Cooley High

Set in Chicago in 1964, Cooley High follows two best friends, Leroy "Preach" Jackson and Richard "Cochise" Morris, as they navigate life in the Near North Side neighborhood. The two enjoy parties, meeting new people and the freedom of their final year of high school, a world that changes abruptly when they are wrongly arrested over a stolen Cadillac. The story carries the pair through to the end of their school days.

The film was directed by Michael Schultz, marking his first credited feature in a run that continued with Car Wash the following year. Eric Monte wrote the screenplay, and Steve Krantz produced. Glynn Turman and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs lead the cast as Preach and Cochise, with Garrett Morris, Cynthia Davis, Corin Rogers and Maurice Leon Havis in supporting roles.

Released in June 1975, the film is a blend of comedy, drama and romance. It performed solidly at the box office, taking in about 13 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.1 from roughly 6,200 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7 out of 10 from a much smaller group of 75 voters, so the two audiences broadly agree despite the difference in sample size.