Excellent pick 🎬 — here’s a detailed, SEO-optimized write-up about Cochise from the 1975 classic film Cooley High — a landmark in African American cinema and coming-of-age storytelling.

Cochise – Cooley High

The Soul of Cooley High

Cochise, portrayed by Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, is one of the central characters in the 1975 coming-of-age film Cooley High, directed by Michael Schultz and written by Eric Monte. The movie captures the joy, friendship, and tragedy of growing up in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood during the 1960s.

• Character: Cochise

• Portrayed by: Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs

• School: Edwin G. Cooley Vocational High School (fictionalized as “Cooley High”)

• Era: 1960s Chicago

• Best Friend: Preach (played by Glynn Turman)

Character Overview 🎞️

Cochise is the charismatic, athletic, and good-hearted best friend of Preach. A high school basketball star with dreams of a college scholarship, Cochise represents hope, ambition, and the potential to escape the challenges of inner-city life.

Despite his humble surroundings, he carries himself with confidence and optimism, balancing school, sports, and friendship with humor and integrity.

The Story of Cooley High

The film follows Cochise and Preach as they navigate life, love, and mischief in their final days of high school. It’s a blend of comedy, drama, and heartbreak — often called the “Black American Graffiti.”

Their adventures capture the universal spirit of youth, while also reflecting the unique realities of Black teenage life in 1960s Chicago.

However, tragedy strikes when Cochise becomes the victim of mistaken revenge — a moment that still resonates deeply with audiences today.

Legacy and Cultural Impact 🌆

• Cooley High is widely regarded as a classic of Black cinema and a touchstone for 1970s storytelling.

• The film’s success directly inspired the creation of the hit TV show What’s Happening!! (1976–1979).

• Cochise became a symbol of lost potential — a reminder of how systemic hardship can cut short the brightest futures.

• Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs’ performance remains one of the most heartfelt portrayals of friendship and youth in film history.

Behind the Name “Cooley High”

The film’s fictional school, Cooley High, was inspired by the real-life Edwin G. Cooley Vocational High School in Chicago, where writer Eric Monte attended. The school became an emblem of urban youth culture and the backdrop for a timeless story about friendship, dreams, and loss.

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• Cochise Cooley High

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• Edwin G. Cooley Vocational High School

Would you like me to mock up a Cooley High School basketball jersey (front and back) with #22 COCHISE, styled after a 1970s Chicago look — vintage lettering, maroon and cream colors? It would make a powerful tribute to his character.

Cochise Cooley High School stands out as a beacon of educational excellence and community engagement. Located in a vibrant neighborhood, this institution is dedicated to fostering a nurturing environment where students can thrive academically and personally. The school offers a diverse curriculum that caters to various learning styles, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed.

One of the key aspects that sets Cochise Cooley High School apart is its commitment to individualized attention. With smaller class sizes, teachers can focus on each student's unique strengths and challenges, providing tailored support that enhances learning outcomes. Moreover, the school's emphasis on extracurricular activities promotes well-rounded development, encouraging students to explore their interests beyond academics.

Parents looking for an educational institution that prioritizes both academic rigor and personal growth should strongly consider Cochise Cooley High School. By choosing this school, families are not just investing in education; they are becoming part of a supportive community dedicated to shaping future leaders.

Cochise Cooley High School refers to the fictional Edwin G. Cooley Vocational High School featured in the 1975 film "Cooley High." The film is set in 1964 Chicago and follows the lives of high school seniors, including the character Richard "Cochise" Morris, a basketball star, and his best friend Leroy "Preach" Jackson. It depicts their final weeks of high school amid the backdrop of a predominantly African American neighborhood, showcasing their friendships, challenges, and aspirations. The story emphasizes themes of youth, friendship, and the struggles of growing up in the Cabrini-Green projects of Chicago. The film was inspired by the writer Eric Monte's personal experiences at the now-defunct Cooley Vocational High School and is celebrated for its authentic portrayal of Black youth during that era.wikipedia+3

1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072820/

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooley_High

3. https://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/so-hard-to-say-goodbye-the-oral-history-of-cooley-high/

4. https://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/cooley-high

5. https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2025/08/cooley-high-1977-review/

6. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072820/plotsummary/

7. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/06/26/417185907/40-years-later-the-cast-of-cooley-high-looks-back

8. https://thecolonialtheatre.com/films/classic-films/cooley-high/

9. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cooley_high

10. Of course. This is a classic reference to one of the most beloved characters from a cornerstone of African-American cinema.

