Two-Gun Man from Harlem (1938)

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. He infiltrates the gang to catch the men who... See full summary »

Director:

Richard C. Kahn

Writer:

Richard C. Kahn

Stars:

Herb Jeffries, Marguerite Whitten, Clarence Brooks

Cast

Complete credited 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
Matthew 'Stymie' Beard	...	Jimmy Thompson (as Stymie Beard)
Spencer Williams	...	Butch Carter (as Spencer Williams Jr.)
Mae Turner	...	Mrs. Ruth Steel
Jess Lee Brooks	...	Sheriff (as Jesse Lee Brooks)
Rosalie Lincoln	...	Dolores (as Rose Lee Lincoln)
Tom Southern	...	John Steel
Cats and the Fiddle	...	Speciality Act (as The Cats and The Fiddle)
The Four Tones	...	Singing Group
Paul Blackman	...	Paul Blackman

Storyline

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. He infiltrates the gang to catch the men who framed him.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | robbery | black american | one man band | rancher | 

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Taglines:

Hear THE FOUR TONES and the FOUR CATS AND A FIDDLE.

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1938 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Merit Pictures Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min 60 min (Timeless video print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Remake of Two-Gun Caballero (1931)

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Soundtracks

"Die Walküre"
Written by Richard Wagner
Excerpts played as part of the score

User Reviews

The Black Cowboy as Matinee Idol

Pretty typical of the all-black-cast Westerns of the 1930s and 40s, starring the leading black singing cowboy of the genre, Herb Jeffries. The only difference between these movies and the Saturday matinee cowboy pics made for white audiences is the black cast. Which in this case includes the great comedian Mantan Moreland, the equally fine Spencer Williams (who starred in and sometimes directed all-black movies of the era, and later made his mark with white audiences in the short-lived Amos n Andy TV show) and, in a cute role, "Stymie" of the Our Gang series. None of which is to say it's a good movie--even by the low-budget and often plot-deprived standards of 1930s "race" movies, this one's pretty dumb. Its pleasures, as with most movies of the genre, derive from seeing black actors who were always relegated to supporting shtick in mainstream films of the era given starring and somewhat less stereotyped roles.