. Weiler, reviewing the film for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, called it "only occasionally funny or incisive" with a "convoluted plot and dialogue that is often too 'in' for the uninitiated."
Soundtrack
All tracks written by Donny HathawayDonny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
except "Little Ghetto Boy" (Earl DuRouen / Edward Howard
Edward Howard
Edward Howard may refer to:*Edward Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Escrick , British nobleman and parliamentarian*Edward Henry Howard, English Roman Catholic cardinal*Edward Howard , centenarian Roman Catholic archbishop in Oregon, USA*Edward L...
) and "Come Back Charleston Blue" (Al Cleveland
Al Cleveland
Al Cleveland is a former American songwriter for the Motown label. Among his most popular co-compositions are 1967's "I Second That Emotion" performed by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and 1971's "What's Going On" performed by Marvin Gaye.Cleveland was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United...
/ Donny Hathaway / Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
).
| Track | Song | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main Theme | 02:20 |
| 2 | Basie | 03:53 |
| 3 | String Segue | 00:34 |
| 4 | Vegetable Wagon | 01:07 |
| 5 | Harlem Dawn | 01:38 |
| 6 | Scratchy Record | 03:09 |
| 7 | Explosion | 00:23 |
| 8 | Hearse To The Graveyard | 02:46 |
| 9 | Switch "Charleston Blue" | 00:32 |
| 10 | Come Back Basie | 02:36 |
| 11 | Detective's Goof | 00:28 |
| 12 | Gravedigger Jones & Coffin Ed’s Funeral | 03:02 |
| 13 | String Segue | 00:17 |
| 14 | Little Ghetto Boy | 03:50 |
| 15 | Hail To The Queen | 00:21 |
| 16 | Drag Queen Chase | 00:47 |
| 17 | Bossa Nova | 01:47 |
| 18 | Tim's High | 01:30 |
| 19 | Furniture Truck | 01:18 |
| 20 | Liberation | 02:52 |
| 21 | Come Back Charleston Blue | 02:04 |
In November 2007, Rhino Records released a remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed version of the soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
, which included two new tracks, an alternate version and a live version of "Little Ghetto Boy."