Now THAT is "serve and protect", drawing automatic weapons fire against himself when he is surrounded by 50 milling civilians. I guess in 1970s terms it makes sense, police kevlar vests not yet being available.
And Godfrey Cambridge was once actually skinny. Who'd ever have guessed.
Most of all how is this board so sparse? This is a period classic.
Cambridge actually lost weight around the time that he was in Cotton…. Back in the Sixties was when he was at his heaviest.
s to the left of me.
s to the right.
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you!
Notice how GraveDigger and Ed NEVER call for back-up? Their superiors NEVER know where they are. Of course, both of the films tone down the characters and situations. In the movies, you would never know that both men are married and that Ed has a daughter. Also, half of Ed's face was scarred by acid.
The books by Chester Himes are much darker and the humor a lot "blacker." I've been waiting for 40 years for someone to have the nerve to film "Blind Man With a Pistol."
"May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?"
@bradford-1
Cool---nice to see someone mention BLIND MAN WITH A PISTOL---one of Himes' best novels, next to IF HE HOLLERS,LET HIM GO (his first)plus he was a damn good writer,and I've always thought his work was underrated big-time---he was always bigger in Europe,particularly France. Only thing, is, BLIND MAN dosen't really have what you call a atraightforward, traditional plot----it's more like a series of scenes/happenings that all lead up to a huge crescendo of happening,including a roit.. I just saw this flick recently with a friend who's old enough to remember seeing it when it first came out, and he really enjoyed it. I hadn't seen it in a long time myself and really enjoyed it all over again. Also, saw the sequel COME BACK, CHARLESTON BLUE, on TV late one night years ago and wasn't too impressed with it--too violent for my taste at the time----I'm thinking maybe that's why no more Ed & Jones movies were made.
Watching CCTH made me wish that more Coffin Ed & Gravedigger Jones films had been made, since Cambridge & St. Jacques made a great team---it's also a shame the incredibly talented Cambridge passed away at such a young age,which sadly, seems to be why he's been kind of forgotten. I was really tempted to track down a DVD myself, since I'd forgotten how fun,exciting and action-packed this film is. It definitely dosen't get the credit for helping to kick off the whole blaxsploitation craze/genre---I also wish Redd Foxx could have done some more films on top of that, and that the always suave/fine-as-hell Calvin Lockhart would have been a bigger star--he had the look and the acting chops for it. Also liked the fact that the lovely Judy Pace (who played the girlfriend/partner-in-crime of the fake Reverend) was a tough,no-nonsense go-getter kind of character involved in the action herself, as opposed to being just eye candy for the fellas. All in all, I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to watch a well-made,funny and entertaining '70's cop action flick.
More than a year after the last post! Activista, Gravedigger & Coffin Ed turn up as minor characters in the 1990's film A RAGE IN HARLEM starring Robin Givens and Forest Whitaker. Maybe you've seen it.
"May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?"
I just finished "The Heat's On" which is supposed to be the inspiration for "Come Back, Charleston Blue". I didn't read it that way other than the excessive force charge and Jone & Johnson believed to be dead. I was going to read them in chronological order, but that plan has gone by the wayside as I've read this one and "The Heat's On". I did see "A Rage in Harlem" (formerly titled "For Love of Immabelle"): no where near the masterpiece of film that Siskel and Ebert made it out to be, but slightly entertaining.
Annoying the world since 1960!
I would definitely put Rage behind Cotton and Charelston Blue. Good movie but lacking in quality compared to the two Ed and Gravedigger films!
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