Cotton Comes to Harlem (film)
Encyclopedia
Cotton Comes to Harlem is a 1970 blaxploitation
film co-written and directed by Ossie Davis
and starring Godfrey Cambridge
, Raymond St. Jacques
, and Redd Foxx
: it is based on Chester Himes
' novel of the same name. The opening theme, "Ain't Now But It's Gonna Be" was written by Ossie Davis and performed by Melba Moore
.
are assigned by the NYPD to recover $87,000 of poor black families life savings, which have been stolen in a Back to Africa
swindle; the money is concealed in a bale of cotton
, which keeps changing hands.
The detectives, Gravedigger Jones (Cambridge) and Coffin Ed Johnson (St. Jacques), are two black cops with a reputation for breaking the odd head. Both are annoyed at the success of the charismatic black nationalist leader Reverend Deke O'Malley (Lockhart) who is selling trips back to Africa to the poor on the installment plan. When his truck is hijacked at a barbecue and a bale of cotton stuffed with money is lost in the chase, Harlem is turned upside down by Gravedigger and Coffin Ed, the Reverend, and the hijackers.
and more action-packed numbers like Shaft
and Super Fly
. The film inspired the sequel Come Back, Charleston Blue
, based on original material instead of Chester Himes' works.
, Judy Pace
, and Cleavon Little
. Lockhart appeared in numerous films and TV shows, sometimes playing tough guy roles. Judy Pace appeared in film and TV, appearing in the TV show The Young Lawyers
and the film Frogs, and Cleavon Little made nightclub performances plus films: the most famous he did was as Bart in the Mel Brooks
comedy Blazing Saddles
. Another person who debuted, though he was old, was Redd Foxx
, and he proved that even a night club star up in age can do movies as well, leading him to be considered for the TV Show Sanford and Son
.
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
film co-written and directed by Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis was an American film actor, director, poet, playwright, writer, and social activist.-Early years:...
and starring Godfrey Cambridge
Godfrey Cambridge
-External links:*...
, 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...
, and Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
: it is 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 of the same name. The opening theme, "Ain't Now But It's Gonna Be" was written by Ossie Davis and performed by Melba Moore
Melba Moore
Beatrice Melba Smith , known by her stage name, Melba Moore is an American disco, R&B singer and actress. She is the daughter of saxophonist Teddy Hill and R&B singer Bonnie Davis.-Early life:...
.
Plot
Two Harlem detectivesHarlem Detective
The Harlem Detective series of novels by Chester Himes comprises nine hardboiled novels set in the 1950s and early 1960s:* For Love of Imabelle, AKA A Rage in Harlem* The Crazy Kill* The Real Cool Killers* All Shot Up* The Big Gold Dream* The Heat's On...
are assigned by the NYPD to recover $87,000 of poor black families life savings, which have been stolen in a Back to Africa
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
swindle; the money is concealed in a bale of cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, which keeps changing hands.
The detectives, Gravedigger Jones (Cambridge) and Coffin Ed Johnson (St. Jacques), are two black cops with a reputation for breaking the odd head. Both are annoyed at the success of the charismatic black nationalist leader Reverend Deke O'Malley (Lockhart) who is selling trips back to Africa to the poor on the installment plan. When his truck is hijacked at a barbecue and a bale of cotton stuffed with money is lost in the chase, Harlem is turned upside down by Gravedigger and Coffin Ed, the Reverend, and the hijackers.
Cast
- Godfrey CambridgeGodfrey Cambridge-External links:*...
as Gravedigger Jones - Raymond St. JacquesRaymond St. JacquesRaymond 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...
as Coffin Ed Johnson - Calvin LockhartCalvin LockhartCalvin Lockhart was a Bahamian-American actor on stage and in film. He was best known for the role of a big time gangster "Biggie Smalls" in the 1975 film Let's Do It Again, not to be confused with the deceased rapper Biggie Smalls...
as Reverend Deke O'Malley - Judy PaceJudy PaceJudy Lenteen Pace is an American stage and screen actress.-Career Biography:Pace became a familiar face in the 1970s on both the big and small screen, appearing in popular blaxploitation movies and popular television shows. She played a character on the soap opera One Life to Live...
