Along With the Movie Robbers, Some TV Cops
The Scene: The celebrity action moved far off the Beverly Hills-Hollywood axis Monday night, as hundreds of fans and VIPs went south to the Magic Johnson Theatre near Leimert Park for the premiere of MGM’s period shoot-em-up, “Hoodlum.”
The film, based on the life of black mobster Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, who took on notorious wise guy Dutch Schultz for control of the Harlem numbers racket during the Depression, was directed by Bill Duke and stars Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth, Cicely Tyson, Clarence Williams III, Andy Garcia, Vanessa Williams and Chi McBride. The screening also served as a benefit for the Magic Johnson Foundation. Afterward, the throng made its way to Georgia’s on Melrose Avenue for a reception.
Who Was There: In addition to the cast, Duke and Johnson, there was a heady mix of A-list celebs and retro-stars. Arnold Schwarzenegger made an appearance along with Vivica A. Fox, Robert Townsend, Dave Winfield, Barbara Hershey, LeVar Burton, Dennis Franz, “Mod Squad” alumnus Michael Cole, Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly of TV’s “Cagney & Lacey”--and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs of “Welcome Back, Kotter.”
Dress Code: While boxy, ice-cream-colored double-breasted suits and screaming orange dresses were welcome, the venue imposes one sartorial restriction: “All the little fellas with the baseball caps gotta take them off,” Johnson announced prior to the screening. “That’s a policy here. We respect each other here.” The measure was designed to discourage gang-related activity at the theater, and VIPs, it appeared, were not exempt.
Nick at Night Moment: At one point during the festivities, “NYPD Blue’s” Dennis Franz shared a table with Williams and Cole of “The Mod Squad” and Gless and Daly, offering the spectacle of three generations of TV cops all sitting together. “This is not the first time we’ve all been in the same place together,” said Franz. “We’ve all become friends. Yes, of course, we have that one thing in common, but we actually seem to like one another.”
The Message: “What I wanted to say to these young guys out here is that Biggie Smalls is dead. Tupac’s dead. This is not a game,” said Duke, who had revived a 10-year-old script. “There are human beings who are dying out here. Someone’s son, someone’s father, someone’s brother. And life is the most precious thing that you have. And he [Bumpy Johnson] went through a lot to learn that, but it’s a price he really didn’t want to pay.”
Money Matters: Tickets were $75 for the screening, $300 for the screening and party. More than $10,000 was collected for the foundation for HIV education and prevention.
