Two-Gun Man from Harlem (1938) User Reviews

"Brother, the next time I miss will be the first time..."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 6 June 2007]

Scanning the cable TV listings I came across this title, and it summoned up a mental picture of a Mel Brooks knock off like "Blazing Saddles" or one of Richard Pryor's movie spoofs. Then I saw it was from 1938, which made me even more curious. What I stumbled upon was my very first all Black cowboy Western, courtesy of Turner Classics. It precedes by two years another film that many regard as the first all black cast movie, "Son Of Ingagi", a horror film that's more comical than scary. Oddly, there's a connection between the two films in that a four man singing group appears in each.

The picture in fact opens with a song by top billed Herb Jeffries portraying cowboy Bob Blake. When I first heard him I was reminded of Gene Autry. Quite honestly, Jeffries could have held his own with the best of the Western crooners like Autry, Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter and Eddie Dean with his opening rendition of "I'm a Happy Cowboy". Mantan Moreland, one of my favorites of the era appears as Blake's brother Bill, a camp cook who provides the story's comic elements. His best bit takes place later on in the story when he recounts the Biblical story of Lot, and how his wife melted to create the Great Salt Lake. He also proved to be a dead eye with a skillet, as good as his brother with a six gun.

As far as the story goes, it's no better or worse than any of the hundreds of 'B' Westerns that came out of the 1930's and '40's, with a typical plot involving a greedy rancher and inept henchmen attempting to swindle an honest woman and her young brother out of a ranch after their father dies. Marguerite Whitten becomes the romantic interest for Jeffries' character Blake, while her brother Jimmy will be recognized by Little Rascals fans as 'Stymie', Matthew Beard.

If you're paying attention, a couple of scenes will probably confound you as they did me. For one, the logistics of Bob Blake as his look alike, The Deacon, lighting Butch Carter's match with a gun shot goes well beyond probability. Also, where did the second two thousand dollars come from during the set up of the bad guys?

Those quirks aside, this is an entertaining film, whereas if done exactly the same with an all white cast, would have been relegated to just one of a thousand others that aren't very memorable. Jeffries is quite competent in the dual role of hero and villain, and Moreland is always fun to watch. What you really want to get hold of is the 1948 Charlie Chan film where Moreland dons a cowboy hat and a pair of buffalo inspired jodhpurs in a pseudo Western mystery adventure called "The Golden Eye", he's simply hilarious.

Hey, wait just one minute - Two-Gun Man only had ONE GUN!!!

Two-Gun Man from Harlem should provide interest among fans of "Stymie", Mantan Moreland, and Spencer Williams (TV's Andy Brown)

[tavm · 5/10 · 17 July 2008]

This movie, Two-Gun Man from Harlem, is the third one in the disc of "Black Westerns" that stars Herb Jeffries with Spencer Williams and Clarence Brooks in support. Marguerite Whitten is the love interest and Mae Turner is the femme fatale. Then there's Mantan Moreland-who's from the town of Monroe in my home state of Louisiana-as the cook sidekick who's also Jeffries' brother here and Matthew "Stymie" Beard as the son of Ms. Whitten who idolizes Mr. Jeffries. In fact, he idolizes two roles of Herb: his usual one of Bob Blake and another of The Deacon who he disguises as to clear his name of a murder. The print I saw on the DVD set called "Black Entertainment in Film" was, at least for the first reel, the worst I saw of any of them there. There were many noticeable splices that might have contributed to some confusion I had concerning the story. Despite that, I did like seeing Jeffries and The Four Tones performing his theme song "I'm a Happy Cowboy" which is only heard in the opening credits of The Bronze Buckaroo and Harlem Rides the Range. And Mantan does provide some amusements whether telling of Lot's Wife or hitting the bad guys with his pan. And what a treat to see him in scenes with fellow Louisianaian Williams (who's from New Orleans) and with "Stymie" at the end. So for all that, Two-Gun Man from Harlem is worth a look.

The happy cowboy goes east, and then back west again.

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 25 June 2008]

**Major Spoilers** After rejecting his boss', John Steel, adulterous wife's-Ruth-advances singing cowboy Bob Blake gets into a heap of trouble when Ruth's boyfriend, who shall remain nameless, guns John down. This happens when John coming home unexpectedly interrupts him and Ruth while their making out on the sofa. Trying to protect her boyfriend from being arrested for her husband's murder Ruth pulls the old switcheroo on an unsuspecting and gullible Bob. Ruth plants her boyfriend's gun in Bob's holster as he came running into the house to see what happened.

Seeing that he doesn't have a leg to stand on-with the smoking gun on him-Bob takes off east to escape the law for a crime that he obviously didn't commit. While on the lamb in Harlem-in upper Manhattan-Bob has a run in with the notorious gunfighter/preacher The Deacon. That's when Bob was caught innocently chatting with the Deacon's woman at a local bar. Being that Bob and the Deacon are spiting images of each other-like identical twins-the Deacon lets Bob off and at the same time Bob-seeing a way to get back home and clear his name-decides to impersonate him.

