When was harlem nights made

Top cast Edit. Eddie Murphy Quick as Quick. Della Reese Vera as Vera. Berlinda Tolbert Annie as Annie. Lela Rochon Sunshine as Sunshine. David Marciano Tony as Tony. Michael Goldfinger Max as Max. Robin Harris Jerome as Jerome. More like this.

Watch options. Storyline Edit. In the world of organized crime and police corruption in the s, any dastardly trick is fair.

They're up to something big. Did you know Edit. People talked about how my work had influenced Eddie, and perhaps it did. But I always thought Eddie's comedy was mean. I used to say, "Eddie, be a little nice" and that would piss him off. I finished Harlem Nights thinking that Eddie didn't like me. Goofs A double yellow line dividing the road can be seen when Quick is being chased down the highway by Tommy Small's brother.

Center lines in were painted white. Double yellow lines were not used on US Highways until Quotes Richie Vento : Yeah, get me Hollycourt Connections Edited into Public Enemies User reviews 86 Review. Top review. Wasn't there a way to work a little romance and maybe a change of heart into this relationship, instead of having Murphy blow her brains out while she's in bed with him?

Murphy is a talented and funny actor, but like all actors he needs good material to survive. His recent career has been a series of miscalculations in which Murphy's reputation has salvaged lousy material. I know that " Beverly Hills Cop II " and "Coming to America" have been among the all-time recent box office best sellers, but they hitched rides with Murphy's popularity and did not do justice to his talent.

There is a time in the career of every superstar when he seems able to do no wrong. Sometimes that is the very moment when he is sowing the seeds of his downfall. Look at Burt Reynolds , who rode to the top in a series of dumb movies that destroyed his bankability. People may go to see Eddie Murphy once, twice, three or even six times in disposable movies like "Harlem Nights," but if he wants to realize his potential he needs to work with a better writer and director than himself.

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from until his death in In , he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. Richard Pryor as Sugar Ray. Michael Lerner as Bugsy Calhoune. Della Reese as Vera. Tolbert Jack as Annie Berlinda. Arsenio Hall as Crying Man. Eddie Murphy as Quick. I used to say, "Eddie, be a little nice" and that would piss him off. I finished Harlem Nights thinking that Eddie didn't like me.

Eddie Murphy once said that the jokes and camaraderie between him, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Robin Harris, and Della Reese behind the scenes were much funnier than anything that was in the film.

According to Gabi Tartakovsky's June 7, article "Harlem Nights : Eddie Murphy and the Original Gangsters of Black Comedy" at the Pop Matters website, "Pryor's toning down the Sugar Ray character wasn't scripted as such, and Pryor believed his performance was the result of being bothered with a recent Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, which he kept to himself at the time.

The vulgar, yet playful arguments between Redd Foxx and Della Reese on the set inspired Eddie Murphy to create a series starring the two. The result was The Royal Family , which was Foxx's final project before his death.

The story of Irish mobster Bugsy Calhoune trying to take over Sugar Ray's night club in order to control black Harlem is loosely inspired by the real-life feud between Jewish gangster Dutch Schultz and black gangster Bumpy Johnson over control of Harlem's lucrative "numbers" gambling rackets in the mid s. In real-life, Danny Aiello is an accomplished jazz singer.

By his own admission, Eddie Murphy felt that he didn't dedicate enough thought or care to the directing of his debut. He was more concerned at the time with figuring out where the next party was going to be. Despite its harsh critiques by film critics, it has become a cult classic over the years, due to its humor and dialogue. Reportedly, Richard Pryor once said of the film's development and pre-production period that "the potential had guys in Hollywood putting money down on new Porsches and vacation homes.

This film was made because Eddie Murphy always wanted to direct and act in a period piece. Also, Murphy had always wanted to work with Richard Pryor, whom Murphy had considered to be the greatest influence on his work in stand-up comedy.

Eddie Murphy performed four roles on this picture. Murphy was the film's Director, Executive Producer, sole credited Writer, and top-billed star. But Eddie Murphy insisted that Michael Lerner be cast in the role. In the movie Life , which also stars Eddie Murphy, his character says during his yard fight, "Hey man, I know a bitch named Della that hits harder than you. Debut feature film as a director for Eddie Murphy.

This movie remains the only movie directed by Murphy. Reportedly, at the global box-office, the film grossed about three and a half times its budget. It was also the only film collaboration of any two of them.