Cotton Comes to Harlem

For the original novel, seeCotton Comes to Harlem (novel).

Cotton Comes to Harlem
Theatrical release poster byRobert McGinnis
Directed by	Ossie Davis
Written by	Ossie Davis Arnold Perl
Based on	Cotton Comes to Harlem byChester Himes
Produced by	Samuel Goldwyn Jr.
Starring	Godfrey Cambridge Raymond St. Jacques Calvin Lockhart
Cinematography	Gerald Hirschfeld
Edited by	Robert Q. Lovett
Music by	Galt MacDermot
Production company	Formosa Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	May 27, 1970(1970-05-27)
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.2 million
Box office	$5.2 million(rentals)

Cotton Comes to Harlemis a 1970 Americanneo-noiraction comedyfilmco-written and directed byOssie Davisand starringGodfrey Cambridge,Raymond St. Jacques,andRedd Foxx.The film, later cited as an early example of theblaxploitationgenre, is based onChester Himes'novel of the same name.The opening theme, "Ain't Now But It's Gonna Be," was written by Ossie Davis and performed byMelba Moore.The film was one of the many black films that appeared in the 1970s and became overnight hits. It was followed two years later by the sequelCome Back, Charleston Blue.

Plot

Deke "Reverend" O'Malley, acon man,is selling shares at aHarlemrally, for the purchase of aBack-to-Africa movementship to be calledThe Black Beauty.During the rally, several masked gunmen jump out of a meat truck and steal $87,000 in donated cash from the back of an armored car. TwoHarlem detectives,"Gravedigger" Jones and "Coffin Ed" Johnson, chase the car, and abale of cottonfalls out of the vehicle, unremarked at the time. Though the authorities approve of O'Malley, regarding his "Back-to-Africa" movement as a way to solve American racial problems, both Jones and even more so Johnson are hostile towards him, viewing him as a charlatan who is exploiting the impoverished black community of Harlem. Captain Bryce—who has a portrait of Richard Nixon prominently displayed in his office—tells Jones and Johnson not to treat O'Malley as a suspect, orders that the duo ignore. Jones and Johnson go to the apartment of Iris Brown, O'Malley's mistress, believing he will come to see her at some point, but are called away. Iris is able to escape from the policeman sent to guard her. Iris is shocked to discover O'Malley seducing Mabel Hill, the widow of one of his subordinates killed in the robbery, leading to a fight between the two women and Iris being disillusioned with O'Malley.

Uncle Budd, a scavenger, finds the bale of cotton and sells it for $25 to a junk dealer, but later buys it back for $30. There is a reward out for the $87,000, and Gravedigger and Coffin deduce that the money was hidden inside the bale that fell out of the getaway vehicle during the chase, leading to a violent search as rival gangsters seek the money. Iris tells Jones and Johnson the truth—namely that the robbery was part of a plan to allow O'Malley to steal the money without discrediting himself, but that he was double-crossed by his partner Calhoun, a white career criminal whom he met in prison who decided to take the money for himself. Calhoun kidnaps Iris to torture her for information about where the bale is, but after a shoot-out, Jones and Johnson rescue her.

At a theater in Harlem, Iris's friend, the dancer Billie, uses the bale of cotton as part of her act, which attracts both Calhoun and O'Malley to the theater. Jones and Johnson arrest and humiliate Calhoun—who was dressed in blackface—at the theater. In the back of the theater, Johnson beats O'Malley in a fight. Jones and Johnson expose the Reverend O’Malley to the audience of the theater as the fraud that he is, remarking that he could have been anotherMarcus GarveyorMalcolm X,but instead he chose to be just a petty conman who exploited ordinary people. As O'Malley begs for support, the audience turn their backs on him and walks out. Detectives Jones and Johnson then blackmail Tom, a white mob leader, to give them $87,000 — to be restored to the original donors — after discovering that Uncle Budd has run off with the stolen money and emigrated toGhana,to live in retirement with his ill-gotten gains and a harem.

Showing ofCotton Comes to Harlemat theWoods Theatre,Chicago, 1970

Cast

• Godfrey Cambridgeas Detective"Gravedigger" Jones
• Raymond St. Jacquesas DetectiveEd "Coffin Ed" Johnson
• Calvin Lockhartas Deke "Reverend" O'Malley
• Judy Paceas Iris Brown
• Redd Foxxas Uncle Budd / Booker Washington Sims
• Emily Yancyas Mabel
• John Andersonas Bryce
• Lou Jacobias Goodman
• Eugene Rocheas Anderson
• J.D. Cannonas Calhoun
• Mabel Robinson as Billie
• Dick Sabol as Jarema
• Helen Martinas Church Sister
• Cleavon Littleas "Lo Boy"
• Theodore Wilsonas Barry
• Leonardo Ciminoas Tom
• Frederick O'Nealas Casper
• Don Bexleyas Vendor In Crowd (uncredited)

Production

Filmed between May and June 1969,Cotton Comes to Harlememployed many local residents as extras and crew in theHarlemneighborhood where it was filmed. This helped to put a positive spotlight on Harlem, which at the time was ravaged with crime.

