William Brace Pratt to Charles W. Chesnutt, 24 January 1921
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HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
SYNDICATE BUREAU
W. B. PRATT MANAGER
4 PARK STREET BOSTON
FICTION
BIOGRAPHY
NATURE SERIES
CHILDREN'S STORIES
JUVENILE VERSE
SPECIAL ARTICLES
January 24, 1921.
Mr. Charles W. Chesnutt,
1105 Williamson Building,
Cleveland, Ohio.
Dear Mr. Chesnutt:
Thank you for your letter of the 20th, outlining the offer of the Micheaux Film Corporation1 for the motion picture rights of "The House Behind the Cedars."2 I have tried to find out something about this concern, but they are not listed in our "Motion Picture Directory", so I am not too optimistic about their financial standing. Also, their offer of $500 for motion picture rights is small in comparison with prices offered by other concerns. At the same time, as you have pointed out, there is slight probability of your story being accepted for motion picture production by the larger film companies, and we are inclined to agree with you that it would be wise to accept the $500 price rather than receive no return from the motion picture rights for this story.
" As the price is so low, I think you could advantageously insist upon the full payment of the $500 on the signing of the contract. This would make it a cash transaction, and would eliminate theany possibility of your assigning your rights and never receiving payment for them. If Mr. Micheaux is so situated financially that this proposition would be impossible,3 I would suggest your giving him an option on the motion picture rights on the payment of say $100, such option extending to June 15, or the actual date of release, if the story is filmed before that time, and then the $400 payment on or before March 15, when the actual contract can be signed and the full motion picture rights granted Mr. Micheaux. This, I feel, would give you better protection than under the proposition as outlined by Mr. Micheaux.4
" A rearrangement of the story to adapt it for motion picture use, would be essential, and most stories when screened have but slight resemblance to the original. This, if properly handled, should not be detrimental. On the other hand, there is always some advertising value to be gained from the screen presentation of the story, and it is important that in your contract it be stipulated
FICTION
BIOGRAPHY
NATURE SERIES
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
SYNDICATE BUREAU
W. B. PRATT MANAGER
4 PARK STREET BOSTON
CHILDREN'S STORIES
JUVENILE VERSE
SPECIAL ARTICLES
Mr. Charles W. Chesnutt -- 2
that in advertising, and in the film itself, the statement be always made that the film is based on "The House Behind the Cedars" by Charles W. Chesnutt, by special arrangement with the publishers, Houghton Mifflin Company."5
We will await with interest definite word from you as to the signing of the contract, and will, of course be willing to have the arrangement made either on the basis of a full check to be sent to us, and then forward you two-thirds, or the check sent to you and you account to us for our third.6
With kindest regards,
Very truly yours, HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY. W B Pratt P/GCorrespondent: William Brace Pratt (1886–1961) was a White Bostonian who graduated from Yale in 1906. He worked for Houghton Mifflin's Special Sales department from 1907 to 1929; as the manager of the syndicate bureau, he frequently correspondended with Chesnutt about the film rights to his works in the 1920s.
1. The Micheaux Film Corporation began in 1919 as the Micheaux Book and Film Company. Founded by Black novelist, film director, and film producer Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951), it was based in Chicago, with offices in New York City and Roanoke, Virginia, and became the most successful Black-owned film company of the 20th century. In the 1920s and 30s, Micheaux produced at least three dozen films featuring Black actors and themes he believed to be of particular interest to Black audiences, three of them based loosely on Chesnutt's work. In 1928, the company voluntarily filed for bankruptcy, reorganized, and survived until 1940. Most of the films are lost. [back]
2. The House Behind the Cedars (Houghton Mifflin, 1900) was Chesnutt's first published novel. House evolved over more than a decade from a short story, "Rena Walden," first drafted in the late 1880s. It was the only novel by Chesnutt to be serialized, once in 1900-1901 in the monthly Self Culture and again in 1921-1922 in the Black weekly Chicago Defender. House was also his only novel to be adapted to film (1924 and 1932). [back]
3. Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951) was a Black American writer and film director known for his films about race and racism. Originally from Illinois, he began his career as a novelist and later founded the Micheaux Film and Book Company (ultimately renamed Micheaux Film Corporation) in 1919. He first adapted his early novel The Homesteader to film, and directed and produced over three dozen films in the 1920s and 30s, typically writing the scripts as well as overseeing the low-budget production and distribution of the films. Several of his films were loosely based on the works of Black authors, including Chesnutt. After the demise of his company in 1940, Micheaux founded a publishing business and wrote several more novels. [back]
4. In his January 20, 1921, letter to Pratt, Chesnutt had copied verbatim the proposition from Micheaux's letter of January 18. [back]
5. The hand-inserted quotation marks at the beginning of the second and at the beginning and end of the third paragraph of Pratt's letter are likely Chesnutt's rather than Pratt's, as these are the two paragraphs Chesnutt quotes verbatim in his January 27, 1921, letter to the Micheaux Film Corporation. [back]
6. Between January and September 1921, Oscar Micheaux negotiated with Chesnutt to pay $500 in five installments for the film rights to Chesnutt's novel The House Behind the Cedars. This was a low sum for movie rights to a novel, but Chesnutt likely took into account that Black-produced films had low budgets. Ultimately, 25% (rather than the originally suggested 33%) of the money received went to Chesnutt's publisher, Houghton Mifflin Company. Several of the payments were delayed, and Chesnutt never received the final installment. Micheaux's film adaptation was released in December 1924. [back]
