▁gu y , ▁and ▁so ▁was ▁Jimmy ▁C ag ney , ▁and ▁so ▁was ▁Edward ▁G . ▁Robinson . ▁And ▁I ▁thought ▁he ▁could ▁play ▁a ▁little ▁h ood l um ▁working ▁his ▁way ▁up ▁in ▁the ▁Har lem ▁under world ." ▁ ▁C ohen ▁wrote ▁a ▁treatment ▁for ▁$ 1 0 , 0 0 0 ▁but ▁when ▁he ▁finished ▁Davis ▁could ▁not ▁pay ▁due ▁to ▁some ▁trouble ▁with ▁the ▁In ternal ▁Re venue ▁Service . ▁Then ▁C ohen ▁was ▁approached ▁by ▁Samuel ▁Z . ▁Ark off ▁of ▁American ▁International ▁Pictures , ▁who ▁were ▁interested ▁in ▁doing ▁an ▁action ▁film ▁that ▁could ▁star ▁a ▁black ▁actor . ▁C ohen ▁produced ▁the ▁treatment ▁he ▁had ▁written ▁for ▁Davis ▁and ▁A IP ▁agreed ▁to ▁fin ance . ▁▁ ▁Most ▁of ▁the ▁film ▁was ▁shot ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁although ▁some ▁inter iors ▁were ▁fil med ▁in ▁Los ▁Angeles . ▁ ▁Fred ▁William son ▁was ▁cast ▁in ▁the ▁lead . ▁C ohen ▁says , ▁" F red ▁was ▁totally ▁different ▁than ▁what ▁Sam my ▁would ▁have ▁played , ▁because ▁Fred ▁was ▁a ▁hand some ▁leading ▁man . ▁He ▁looked ▁great ▁in ▁the ▁clothes , ▁and ▁he ▁looked ▁great ▁in ▁that ▁hat ▁that ▁I ▁put ▁on ▁him . ▁And ▁he ▁could ▁str ut ▁through ▁Har lem , ▁and ▁he ▁looked ▁like ▁the ▁God father ▁of ▁Har lem ." ▁ ▁C ohen ▁says ▁when ▁he ▁fil med ▁in ▁Har lem ▁the ▁local ▁gang sters ▁threatened ▁to ▁dis rupt ▁the ▁shoot ▁unless ▁they ▁were ▁paid ▁off . ▁He ▁offered ▁them