Review of Come Back, Charleston Blue (1972) by Stuart K — 20 Jan 2012

The sequel to Cotton Comes To Harlem (1970), and very loosely based on Chester Himes' novel The Heat's On from 1966. Even though the first film was successful, producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. couldn't convince United Artists to do another, so he took the sequel to Warner Bros.

, although it did OK business at the time, it's forgotten now. Shame, as it's better than the original. Detectives Gravedigger Jones (Godfrey Cambridge) and Coffin Ed Johnson (Raymond St. Jacques) are faced with a strange new wave of murders happening in Harlem.

The victims are all slit at the throat, and the murderer leaves a blue steel straight razor as a sort of calling card. Turns out 40 years previously a Prohibition vigilante known as Charleston Blue used to go around killing criminals, until he disappeared.

But, his old girlfriend, known as Her Majesty (Minnie Gentry), still believes he's alive somewhere. But, Gravedigger and Coffin Ed discover it's not as simple as that, with evidence pointing to photographer Joe Painter (Peter De Anda), who seems to be wanting to take on the mafia by himself, with a few of his "brothers" helping out.

It's a faster paced film with some good action moments, including a shoot-out in a graveyard and exploding heroin all over Harlem. It's a shame so few people have seen it, as it deserves a wider audience.