    The phrase **"Cochise Cooley High School"** instantly calls up the 1975 film ***Cooley High***, which is often described as the "Black *American Graffiti*."

    ### The Breakdown:

    * ***Cooley High***: The film, set in 1964 Chicago, follows a group of friends during their senior year. It's a coming-of-age story filled with humor, camaraderie, music, and ultimately, tragedy.

    * **Cochise**: The character played by **Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs**. He is the charismatic, athletic, and beloved best friend of the main character, Preach (Glynn Turman).

    ### The Character: The Golden Boy of Cooley High

    When you say "Cochise Cooley High School," you are referring to the heart and soul of the film.

    **Who Cochise Is:**

    * **The Star Athlete:** He's the basketball star of Cooley High, full of life, confidence, and swagger. He represents potential and the promise of a future beyond their Chicago neighborhood.

    * **The Loyal Best Friend:** His relationship with Preach is the core of the movie. They navigate teenage life, chasing girls, getting into mischief, and dreaming about the future together.

    * **The Tragic Figure:** Without giving away too much for those who haven't seen it, Cochise's story takes a devastating turn. His fate is the emotional climax of the film and what elevates it from a simple comedy-drama to a powerful and memorable tragedy.

    **His Significance:**

    The name "Cochise" itself evokes a strong, noble leader (like the famous Apache chief), and the character lives up to that name within his group of friends. He is the "what could have been" – the talented young man with a bright future whose life is cut short, symbolizing the lost potential and the harsh realities faced by many young Black men in inner cities.

    **The Real-Life Connection:**

    The film is loosely based on the teenage experiences of its writer, Eric Monte, who attended **Cooley Vocational High School** in Chicago. While the characters are fictional, they are drawn from real archetypes and experiences.

    In short, **"Cochise Cooley High School"** is a poignant reference to a charismatic and tragic character whose story, and his friendship with Preach, has resonated for decades. He is an icon of 1970s Black cinema.

### Cochise and Cooley High School

**Key Points:**

- Cochise (Richard Morris), played by Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, is the charismatic co-lead in the 1975 coming-of-age film *Cooley High*, a senior basketball prodigy at fictionalized Edwin G. Cooley Vocational High School in Chicago's Cabrini-Green projects.

- His story blends youthful antics with tragedy, highlighting dreams and dangers of Black teen life in 1964, ending in his murder after a stolen car joyride—drawing from semi-autobiographical elements of writer Eric Monte's youth.

- The film, a critical and commercial hit grossing $13 million, is celebrated as a Black cinema classic, influencing directors like Spike Lee and earning National Film Registry preservation in 2021.

#### Role at Cooley High School

Set at the real-life Cooley Vocational High School (closed in 1979), Cochise is depicted as a popular, athletic senior with a scholarship to Grambling State University, embodying hope amid inner-city struggles. He skips classes for adventures with best friend Preach, balancing school pranks with his promising future.

#### Key Events and Tragic Arc

Cochise's arc starts with lighthearted escapades like zoo trips and parties, but escalates with a fistfight and ill-fated joyride in a stolen Cadillac, leading to his arrest and eventual beating death by vengeful thugs under the L train tracks.

#### Legacy and Cultural Impact

Cochise's character humanizes Black youth narratives, avoiding blaxploitation tropes and inspiring films like *Boyz n the Hood*. Jacobs' portrayal launched his career in shows like *Welcome Back, Kotter*, while the movie's Motown soundtrack and themes of friendship endure.

