KEEP IT OLDSKOOL MOVIE OF THE WEEK

 

 

 

“They Killed Conrbread”

 

Cornbread, Earl and Me was released in 1975 The movie that was directed by Joseph Manduke. The movie starred a very young Laurence Fishburne, NBA player Jamal Wilkes, Moses Gunn, Bernie Casey and Rosalind Cash. This movie maybe one of the saddest movies of the “Blaxploitation” era

 

 

 

The movies centers on Cornbread (Wilkes)  a promising young basketball star  who is about to enter college on a scholarship. His cousin Wilfred (Fishburne)  and his cousin’s friend Earl  idolize Cornbread like much of the neighborhood. Wilfred lives with his mother Sarah (Cash) as they navigate the rough urban life that surrounds them. A tragedy happens that affects Wilfred, Cornbread and their family and no one seems to want to help. It seems the police in the form of patrolman Atkins (Casey) and his partner may have made a terrible mistake. The neighborhood erupts yet no one wants to say what they saw. Wilfred is the only one brave enough with the help of attorney Benjamin Blackwell (Gunn) to face down the police who threaten to take “the welfare” from his mother.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There movie showed that getting justice doesn’t mean there will be a happy ending. This author did not find out about this movie until he was in his teen years (1980s) Cornbread, Earl and Me is a movie that is all too familiar in some areas of this country. This is a very sad but thought provoking movie that relates to self-hatred, upward mobility and police cover-ups. If you have not seen it please do so.

 

 

 

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