At Madame Zenobia's illegal nightclub, when Steve Jackson and Wardell Franklin get robbed of their wallets containing a winning lottery ticket, they set out to recover it.At Madame Zenobia's illegal nightclub, when Steve Jackson and Wardell Franklin get robbed of their wallets containing a winning lottery ticket, they set out to recover it.At Madame Zenobia's illegal nightclub, when Steve Jackson and Wardell Franklin get robbed of their wallets containing a winning lottery ticket, they set out to recover it.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations total
Jophery C. Brown
- Geechie Dan's Henchman
- (uncredited)
Juanita Brown
- Congressman Lincoln's receptionist
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Some one said not a great movie. Are you out of your mind. Any movie with Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier is the best. They don't make movies like those anymore. Please if you haven't seen Uptown Saturday Night, A Piece of The Action, and Let's do It Again. SEE THEM YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby star in this sporadically funny vehicle as two guys who try to recover their personal possessions after being robbed of them at a nightclub. Poitier and Cosby have great chemistry, and the movie is well directed by Poitier himself, but the premise is a bit too contrived, and the plot doesn't seem to go all the way. Not recommended for everyone, but African-Americans and fans of the two leads won't be disappointed.
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Uninhibited comedy about the efforts of two husbands (Perfectly matched Cosby and Poitier) who try to recover stolen money and a winning lottery ticket before their wives discover that the items are missing. There is great support from Pryor, Wilson, Cash and most notably Belafonte, in a great "Godfather" parody role. For Poitier, who also directed, this was the first of many successful collaborations with Cosby.
with this little movie, Poitier and Cosby manage to elude the traditional stereotypes of black comedies and the blacksploitation films. rather than laughing AT the characters, we are laughing at the situations and their reactions.
i also heard that Marlon Brando laughed out loud at the gangster parody of his Godfather role. me? i couldn't stop laughing throughout the film. madcap and absurd, this movie has several memorable sequences and conversations.
i don't know why this film is not more widely known. it plays with film convention, parodies everything from Godfather to hard-boiled detective movies, and all the while maintains an inspired sense of humor mixed with stand-up and vaudeville influences.
i also heard that Marlon Brando laughed out loud at the gangster parody of his Godfather role. me? i couldn't stop laughing throughout the film. madcap and absurd, this movie has several memorable sequences and conversations.
i don't know why this film is not more widely known. it plays with film convention, parodies everything from Godfather to hard-boiled detective movies, and all the while maintains an inspired sense of humor mixed with stand-up and vaudeville influences.
This was the first of 3 movies with Sidney Poitier and Billy Cosby. They have great chemistry as they move through this story of friends spending a night out and then get robbed. They were not supposed to be there in the first place. The supporting stars provide great comic relief. The wives in the movie are great women of African American theater. Harry Belafonte does a hilarious send up of Marlon Brando from "The Godfather". Flip Wilson and Richard Pryor also have parts in the movie and are hilarious. There are a number of great scenes with bill and Sidney running and escaping the gangsters and the end is definitely worth it!
Did you know
- TriviaRichard Pryor: The roles of Steve and Wardell were written for Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor, but the studio felt they were not big box-office draws. Pryor ended up with a cameo.
- GoofsThe climactic chase at the end takes place on windy, rocky, mountainous roads. There is no area like that anywhere near Chicago, where the film is set.
- Quotes
Steve Jackson: You see what I saw?
Wardell Franklin: Yes, I saw what you saw, and don't be worrying about nothin' 'cause the dude mess with me, I'm gonna knock him out.
- ConnectionsFeatured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997)
- SoundtracksUptown Saturday Night
Music by Tom Scott
Lyrics by Morgan Ames
Sung by Dobie Gray
Produced by Mentor Williams
- How long is Uptown Saturday Night?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Samstagnacht oben in der Stadt
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $3,000,000 (estimated)
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content