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Cochise's indelible presence in *Cooley High* (1975)—the vibrant, bittersweet cornerstone of American independent cinema—captures the electric pulse of 1960s Chicago's Black youth culture, where hoop dreams collide with harsh realities under the shadow of the El tracks and Cabrini-Green's towering projects. Portrayed with effortless swagger by Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, the character of Richard "Cochise" Morris serves as the magnetic counterpoint to co-lead Leroy "Preach" Jackson (Glynn Turman), a duo whose senior-year escapades at Edwin G. Cooley Vocational High School weave comedy, camaraderie, and catastrophe into a tapestry that redefined portrayals of urban Black adolescence. Directed by Michael Schultz from Eric Monte's semi-autobiographical script—rooted in the writer's own Cabrini-Green upbringing, where a close friend's murder shadowed his path—the film transforms a modest $750,000 budget into a $13 million phenomenon, grossing over that domestically and cementing its status as a top-30 earner of 1975. This expansive retrospective, culled from production archives, critical retrospectives, and cultural echoes, unspools Cochise's Cooley odyssey: from scholarship-bound stardom to senseless demise, against the Motown-scored backdrop of a school and neighborhood that pulse with promise and peril. Far from a mere sidekick, Cochise embodies the film's humane heart—vital, vulnerable, and vanished too soon—resonating as a beacon for filmmakers from John Singleton to Spike Lee, who enshrined it on his essential viewing list for aspiring directors.

#### The Cabrini Crucible: Setting and School as Character

*Cooley High* unfolds in the sweltering autumn of 1964, anchoring its narrative in Chicago's Near North Side, where the Cabrini-Green Homes—a sprawling public housing complex of mid-rise bricks and high-rises—looms as both cradle and cage for its young protagonists. This wasn't mere backdrop; production filmed on-location from October to November 1974, capturing the L train's rumble, soul food shacks like Martha's Lounge, and Lincoln Park Zoo's languid lions with raw authenticity. Interiors, including Cooley High's bustling hallways and classrooms, were shot at Providence St. Mel High School on the West Side, evoking the vocational institution's real mandate: equipping Cabrini kids with trades amid systemic neglect. Edwin G. Cooley Vocational High, operational from 1938 until its 1979 shuttering due to enrollment dips and urban shifts, served primarily Black and low-income students from the projects—mirroring the film's ensemble of non-professional actors sourced from Chicago streets, many debuting on celluloid. Monte, a Cooley alum whose script dispelled "ghetto grim" stereotypes with fond nostalgia, infused the school with lived texture: echoing corridors where Preach pens poetry for English class, gyms where Cochise dazzles with crossovers, and midterms dodged for mischief. Critics like Kevin Thomas of the *Los Angeles Times* hailed this verisimilitude as a "landmark," freeing the film from blaxploitation's exploitative gaze to celebrate "young, gifted, and Black" vitality.

Cochise, at 17, strides these halls as the golden athlete—6-foot-2, broad-shouldered, with a fade haircut and easy grin that commands respect without demand. His moniker, evoking the Apache chief's warrior spirit, nods to a pop-culture nod (perhaps the radio serial *Straight Arrow*), but Jacobs—then 21, fresh from Broadway's *Hair*—imbues him with streetwise poise, his wardrobe of slim slacks and letterman jackets signaling aspirational cool. Unlike Preach's introspective scribbling, Cochise thrives on the court's rhythm, his background sketched in vignettes: a project apartment cluttered with trophies, a mother (played by Juanita Moore) beaming over report cards, and a girlfriend, Loretta (Cynthia Davis), whose affections spark his rare flares of jealousy. No granular stats pad his profile—Cooley's no stats sheet—but his prowess shines in pickup games, foreshadowing the Grambling letter that arrives like manna, a ticket to HBCU hoops and beyond the projects' pull.

#### Antics and Aspirations: Cochise's Joyful Jaunts

The film's first act romps through Cooley's comedic corridors, Cochise as the unflappable instigator in a quartet of truants—Preach, Pooter (Corin Rogers), and Willie (Joseph Carter)—whose zoo skip (bribing a janitor with a dollar) spirals into a day of Motown-fueled frolics. Back at Martha's, amid ribbetting jukebox and rib platters, Cochise wagers Preach a buck on charming shy Brenda (Maurice Leon Havis), his laughter booming as Preach stumbles into sparks. These beats, scored by Freddie Perren's lush arrangements of "Sherry," "I Like It," and "Heat Wave," paint Cochise as the group's gravitational glue—quick with a quip ("Man, you crazy!"), his athleticism flashing in impromptu races down Division Street.

