The film interweaves two narratives, following the lives of Harlem musician “Dixie Dwyer,” a white coronet player of Irish descent, and “Sandman Williams,” an African-American tap dancer. While Dixie and Sandman’s stories are generally depicted separately, events often overlap, particularly at the Cotton Club. Musical numbers are intercut with the film’s action, blurring the distinction between performance and “real” occurrences in the movie. The picture also includes fictional representations of historical figures, such as actress Gloria Swanson and gangsters Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Dutch Schultz, and Owney Madden.
       On 12 Dec 1980, NYT announced that producer Robert Evans had acquired film rights to James Haskins’s The Cotton Club: A Pictorial and Social History of the Most Famous Symbol of the Jazz Era (New York, 1977). At that time, Evans was known for his success as head of production at Paramount Pictures, where he pulled the studio out of financial decline with blockbusters including Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972, see entry) and Roman Polanski’s Chinatown (1974, see entry). After Chinatown, Evans negotiated a deal with Paramount in which he maintained his executive title while also developing side projects and financing them as an independent producer.
       Evans was first introduced to Haskins’s picture book in 1977, when literary agent George Weiser brought the story to his attention with plans to make a Broadway musical, according to a 4 Dec 1983 LAT article. Seeing the picture as an updated Gone With the Wind (1940, see entry), which could integrate African-American actors into Hollywood filmmaking and explore the history of race relations in the U.S., Evans believed The Cotton Club project was vital to promoting cultural diversity and spent $475,000 of his own money to acquire screen rights. Although Evans secured private financing for the picture as of 12 Dec 1980, Paramount was given the option to take over as producer, but the studio was awaiting returns from their recent Evans investment, Popeye (1980, see entry), which was set to open that day. In the meantime, Popeye director Robert Altman was hired to direct The Cotton Club.
       Five months later, a 12 Apr 1981 Boston Globe article announced Evans’s plans to break ties with Paramount and produce the film on his own, with an $18 million budget supplied by an unnamed Swiss investment group. Working independently, Evans hoped to retain ownership of the picture’s negative, which would give him control over its copyright, rentals, and television rights, but his plan did not appeal to investors, who wished to share in the profits. With the box-office failure of Popeye, as well as legal troubles resulting from a cocaine trafficking arrest, and the loss of millions of dollars in poor stock-market investments, Evans believed The Cotton Club was his best opportunity to resurrect his career, as noted in the 4 Dec 1983 LAT.
       In an attempt to replicate the success of The Godfather, Evans hired writer Mario Puzo to adapt Haskins’s picture book. The deal was announced in a 17 Sep 1981 NYT article, which noted that production was delayed because Evans spent the past year working on an anti-drug television campaign to expunge his criminal record. During that time, The Cotton Club budget increased to approximately $20 million, and Robert Altman left the project. LAT explained that when Evans hired Puzo for $1 million, he was desperate to find greater sources of financing, and actress Melissa Prophet, who had a role in Evans’s 1979 film Players (see entry), introduced him to Saudi Arabian billionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. Evans was negotiating a distribution deal with Paramount at that time, and Khashoggi agreed to supply an initial $2.5 million if the studio matched his investment as a co-financier. When Paramount complied, Khashoggi increased his commitment to $12 million and Paramount balked at the unexpected budget hike. The deal never came to fruition and Evans returned Khashoggi’s $2.5 million.
       On 4 Mar 1982, HR announced that Godfather star Al Pacino was cast in the role of “Dixie Dwyer,” but he was replaced by Sylvester Stallone two months later, according to an 11 May 1982 NYT column, which reported that Evans had taken over as director. The film would have marked Evans’s directorial debut. Stallone was guaranteed a $2 million salary as well as a twenty-five percent cut of any money the production saved if it was completed under budget. Several days after settling Stallone’s contract, Evans went to the 1981 Cannes Film Festival, hoping to secure financing from foreign theater chains, and obtained $8 million in guarantees from the Producers Sales Organization (PSO). However, the deal stipulated that Evans could not have access to the money until the film was completed, or was subsidized by a completion bond. Without evidence of immediate financial backing, Evans was unable to gain investor confidence and sought funding from brothers Ed and Fred Doumani, who were leading property and casino owners in Las Vegas, NV. Although the men were facing a corruption review by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, they agreed to finance the Cotton Club budget with a partner, businessman Victor L. Sayyah, in return for fifty-percent ownership of the film. Evans supplied collateral by mortgaging his Beverly Hills, CA, mansion, liquidating his savings, and selling his stock in Paramount parent company, Gulf + Western. Neither the Doumanis nor Sayyah are credited onscreen.
       In addition, millionaire entertainment promoter Roy Radin was brought in as an investor by Evans’s then-girl friend, Karen Greenberger (a.k.a. Elaine “Lanie” Jacobs), a cocaine dealer with ties to the Latin American drug trade, according to a 23 Jul 1991 LAT article. However, Radin was murdered while production was underway, and Greenberger was accused of hiring his killers “because she feared she was being cut out of a producer’s role – and profits – in the movie.” Greenberger and her accomplices were arrested after the assassins unknowingly confessed to the crime on a secretly-recorded tape: The men reported that Greenberger and Evans paid for the murder. In the ensuing case, which became known as “The Cotton Club Trial,” Evans invoked his Fifth Amendment Right against self-incrimination and refused to testify. Greenberger, who was found guilty of murder, maintained that Evans had nothing to do with Radin’s death.
       By 4 Jun 1982, Harrison Ford was cast to replace Sylvester Stallone, as announced in an HR news item published that day, but a 13 Sep 1982 HR brief stated that Evans was ready to start production in Feb 1983 with Richard Gere in the leading role. Catherine Denueve was under consideration to play “Vera Cicero,” and the filmmaker was in the process of casting 150 black actors. According to the 4 Dec 1983 LAT, Richard Pryor was Evans’s first choice for “Sandman Williams.”
