They Weren’t Really Acting…Actor Speaks Out

Rick Stone also revealed that he and Norman were not really acting in the film. After the director saw how well they improvised their audition after he’d told them to just be themselves, he then encouraged them to improvise throughout the entire movie, by simply reacting to whatever was happening in the scenes. Shcultz wanted their true reactions and not the scripted ones, since they weren’t actors, but instead real life gangsters. And bada bang bada boom, it worked!

However, although their faces were now known to the masses, Norman and Rick were still living their realities in the streets and the tragedies that struck next were heartbreaking…

Norman Gibson Suddenly Passed 1 Year After “Cooley High”

Sadly, on September 29, 1976- just one year and three months after Cooley High was released- Norman succumbed to gun wounds at age 25, after an incident in his Chicago neighborhood. He was reportedly robbed by other stick-up men during a dice game.

Rick Stone Served Long Prison Term

After the film, Rick ended up getting busted for armed robbery and ended serving eight years in the pen.’

“Cooley High” Cast Mate Helped Him Get His Life On Track

The most beautiful part of Rick’s story is that today, he has redeemed himself. After getting out of prison, he was down on his luck, so an unlikely Cooley High cast mate came to the rescue- his friend/actress, Jackie Taylor, who played ‘Johnnie Mae,’ ‘Cochise’s’ girlfriend in Cooley High. She first gave him a job as a janitor at her Black Ensemble Theater (she owns it):

Via NPR: “Taylor called that day and said ‘Ricky, what you doing?” I said ‘nothing.’ And she said, ‘Come on down to the Black Ensemble Theater. I’ve got something for you.'”

Then Jackie gave Rick a job as an actor in the theater’s plays, which have been very successful in Chicago. He’s now starred in dozens of plays there and is still going strong. He also still lives in his Chi-town neighborhood, which has now a mixed-income neighborhood. He jokingly revealed this to NPR:

“I got white neighbors now,” Stone says. “A white guy and his wife knocked on my door, they had a cake and were like ‘Welcome to the neighborhood!’ I didn’t have the heart to tell them that I’d been over here all my life. I was like ‘Thank you.’ “

A happy ending to a tragic situation. Wishing Rick Stone much continued success. May Norman Gibson continue to rest peacefully.

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