Gang War

Ralph Cooper, Lawrence Criner and Maceo Sheffield are three gang leaders in Harlem vying for control of the jukebox business, but none of them had a flair for acting like a tough gang boss. As a result, I never did get involved with the goings on. I guess I am spoiled by portrayals by James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, Paul Muni and Humphrey Bogart in some of the mainstream crime movies of the 30's. This film has its fistfights, car chases and shootouts, and a love interest in Gladys Snyder, but it somehow left me cold.

This was a "race" film with an all black cast, intended for black audiences, and it's interesting to note that Ralph Cooper was often called "The Bronze Bogart" in ads. As tough guys, there's no comparison.

This film is very enjoyable. I think anyone will enjoy it who sees it. This film is a gangster film and very entertaining. You would think your watching Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, John Garfield or Edward G. Robinson, but really its Ralph Cooper and Monte Hawley. Ralph Cooper, Reginald Fenderson and Monte Hawley were very popular in the Black cast films. They usually played hard-nose gangsters but with a weak heart for the women. They were great actors and very appreciated in the Black community. Their all forgotten, sadly since they were not Belafonte and Poitier, but Cooper, Fenderson, and Hawley was the first to show real dramatic acting and be in substantial roles made by blacks for black without Hollywood stereotypes but it seems your only remembered if you cross over which has a lot of missing figures from Black History because of that. Shouldn't we remember the ones who stayed stars within the Black race and helped the progress in Black Cinema who didn't need white acceptance or help? Black cast films like this were popular in the Black community, it gave Black people a break from the stereotypical roles in Hollywood. Ralph Cooper wrote, directed and starred in some of the best movies of the Black cast films. These films made you forget color and look at talent, the same way you would white actors/actresses. What he did do was appreciated. He was the son of Harlem. This film is about 60 minutes long but very jam-packed. Gorgeous, babyfaced black jean harlow look alike Gladys Snyder is regal and elegant in the movie. Anyone who wants to see what life was like in Harlem in the 1930s. This is one of them. The glamour, talent and beauty. This isn't some "B" movie. It's really action-packed with non-stop entertainment.

Gang War (1940)

** (out of 4)

Another early film from the black cinema, this one directed by Leo C. Popkin. This is a gangster picture about two rival gangs fighting over a profitable juke joint. Once again this film features a very small budget since it would only be shown in black cinemas but the director and screenwriter hold back no punches and make a pretty good movie. The opening bar fight is terrific and there's some nice police chases and shootouts as well. The acting is quite poor and brings the film down a few notches but this one here is certainly worth checking out. The director went on to produce D.O.A. and star Ralph Cooper was billed as "The Dark Gable" or "Bronze Bogart".

One of the possibly lesser known aspects of early to mid-20th century racism is "race" movies - movies made by African Americans largely for African-American audiences. I can't imagine what it would have been like when this was released in 1940 - about a month after Hattie McDaniel won her Oscar for "Gone With the Wind". For many people, this might have been their first, if not only, view of city life.

Although there probably wasn't much of a budget, this actually seems to make the most of what they to work with. It's a pretty good gangster movie. It's a chance to see life in Harlem just prior to WWII, and quite probably, one of the few chances to see these entertainers on film.

This is the story of an ambitious gangster who fights his way towards the top of the Harlem underworld who takes over, what appears to have been a lucrative business in jukeboxes. This isn't as violent as some of the Warner Brothers pre-code gangster movies (i.e., "The Public Enemy" or "Scarface"), but is fairly fast-paced and well worth watching. I'm glad TCM showed this rare gem.

I just watched a 50-minute version of this low-budget "race" movie. It stars Ralph Cooper as a gangster having a couple of rivals killed so he takes over the town. Gladys Snyder is the singer Cooper's in love with but she's more of the kind willing to call the police if she knows how much in trouble he's in especially if one of them is an old buddy of Cooper's. I'll just now say that while there are some exciting fights and chase scenes, this seemed like a by-the-numbers take on the gangster genre. Still, Gang War is worth a look if you're curious about these kind of movies made when much of the country was segregated meaning movies like this would only be shown in those theatres meant for the black audience. P.S. IMDb lists Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison as playing a gang member in this one but I haven't seen anyone who resembles the former Our Gang member as an adult. Maybe when I watch some of his East Side Kids movies, I'll be able to identify him in this movie later on.