Review of Harlem Nights (1989) by Dave H — 12 Jul 2008

Here's a great idea: Let's put three terrific comedians together in a movie that isn't a comedy and where all of them have to legitimately act the entire time. Wait a minute. That doesn't sound like a good idea at all.

Sadly, no one had this foresight when Paramount approved this film which starred Murphy alongside Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx in a story about crime syndicates and police corruption in the 1920s. The movie was written and directed by Murphy.

It was his filmmaking debut. It also ended up being his filmmaking swan song, although a cult fan base for the movie lives on. The industry viewed it as a vanity project. It was the first truly damaging step down in the actor's career, setting off a string of midlevel failures in the early '90s that wasn't broken until "The Nutty Professor.

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