Cornbread, Earl and Me
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Manduke
Written byRonald Fair
Leonard Lamensdorf
Based onHog Butcher
by Ronald Fair
Produced byJoseph Manduke
Leonard Lamensdorf
StarringMoses Gunn
Rosalind Cash
Bernie Casey
Keith Wilkes
Madge Sinclair
Laurence Fishburne III
Edited byAaron Stell
Music byDonald Byrd
Production
company
American International
Distributed byAmerican International Pictures
Release date
May 21, 1975
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$800,000[1]
Box office$2,020,000[2]

Cornbread, Earl and Me is a 1975 American coming-of-age drama film that stars Tierre Turner, Laurence Fishburne (in his film debut), and NBA player Jamaal Wilkes. It was directed and co-produced by Joseph Manduke.[3] The film is loosely based on the 1966 Ronald Fair novel Hog Butcher.[4][5][6]

Plot

The film focuses on three African-American youths living in an urban neighborhood. Nathaniel Hamilton is a star basketball player from the neighborhood, nicknamed "Cornbread." In the film, he epitomizes the dream of the neighborhood to be successful, as he is about to become the first from his district to enter college on an athletic scholarship.

He is also a local hero to the much younger friends Earl Carter and Wilford Robinson. The plot thickens after a pick-up basketball game ends because of a heavy rain, and all the kids run to the local store and hang out, waiting for the rain to end. All the kids leave, except for Cornbread, Earl and Wilford. Earl and Wilford get into a playful argument about how fast Cornbread can run home. It is decided that Cornbread should make it home in 25 seconds, so he runs off, after buying another soda for himself.

Unknown to all of them, an assault suspect in the neighborhood is dressed like Cornbread. The two police officers are hot on the suspect's trail, but lose him in the rain. As the police officers are coming out of an alleyway, they see Cornbread running and mistake him for the suspect they are seeking. Later the two officers fatally shoot Cornbread in the back.

Wilford screams hysterically, ensuing a riot. The coroner's inquest is hampered by severe police intimidation, and no one knows anything about the shooting, except for Wilford, who appears on the witness stand in court by telling exactly what he saw (in graphic detail).

Cast

Release

Released on May 21, 1975, the film made $83,512 at New York City's Penthouse Theatre in its first week of release. In its third week of release the film made $228,000 from 12 cities.[7] In 1977, the Los Angeles Times stated that it was ultimately a box-office success.[1]

In 2001, the film was released on DVD.[8] In 2010, it was digitized in High Definition (1080i) and broadcast on MGM HD.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975)". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  2. ↑ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 301. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  3. ↑ "Cornbread, Earl and Me". Turner Classic Movies. United States: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  4. ↑ Fair, Ronald (1966). Hog Butcher. San Diego: Harcourt. ISBN 978-0151417025.
  5. ↑ Fair, Ronald L. & Brown, Cecil (Foreword) (1966). Hog Butchers. ISBN 9780810129887.
  6. ↑ "Cornbread, Earl and Me". MTV Movies.
  7. ↑ "Jet". Johnson Publishing Company. 10 July 1975.
  8. ↑ "Cornbread, Earl and Me DVD". Movies.com. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
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