as Iris - Redd FoxxRedd FoxxJohn Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
as Uncle Bud / Booker Washington Sims - Emily Yancy as Mabel
- John AndersonJohn Anderson (actor)-Biography:Born in Clayton, John Anderson grew up in Quincy and Adams County, Illinois.Prior to a prolific acting career, Anderson served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II where he met artist Orazio Fumagalli who became one of his best lifelong friends.He was known for several...
as Bryce - Lou JacobiLou JacobiLouis Harold "Lou" Jacobi was a Canadian character actor.-Life and career:Jacobi was born Louis Harold Jacobovitch in Toronto, Ontario to Joseph and Fay Jacobivitch...
as Goodman - Eugene RocheEugene RocheEugene Harrison Roche was an American actor . He was the original "Ajax Man" in 1970s television commercials.-Personal life:...
as Anderson - J.D. Cannon as Calhoun
- Mabel Robinson as Billie
- Dick Sabol as Jarema
- Cleavon LittleCleavon LittleCleavon Jake Little was an American film and theatre actor.Little was widely known for his lead role as Sheriff Bart in the 1974 Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles. He also was the irreverent Dr...
as Lo Boy - Theodore WilsonTheodore WilsonTheodore "Teddy" Wilson was an American character actor best known for his recurring role as Sweet Daddy Williams on the CBS sitcom Good Times.-Career:...
as Barry
Response
The film was one of the many black films that appeared in the 1970s and became an overnight hit. Davis parleyed both humor and drama together and got a film that worked: he also attracted a black audience, which helped made the film a cult classic over the years. It inspired more black films during the 70s, including The Learning TreeThe Learning Tree
The Learning Tree is a 1969 drama film which tells the story of a young African American growing up in rural Kansas during the late 1920s and early 1930s, when racial discrimination was a social norm, legally sanctioned in parts of the United States. Written and directed by Gordon Parks, the film...
and more action-packed numbers like 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...
and Super Fly
Super Fly
"Super Fly" is the third 12" single by Giant Panda. It was the released by their label Tres Records . The single contains two songs from their album Fly School Reunion with their instrumental tracks as well.-Personnel:...
. The film inspired the sequel Come Back, Charleston Blue
Come Back, Charleston Blue
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.-Plot:...
, based on original material instead of Chester Himes' works.
Screen debuts
Davis' film saw three people debut in the film: Calvin LockhartCalvin Lockhart
Calvin Lockhart was a Bahamian-American actor on stage and in film. He was best known for the role of a big time gangster "Biggie Smalls" in the 1975 film Let's Do It Again, not to be confused with the deceased rapper Biggie Smalls...
, Judy Pace
Judy Pace
Judy Lenteen Pace is an American stage and screen actress.-Career Biography:Pace became a familiar face in the 1970s on both the big and small screen, appearing in popular blaxploitation movies and popular television shows. She played a character on the soap opera One Life to Live...
, and Cleavon Little
Cleavon Little
Cleavon Jake Little was an American film and theatre actor.Little was widely known for his lead role as Sheriff Bart in the 1974 Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles. He also was the irreverent Dr...
. Lockhart appeared in numerous films and TV shows, sometimes playing tough guy roles. Judy Pace appeared in film and TV, appearing in the TV show The Young Lawyers
The Young Lawyers
The Young Lawyers is an American legal drama that was aired on the ABC network as part of its 1970-71 lineup.-Plot:Aaron Silverman is part of a group of young, idealistic students at a top Boston law school who open a legal aid center, the "Neighborhood Law Office," to help the poor...
and the film Frogs, and Cleavon Little made nightclub performances plus films: the most famous he did was as Bart in the Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
comedy Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles is a 1974 satirical Western comedy film directed by Mel Brooks. Starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, the film was written by Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Al Uger, and was based on Bergman's story and draft. The movie was nominated for three...
. Another person who debuted, though he was old, was Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
, and he proved that even a night club star up in age can do movies as well, leading him to be considered for the TV Show Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
.