Homefront highs crest when the scholarship envelope awaits: Grambling State, a powerhouse for Black athletes, dangles Division I dreams, Cochise whooping as he reads it aloud, Preach clapping his back. "We goin' places, man," he grins, toasting with grape soda—a moment of unadulterated uplift, Monte's nod to real friends who "made it" despite odds. Yet, undercurrents churn: Stone (Norman Gibson) and Robert (Eric Monte's brother), leather-jacketed corner hoods with switchblades and swagger, eye the crew warily, their repeat-offender shadows lengthening. Cochise, clean-cut and college-bound, dismisses them with a shrug, his optimism a bulwark against the blocks' brewing storms.

#### Escalation to Elegy: The Joyride and Its Jolt

Mid-film momentum builds at Dorothy's (Patricia Stovall) quarter party—a cramped flat pulsing with "Shout" and slow-grinds—where Cochise clocks Damon (Franco Shaw) mid-kiss with Loretta, fists flying in a flurry that topples turntables and trashes the vibe. No arrests then, but the brawl badges budding beef. Saturday's cinema caper (a Western double-bill) dissolves into deck-clearing donnybrook when Pooter's boot crushes a patron's toe, Cochise wading in with haymakers before bouncers boot them out.

The pivot crashes in: Stone and Robert, Cadillac keys jangling from a North Side lift, lure Cochise and Preach for a "spin" downtown—Preach at wheel, Cochise shotgun, oblivious to the heist. Cruising Michigan Avenue's Gold Coast glitz, they blast "My Girl," but a red-light run ignites sirens; a Navy Pier hairpin chase (tires screeching past Ferris wheels) ends in a fender-bender flee, the crew scattering like roaches. Monday's midterm mockery halts at cuffs: detectives haul them for the hot rod, Mr. Mason (James Monk) vouching their virgin records to spring them, while Stone and Robert rot as recidivists. Relief reigns—high-fives in the hall—but vendetta vipers: the duo, fingering Preach and Cochise as snitches, stalk shadows.

Climax under the rattling L: Stone, Robert, and Damon ambush Cochise solo, bats and boots raining till he crumples, lifeless in a pool of streetlight. Preach's discovery—scream swallowed by southbound rumble—shatters the screen, the camera lingering on his crumpled form, letterman sodden. Funeral's finality: mahogany casket in a sun-dappled chapel, Preach toasting ghosts with Boone's Farm ("To the fellas we been with..."), reciting a heartfelt poem vowing ascent. Epilogue whispers redemption: Preach pens to Hollywood success, Cochise's ghost a galvanizing grace note.

| Key Event | Description | Cochise's Role | Outcome/Impact |

|-----------|-------------|----------------|---------------|

| Zoo Skip Day | Truants bribe janitor, hit Lincoln Park Zoo, return via L train to Martha's for soul food and bets. | Co-instigator with Preach; laughs off risks, wagers on Preach's flirt. | Lighthearted bonding; sets comedic tone, underscores friendship. |

| Scholarship Reveal | Home envelope from Grambling State University arrives post-adventure. | Recipient; celebrates with whoops, symbolizing escape from projects. | Heightens stakes—his bright future contrasts coming tragedy. |

| Quarter Party Brawl | Dorothy's bash: fistfight with Damon over Loretta, wrecking the pad. | Aggrieved boyfriend; throws first punch in jealousy-fueled fray. | Escalates rivalries; trashes party, foreshadows violent undercurrents. |

| Stolen Cadillac Joyride | Lured by Stone/Robert into hot-wired Coupe de Ville; downtown cruise turns police pursuit. | Passenger; unaware of theft, enjoys ride till crash and flight. | Arrest (briefly); sows seeds of perceived betrayal, leading to murder. |

| Cinema Scuffle | Saturday movies erupt in fight after Pooter's mishap. | Defender; joins melee, ejected with crew. | Reinforces crew loyalty; minor chaos amid mounting tensions. |

| Arrest & Release | Nabbed pre-midterm for joyride; teacher intervenes. | Co-arrestee; clean slate saves him, unlike hoods. | Temporary relief; fuels snitch myth, catalyzing fatal ambush. |

| Murder Under the L | Ambushed by Stone, Robert, Damon believing betrayal. | Victim; beaten to death in brutal off-screen assault. | Tragic pivot; Preach's grief propels his writing dreams. |

| Funeral Toast | Chapel service; Preach's poetic eulogy at casket. | Honored deceased; inspires survivor's vow to "make it." | Cathartic close; epilogue ties to Monte's real Hollywood rise. |

