Cotton Comes to Harlem Page #3

And I seen these white guys run after him.

White guys?

White guys?

They had on masks.

How did you know

they were white?

Oh, lordy, help me!

Askin' how you know

they was white.

They run white, damn it.

Honkies in the woodpile.

Something

we hadn't figured on.

The syndicate.

Let's get out of here.

It stinks.

Yeah.

Rattin' on the mob ain't

the worst thing in the world.

Any black man might

rat on whitey.

I might, myself.

Man, like deke preyin' on

his own black flesh and blood.

How you gonna blame deke for

doin' what everybody else is doin'?

Beats me how you can find any good

at all in the vicious son of a b*tch.

Convicting the man without

a trial, ain't you, god?

Sam, take me to the apollo.

God damn it, none of these

things are gonna work!

Easy, baby, easy.

Watch it.

You're gonna wind up

bustin' something

right between your assets

and your liabilities.

Balloons, fans, feathers!

I'm sick of 'em all!

They're out of style and don't

say a damn thing about my people.

Forget 'em, forget 'em.

'Cause what you got

goin' for you- my, my, my-

ain't never

goin' out of style.

Uncle tom is what they are.

My dance has got to say

something about my people.

Black people!

We've got to set our

people's minds to thinkin'.

Get our own

black thing together.

Yeah.

Iris.

Billie, you have

to lend me a dress.

A dress? What the hell you doing here?

Helping billie with

her new dance routine.

What happened at the rally?

And where's deke?

I don't know.

Didn't he call you?

What you mean,

you don't know?

Don't lie to me, barry.

Look, I'm not lying.

I don't know where he is.

Oh, just get the hell on

out of here.

I don't need you to help me

to find deke. Damn.

You must've left off

in a big hurry.

Yeah. You should've seen

the other guy.

Billie, help me to find

a dress and quick. Quick.

Reverend o'malley.

Reverend-

oh.

Oh. Oh.

Oh.

I'm sorry. I... put my shirt

in the sink to be washed.

I apologize. I...

had to use one of

your husband's robes.

Well...

what did you find out?

I went over to the church

like you told me,

and I saw these

two white men.

Yes. I got close enough to listen,

and I found out that they were offering

a reward to anyone for bale of cotton.

Bale of cotton?

Now, what would a bale of

cotton be doing in harlem?

Bale of cotton.

A bale of cotton.

Is something wrong,

reverend?

A bale of cotton.

Well, I'll be damned!

We have got to find out

what's happened, sister mabel.

And surely, brother john

would want you to help me.

Oh, john.

John

- oh, you look so much like him in that robe.

Just to hear his name

like that, oh, I miss him.

Yes, and I miss him, too,

but listen, sister-

I need my john. I need

him, too, sister mabel, but-

who's gonna take care of me

now that john's gone?

Who's gonna love me?

Who's gonna need me?

Who's gonna be good to me now

that john ain't here no more?

Sister mabel,

I am here,

and I am going

to stay here.

And I'm gonna take care of

you, and I'm gonna love you.

But first, I

- oh, reverend o'malley, you are so wonderful!

Sister mabel, hey.

Mabel!

Honey.

Iris. Iris!

Get me out of the way and

shackin' up with that skimpy whore!

Mabel:
Wait a minute! Just wait a

minute! You've got to understand!

Iris, I called you first!

Look, I had to find

someplace to hide out.

Yeah, between

this b*tch's legs!

Will you two quit it?

The reverend and i, we're trying

to get back our people's money.

You don't call him that

in the bed! Why, you-

quit it! Stop it!

Stop it, I say, damn it!

Break it up!

Let go of me!

Let go of me!

She can't call me that!

You fool!

Here you are, kid.

Well, if it isn't

caspar brown,

biggest numbers banker

of them all.

Colored version.

Hear tell that you and ed been

nosin' around my operation.

Come on. Now, you guys too smart to

think that we knocked over deke o'malley.

Bullshit.

How the hell

would you ever know

what's happening

in harlem, caspar?

'Cause anything

that is happenin'...

I'm the guy that's

makin' it happen.

And don't you forget it.

Stop trying to play

big man, caspar.

Well, don't think

it ain't been charmin',

but, uh, I promised

these little ladies

I'd take 'em

for a little ride.

Uh, I would look upon it kindly

if you let the little ladies go

and took me up

to italian harlem

to your

white mafia boss man.

I said

moo goo gai pan.

You call this

moo goo gai pan?

Never mind that.

Get it out of here.

And tell sam to

fix it for me personally.

Thank you, brother caspar.

Oh, sit right down

next to the throne of grace.

Hey.

Sure. Ain't you boys

"the man"?

Oh, someday, maybe,

when caspar gets balls enough

to run you out of harlem.

But right now

you're the man.

Piano, piano.

How's about a little lump

sum of food all around, hmm?

Little tea?

They think

we hit o'malley.

Knock off a colored rally

and start a race riot, maybe?

Are you crazy?

You had it in for o'malley. Deke?

Nonsense.

I liked the boy.

Always have.

He's a credit

to the community.

He ratted on you.

Where do you think he got that

income tax sh*t? We fed it to him.

So a couple of the boys

maybe got a little out of line.

Should learn a lesson.

He done us a favor.

If we didn't like him, you

think he'd still be around?

Look, you know what my take

in harlem is in one day?

You think I would jeopardize

all of that for a lousy $87,000?

All right. $5.00.

What? Cut it down! I'll take

my bale to old man cohen.

Wait a minute. What do you want from me?

What can I do with this

piece of junk, make bandages?

$10, and that's

the last price.

What the hell are you

tryin' to do? Listen.

My name is honest abe goodman,

not honest abe lincoln.

$15, and that's

my very last price.

This is genuine

mississippi cotton.

Smell of it.

Smell, schmell.

Cotton is cotton.

Not this cotton! I've picked

cotton all over the south,

and that's the finest.

20. not a dime more.

30, not a cent less.

25?

25?

Sold!

Yes, sir.

You're the old geezer goes

around pickin' up junk, right?

Yes, sir.

Well, I'm in the market

for a bale of cotton.

Understand?

A bale of cotton?

That's right.

And I hear tell that

maybe you could, uh-

you got me wrong, mister.

And anyway, what would a bale

of cotton be doing in harlem?

Hey! Hey!

Open up!

Hey!

Open up,

you old bastard!

Look, white man, ain't you a

long way from where you live?

Was that

black enough for you?

It ain't, but it's gonna be.

Ha ha ha!

Is it black enough

for you?

Hey, deke! Hey!

Yeah, all right!

My man!

Hey.

Good times

are here now.

How was

the congo, baby?

Fine, beautiful, beautiful.

Man, I never been so scared in all my life.

Me, too, man.

Cops been leaning

on you boys a bit?

Hell no. It was you we was worrying about.

Man, I thought

you was dead.

Are you dumb? This man got brains, baby.

I had to lay low

for a while.

But I was thinking about

you boys all the time.

And now deke o'malley's

back in town.

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