Coonskin/Fun Facts

• Although the movie had been opposed by the Congress of Racial Equality, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) had written a letter describing the film as a difficult satire, but supported it. C.O.R.E.'s protest led to the film's eventual disappearance.

• Ralph Bakshi was able to persuade Albert S. Ruddy to produce the film by claiming it was a remake of Song of the South (1946). This film satirizes the folk tales and character of Uncle Remus upon which "Song of the South" was based upon.

• Director Cameo: [Ralph Bakshi] as the white cop who speaks through a megaphone before being shot by Maddigan.

• In researching this film, director Ralph Bakshi went into Harlem with a tape recorder and asked various people "What's it like being black in America?"

• The working title was "Harlem Nights." Harlem Nights (1989) was later used as the title of a film starring Richard Pryor, who was a fan of Ralph Bakshi's film. Both films feature the crime racket in Harlem as a plot point.

• In 2005, Ralph Bakshi stated in interviews that he along with hip-hop group Wu Tang Clan and producer Albert S. Ruddy planned on producing a sequel.
• The film was subject to numerous protests by the Congress of Racial Equality led by Al Sharpton. After the group disrupted the premiere screening, Ben Gage was hired to re-record some of Barry White's voice track, in order to remove "racist references and vulgarity".

• When Martin Scorsese was filming Taxi Driver (1976) near Times Square, he captured footage of people running out of a theater showing this film due to protesters setting off a smoke bomb. He sent this footage to Bakshi who said "I didn't know whether to laugh or cry".