WHAT WENT WRONG

The Cotton Club

February 9, 2026

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The production of *The Cotton Club* was immediately plagued by financial desperation on the part of producer Robert Evans, who cycled through shady investors, including a Saudi arms dealer and figures linked to organized crime, to secure funding. 
  • The central conflict in the script development involved star Richard Gere insisting on playing a cornet player rather than a gangster, a baffling creative choice that necessitated Francis Ford Coppola being brought in as a script doctor. 
  • The version of *The Cotton Club* available to modern audiences is likely the *Cotton Club Encore*, which significantly restores screen time to the Black performers, Gregory and Maurice Hines, who were marginalized in the original theatrical cut. 
  • Francis Ford Coppola secured the director role for *The Cotton Club* only after demanding $2.5 million, a piece of the gross, and final cut, which Robert Evans conceded despite his desire for control. 
  • The final theatrical release of *The Cotton Club* significantly marginalized the black talent and storylines, a mistake Coppola later corrected by spending his own money to re-edit and release *The Cotton Club Encore*. 

Segments

Introduction and Film Context
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(00:00:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts establish that The Cotton Club was an attempt at a major cinematic success that nearly bankrupted its producer, Robert Evans.
  • Summary: The episode of WHAT WENT WRONG focuses on the troubled production of The Cotton Club. The hosts note that the film was intended as a major comeback for Robert Evans. They also direct listeners to a prior ‘Out of Frame’ episode covering a murder affiliated with the film and its investment.
Initial Reactions to The Cotton Club
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(00:01:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Chris initially perceived The Cotton Club as a blend of The Godfather and All That Jazz, finding the Richard Gere/Diane Lane storyline the least compelling part.
  • Summary: Chris had seen the film in high school and found its storylines uneven, specifically disliking the central romance between Dixie Dwyer (Gere) and Vera Cicero (Lane). Lizzie, watching for the first time, loved the film, noting that the currently available version is the Cotton Club Encore, which significantly alters the focus.
Film Credits and Cast Details
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(00:09:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Francis Ford Coppola initially dropped the ‘Ford’ from his name on the credits due to self-doubt, and the film features brief appearances by future Breaking Bad actors Giancarlo Esposito and Mark Margolis.
  • Summary: The film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola (initially credited as Francis Coppola) and produced by Robert Evans, distributed by Orion Pictures. The cast includes Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, and Bob Hoskins, alongside cameos from Giancarlo Esposito and Mark Margolis.
Robert Evans’ Career Setback
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(00:12:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Robert Evans’ cocaine possession arrest in 1980, stemming from his brother’s actions, led to him being nicknamed ‘Bob Cocaine Evans’ and required him to produce an anti-drug special, Get High on Yourself.
  • Summary: Evans’ pursuit of The Cotton Club followed a brief, unsuccessful independent run after leaving Paramount, where he was upset about not receiving on-screen credit for The Godfather. His drug arrest forced him into probation requiring him to create an anti-drug PSA, further damaging his industry standing.
The Real Cotton Club History
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(00:16:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The real Cotton Club was an iconic Harlem nightclub where Black performers entertained an exclusively white audience, representing an ’exoticized version of segregation.'
  • Summary: The club was originally opened by Jack Johnson before being taken over by gangster Onie Madden, who implemented the racist theme. Stars like Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway performed there between 1922 and 1935 before the club’s success waned after the Harlem riots.
Financing Through Shady Sources
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(00:27:53)
  • Key Takeaway: Evans secured initial financing from Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, who attempted a honey-pot scheme against Evans, and later from Las Vegas figures Ed and Fred Dumani, who were linked to the mob.
  • Summary: Evans mortgaged his mansion and sold stock to finance the film independently after Paramount passed following the failure of Popeye. The deal with Khashoggi involved Evans giving up 50% ownership to the Dumanis and Sayat for $30 million, despite the Dumanis being under corruption review.
Casting Turmoil and Puzzo’s Script
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(00:37:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Evans failed to secure Richard Pryor due to salary demands, eventually landing Richard Gere, while Gregory Hines aggressively pursued and secured his role despite Evans initially wanting a bigger name.
  • Summary: Evans tried to reconcile Richard Pryor with his wife to secure him for the film, but Pryor ultimately asked for $4 million, leading Evans to hire Richard Gere after months of intense wooing. Gregory Hines persistently contacted Evans daily until he was cast, replacing Pryor in History of the World Part 1 after Pryor’s accident.
Coppola Hired as Script Doctor
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(00:41:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Evans called on his nemesis, Francis Ford Coppola, to rewrite Mario Puzo’s script, which Gere and Evans hated for its lack of balance between the gangster and dance narratives.
  • Summary: Coppola was deeply in debt following the failure of One from the Heart and agreed to rewrite the script for a $250,000 fee paid by Evans. Coppola’s initial rewrite was deemed a ‘PBS documentary’ by Evans, leading to further conflict.
Script Resolution and Coppola’s Direction
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(00:50:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Actress Marilyn Matthews successfully convinced Coppola to incorporate Gere’s demand to play a cornet player and focus more on character story over pure history to make the film marketable.
  • Summary: Matthews confronted Coppola, arguing that audiences would not pay to see a historical lesson without action, love, and sex, persuading him to accommodate Gere’s request. Evans subsequently gave up his directorial aspirations, leading Coppola to agree to direct the film, creating a ‘Godfather Reunion’ package.
