The Cotton Club
Brief Synopsis
Multiple tales of the loves and lives of musicians, tap dancers, singers, gangsters and their molls at Harlem's legendary jazz joint, "The Cotton Club."
Cast & Crew
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Gian-carlo Coppola
Director
Tom Signorelli
Bubba Gaines
Gregory Hines
Rima Vetter
Benny Clory
Film Details
Also Known As
Cotton Club
MPAA Rating
Genre
Crime
Drama
Music
Musical
Period
Release Date
1984
Location
New York City, New York, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
2h 8m
Synopsis
Multiple tales of the loves and lives of musicians, tap dancers, singers, gangsters and their molls at Harlem's legendary jazz joint, "The Cotton Club."
Cast
Tom Signorelli
Bubba Gaines
Gregory Hines
Rima Vetter
Benny Clory
Rosalind Harris
Luther Fontaine
Julian Beck
Janet L Powell
Vody Najac
David Mcharris
Robin Harmon
Jackée Harry
Jennifer Grey
Cisco Drayton
George Hillman
Shirley Black-brown
Ralph Browne
Charles Young
Joe Dallesandro
Skip Cunningham
Tracey Bass
Sonya Hensley
Wendy Edmead
John Cafiso
Christopher Lewis
Tucker Smallwood
Gay Thomas Wilson
Joe Breedlove
Ed O'ross
Jacquelyn Bird
Zane Mark
Robert Earl Jones
Wynonna Smith
Jan Mickens
Damien Leake
Ninon Digiorgio
Henry Roberts
Ivery Wheeler
Giancarlo Esposito
Steve Cafiso
Steve Vignari
Charles Honi Coles
Leonard Termo
Bob Hoskins
Laurence Fishburne
Lydia Abarca
Ruthanna Graves
Thelma Carpenter
Jason Papalardo
Glen Witherow
Maurice Hines
Susan Meschner
Ruddy L Garner
Bruce Hubbard
Viewma Negromonte
Danielle Osborne
Gwen Verdon
Rick Washburn
James Brown
Lisa Jane Persky
Daria Hines
Julie Pars
Marc Coppola
Glenn Withrow
Ethel Beatty
Joe Lynn
Norma Jean Darden
Sandra Beall
John Ryan
Edward Rowan
Karen Wadkins
Sarita Allen
Paula Lynn
Anne Duquesnay
Henry Letang
Bill Graham
Bruce Macvittie
Susan Mechsner
Antonia Pettiford
Mario Van Peebles
Dayton Allen
Allen Garfield
Woody Strode
Mary Beth Durdock
James Russo
Tracey Ross
Kim Chan
Novella Nelson
Lonette Mckee
Kiki Shepard
Frederic Downs
Larry Marshall
Alexis Wilson
Sherry Cowart
Donald Williams
Dave Jackson
Diane Venora
Diane Lane
Bernard Manners
Gail Kendricks
Tom Waits
Nicolas Cage
Lester Brown
Valarie Pettiford
Richard Gere
Performer
Howard Sims
Karen Dibianco
Oscar Barnes
Jimmy Slide
Carla Earle
Renee Rodriquez
Demetrius Pena
Alice Anne Oakes
Christina Kumi Kimball
Terri Griffin
Sofia Coppola
Leslie Caldwell
Debbie Fitts
Harold Cromer
Ron Karabatsos
Alde Lewis
Patricia Letang
Brian Tarantina
James Remar
Edward Zang
Bill Cobbs
Vincent Jerosa
Gregory Rozakis
Bernard Marsh
Fred Gwynne
Delores Mcharris
Anne Palmer
George Cantero
Rony Clanton
Crew
Harry Akst
Song
Harold Arlen
Song
Louis Armstrong
Song
Claudia Asbury
Choreographer
Gene Austin
Song
James Austin
Sound
Nat D. Ayer
Song
Debra Bard
Assistant Editor
John Barry
Music
Priscilla Baskerville
Song Performer
Ethel Beatty
Song Performer
Richard Beggs
Sound
Tom Bellfort
Adr Editor
Roy Bergere
Song
Edward Beyer
Sound Editor
Albany Bigard
Song
Grace Blake
Production Supervisor
Leslie Bloom
Set Designer
Rube Bloom
Song
Gregory Bolton
Art Director
Al Brackman
Song
Conrad V Brink
Special Effects
Henry Bronchtein
Assistant Director
Harry Brooks
Song
A Seymour Brown
Song
Mark Burchard
Wardrobe
Jeanne Burns
Song
Bill Burton
Stunt Coordinator
Irving Caesar
Song
John Caglione Jr.
