Cooley High - wikipedia Cooley High For the high school in Detroit, Michigan, see Cooley High School. For the high school in Chicago, Illinois, see Cooley Vocational High School. Cooley High Theatrical poster Directed by Michael Schultz Produced by Steve Krantz Written by Eric Monte Starring Glynn Turman Lawrence Hilton - Jacobs Music by Freddie Perren Distributed by American International Pictures Release date June 25, 1975 ( 1975 - 06 - 25 ) Running time 107 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $750,000 Box office $13 million Cooley High is a 1975 American coming - of - age / drama film that follows the narrative of high school seniors and best - friends, Leroy `` Preach '' Jackson ( Glynn Turman ) and Richard `` Cochise '' Morris ( Lawrence Hilton - Jacobs ). Written by Eric Monte, directed by Michael Schultz and produced by American International Pictures ( AIP ), the film, primarily shot in Chicago, Illinois, was a major hit at the box offices, grossing over $13,000,000 ( USD ). The light - hearted turned tragic storyline captivated viewers with its comedic portrayal of carefree best - friends, and its soundtrack featured many Motown hits. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Background 4 Influence 4.1 Production 5 Reception 6 Television adaptation 7 Release on DVD & HD and Potential remake 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Plot In 1964 on Chicago 's Near - North Side, Preach - an aspiring playwright - and Cochise - an all - city basketball champion - are best friends who are both celebrating the final weeks of their senior year with their classmates at Edwin G. Cooley Vocational High School. While sitting in class, Cochise sleeps while Preach comes up with the idea that Pooter, another classmate and friend should fake a nosebleed, so they can get out of class. As Preach and Pooter leave with the teacher 's permission, Cochise ; who 's now awake, sneaks out the classroom 's back door. After getting out of class, the trio meet up with another classmate who 's sitting outside the school. The group then hitch a ride from school by hanging on the back of a city bus. The group end up at Lincoln Park Zoo where they spend the day stealing snacks from the concession stand and antagonizing animals. After spending a few hours at the zoo, the group heads back to the neighborhood via train. Once back, the group shoots a few basketball hoops with some locals before Pooter states he needs to return to school before closing to retrieve his books. The group ends up at Martha 's, a local hangout where they run into another classmate on their way inside, Dorothy who is giving a `` Quarter '' party at her house later that evening. While inside, Preach is shooting dice with two guys from the neighborhood ; Stone and Robert. During the dice game, they encounter one of Preach 's classmates, Brenda in whom Preach shows an immediate interest. After Preach is chased out of the hangout by the owner for gambling, the group then splits up. Cochise arrives home, where he learns via mail that he has received a basketball scholarship to attend Grambling State University. The group meet up and binges on alcohol, celebrating Cochise 's scholarship before heading off to Dorothy 's house party. Once at the party, Preach encounters Brenda again, who has no interest in him. While the party is going on, Preach retreats to a bedroom where Brenda is and the two discuss love poems. The party ends abruptly when another classmate named Damon shows up and spots Cochise dancing with his girlfriend, Loretta. This leads to scuffle between the two. Having trashed the house during the scuffle, The group retreats back to Martha 's. The group, which consists of Cochise, Preach, Pooter and Tyrone, encounter Stone and Robert. The pair ride up in a Cadillac and convince Cochise and Preach to go for a joyride with them, driving through the neighborhood, Downtown Chicago and Gold Coast area with Stone at the wheel. After talking, Preach convinces Stone to let him drive ; which leads to attention from the police due to his bad driving. The police chase leads from downtown into a garage at Navy Pier, in which they get away from the police ; only to end up hitting a parked car with occupants inside. After the accident, they flee the vehicle : Preach and Cochise running in one direction and Stone with Robert in another. The next day, Cochise, Preach, Pooter, Tyrone, and Willie all then decide to go the movies. However, the group is short on cash. Preach and Cochise approach two prostitutes, pretending to want countless sexual services. Later, they are both stating they are actually cops. While searching and threatening to arrest them, one of the women pays $10 to Preach to be let go. The other one notices that the police badge is a fake. After realizing their scam is blown, the two run off with the money. The group then ends up at the movie theater, where they watch Mothra vs. Godzilla. Cochise, Tyrone, and Preach are with their girlfriends, while Pooter is left venturing around the theater by himself. Upon finding a seat, he bumps into a man who gets confrontational. Another man intervenes on Pooter 's behalf, which leads to a brawl between the Disciples and the Counts street gangs in the theater. The following day, Preach