Let's Do It Again

Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby made a nice comic relationship in “Uptown Saturday Night,” and it works even better in “Let’s Do It Again,” released in 1975. The movie isn’t really a sequel, the names of all the characters have been changed, but it gives us simply the same duo of protagonist: Poitier as the quiet and often confused straight man, and Cosby as the fast talking con artist.

This time they’re from Atlanta, where Poitier’s character, Clyde Williams, is a milkman and Cosby’s character, Billy Foster, works in a factory. Roger Ebert noted in his review, “They're members of the Sons and Daughters of Shaka, a fraternal lodge run along the same lines as Amos 'n' Andy's beloved Mystic Knights of the Sea, and their job is to raise money for the lodge's old folks' home.”

There’s a middleweight title fight arriving, and Billy Foster has an idea: he and Clyde Williams will fix the fight, bet the arena’s $18,000 building fund on the result and clean up at 5-to-1 odds. It should be to bet on the fight because Clyde has a unique gift, he can put the bets on anyone. He and Billy take their wives (Denise Nicholas and Lee Chamberlin) to New Orleans on vacation, catch the bony middleweight contender, Bootney Farnsworth (J.J. Evans from the classic show “Good Times,” Jimmie “Dy-No-Mite” Walker), put the bets on him and convince him he won’t get hurt and easily beat the champ (Rodolphus Lee Hayden). He does.

The story grows convoluted, involving two enemy men bookmakers (Calvin Lockhart and James Evans from “Good Times,” the great John Amos) who find out they’ve been scammed. Billy and Clyde, stuck in the middle, have Billy’s fast talk as their only way. He does a great job at it in scenes that look somewhat a little improvised. (After they get stuck in the champ’s hotel room, Billy explains they’re fans from the champ’s hometown who wanted to sing their new fight song to him. Ebert notes, “Cosby begins to sing, Poitier tries to keep up, the hoods snarl and it's a great scene.”)

Poitier directed both “Uptown Saturday Night” and “Let’s Do It Again,” and the new movie is a more solid job. Ebert mentions, “Maybe that's because he's more concerned with getting on with the slapstick, while in "Uptown" the action was constantly being slowed down with cameo appearances by Poitier's innumerable friends. This time the guest shot is limited to Ossie Davis, as the pompous windbag who heads the fraternal lodge.”

“Let’s Do It Again” isn’t a horribly ruthless comedy, but within its boundaries it works well. And it’s really good natured. Ebert admitted, “I was struck by how much more fun they were than in a movie like last year's "Freebie and the Bean," where the violent special effects overwhelmed the comic purpose.” Cosby and Poitier work well together and it could be they would have made their comedies as often as they could. In the final scene of the movie, in any event, they’re guessing on putting the bets on heavyweight fight between Muhammad Ali and Sammy Davis Jr.

This is another good comedy from the duo work and effort put in from both Poitier and Cosby. You should see this one if you liked “Uptown Saturday Night” because you will think this one is funnier and a better job. If you can just put aside all the allegations that Cosby has gotten over the past several years and just look at him as one of the most inspirational comedians, then check this movie out and get a good laugh. I promise, you will enjoy it and not be disappointed.

Check in this Friday when I wrap up this year’s “Sidney Poitier Month” with the last movie that Poitier and Cosby acted in.