Seeing that the film would be shot in Harlem, and was featuring large crowd scenes, such as riots and rallies, John Shabazz (a former bodyguard forMalcolm X) and the so-called Black Citizens Patrol volunteered to control the scenes with their experience in keeping out unwanted spectators and policing traffic. The Black Citizens Patrol's purpose was to protect the black community from itself, so they made themselves available at all times, even operating as an escort service.

The film saw the debut ofCalvin Lockhart,Judy Pace,andCleavon Little.Another debut was byRedd Foxx,already well known as a veteran nightclub comic, leading him to be considered for the TV ShowSanford and Son.

Cambridge also starred as a white man who turns black in the motion picture comedyWatermelon Man,which opened the same day asCotton Comes to Harlem.

Melba Moore,who sang the film's theme song, “Ain’t Now But It’s Gonna Be” (written by Ossie Davis) was contemporaneously starring in the hitBroadwaymusical,Purlie!Purlie(based on Davis' 1961 playPurlie Victorious) starredCleavon Littleand Moore (both of whom becameTony Award-winners for their performances in the play).

Themes

Cotton Comes to Harlemis hailed by many as the firstblaxploitationfilm, although others felt that it was merely an action comedy film.Detectives Gravedigger and Coffin Ed do not always follow the rules.They are not necessarily fighting to protect the rule of law, but they try to protect their people from racist attitudes.

Cotton Comes to Harlemalso demonstratesBlack Powerby depicting tools such asself-determination.The detectives work throughout the movie to prove that the black community was being taken advantage of, and by the end of the film, they gain the respect of white officers and are able to demand $87,000 from the white mafioso who runs the Harlem rackets, which they use to replace the money stolen at the beginning of the film.

Reception

Critical response

Film criticVincent CanbyofThe New York Timeswas unimpressed with the film, writing:

'Balloons, fans, feathers—they're all out of style,' says the racially aware exotic dancer preparing her act forHarlem'sApollo Theater.'They don't say a thing about my people!' [...] However, like the dancer's balloons, fans and feathers, the movie's stick-ups, shootouts, chases, murders and wisecracks say little about the Black Experience except thatOssie Davis,when given the opportunity, can turn out a ghetto comedy-melodrama that is almost as cold and witless asGordon Douglas' Gold Coast fables,Tony RomeandLady in Cement.It's strictly for people who don't care much about movies—or who persist in regarding movies as sociology. "

In contrast, in retrospective reviews, Ken Hanke of theMountain XpresscalledCotton Comes to Harlem"one of the earliest and bestBlaxploitationfilms, "and Brian Orndorf of Blu-Ray wrote, "Harlemis mostly about the ride, with chases and barbed banter urging the movie along, keeping the whole endeavor light on its toes, "giving the film a B+.

Box office

Cotton Comes to Harlemwas released at theWoods Theatrein Chicago on May 27, 1970.The following week it opened at thePalms Theatrein Detroit before expanding a week later in New York City, Louisville, Milwaukee, Washington D.C., and a further theater in Detroit.

The film grossed $90,000 in its opening week, setting a house record at the Woods Theatre.After its third week it had grossed $506,000 from six cities, setting additional house records in New York and Detroit.Produced on a budget of $1.2 million,it earned $5.2 million intheatrical rentalsduring its North American release, making it the22nd highest-grossing film of 1970.

Cotton Comes to Harlemis one of the most commercially successful films Hollywood produced in the 1970s starring a predominantly black cast. The film was one of the many black films that appeared in the 1970s eventually becoming acult classic.Cotton Comes to Harleminspired more black films during the 1970s, including more action-packed numbers such asShaftandSuper Fly.

Home media

The film was released toDVDby20th Century Fox Home Entertainment(acting as distributor forMGM Home Entertainment) January 9, 2001.Cotton Comes to Harlemwas released onBlu-raybyKino Lorber(under license from MGM) on September 9, 2014.

Sequel

Ossie Davis declined to direct asequeltoCotton Comes to Harlem,due to strong artistic differences with Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. and his studio executives. The eventual sequel,Come Back, Charleston Blue,loosely based on Himes'The Heat's On,with much original material injected, ended up being directed byMark Warrenand was released in 1972 byWarner Bros..It opened to mixed reviews, with critics feeling it was decent, but not riotous like the original 1970 film.

See also

• List of American films of 1970

References

Sources

• Hannan, Brian (2016).Coming Back to a Theater Near You: A History of Hollywood Reissues, 1914–2014.New York City:McFarland & Company.p. 412.ISBN978-0786498130.

External links

• Cotton Comes to HarlematIMDb
• Cotton Comes to HarlematRotten Tomatoes
• Cotton Comes to HarlematAllMovie