Born in Gary, Indiana in 1949, Ernest Lee Thomas is best known for his role as Roger 'Raj' Thomas in the 1970s sitcom What's Happening!!. His transition to film includes a notable appearance in A Piece of the Action (1977), where he showcases his comedic talents in a story about con artists and their misadventures. Thomas's work in this film adds a unique layer to the exploration of urban comedy in the 1970s, connecting his television roots to the vibrant energy of cult cinema.
A Piece of the Action
Dave Anderson and Manny Durrell are two high-class sneak thieves who have never been caught. Joshua Burke is a retired detective who has enough evidence on the both of them to put them behind bars. Instead, he offers to maintain his silence if the crooks will go straight and do work at a youth center for delinquents. At first, the crooks are reluctant and unwilling (and so are the kids). As time goes by they gain the trust and admiration of the kids and they start to enjoy the job. All goes well until someone out of the past tells them they have to do one last heist...or else.