and Brenda spend a day together which leads to their having sex back at Preach 's house. After learning that Cochise and Preach had an inside cash bet on Preach hooking up with her, Brenda leaves the house upset. The following day at school, Cochise and Preach are arrested for being in the stolen car ; charging them with grand theft auto. While at the station, the pair are reunited with Stone and Robert, who are also being questioned. Mr. Mason, the boys ' history teacher, persuades the police to release Preach and Cochise because of their clean record. Unfortunately, both Stone and Robert remain imprisoned due to their being repeat offenders. Confused as to how they were let off the hook early, Preach and Cochise leave the holding area. Thinking that Preach and Cochise placed all the blame on them, Stone and Robert immediately hunt for both of them after being released from jail a few days later. While in school, Preach learns that Mr. Mason actually got them out of jail. He sets off to look for Cochise to tell him the information. In his pursuit of looking for Cochise, Preach runs into Cochise 's cousin Jimmy Lee who takes him to his apartment. Once there, Preach finds him with his ex-girlfriend in which Preach becomes angry and leaves. Preach then retreats to Martha 's. Spotted by Damon, he walks over to a table where Brenda is sitting and begins to apologize. While talking to Brenda, Preach overhears Damon speaking to Stone and Robert who have just walked into the hangout. As he sends Brenda out of the restaurant, urging her to meet him at the train station in 15 minutes, he tries to sneak out the back. Preach 's presence is then made known by Damon ; Stone and Robert began taunting and chasing Preach around the restaurant. After spotting the confrontation, the hangout 's owner intervenes. She forces both Stone and Robert out of her place with a meat cleaver while Preach is hiding in the restroom. Preach tries to sneaks out the side door but is spotted by the pair who are waiting for him outside. After evading them, Preach meets up with Brenda, where he learns from her that Cochise went to Martha 's in search for him. Stone, Robert, and Damon ultimately found and caught Cochise on a side street. Together, the vengeful trio corner him and beat him straight to a bloody pulp, leaving him for dead. Having been notified of the attack on Cochise, Preach frantically searches the streets. He finds his best friend 's lifeless body lying face down under an overpass. Using Cochise 's untimely death as motivation and inspiration, Preach runs off after the funeral to pursue his dream of becoming a renowned Hollywood poet and writer. This ultimately makes both him and his newfound guardian angel proud. Cast Glynn Turman -- Leroy `` Preach '' Jackson Lawrence Hilton - Jacobs -- Richard `` Cochise '' Morris Cynthia Davis -- Brenda Sherman Smith -- Stone Norman Gibson -- Robert Garrett Morris -- Mr. Mason Corin Rogers -- Pooter Joseph Carter Wilson -- Tyrone Maurice Marshall -- Damon Steven Williams -- Jimmy Lee Christine Jones -- Sandra Jackie Taylor -- Johnny Mae Juanita McConnell -- Martha Background Monte based the film on his experiences attending the real - life Cooley Vocational High School ( which closed in 1979 ) that served students from the Cabrini -- Green public housing project on Chicago 's north side. While the film was set in and around Cabrini -- Green, it was primarily filmed at another Chicago - area housing project. Monte has said that he wrote the film to dispel myths about growing up in the projects : `` I grew up in the Cabrini -- Green housing project and I had one of the best times of my life, the most fun you can have while inhaling and exhaling ''. Influence Boyz II Men named their debut album Cooleyhighharmony which featured a version of the song `` It 's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday '' from the Cooley High soundtrack. ( 1 ) ( 2 ) The 1991 movie Boyz in the Hood was influenced by Cooley High. During the 40th anniversary of the film 's release, nationally syndicated news station NPR published a story that discussed some of the fondest memories that the cast and crew shared of the film 's production. Actor Sherman Smith ( now using the professional name Rick Stone ), who played the character of Stone in the film, recalled how he was approached by producers of the film while playing basketball one day. The crew members were looking for realistic gang members to be a part of the cast, so after being tipped off by police, producers offered Stone and his sidekick Norman Gibson, who played the character of Robert in the film, a role in the movie. During this interview, screenwriter Eric Monte revealed that Cochise 's untimely death in the film was inspired by a childhood friend of his who had been killed in a similar manner. Furthermore, just as Preach headed to Hollywood after the death of Cochise, Monte reveals that after his friend was murdered he hitchhiked his way to the west coast where he began working for shows such as Good Times and The Jeffersons. Unfortunately, not everyone from the film went on to live a life of success. Nearly two years after the film 's release, Norman Gibson was gunned down outside of his neighborhood. Production The movie was filmed from October