Rev. Deke O'Malley

Rev. Deke O'Malley was a greedy, lying con artist in the 1970 movie Cotton Comes to Harlem.

He was played by Calvin Lockhart.

We first see him at a Back-to-Africa event where he's getting donations for the movement. It's revealed that he's involved with the Mob, when a group of men in masks start shooting people after the event. This leads Ed Coffin and Gravedigger Jones on a massive detective adventure, which involves shootouts and thrills. Eventually Deke is caught by the two, and his wife also finds out. This leads to a nasty protest later on, in which many members of the community ask for the police to release him. Towards the end of the Ed and Gravedigger are at a play in Harlem (featuring the movie's main theme song of the same name), and they vow to take him down. Deke does everything to escape before he gets caught. Unfortunately for him it's too late, Ed and Gravedigger both catch him before he can leave, with a gun. His whole act eventually becomes exposed, and he becomes the source of shame in the community.