       With financing secured, Evans hired Francis Ford Coppola to rewrite Puzo’s screenplay, which had already gone through approximately sixty drafts, according to the 12 Nov 1984 Globe and Mail. Evans and Coppola were notorious adversaries from their work on The Godfather, but Evans believed the filmmaker had a better chance at making the project a success, and soon asked Coppola to direct. As noted in the 4 Dec 1983 LAT, Coppola was motivated to take over The Cotton Club because he was at a standstill in his career after the commercial failure of One from the Heart (1982, see entry), which forced his company, Zoetrope Studios, into bankruptcy. Coppola agreed with Evans that The Cotton Club would be a blockbuster, and its success could resurrect their credibility.
       Coppola’s script was nearly finished by early Aug 1983 and principal photography was scheduled to begin in New York City on 22 Aug 1983, as stated in a 2 Aug 1983 HR brief. Although Coppola promised the screenplay would be ready in time for production, Evans hired Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist William Kennedy to guarantee a completed script. According to the Globe and Mail, Kennedy spent eight days writing a “rehearsal script” that was used by the cast in the three weeks leading up to the start of production. After filming began at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, NY, Kennedy and Coppola created twelve additional drafts, and the actors were encouraged to submit notes, leaving the shooting script a work-in-progress.
       Along with spontaneous changes in the narrative, the production was marred by abrupt firings of crew members, including unit production manager David Golden, executive producer Dyson Lovell, music consultant Jerry Wexler, and arranger Ralph Burns. In addition, Coppola walked off set the week of 3 Oct 1983, causing filming to stop for several days. A 14 Oct 1983 DV column explained that Coppola objected to his contract, which stipulated that he be paid $3 million upfront with an additional $1 million if the film was finished on time and within its $18-$20 million budget. Evans retained the option to deduct Coppola’s wages if the film’s cost exceeded $20 million. Seven weeks into production, the budget already reached $28 million, and Coppola refused to continue until he was guaranteed more money upfront. The 4 Dec 1983 LAT reported a different reason, claiming that Coppola was not paid in full because he did not finish the script. Evans agreed to Coppola’s terms so filming could resume.
       Although principal photography was completed in 1983, the first-unit crew and cast returned to New York City mid-Mar 1984 for additional location shooting, as stated in a 28 Feb 1984 DV article.
       The film’s soaring budget resulted in several lawsuits and conflicts between Evans, Coppola, and their investors. When the cost exceeded $20 million, the Doumani brothers convinced distributor Orion Pictures Corporation to advance the production an additional $15 million, on condition that Evans step down as producer, according to a 23 Jun 1984 Screen International article. Although Evans objected to being replaced by Ed Doumani, he agreed to the deal because he believed Victor L. Sayyah was supportive of the pact. In addition, the Doumanis hired a noted gangster, Joseph Cusumano, to intimidate Evans into giving up his share of the partnership. Cusumano is credited onscreen as line producer. When Evans discovered that Sayyah was not behind the Doumani arrangement, he filed a restraining order against Ed Doumani to prevent him from taking over the picture.
       On 10 Jun 1984, a NYT brief announced that Sayyah filed a lawsuit against the Doumani brothers, their attorney, David Hurwitz, Orion Pictures Corporation, Robert Evans, and PSO, alleging fraud, conspiracy, and breach of contract. Sayyah claimed it would be impossible for him to recoup his $5 million investment because the film’s budget escalated from $20 to $58 million during production, making it unlikely that the picture would make a profit. Sayyah also contended that Orion’s $15 million loan was unnecessary, and may have been orchestrated to increase the budget so he would be edged out of a return on his investment. Complaints were also made against the Doumanis, who allegedly pushed Evans into a state of vexation on purpose, so he would lose control of the project. The Globe and Mail estimated the budget could have been as high as $67 million, but the filmmakers were not able to confirm an exact figure.
       Ten days after Sayyah filed his lawsuit, the 20 Jun 1984 LAT reported a court ruling that restored Evans’s authority. However, line producer Barrie M. Osborne was granted full control over post-production. According to the LAT, Osborne was a close confidante of Coppola, and the ruling was a greater victory for Coppola than for Evans, who was effectively denied participation in the final cut. The court also forbade the warring parties to file additional lawsuits about the film without approval from the judge.
       Despite generally positive reviews, the picture did not fare well at the box-office, grossing $2.9 million its opening weekend on 808 screens. As stated in a 19 Dec 1984 HR brief, Orion experienced unusually high levels of trading on Wall Street after the film’s release. The transactions reflected a common anxiety that the studio would suffer financially from The Cotton Club. Orion tried to reassure traders with a press statement, claiming its investment in the movie was “fixed and limited.”
       End credits include: “Special thanks to Belwin-Mills Publishing Corp. for their assistance on research and clearance of recreated music,” and, “The producers wish to thank: David Hurwitz and the law firm Gordon, Hurwitz, Butowsky, Weitzen, Shalov & Wein; New York City Film Commission; Bob & Marcia Michaels of Longwood Travel, Boston, Mass.; Studio 54; Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies, Dan Morganstern, Director; New York Jazz Repertory Company; Albert G. Ruben & Company, Inc.; Film Finances, Ltd.” In addition, end credits list: “Commercial consideration from: Weapons Specialists; Shirts by Ike Behar; Camera Mart; MultiTrack Magnetics; Bermans and Nathans, Ltd.” The picture was: “Filmed at Astoria Studios in New York.”