Cotton Comes To Harlem

Excellent movie!!

Great movie

I grew up in a small farming community in the 60's with just a few very well liked blacks in the community. I grew up watching the Blaxploitation movies on TV and loved all their smooth tough lead characters. I was surprised when I grew up to find people criticized them, because I thought their heroes were the best. I mean seriously who didn't want to be Shaft LOL. In Cotton Comes to Harlem it's a comedy/action picture, with down and outers, crime figures, drug dealers, and a few dedicated cops fighting for control of the poor and disenfranchised people trapped in the community. The heroes in this movie are detectives Gravedigger Jones played by Godfrey Cambridge, and Coffin Ed Johnson played by Raymond St. Jacques trying to find a bale of cotton stuffed with $87,000 dollars stolen from the poor community while it was being conned from them by The Reverend Deke O'Malley played by Calvin Lockhart, who made his film debut in this movie. This movie is filled with small funny parts like and marked the film debut of Redd Foxx, Clevon Little and Judy Pace. Cotton Comes to Harlem was co-written and directed by the great Ossie Davis who also wrote the opening theme. There would be a sequel two years later Come Back Charleston Blue with Cambridge and St.Jacques again playing Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson

GREAT MOVIE

Director Ossie Davis delivers not only a taut police thriller but a film that inserts the concerns of the civil rights movement circa 1970 in a fascinating way. Filmed on actual locations the film just exudes authenticity and atmosphere. For a film that keeps it real I found it interesting that the film's score was composed by Galt McDermott of "Hair" fame(?!). Another minor quibble is that the violence in the film was at times over-the-top. Godfrey Cambridge as Gravedigger Jones and Raymond St. Jacques as Coffin Ed Johnson make an engaging pair. They assume their duty as New York police detectives is to protect their people from predators whether they be black or white even if at times they are at odds with their white captain. Calvin Lockhart is deliciously smarmy as Reverend Deke O'Malley who bilks his congregants out of cash for a bogus back to Africa scheme. Judy Pace is seductively evil as Iris, O'Malley's main squeeze. Redd Foxx is underutilized here as a junk dealer but his character does prove integral to the film's plot.

Love my item.

Keeps my father in law entertained when he’s over so that’s a plus.

A pure classic. A movie filled with great actors and good action. I had the original DVD and upgraded to the Kino Lorber Blu-ray edition. Much improvement on the video transfer compared to the DVD. I wish it had more special features or interviews. It seems the Blu-ray is bare bones with only the trailer. But that is fine. Great release from Kino Lorber. Hopefully Superfly and Superfly TNT is next in the works.

There things in your head that you will always remem.ber this is one of mine and seeing this movie again about 30 years later was a most enjoyable experience

Murderously funny, and typical of black American lifestyle.

gonna be hell

Was concerned that there'd be no English language - but there is, so happy. However, not the film I thougt I had randomly seen somewhere in my youth, but none-the-less stands as a period drama.

very good