Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)

Director:

Ossie Davis

Writers:

Ossie Davis (writer)
Chester Himes (novel)

Release Date:

27 May 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are two black cops with a reputation for breaking the odd head...

Plot Keywords:

Black Cop | Cotton | Chase | Police | Swahili

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1971) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Formosa Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Quotes:

[Drunken man stumbles up during riot at police station]
Man: Well, ain't this the "Goin' Back to Africa Rally"?
Coffin Ed: No, baby, it is the "Goin' Home Rally".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Best of Eddie Murphy: Saturday Night Live (1989) (V)

Soundtrack:

Salvation

The first blaxploitation film? An action-comedy from the era thats actually funny

"Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" is usually credited as the first blaxploitation film. Its really shouldn't be for several reasons. First off, its a more serious urban drama. And plus, "Cotton Comes to Harlem" was released a year earlier. "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" is an important and influential film no doubt, but its not a very good one. In fact, I've yet to meet anyone who's actually made it through the whole thing. On the other hand, "Cotton Comes to Harlem" is just as funny and exciting today as when it came out, despite a few dated elements that some will find politically incorrect. Please, credit either this or "Shaft" as the first blaxploitation film, because "Sweet Sweetback" is really lame.

One of the films strengths is the chemistry between the stars. As Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed, Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques make a great team that plays off each other perfectly. Plus, Calvin Lockhart plays one of the sleaziest and pathetic film villains of the era and Judy Pace is absolutely beautiful. The direction by Ossie Davis keeps this film moving at a very quick pace. Granted, he never tops the first twenty minutes for excitement (the car chase early on is amazing), but the rest of the film is quite good when viewed on its own. This is a film that exists to entertain and does so very well. Its as exciting as "Shaft" and as funny as "Dolemite", only this time the laughs are intentional. (7/10)