Hell Up in Harlem (1973)

A gangster in Harlem must rescue his ex-wife, who has been kidnapped by the Mafia.

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writer:

Larry Cohen

Stars:

Fred Williamson, Julius Harris, Gloria Hendry

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred Williamson	...	Tommy Gibbs
Julius Harris	...	Papa Gibbs (as Julius W. Harris)
Gloria Hendry	...	Helen Bradley
Margaret Avery	...	Sister Jennifer
D'Urville Martin	...	Reverend Rufus
Tony King	...	Zach
Gerald Gordon	...	Mr. DiAngelo
Bobby Ramsen	...	Joe Frankfurter
James Dixon	...	Irish
Esther Sutherland	...	The Cook
Charles MacGuire	...	Hap
Mindi Miller	...	Tough Bikini Woman

Storyline

Tommy comes from a forced rest period due to injuries suffered in Harlem's gang warfare. With the help of his girl, he will reorganize his gang, and overcome his rival gang leaders, through extreme acts of violence and death.

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Plot Keywords:

kidnapping | harlem manhattan new york city | african american | pokies | shot in the street | 

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Taglines:

Black Godfather is back...and there's gonna be Hell up in Harlem.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

On the first day of shooting, the script hadn't been completed.

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Goofs

When Tommy shoots one of Zach's henchmen in the eye, you can see the squib bottle exploding in the next shot for a split-second.

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Quotes

Papa Gibbs: [to Zach] You need a whooping, Boy!
Zach: Boy?... Where you see a boy?
Papa Gibbs: And I'm gonna do it with these own two hands!
Zach: Old man gonna whoop my ass?
[Papa and Zach have it out with each other]

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Alternate Versions

An altered audio goof on the MGM DVD, but not the VHS release, occurs in one scene during the ambush in the beach house. Instead of hearing the women screaming, you hear additional gunshots, instead. The current Blu-ray from Olive Films corrects this mistake.

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Connections

Features Black Caesar (1973)

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Soundtracks

Big Papa
(uncredited)
Written by Freddie Perren and Fonce Mizell
Performed by Edwin Starr
courtesy of Motown Records Corp.

User Reviews

Black Exploitation Classics courtesy of Larry Cohen.

Hell Up In Harlem (1973) was a follow up to the classic Black Caesar. Do to the box office success of the former film, the producers wanted another sequel to cash in on the popularity of the first film. So Larry Cohen quickly completed a script that was going to follow the revenge of Tommy Gibbs. This time he's out to get rid of the clowns that he forgot to finish off in the first film. Papa Gibbs has taken control of his son's empire and Rev. Rufus is back as well.

Not bad for a movie that was hastily put together. A fitting end for Tommy Gibbs as he tries to turn his life around in the process of seeking vengeance. One of the better black "exploitiation" films to come out of the seventies. If you enjoyed Black Caesar, you'll love Hell Up In Harlem.

Highly recommended.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black Caesar Part II

Filming Locations:

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,452,828

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP), Larco Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1