Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)

Director:

Ossie Davis

Writers:

Ossie Davis (writer)
Chester Himes (novel)

Release Date:

27 May 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Tagline:

Introducing COFFIN ED and GRAVEDIGGER, two detectives only a mother could love.

Plot:

Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are two black cops with a reputation for breaking the odd head...

Plot Keywords:

Black Cop | Cotton | Chase | Police | Swahili

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Godfrey Cambridge	...	Gravedigger Jones
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Coffin Ed Johnson
Calvin Lockhart	...	Rev. Deke O'Malley
Judy Pace	...	Iris
Redd Foxx	...	Uncle Bud / Booker Washington Sims
Emily Yancy	...	Mabel
John Anderson	...	Bryce
Lou Jacobi	...	Goodman
Eugene Roche	...	Anderson
J.D. Cannon	...	Calhoun
Mabel Robinson	...	Billie
Dick Sabol	...	Jarema
Cleavon Little	...	Lo Boy
Teddy Wilson	...	Barry (as Theodore Wilson)
Maxwell Glanville	...	Caspar

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1971) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Formosa Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: During the car chase, the mirror on the driver's side of the police car gets shot off. Once the police car collides with the watermelon cart a few seconds later, the mirror reappears.

Quotes:

[people outside police station demanding O'Malley return their money]
Coffin Ed: Digger and I will do our damnedest to get your money back. We promise.
Rioter: Promises! Hell with promises!
Gravedigger Jones: Anybody out there ever hear of Coffin Ed or the Gravedigger make a promise we didn't keep?
[Crowd gets quiet]
Coffin Ed: Now, we may have broken some heads, but we never broke no promises.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ear of the Heart: The Music of Galt MacDermot (2009)

Soundtrack:

Going Home

Hysterically Edgy

Cambridge and St. Jacques are one of all time best buddy cop duos. They are hip, sexy, and funny. The mystery is intriguing, and the uncomfortable situations keep the viewer's attention throughout. This is one to be seen uncut, because a lot of the humor is quite racy. It's a time capsule in a way also since the Harlem depicted here no longer exists.