Makeup
Cab Calloway
Song
Milena Canonero
Costume Designer
Harry Carney
Song
David Carroll
Sound
David Chapman
Art Director
Sunny Clapp
Song
Grant Clarke
Song
Anthony Clavet
Consultant
Arlene Coffey
Wardrobe
Joe Coffey
Camera Operator
John Coles
Assistant Editor
Con Conrad
Song
Ralph Cooper
Consultant
Ralph Cooper
Consultant
J. Fred Coots
Song
Francis Ford Coppola
From Story
Francis Ford Coppola
Screenplay
Francis Ford Coppola
Story By
Celia D. Costas
Location Manager
Adgar Cowans
Photography
Alfred Craine
Wardrobe
Christopher Cronyn
Unit Production Manager
Joseph Cuervo
Makeup
Joseph Cusumano
Line Producer
Beverly Cycon
Wardrobe
Louis D'esposito
Assistant Director
Norma Jean Darden
Research And Content Consultant
Benny Davis
Song
Richard Dean
Makeup
Ed Dessisso
Location Manager
Lee Dichter
Sound
David Dumais
Wardrobe
Ann Egbert
Assistant Director
Duke Ellington
Song
Ernie Erdman
Song
Robert Evans
Producer
George Faison
Choreographer
Harriet Fidlow
Adr Editor
Dorothy Fields
Song
Paul Fitzmaurice
Assistant Director
C Romania Ford
Makeup
Milton Forman
Production Consultant
Dave Franklin
Song
George Gaines
Set Designer
Clarence Gaskill
Song
H Eugene Gifford
Song
Robert Girolami
Assistant Director
Stephen Goldblatt
Director Of Photography
Stephen Goldblatt
Dp/Cinematographer
David Golden
Unit Production Manager
Sydney Goldsmith
Song Performer
Irving Gordon
Song
Ken Goss
Key Grip
Lewis Gould
Assistant Director
Arlette Greenfield
Makeup
Michael Haley
Assistant Director
James F. Hanley
Song
Barry Harris
Camera Operator
Dorian Harris
Assistant Editor
James Haskins
From Story
James Haskins
Story By
Gregory Hines
Choreographer
Maurice Hines
Research And Content Consultant
Janet Hirshenson
Casting
John Hodge
Song
Norman Hollyn
Music Editor
Julie Hughes
Music
Julie Hughes
Casting
Meg Hunnewell
Unit Production Manager
Jack C. Jacobsen
Sound
Gordon Jacoby
Dialogue Coach
Jane Jenkins
Casting
Howard E. Johnson
Research And Content Consultant
Sy Johnson
Original Music
Sy Johnson
Music
Sy Johnson
Music Arranger
Tom Jung
Music
Gus Kahn
Song
Roger Wolfe Kahn
Song
Harriette Kanew
Production Coordinator
William J Kennedy
Story By
William J Kennedy
Screenplay
William J Kennedy
From Story
Nick Kenny
Song
Michael Kirchberger
Sound Editor
Ray Klages
Song
Ted Koehler
Song
Frances Kolar
Makeup
Helmy Kresa
Song
Kevin Lee
Sound Editor
Henry Letang
Choreographer
Sam Lewis
Song
Gaetano Lisi
Location Manager
Carroll Loveday
Song
Dyson Lovell
Executive Producer
Lynn Lewis Lovett
Script Supervisor
Robert Q. Lovett
Editor
Craig Lyman
Makeup
Ballard Macdonald
Song
Vic Magnotta
Stunt Coordinator
Barry Malkin
Executive Editor
Larry Marshall
Song Performer
Jimmy Mchugh
Song
Michael Meacham
Choreographer
Jack Meskill
Song
Joseph Meyer
Song
Billy Meyers
Song
Harold Michelson
Production
Bub Miley
Song
Charles Miller
Location Manager
Irving Mills
