“Cotton Comes to Harlem” / 「ロールスロイスに銀の銃」, Original Japanese Movie Poster 1971, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) G295

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the 1971 Japanese release of Cotton Comes to Harlem / 「ロールスロイスに銀の銃」, Ossie Davis’s influential 1970 crime comedy starring Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques.

Adapted from Chester Himes’s hard-boiled novel, the film combines detective fiction, social satire, fast-paced action, and a vivid portrait of contemporary Harlem. Its commercial success helped demonstrate the international audience for Black-led urban cinema immediately before the emergence of films such as Shaft and Super Fly.

Film background

The story follows Harlem detectives Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson, two formidable police officers investigating the theft of money collected from local residents at a “Back-to-Africa” rally.

The event has been organised by the charismatic Reverend Deke O’Malley, whose public promises conceal an elaborate confidence scheme. Armed robbers attack the gathering and escape with approximately $87,000 in donations.

The missing money has been hidden inside a bale of cotton, setting off a chaotic pursuit involving the detectives, O’Malley, criminals, opportunists, and members of the Harlem community.

The film was directed by actor, playwright, and activist Ossie Davis, who also co-wrote the screenplay. It was based on the 1965 novel by Chester Himes and produced by Samuel Goldwyn Jr.

The principal cast includes:

Godfrey Cambridge
Raymond St. Jacques
Calvin Lockhart
Judy Pace
Emily Yancy
Mabel Robinson
Cleavon Little
Redd Foxx

The music was composed by Galt MacDermot, best known for the Broadway musical Hair.

The film’s mixture of political observation, comic energy, street-level action, and Black cultural identity established it as an important precursor to the blaxploitation cycle of the early 1970s.

Poster design

This exceptional Japanese poster uses a densely constructed photomontage filled with firearms, fashion, luxury cars, urban architecture, and street action.

Large portraits of the two principal detectives dominate the upper half.

Raymond St. Jacques as Coffin Ed Johnson appears beneath a dark fedora, aiming a revolver directly towards the viewer. Beside him, Godfrey Cambridge as Gravedigger Jones holds a long-barrelled silver handgun while smoking a cigar.

Their imposing scale gives the detectives the appearance of larger-than-life heroes emerging from the city itself.

The surrounding montage incorporates elevated railway structures, Harlem streets, running figures, police activity, armed confrontations, and elegantly dressed characters drawn from the film’s broader community.

At the centre-bottom stands a brilliant gold Rolls-Royce, its grille and headlights rendered with the gleaming intensity of a luxury advertisement. Women in vivid period fashions—including bikinis, minidresses, headscarves, and knee-high boots—are arranged around the vehicle.

This collision of crime imagery, urban glamour, fashion, and consumer luxury reflects both the film’s satirical character and the sensational visual language used to market American Black cinema in Japan.

The green headline across the top reads:

「このニューシネマは黒で統一してみました！
R＆B・コルト・車・スター・アクションそして何よりもフィーリング！」

Translated:

“This new cinema is unified in Black! R&B, Colt revolvers, cars, stars, action—and above all, feeling!”

The red promotional text describes:

「銀のイラストから飛び出したパワーフルな黒い刑事……
猛烈なスピードで見せるフィーリング・アクションの面白い傑作！」

Translated:

“Powerful Black detectives bursting from a silver illustration—a wildly entertaining work of fast-moving, feeling-driven action!”

Above the title appears:

“DELUXE COLOR”
“COTTON COMES TO HARLEM”

The enormous Japanese title:

「ロールスロイスに銀の銃」

is rendered in bold red and metallic-silver lettering.

The Japanese title may be translated as:

“A Silver Gun in a Rolls-Royce.”

The cast listing at right prominently identifies Raymond St. Jacques, Godfrey Cambridge, Calvin Lockhart, Emily Yancy, and Mabel Robinson.

The lower credits name Ossie Davis, Chester Himes, Samuel Goldwyn Jr., Galt MacDermot, and United Artists.

The result is a visually spectacular example of early-1970s Japanese film advertising, combining American urban culture with the extravagant montage style favoured by Japanese distributors of the period.

Condition

Excellent condition. A highly attractive example retaining strong red, gold, green, and silver tones, clear photographic detail, sharp typography, and excellent overall display impact.

There are only light signs of age and handling consistent with an original Japanese theatrical poster from this period.

Reference: G295.

Please review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.

This is an original Japanese theatrical poster from the film’s 1971 Japanese release campaign, not a reproduction or reprint.

It is approximately 55 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.