Harry Belafonte starred in and produced Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), the first film noir with a black protagonist. Belafonte selected Abraham Polonsky who had written and directed a famous noir, Force of Evil, to write the script. As a blacklisted writer Polonsky used a front, John O. Killens, a black novelist and friend of Belafonte's. (In 1997, the Writers Guild of America officially restored Polonsky's credit.) The film is based on a novel by William P. McGivern. Oscar-winner Robert Wise directed. Composer John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet, contributed the film's jazz score.

Plot

David Burke (Ed Begley), a former policeman ruined when he refused to cooperate with State Crime Investigators, has asked hard-bitten, racist ex-con Earl Slater (Robert Ryan) to rob an upstate bank with him, promising him $50,000 if the robbery is successful. Burke also recruits Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte), a nightclub entertainer who doesn’t want the job but who is addicted to gambling and is in debt. At first Slater, who is supported by his girlfriend, Lorry (Shelley Winters), finds out Ingram is black and refuses the job but, realizing he needs the money, decides after all to join Ingram and Burke in the venture. When they embark on the robbery tension between Ingram and Slater mount. Gloria Grahame plays Slater's upstairs neighbor.

Awards

It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award: 1960 Best Film Promoting International Understanding