Song
Michael Minkler
Sound
Arthur Mitchell
Choreographer
Ronnie Mitchell
Assistant Director
Barry Moss
Casting
Barry Moss
Music
Kerry Orent
Post-Production Supervisor
Barrie M. Osborne
Line Producer
Edward V Padula
Production Consultant
Mitchell Parish
Song
Stan Parks
Special Effects Coordinator
Maceo Pinkard
Song
Lois Planco
Casting
Melissa Prophet
Associate Producer
Mario Puzo
Story By
Mario Puzo
From Story
Lillian Pyles
Production Supervisor
Lillian Pyles
Production Coordinator
Lyndell Quiyou
Hair
Jimmy Raitt
Props
Mark Rathaus
Sound Editor
Michael Rauch
Unit Production Manager
Andy Razaf
Song
Joseph Reidy
Assistant Director
Gretchen Rennell
Casting
Aletha Robinson
Song
J. Russel Robinson
Song
Fred Roos
Coproducer
Vincent Rose
Song
Barbara Rosenthal
Wardrobe
Amy Sayers
Assistant Director
Maurice Schell
Sound Editor
Elmer Scoebel
Song
Harry B. Smith
Song
Michael Smuin
Choreographer
Ted Snyder
Song
Sylvester Sprigato
Song
Melissa Stanton
Wardrobe
Sam Stept
Song
Michael L Stone
Camera Operator
Daniel R Suhart
Dialogue Coach
Ed Swayze
Song
Don Sweeney
Camera Operator
Richard Sylbert
Production Designer
Sylvio Tabet
Coproducer
Guy Tanno
Wardrobe
Doris Tauber
Song
Juan Tizol
Song
William Tracey
Song
Paul Trejo
Sound Editor
Warren Vache
Advisor
Percy Venable
Song
Fats Waller
Song
Frank Warshauer
Song
Ned Washington
Song
Zane Weiner
Music
Francis Wheeler
Song
Bob Wilber
Music
J Mayo Williams
Song
Al Woodbury
Original Music
Film Details
Also Known As
Cotton Club
MPAA Rating
Genre
Crime
Drama
Music
Musical
Period
Release Date
1984
Location
New York City, New York, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
2h 8m
Award Nominations
Best Art Direction
1984
George Gaines
Best Art Direction
1984
Richard Sylbert
Best Editing
1984
Articles
Gregory Hines, 1946-2003
Born Gregory Oliver Hines on February 14, 1946, in New York City, he began taking dance lessons at age three and by the time he was six he and his brother Maurice were performing jazz tap at Harlem's Apollo Theater. By 1954, Hines was already on Broadway when he joined the cast of the Broadway musical The Girl in Pink Tights. He then spent the next 20 years perfecting the craft and art of tap dancing as he toured with his brother and father Maurice Sr. in a nightclub circuit act called "Hines, Hines and Dad", before he left in 1973 to form a rock band called Severance in Southern California.
Itching to put his dancing shoes on again, Hines made it back to New York a few years later and in 1978, scored his first Broadway success with Eubie, and earned a Tony nomination. With his vitality, charm and grace, Hines became one of the leading lights on Broadway for the next few years, as exemplified by two more Broadway hits in Comin' Uptown (1980) and Sophisticated Ladies (1981), for which he received two more Tony nominations for his performances.
