Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind The Making Of “Harlem Nights”
Harlem
Obviously, the fact that the location of the film shows up in the title is no accident. Harlem and its history is arguably another character in the film. So it was important that it be depicted accurately. It wasn’t just important to Eddie either. In a Moveline interview with production designer Larry Paull, Paull said that Eddie’s mother, Lillian, made sure that Harlem was depicted properly:
“Eddie Murphy’s mother, who was prowling the set, pulled Paull aside and told him how important it was to her that Harlem be presented as an attractive community. “Which it was,” says the production designer. “Strivers Row, in Harlem, is still one of the most beautiful streets in New York. Harlem didn’t really start to decay until after World War II.”
