King Cohen’s story begins in a very different climate than the 70s exploitation arena on which Cohen’s legend was largely built. His first work was in television, where he worked solidly as a writer all through the 60s: on top of contributing scripts to a great many established shows, he also created a few, including The Invaders, Coronet Blue and Branded (which, as the doc notes, was immortalised for modern viewers by its references in The Big Lebowski). However, the film paints Cohen as something of a maverick, often at odds with the powers that be, and unwilling to stay bound to a single show for more than a few episodes for fear of getting bored. So it was that, following his directorial debut Bone (AKA Dial Rat) in 1972, Cohen carved his own niche in cinema as writer, director and producer of a slew of movies. His 1973 features Black Caesar and Hell Up In Harlem were among the first major blaxploitation titles which helped cement their star Fred Williamson as an icon of that genre; then 1974 saw him move into horror with It’s Alive, which remains a cult favourite. In the process, the film presents a compelling case for his having pioneered the ‘guerrilla filmmaking’ approach that future indie auteurs would follow: shooting from the hip in major locations without permits, staging often violent and dangerous scenes in full view of oblivious passers-by, and rushing from one project to the next. One particularly striking story tells how Cohen found himself fired from a movie in New York City, then proceeded to commence work on a new one mere days later, production on which caused panic after machine guns were fired around the Chrysler Building. The film in question was the aforementioned Q: The Winged Serpent, which wound up one of his best loved works; hence it’s the primary subject of King Cohen’s official poster, as you can see below.
It’s possible some fans might feel a little short-changed given that the focus of the documentary is primarily Cohen’s directorial work, when he’s always been far more prolific as a writer: for instance, there’s barely a passing mention of the beloved Maniac Cop, which he wrote but didn’t direct. Even so, the focus on his directorial work does bring up some interesting details which might have slipped your attention beforehand, such as the fact that he was the writer-director on the final film of Bette Davis, Wicked Stepmother, but was forced to heavily rework the project on the fly when the terminally ill actress abruptly quit midway through production.
Cult film-based documentaries have had quite the boom in recent years, perhaps most notably with Mark Hartley’s Not Quite Hollywood, Machete Maidens Unleashed and Electric Boogaloo. Steven Mitchell (who, it should be noted, has some major cult credentials of his own, having many moons ago written Chopping Mall) has delivered a respectable addition to that arena of documentaries liable to leave viewers with a list of new must-see movies as long as your arm. Those who are already well-versed in Larry Cohen’s filmography are sure to have a ball, and everyone else is likely to become an instant fan.
King Cohen begins its US theatrical run in Los Angeles on July 20th, with other cities to follow.