Two-Gun Man from Harlem

Pretty typical of the all-black-cast Westerns of the 1930s and 40s, starring the leading black singing cowboy of the genre, Herb Jeffries. The only difference between these movies and the Saturday matinee cowboy pics made for white audiences is the black cast. Which in this case includes the great comedian Mantan Moreland, the equally fine Spencer Williams (who starred in and sometimes directed all-black movies of the era, and later made his mark with white audiences in the short-lived Amos n Andy TV show) and, in a cute role, "Stymie" of the Our Gang series. None of which is to say it's a good movie--even by the low-budget and often plot-deprived standards of 1930s "race" movies, this one's pretty dumb. Its pleasures, as with most movies of the genre, derive from seeing black actors who were always relegated to supporting shtick in mainstream films of the era given starring and somewhat less stereotyped roles.

I loved this movie. My father was a jazz drummer and he talked just like these cats. There is a great jazz drummer/tap dancer in it and the opening number is also great. Made me miss my father. Btw, I am not black nor a man nor a western fan. I wanted to give this movie a ten (10) but decided not to because I mostly listened to it and watched the musical bits. Though I did like the plot of unjustly framing a black guy who has to leave the range run and hide I. Harlem. Production values are about equal to that "Witch" movie made on a cell phone.

Greetings & Salutations! Who can forget Mantan Moreland as Bill Blake the cook in this and other cowboy movies with African-America's answer to Randolph Scott and William S. Hart cowboy actors. Mantan went on to star in 133 other films and made special guest appearances on television before his death on September 28th, 1973 at age 71 years. He starred in "One Dark Night" (1939), also known as "Night Club Girl." Also in "What a Guy" in 1939. He stayed very busy for most of his 40 years in front of the camera and can still be seen in so many classics. If anyone ever deserved a Life Time Achievement Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it has to be Mantan Moreland!

Two-Gun Man from Harlem (1938)

** (out of 4)

Cowboy Bob Blake (Her Jeffries) is accused of a murder he didn't commit so him and his brother (Mantan Moerland) head off. Soon Bob takes over the identity of a gangster as he tries to find out who the real murderer is. It turns out there's a greedy landowner wanting to steal some land and he hires a man (Spencer Williams) to kill a witness.

If you've seen any "B" Western from this era then the plot of this should be rather familiar. What separates this film is the fact that it features an all black-cast, which makes it a rare race film set in the West. As was the case with many race pictures from its era, sadly there just wasn't too much money to be spent so there are flubs in the film and other technical issues but these things are to be expected.

For the most part I thought the film was mildly entertaining as long as you don't expect too much from it. After all, it is a "B" Western shot with an extremely low-budget so one shouldn't be expecting the work of John Ford anyways. I thought Jeffries and Williams were both good in their roles and overall I thought the acting was a lot better than we typically see. Matthew 'Stymie" Beard has a small role and adds some charm (and dialogue issues) as does Moreland.

TWO-GUN MAN FROM HARLEM certainly isn't a classic movie and it's not going to appeal to too many people. With that said, if you're interested in these early race movies it's certainly worth watching.

Herb Jeffries who died a few years ago at the century mark stars in this black cast western playing a dual role, as a man accused of murder and a notorious Harlem gangster known as the Deacon because he dresses and affects the manners of one.

The accused criminal Jeffries impersonates Deacon Jeffries and learns the truth of things. That notorious reputation has a way of intimidating folks.

A couple of players that should be recognized by film and TV fans are Mantan Moreland who is Jeffries sidekick who is a fan of Cab Calloway and Spencer Williams noted musician and composer and star of the TV Amos and Andy as Andy Brown who is a henchman to the villain..

It isn't exactly John Ford material, but it's a decent enough horse opera.