Two-Gun Man from Harlem (1938)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Richard C. Kahn

Writer:

Fred Myton (story)

Release Date:

1 May 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Hear HERB JEFFRIES sing "I'm A Happy Cowboy"

Plot:

A cowboy is wrongfully accused of murder. He winds up in Harlem, where he assumes the identity of a preacher-turned-gangster who looks like him...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Harlem | New York City | All Black Cast | Nightclub

Cast

Herb Jeffries	...	Bob Blake / The Deacon (as Herbert Jeffrey)
Marguerite Whitten	...	Sally Thompson (as Margaret Whitten)
Clarence Brooks	...	John Barker
Mantan Moreland	...	Bill Blake
Tom Southern	...	John Steel
Mae Turner	...	Mrs. Ruth Steel
Spencer Williams	...	Butch Carter (as Spencer Williams, Jr.)
Jess Lee Brooks	...	Sheriff (as Jesse Lee Brooks)
Matthew 'Stymie' Beard	...	Jimmy Thompson (as Stymie Beard)
Rosalie Lincoln	...	Dolores (as Rose Lee Lincoln)
Paul Blackman	...	Paul Blackman
Faithful Mary	...	Mary (as Faithful Mary-Father Veines Former Angel No. 1)
The Four Tones	...	Singing Group
Cats and the Fiddle	...	Speciality Act (as The Four Cats and a Fiddle)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lucius Brooks		(as The Four Tones)
Leon Buck		(as The Four Tones)
Ira Hardin		(as The Four Tones)
Rudolph Hunter		(as The Four Tones)

Runtime:

65 min | USA:60 min (Timeless video print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

International Studios - 1339 Gordon Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Merit Pictures Inc.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Colored Life: The Herb Jeffries Story (2008)

Soundtrack:

Die Walküre

Two-Gun Man from Harlem should provide interest among fans of "Stymie", Mantan Moreland, and Spencer Williams (TV's Andy Brown)

This movie, Two-Gun Man from Harlem, is the third one in the disc of "Black Westerns" that stars Herb Jeffries with Spencer Williams and Clarence Brooks in support. Marguerite Whitten is the love interest and Mae Turner is the femme fatale. Then there's Mantan Moreland-who's from the town of Monroe in my home state of Louisiana-as the cook sidekick who's also Jeffries' brother here and Matthew "Stymie" Beard as the son of Ms. Whitten who idolizes Mr. Jeffries. In fact, he idolizes two roles of Herb: his usual one of Bob Blake and another of The Deacon who he disguises as to clear his name of a murder. The print I saw on the DVD set called "Black Entertainment in Film" was, at least for the first reel, the worst I saw of any of them there. There were many noticeable splices that might have contributed to some confusion I had concerning the story. Despite that, I did like seeing Jeffries and The Four Tones performing his theme song "I'm a Happy Cowboy" which is only heard in the opening credits of The Bronze Buckaroo and Harlem Rides the Range. And Mantan does provide some amusements whether telling of Lot's Wife or hitting the bad guys with his pan. And what a treat to see him in scenes with fellow Louisianaian Williams (who's from New Orleans) and with "Stymie" at the end. So for all that, Two-Gun Man from Harlem is worth a look.