His charismatic presence made him natural for films, and he notched his first film role as a last minute replacement for Richard Pryor in Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I (1981), where he immediately displayed his sharp comic abilities. Other solid roles followed over the next decade: an unorthodox coroner in Michael Wadleigh's urban thriller Wolfen (1981); a nightclub dancer in Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club (1984); an American defector to the Soviet Union in Taylor Hackford's overheated melodrama White Nights (1985); a wise-cracking cop in Peter Hyam's Running Scared (1986), and as the fast-talking con artist Goldy in Bill Duke's underrated A Rage in Harlem (1991).
He returned to Broadway in 1992 for his biggest triumph, a portrayal of Jelly Roll Morton, the famed jazz composer, in Jelly's Last Jam and earned a Tony Award in the process. A few more film appearances came in the '90's, most memorably in Forest Whitaker's Waiting to Exhale (1995), but Hines found a new lease on his career when he appeared on the small screen. He played a single father in a fine, if short-lived sitcom The Gregory Hines Show (1997-98); was popular as Ben Doucette, a love interest for Grace in the hugely popular show Will & Grace for two seasons (1999-2001); and received strong critical notice for his moving take as Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in the television film Bojangles (2001) that he also produced. His last televised appearance was in June 2002, when he co-hosted the Tony Awards with Bernadette Peters. In addition to his father and brother, he is survived by his fiancee Negrita Jayde; a daughter, Daria Hines; a son, Zach; a stepdaughter, Jessica Koslow; and a grandson.
by Michael T. Toole
Gregory Hines, 1946-2003
Gregory Hines, the lithe, elegant entertainer who trilled audiences on stage, film and television, died of cancer on August 9 in Los Angeles. He was 57.
Born Gregory Oliver Hines on February 14, 1946, in New York City, he began taking dance lessons at age three and by the time he was six he and his brother Maurice were performing jazz tap at Harlem's Apollo Theater. By 1954, Hines was already on Broadway when he joined the cast of the Broadway musical The Girl in Pink Tights. He then spent the next 20 years perfecting the craft and art of tap dancing as he toured with his brother and father Maurice Sr. in a nightclub circuit act called "Hines, Hines and Dad", before he left in 1973 to form a rock band called Severance in Southern California.
Itching to put his dancing shoes on again, Hines made it back to New York a few years later and in 1978, scored his first Broadway success with Eubie, and earned a Tony nomination. With his vitality, charm and grace, Hines became one of the leading lights on Broadway for the next few years, as exemplified by two more Broadway hits in Comin' Uptown (1980) and Sophisticated Ladies (1981), for which he received two more Tony nominations for his performances.
His charismatic presence made him natural for films, and he notched his first film role as a last minute replacement for Richard Pryor in Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I (1981), where he immediately displayed his sharp comic abilities. Other solid roles followed over the next decade: an unorthodox coroner in Michael Wadleigh's urban thriller Wolfen (1981); a nightclub dancer in Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club (1984); an American defector to the Soviet Union in Taylor Hackford's overheated melodrama White Nights (1985); a wise-cracking cop in Peter Hyam's Running Scared (1986), and as the fast-talking con artist Goldy in Bill Duke's underrated A Rage in Harlem (1991).
He returned to Broadway in 1992 for his biggest triumph, a portrayal of Jelly Roll Morton, the famed jazz composer, in Jelly's Last Jam and earned a Tony Award in the process. A few more film appearances came in the '90's, most memorably in Forest Whitaker's Waiting to Exhale (1995), but Hines found a
new lease on his career when he appeared on the small screen. He played a single father in a fine, if short-lived sitcom The Gregory Hines Show (1997-98); was popular as Ben Doucette, a love interest for Grace in the hugely popular show Will & Grace for two seasons (1999-2001); and received strong critical notice for his moving take as Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in the television film Bojangles (2001) that he also produced. His last televised appearance was in June 2002, when he co-hosted the Tony Awards with Bernadette Peters. In addition to his father and brother, he is survived by his fiancee Negrita Jayde; a daughter, Daria Hines; a son, Zach; a stepdaughter, Jessica Koslow; and a grandson.
by Michael T. Toole
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States December 1984
Released in United States Winter December 1, 1984
Released in USA on video.
Completed shooting November 1984.
Released in United States December 1984
Released in United States Winter December 1, 1984