Coppola Secures Final Cut
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(00:52:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Francis Ford Coppola demanded $2.5 million, gross participation, and final cut authority to direct The Cotton Club.
  • Summary: Coppola’s collaboration with Evans, Hines, and Gere in Napa helped secure his interest, though Evans had lost the desire to direct. Evans lied to the financiers, claiming they loved the script, to resume funding after Coppola agreed to consider directing. Coppola was adamant about final cut due to Evans’ reputation as a ‘backseat driver’.
Mobster Joins Production
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(00:55:28)
  • Key Takeaway: The discovery of Roy Raden’s murder shortly after Coppola’s hiring heightened the sense of shady financing surrounding The Cotton Club.
  • Summary: Detectives interviewed Bob Evans for four hours regarding Roy Raden’s murder, though they seemingly let him go after receiving signed Chinatown scripts. Evans feared retaliation from the same source that targeted Raden, adding immense personal pressure during pre-production. Coppola was given only six weeks to prepare for shooting, retaining some of Evans’ existing production heads.
Production Staff Overhaul
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(00:57:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Coppola immediately replaced music supervisor Jerry Wexler and fought with Evans over cinematographer John Alonzo, ultimately hiring Stephen Goldblatt.
  • Summary: Coppola exhibited mood swings and distraction early on, despite production designer Dick Silbert’s initial optimism about the schedule. The original DP was replaced after a vote, and the original music supervisor received a high severance fee. These personnel changes, alongside Coppola’s demands, caused the production bills to rapidly accumulate.
Gere/Lane Dynamics and Casting Battles
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(00:57:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Coppola tested boundaries by casting an 18-year-old Diane Lane and clashing with Evans over casting Fred Gwynne (Herman Munster).
  • Summary: Coppola yelled at Diane Lane for acting her age despite casting her in a role for a woman in her 20s, though the hosts felt she wasn’t bad in the part. Coppola used the threat of leaving to force Evans to accept his casting choices, including Fred Gwynne, thereby securing total creative authority. Evans retreated to focus on investors after realizing Coppola had taken control.
Intense Script Revision Process
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(01:02:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Coppola and William Kennedy generated an astonishing 30 to 40 script drafts in about six weeks leading up to filming.
  • Summary: Coppola brought in Pulitzer Prize-winner William Kennedy to polish the script, leading to constant, chaotic rewriting that moved away from the approved version. This rapid iteration involved rearranging scenes and inserting old material, which frustrated the production crew who were building sets based on outdated blueprints. Richard Gere later described the set as having ’levels of madness that will never be surpassed in movie making’ due to the lack of a stable script.
Improvised Scenes and Gere’s Discomfort
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(01:05:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Coppola favored long, improvisational rehearsals, which Richard Gere hated, contrasting sharply with the Hines brothers who thrived in the uncertainty.
  • Summary: Gere was uncomfortable with Coppola’s jazz-like approach to acting, while actors like Maurice and Gregory Hines improvised scenes that became highlights of the film, drawing from their real-life sibling dynamic. Lonette McKee noted that Gere wanted scenes written exactly as he wanted them, failing to realize he needed to create them in the moment. Gere’s discomfort culminated in him walking off set just as filming began.
Gere’s Walkout and Budget Crisis
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(01:07:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Richard Gere abandoned filming without warning, forcing Gregory Hines to step in for a major musical number, and later returned only after doubling his salary to $3 million.
  • Summary: Gere’s absence required Gregory Hines to perform the ‘Tall, Tan, Terrific’ number, and production scrambled to rewrite scenes around him. Coppola and Gere had severe screaming matches, with Coppola boasting about being richer, despite being financially strained himself. The script continued to change so frequently that the first script coordinator quit, and Bob Hoskins gained 20 pounds waiting for scenes to shoot.
Financial Mismanagement and Mob Oversight
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(01:10:06)
  • Key Takeaway: The production suffered from massive waste, phony budgeting, and the replacement of a Dumani partner with a real-life gangster, Joey Kusimano, as line producer.
  • Summary: Veteran critics reported consistent ‘waste’ on set, including spending over $1 million on extras for one sequence due to poor preparation. Ed Dumani discovered the initial $20 million budget was ballparked and phony, finding instances of gross overpayment for supplies. Victor Saya was replaced by Joey Kusimano, who ironically protected Coppola and helped enforce budget discipline, despite his initial mob background.
Final Budget and Post-Production Battles
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(01:17:33)
  • Key Takeaway: The final cost exceeded $47 million, leading to Orion demanding Bob Evans be cut as producer and financiers threatening Coppola to remove black performers’ scenes.
  • Summary: The total spend reached over $47 million, forcing the Dumanis to secure an additional $15 million from Orion, which stipulated Evans’ removal as producer. Coppola was forced to cut scenes featuring black performers and tap dancing because financiers threatened to seize the print, leading to the film focusing more on the ‘boring white storylines.’ Coppola later admitted he cut those scenes out of fear of losing control of the film entirely.
The Cotton Club Encore Release
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(01:25:21)
  • Key Takeaway: Coppola spent $500,000 of his own money to recut The Cotton Club in 2015, restoring 24 minutes of footage, particularly black narratives, which was critically lauded.
  • Summary: The Cotton Club Encore restored Lynette McKee’s ‘Stormy Weather’ ballad and enhanced the Bumpy Rhodes storyline, creating a more coherent whole that balanced the narratives. Evans died shortly after the 2019 screening of the Encore, never seeing the critical acclaim for the restored version. Coppola acknowledged Evans’ contributions in his final statement, noting Evans’ role in casting Gere and Hines.