When Steve Jackson (Sidney Portier) and Wardell Franklin (Bill Cosby) get robbed at a swanky underground night spot they take it in stride. That is until Steve realizes that he had a winning lottery ticket in his wallet which was stolen. From there the madness begins.

I'll be honest, I didn't like Sidney in this role. For a $50,000 lottery ticket he was willing to go to great lengths to retrieve it. Goofy, suicidal lengths. I could see a more traditional comedian in that role--like Bill Cosby for instance--but it didn't suit Portier.

If we were to generously compare $50,000 of 1974 to today (2018),then maybe it was worth $500,000 today. Still, is that worth sleuthing around the criminal world and risking your life? I get it was a comedy which lends to more fantastic events than maybe a drama with the same theme but Portier should've been more of a straight man in the duo. It was funny at times but often just plain silly. "Let's Do It Again" was tons better.

With this directorial effort veteran actor Sidney Poitier was able to show a different side to his talent, as he's teamed with the equally legendary entertainer Bill Cosby as a pair of average working Joes who make the fateful decision to have a good time in an exclusive night club. While they're gambling downstairs, hoods barge in and rob everybody present; Poitier is relieved of his wallet, which contains a lottery ticket later revealed to be a winning one. So good buddies Steve (Poitier) and Wardell (Cosby) hit the streets determined to find somebody who can point them in the right direction, including a congressman (Roscoe Lee Browne) who's nothing but a big phony, a weaselly private detective (Richard Pryor),and a pair of feuding crime lords, Geechie Dan (Harry Belafonte, doing a hysterical parody of Marlon Brando in "The Godfather") and Silky Slim (Calvin Lockhart). What is truly irresistible is seeing Poitier show off some comedic chops, playing a guy completely out of his element. In his big standout scene, he trash talks a diminutive gangster named Little Seymour (dancer Harold Nicholas). As one can see, "Uptown Saturday Night" is an impressive assemblage of talent; also making appearances are Flip Wilson as the reverend, Rosalind Cash as Steves' loving wife, Ketty Lester as Wardells' significant other, Paula Kelly as exuberant Leggy Peggy, and Lee Chamberlin as club proprietress Madame Zenobia. Poitier and company mine every scene for as many laughs as possible; what's especially funny is seeing Belafonte in drag towards the end. (The movie does go on a little long, but the manic energy of the finale makes it all worthwhile.) This group of actors is a joy to watch, but Cosby most of all is in truly fine form. Providing effective accompaniment are Tom Scotts' perfectly funky music score and an upbeat theme song. Inevitably, there are elements, like the fashions, that date the movie, but they do have a definite fascination going for them. Overall, this is likable stuff that never gets too unpleasant. Followed by two subsequent Poitier / Cosby teamings, "Let's Do It Again" and "A Piece of the Action". Seven out of 10.

In reviewing movies in chronological order that featured African-Americans for Black History Month, we're now at 1974 with Uptown Saturday Night. This was the first of three buddy comedies that paired Sidney Poitier with Bill Cosby. This was also Poitier's third directorial assignment after Buck and the Preacher and A Warm December. Instead of the perfect professional characters superstar Sidney had been playing for years, here he's just a working class man named Steve Jackson who's pals with Cosby's Wardell Franklin. As Steve's wife Sarah, Rosalind Cash has some nice, and partially racy, dialogue with Poitier but Ketty Lester seems wasted as Wardell's spouse Irma. With a script by Richard Wesley, Poitier shows some amusing touches though it does take a while for the story, about getting robbed as the two leads spend the night at an illegal gambling joint called Zenobia's before Steve finds out his winning lottery ticket was among the stolen items, to kick into gear. When it does you get treated to a hilarious supporting cast like Flip Wilson as the Reverend, Richard Pryor as Sharp Eye Washington, Roscoe Lee Browne as Congressman Lincoln (dig the way he turns a frame of Nixon to that of Malcoln X and then puts on his African digs when he meets his "constituents" Steve and Wardell),Paula Kelly as Lincoln's wife Leggy Peggy who the boys previously met at Zenobia's, and dancer Harold Nicholas as Little Seymour Pettigrew. That last character has a hilarious encounter with Cosby and Poitier himself cuts loose with some jokes you didn't think would come out of him. Also loved many of the "fights" the Cos instigates. Then there's Calvin Lockhart as Silky Slim and Harry Belafonte as Geechie Dan Beauford. These are rival gangsters that Steve and Wardell seek out to help find the stolen goods. Belafonte looks like he's having the time of his life impersonating Marlon Brando's Godfather role though I found him fitfully amusing like when he threatened to "knock the black off" Poitier and Cosby. Still, Uptown Saturday Night was a mostly enjoyable comedy that I bought on DVD with A Piece of the Action on the disc's other side. Dig Cosby's beard!