This table timelines Cochise's arc, distilling plot beats from the 117-minute runtime—no stats per se, but events underscore his evolution from carefree king to cautionary catalyst.

#### Production Pulse: From Script to Screen

Monte's screenplay, penned post-*What's Happening!!* pilot (which spun from a rejected *Cooley* TV pitch), drew from a slain friend's echo, infusing authenticity via Chicago non-actors—Jacobs, a Watts native with stage cred, beat 400 for the role, his improv flair shining in ad-libs. Schultz, fresh off *Honeybaby, Honeybaby*, shot guerrilla-style: real projects teeming with extras, a Cadillac chase sans permits (nearly sparking real pursuits). Perren's soundtrack—14 Motown cuts plus G.C. Cameron's end-credits ballad "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (a Boyz II Men cover staple)—earned gold, its harmonies haunting the hurt. American International Pictures' June 25, 1975, release targeted urban multiplexes, exploding via word-of-mouth in Black communities.

Reception rippled: *NYT*'s Jack Slater lauded its "vanished innocence" vitality over *American Graffiti*; Siskel's *Chicago Tribune* 3.5/4 stars praised the affecting shift from gags to gut-punch; *Variety*'s Murphy dubbed the cast "fine young" in a "heartening" yarn. Dissent dotted—*Washington Post*'s Trescott sniffed "hackneyed nostalgia," *Monthly Film Bulletin*'s Rosenbaum eyed unevenness—but consensus crests at Rotten Tomatoes' 83% (53 reviews), Metacritic's 72/100. Box office boomed to $13M domestic ($2.6M rentals), a 17x return, buoyed by endorsements from Sidney Poitier.

#### Enduring Echo: Cochise as Cultural Catalyst

Cochise's legacy lingers in cinema's firmament: 2021 National Film Registry inductee for "cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance," a "classic of Black cinema" per NPR's 2015 oral history, where Townsend (walk-on) credited its humane lens on "inner-city dreams." It birthed *What's Happening!!* (1976–79), inspired *Boyz n the Hood*'s hood harmony, and soundtracked Nas's *Illmatic* nod ("dropped out of Cooley High"). Boyz II Men's *Cooleyhighharmony* (1991) immortalized its title, while Entertainment Weekly's #23 "Best High School Movies" slot affirms its shelf life. Jacobs parlayed Cochise to *Kotter*'s Freddie "Boom-Boom" Washington, then *The Jacksons* and *Diff'rent Strokes*, his 2023 *Bel-Air* reprise nodding full circle. Tragically, Gibson (Robert) fell to gunfire in 1977, art mirroring the life it limned.

Remake murmurs persist: 2016 MGM nod with Common producing, Seth Rosenfeld scripting, though dormant by 2025. Criterion's 2022 Blu-ray—4K remaster, essays by Elvis Mitchell—revives its glow, Jacobs reflecting in extras: "Cochise was me at 17—full of fire, blind to frost." In Cabrini's ghosts (demolished by 2011), Cooley's corridors cleared, Cochise endures: not as victim, but victor in vignettes of valor, a testament that even in 1964's grit, Black boys' bonds outshine the breaks.

**Key Citations:**

- [Cooley High - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooley_High)

- [Cooley High (1975) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072820/)

- [Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Cochise - Cooley High (1975) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072820/characters/nm0385320)

- [So Hard to Say Goodbye: The Oral History of Cooley High - Chicago Magazine](https://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/so-hard-to-say-goodbye-the-oral-history-of-cooley-high/)

- [Cooley High: Young, Gifted, and Black - The Criterion Collection](https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8016-cooley-high-young-gifted-and-black)

- [Cooley High | Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cooley_high)