Cooley High (1975) American International/Comedy-Drama RT: 107 minutes Rated PG (language, some violence, drug and alcohol use, brief nudity and sexual content) Director: Michael Schultz Screenplay: Eric Monte Music: Freddie Perren Cinematography: Paul vom Brack Release date: June 25, 1975 (US) Cast: Glynn Turman, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, Garrett Morris, Cynthia Davis, Corin Rogers, Maurice Leon Havis, Joseph Carter Wilson, Sherman Smith, Norman Gibson, Maurice Marshall, Steven Williams, Jackie Taylor, Christine Jones, Lynn Caridine, Mary Larkins, Cherene Snow, Alicia Williams. Box Office: $13M (US)
Rating: ***
Cooley High is the movie that loosely inspired the hit 70s sitcom What’s Happening; in particular, the character of high school student/aspiring writer Raj and his family (single mother and bratty little sister). Only the movie is set in 1964 in Chicago (as opposed to Watts, CA), the Raj character is named Preacher and he doesn’t have friends named Dwayne and Rerun.
Whereas the sitcom was comedic, Cooley High has elements of drama. The poster, which promises a wild high school comedy, is very misleading. It’s a funny, nostalgic and bittersweet look at a bygone era when drug gangs didn’t run schools and black youths weren’t regularly killed in drive-by shootings. I say this only to provide context. Thankfully, director Michael Schultz (Car Wash) steers clear of heavy social or political issues (e.g. racism, police brutality, drug addiction) in favor of something lighter.
The loosely constructed narrative centers on Preacher (Turman, J.D.’s Revenge) and his best friend Cochise (Jacobs of Welcome Back, Kotter). They’re nearing the end of their senior year at Edwin G. Cooley Vocational High School (a real place that closed in ’79). Preacher dreams of going to Hollywood and becoming a writer. Cochise has just received a basketball scholarship to Grambling State University. They spend their last weeks at Cooley High ditching classes, gambling, drinking wine, chasing girls and generally getting into trouble.
Preacher is interested in a snooty, smart girl named Brenda (Davis) who initially rejects him but changes her tune upon discovering their mutual interest in romantic poetry. One night, Preacher and Cochise go joyriding with a couple of local hoods, Stone (Smith) and Robert (Gibson), and get chased by the cops. It ultimately creates a bad situation with a tragic ending.
Some have dubbed Cooley High “the black American Graffiti”. Okay, I can see it. It focuses on teens, it has a vintage soundtrack (in this case, Motown) and it even ends with titles informing us what becomes of the characters in the future. However, I think it’s unfair to characterize Cooley High as such. Yes, there are similarities but it’s definitely its own movie. For one thing, it gives us an idea of what it’s like growing up in the ghetto and does so without being depressing. The boys come up with clever schemes- at one point, they impersonate vice cops- to get money. In another scene, they sneak into a “Quarter Party” which is a house party with a 25 cent admission charge. There’s food, drink and dancing.
At times, life is funny. A trip to the movies (to see Mothra vs. Godzilla) turns into a free-for-all between two rival gangs after the boys’ awkward friend Pooter (Rogers, On the Right Track) accidentally bumps into a thug. There are a good number of humorous scenes in Cooley High which are nicely balanced out by the life-threatening drama faced by Preacher and Cochise in the final act. I’ll only say that the movie ends on a beautiful note to the tune of G.C. Cameron’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” (followed by The Four Tops’ “Reach Out I’ll Be There”).
Turman is very good as Preacher, a smart but unmotivated student who doesn’t care that he’s failing school. He just wants to get out of Chicago and be a writer. He loves Brenda, but is too immature for a relationship. Jacobs is also good as Cochise, a star basketball player and ladies man who tries to stay on the straight and narrow. Original SNL cast member Garrett Morris turns in a nice but brief supporting performance as a tough teacher who cares. Really, everybody in Cooley High does a fine job.
Cooley High, while bathed in mid-60s nostalgia, has a sense of realism. Get a look at Cochise’s family’s apartment; it’s small, crowded and messy. He nearly loses his acceptance letter from university when his baby brother gets a hold of it. Look at Preacher’s home life. His single mother works three jobs to make ends meet. His younger sisters are forever threatening to tell Mom on him for his misdeeds. Admittedly, this Dee and TV Dee aren’t all that dissimilar. The terrific soundtrack, which includes cuts by The Supremes (“Baby Love”), Stevie Wonder (“Fingertips, Part 2”), The Marvelettes (“Beechwood 4-5789”), The Temptations (“My Girl”) and The Miracles (“Ooo Baby, Baby”), enhances the period setting nicely.
You don’t hear much about Cooley High these days which may be a good thing since it makes it less likely to fall prey to Hollywood remake hunters. Like every movie, it doesn’t need to be remade. It’s a sweet and sad little gem of a movie. It’s more than worth it to track down and watch the 1975 original. It’s a really good movie.
