Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)

Based on the novel by Chester Himes, the action begins at a Back to Africa rally being hosted by reverend Calvin Lockhart that is hijacked of tens of thousands of dollars. Soon after the hijacking, junk collector Redd Foxx runs across a large bale of cotton that fell of the hijackers’ truck. I’m still unsure how the cotton came to Harlem. It’s somewhat of a MacGuffin, but does provide an amusing centerpiece for a dance performance toward the end of the film. Though some dispute the categorization, it’s sometimes cited as an early Blaxploitation film. Regardless, it has many similarities to that genre with a mostly Black cast, a great urban setting, and some memorable characters. I really dig the Harlem detectives here, played by Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques, and would enjoy seeing the whole series had been filmed. A Rage in Harlem is the earliest story of the characters, but that film somehow doesn’t feel in the same universe.