through November 1974 in Chicago, Illinois. Some scenes include other areas of Chicago such as Navy Pier and the Gold Coast area but primarily in and around the Cabrini - Green housing project on the near - north side. Reception Cooley High was a critical and commercial success. Produced on a $750,000 budget, the film grossed $13 million at the domestic box office, making it one of the top 30 highest - grossing films of 1975. The film holds an 82 % `` Fresh '' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Filmmaker Spike Lee included the film on his essential film list entitled List of Films All Aspiring Filmmakers Must See. The movie also ranked # 23 on Entertainment Weekly 's list of the 50 Best High School Movies. Television adaptation ABC planned a television adaptation of Cooley High, but the pilot was poorly received, and Fred Silverman, the head of the network, asked the pilot 's producers, TOY Productions, to redo the show as a sitcom with new characters and with a new title so as not to confuse it with Monte 's film Cooley High. New writers were hired, cast changes made, and a switch from one - camera to three - camera filming delivered What 's Happening ! ! to the network, where it ran from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show and the production company were then purchased by Columbia Pictures Television in 1979 and ran in syndication for a number of years. Cooley High also inspired the CBS television show The White Shadow ( November 27, 1978 to March 16, 1981 ). Release on DVD & HD and potential remake In 2000, Cooley High was released on DVD. In 2010, it was digitized in High Definition ( 1080i ) and broadcast on MGM HD. On July 19, 2016, it was reported that MGM was developing a remake of 1975 film Cooley High, with DeVon Franklin, Common and Tony Krantz starring. Seth Rosenfeld would write the screenplay. See also List of American films of 1975 What 's Happening Now ! ! References ^ Jump up to : The dime - store way to make movies - and money By Aljean Harmetz. The New York Times, ( 1923 - Current file ) ( New York, N.Y ) 04 Aug 1974 : 202. ^ Jump up to : Box Office Information for Cooley High. Worldwide Box Office. Retrieved January 27, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Mankiewicz, Ben. Comments on TCM broadcast 17 October 2013 Jump up ^ `` Cooley High - Original Soundtrack Songs, Reviews, Credits AllMusic ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 01. Jump up ^ JET Magazine - One Spark Of Joy In Cooley High Character 's Life Snuffed By Bullets - October 21, 1976 Jump up ^ Kashner, Sam. `` How Boyz n the Hood Beat the Odds to Get Made -- and Why It Matters Today ''. HWD. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Catching Up With : The Cast of ' Cooley High ' - JetMag.com ''. JetMag.com. 2015 - 07 - 02. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 01. ^ Jump up to : `` 40 Years Later, The Cast Of ' Cooley High ' Looks Back ''. NPR.org. Retrieved 2016 - 05 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Top Grossing Films of 1975 ''. Listal.com. Jump up ^ Cooley High, Movie Reviews. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 27, 2016. Jump up ^ List of Films All Aspiring Filmmakers Must See. Indiewire. Retrieved January 27, 2016. Jump up ^ `` The 50 Best High School Movies ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 11, 2009. Jump up ^ `` New TOY ''. Broadcasting : 39. 1979 - 02 - 19. Jump up ^ Closs, Wyatt ( February 27, 2014 ). `` Erykah Badu Reveals All About Her ' Lo Down Loretta Brown ' Persona ''. Huffington Post. Jump up ^ Jr, Mike Fleming ( July 19, 2016 ). `` ' Cooley High ' Remake For MGM, DeVon Franklin, Common & Tony Krantz ''. Deadline. Retrieved July 20, 2016. External links Cooley High on IMDb Cooley High at the TCM Movie Database Cooley High at AllMovie Films directed by Michael Schultz Together for Days ( 1972 ) Honeybaby, Honeybaby ( 1974 ) Cooley High ( 1975 ) Car Wash ( 1976 ) Greased Lightning ( 1977 ) Which Way Is Up ? ( 1977 ) Sgt. Pepper 's Lonely Hearts Club Band ( 1978 ) Scavenger Hunt ( 1979 ) Carbon Copy ( 1981 ) The Jerk, Too ( 1984 ) The Last Dragon ( 1985 ) Krush Groove ( 1985 ) Timestalkers ( 1987 ) Disorderlies ( 1987 ) Tarzan in Manhattan ( 1989 ) Livin ' Large ! ( 1991 ) Day - O ( 1992 ) Shock Treatment ( 1995 ) Killers in the House ( 1998 ) L.A. Law : The Movie ( 2002 ) Woman Thou Art Loosed ( 2004 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cooley_High&oldid=862402642 '' Categories : 1975 films English - language films 1970s comedy - drama films 1970s coming - of - age films 1970s teen films American comedy - drama films American coming - of - age films American films American high school films American International Pictures films American teen films American teen comedy films American teen romance films Blaxploitation films Films adapted into television programs Films directed by Michael Schultz Films set in 1964 Films set in Chicago Films shot in Chicago Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2016 Articles with unsourced statements from June 2015 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 4 October 2018, at 04 : 32 ( UTC ). 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Question: when did the movie cooley high come out
Answer: 1975