Back on the ranch Ruth enraged at her boyfriend not wanting to marry her starts to mouth off at him about telling the sheriff that he, not the fugitive from the law Bob Blake, is the one he's after for her husbands murder. This has Ruth's now ex-boyfriend get his top man, together a number of his goons, Butch Carter to kidnap Ruth and later shut her up for good with a bullet between her eyes.

There a little side-story in the movie involving Butch with sweet and lovely Sally Thompson whom the grubby and uncouth Butch has the hots for. Sally is in love with the kindly and velvet voice-as well as smooth talking-Bob and want's nothing at all to do with crude and unsophisticated, especially in his table manners, Butch! This love triangle- Butch lust for Sally and Sally loves Bob-greatly complicates things later in the film. You see it's Butch's boss, the unnamed party, who holds the deed to Sally's and her younger brother's Jimmy home. Butch's boss also is the man who paid him the exact amount owned, $2,000,00, by Sally to kill Ruth!

Bob/Deacon uncovering Ruth's boyfriend's sinister plan-to murder Ruth and at the same time foreclose on Sally's home-pulls off a double header by tricking Butch out of the two G's, in paying for a meal at Sally's place, an then giving Sally the cash to pay Ruth's ex-boyfriend's home mortgage off! What's now left in the movie is for Bob to both have it out with Butch his goons and boss as his brother-Mrs. Ruth's cook-Bill goes to get help; The sheriff and his posse.

Herb Jeffries-as Bob Blake/Deacon- who's considered by many back then in the 1930's to be the black Gene Autry does a wonderful job singing the movie's theme song "I'm a Happy Cowboy" with his twin band "The Cats and the Fiddle"/"The Four Tones". Jefferies'-a top popular 1930's and 40's blues singer but anything but an Academy Award caliber actor- acting is more then adequate in this all black Hollywood Western. It's when Jefferies gets down and dirty, especially in the films fighting sequences, that he comes out looking ridiculous together with his opponents; whom like Jefferies couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag. There's also Mathhew Beard as Sally's kid brother Jimmy, who played "Stymie" in the Little Rascals, who looked up to Bob or the Deacon in wanting to be just like him when he grew up: A notorious gunslinger.

P.S Surprisingly enough actor/singer Herb Jeffries is still around with us now in 2008 pushing 100, he'll be 97 this September 24, which just shows that being a good guy not only helps one's image, on and off the screen, but his longevity as well.

The Black Cowboy as Matinee Idol

[strausbaugh · 26 May 2004]

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.

Someone gave THIS movie a 10?!

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 6 June 2007]

This is a fascinating film--especially to old movie buffs and historians (I am both). During the first half of the twentieth century, sadly, Black Americans were usually not allowed into White theaters. As a result, theaters catering to Black audiences wanted to show films reflecting the Black experience and showing Black actors. In many cases, the films were essentially similar plot-wise to standard Hollywood fare, but with a much, much lower budget--and usually horrid production values. You really can't fault the film makers--they just didn't have the money and resources available to the average film company. As a result, they had to make due with a lot less--including an over-reliance on stock actors that were seen again and again, no money for re-shooting scenes and a need to get the films done FAST! This film tried very hard to be a Black version of a Gene Autry film--starring Herb Jeffries instead. Jeffries was a light-skinned man from mixed ancestry and he starred in several similar cowboy films. In each, he sings a little, fights a little (though VERY poorly) and loves a little--everything you need in a cowboy. Believe it or not, Jeffries is STILL alive at age 96.

The general plot was indiscernible from an Autry picture--complete with anachronistic items such as telephones out West! The problem is that despite its similarities, the low budget shines through. Stymie (from the Li'l Rascals) flubbed a few lines but they just left it in, the fight scenes were totally unchoreographed and were among the worst ever put on film, there were some odd plot holes, there was no background music (leaving the film strangely quiet) and the acting was pretty awful.

Now this does NOT mean that the film isn't worth seeing--only that it abouts with technical problems that prevent it from being scored higher. One reviewer, oddly, scored this film a 10! How this can be with all the problems is beyond me. However, I can understand a person liking the film despite its many problems. The plot is generally pretty good, the characters likable, the musical numbers excellent and you know that the people making the film tried so darn hard AND it's a very important piece of American history. But a 10!?

By the way, in an odd bit of casting, the very tall, lean and almost white-skinned Jefferies is paired with short, dumpy and exceptionally dark Mantan Moreland....as his brother!! Also, Spencer Williams may be familiar to you. He played Andy on TV's "Amos 'n Andy".

Great Jazz music and jazz talk

[Isobelk · 6/10 · 1 February 2019]

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.

Notorious imitates notorious

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 31 January 2019]

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.

Mantan Moreland Provides Comic Relief!

[hhbooker2 · 10/10 · 5 May 2002]

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!

Mildly Entertaining Race Film

[Michael_Elliott · 17 February 2017]

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.