Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)

Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are two black cops with a reputation for breaking the odd head. Both are annoyed at the success of the Reverend Deke O'Mailey who is selling trips ... See full summary »

Director:

Ossie Davis

Writers:

Ossie Davis, Chester Himes (novel),

Stars:

Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St. Jacques, Calvin Lockhart

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Godfrey Cambridge	...	Gravedigger Jones
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Coffin Ed Johnson
Calvin Lockhart	...	Rev. Deke O'Malley
Judy Pace	...	Iris
Redd Foxx	...	Uncle Bud / Booker Washington Sims
Emily Yancy	...	Mabel
John Anderson	...	Bryce
Lou Jacobi	...	Goodman
Eugene Roche	...	Anderson
J.D. Cannon	...	Calhoun
Mabel Robinson	...	Billie
Dick Sabol	...	Jarema
Cleavon Little	...	Lo Boy
Teddy Wilson	...	Barry (as Theodore Wilson)
Maxwell Glanville	...	Caspar

Storyline

Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are two black cops with a reputation for breaking the odd head. Both are annoyed at the success of the Reverend Deke O'Mailey who is selling trips back to Africa to the poor on the installment plan. When his truck is hijacked 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. Much of the humor is urban black, which was unusual in 1970.

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Plot Keywords:

cotton | chase | black cop | loot | police | 

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Taglines:

Introducing COFFIN ED and GRAVEDIGGER, two detectives only a mother could love.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 May 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Algodón en Harlem

Filming Locations:

Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Formosa Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (DeLuxe Color)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the car chase, the mirror on the driver's side of the police car gets shot off. Once the police car collides with the watermelon cart a few seconds later, the mirror reappears.

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Quotes

Gravedigger Jones: Another fine mess you got us into!
Coffin Ed: I got us into? Shut up and shoot!

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Connections

Followed by Come Back, Charleston Blue (1972)

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Soundtracks

"Going Home"
Music by Galt MacDermot
Lyrics by Joseph E. Lewis
Sung by LaLa Brooks (as Sakinah Muhammad) and Leata Galloway

User Reviews

Funny, energetic cop movie from Ossie Davis

Based on a novel by Chester Himes, Cotton Comes to Harlem boasts sharp dialogue and super performances from top to bottom. Cult favorites Calvin Lockhart and Redd Foxx are great, but the real fire belongs to the sublime Godfrey Cambridge as wise police detective Gravedigger Jones. The colorful story follows Gravedigger and his partner Coffin Ed Johnson (Raymond St. Jacques) as they keep tabs on charlatan evangelist Lockhart during his high-octane revival campaign. The film has solid action, but is also very funny. Upon seeing it, one will wonder why Cambridge never became a much bigger star.