Details

Release year: 1989

Storyline

During the 1930s, a New York City illegal gambling house owner and his associates must deal with strong competition, gangsters, and corrupt cops in order to stay in business.

Top credits

Directors

Eddie Murphy

Writers

Eddie Murphy

Cast

Eddie Murphy — Quick
Richard Pryor — Sugar Ray
Redd Foxx — Bennie Wilson
Danny Aiello — Phil Cantone

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Awards

0 wins & 1 nomination

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Did you know

• Eddie Murphy once said that the jokes and camaraderie between him, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Robin Harris, and Della Reese behind the scenes were much funnier than anything that was in the film.

• According to Gabi Tartakovsky's June 7, 2011 article "Harlem Nights (1989): Eddie Murphy and the Original Gangsters of Black Comedy" at the Pop Matters website, "Pryor's toning down the Sugar Ray character wasn't scripted as such, and Pryor believed his performance was the result of being bothered with a recent Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, which he kept to himself at the time."

• The vulgar, yet playful arguments between Redd Foxx and Della Reese on the set inspired Eddie Murphy to create a series starring the two. The result was The Royal Family (1991), which was Foxx's final project before his death.