with this little movie, Poitier and Cosby manage to elude the traditional stereotypes of black comedies and the blacksploitation films. rather than laughing AT the characters, we are laughing at the situations and their reactions.
i also heard that Marlon Brando laughed out loud at the gangster parody of his Godfather role. me? i couldn't stop laughing throughout the film. madcap and absurd, this movie has several memorable sequences and conversations.
i don't know why this film is not more widely known. it plays with film convention, parodies everything from Godfather to hard-boiled detective movies, and all the while maintains an inspired sense of humor mixed with stand-up and vaudeville influences.
Uptown Saturday Night
1974
Action / Comedy / Crime
Uptown Saturday Night
1974
Action / Comedy / Crime
Plot summary
Two blue-collar buddies search the underworld for a winning lottery ticket lost in a nightclub holdup.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
November 20, 2020 at 02:35 AM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
wonderful rejection of black stereotypes
Fun with top black performers of the time
My favorite character in "Uptown Saturday Night," is Geechie Dan Beauford, played by Harry Belafonte. He looks like Marlon Brando from the 1972 film, "The Godfather." Beauford is an intentional spoof of Don Corleone, with his cotton-stuffed cheeks. And he's so funny because he's anything but a strong character.
This is one of the early films that Sidney Poitier directed. It is disconnected in places. The script has holes in it and the story is disjointed at times. But, the film brings together a host of talented black performers. Poitier and Bill Cosby are the leads and have some funny encounters throughout as Steve Jackson and Wardell Franklin. The supporting cast all add to the fun and humor with their antics. Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, Cal Lockhart and Roscoe Lee Browne have good roles. Paula Kelly as Leggy Peggy is funny.
This film isn't on the level of comedy that Cosby and company can deliver. But, for light entertainment in a film that brings together several top African-American entertainers, "Uptown Saturday Night" is a good watch.
black stars
Steve Jackson (Sidney Poitier) is a hard-working factory grunt. His free-wheeling best friend Wardell Franklin (Bill Cosby) convinces him to go to Madame Zenobia's club, an underground after-hours joint. A masked gang breaks in and robs everyone. Afterwards, the lottery ticket in Steve's stolen wallet wins big. They are desperate to retrieve the ticket. They can't go to the cops and they can't tell anybody. They hire private detective Sharp Eye Washington (Richard Pryor) but he gets arrested right away. They go to Congressman Lincoln (Roscoe Lee Browne) but he's a bigger faker. Lincoln's wife directs them to gangster Dan "Geechie Dan" Beauford (Harry Belafonte) but he gets hit by rival Silky Slim who happens to have robbed Zenobia's.
Poitier is a square and Cosby is a scheming irresponsible party guy. Both are exactly that. Cosby is that and more in real life. One hopes to separate the artist from the art. In this case, Cosby's real life issues actually work in this movie's favor. He's this character but rapier. It's not the funniest movie but it has a general sense of irreverence. Besides the two headliners, there are some legendary black actors at work. Pryor has a fun short section. I like jumping from one legend to the next. The finale does lose a bit steam.