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Since receiving your letter of January 18th, I have written my publishers, Houghton Mifflin Company, 4 Park Street, Boston, who own the copyright and all other rights of reproduction, translation, etc., in "The House Behind the Cedars", and of course any arrangement I make with you will have to be subject to their approval.2 They think your offer of $500.00 for the motion picture rights is small in comparison with prices offered by other firms, but at the same time they realize that the market for such a film is somewhat restricted, and are willing to leave that matter to me. As to the terms of payment, they say that your concern is not listed in the motion picture directory, and they have not been able to find out anything about your financial standing, and then go on to say:
"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 any possibility of your assigning your rights and never receiving payment for them. If Mr. Micheaux is so situated finan- Page 2. cially that this proposition would be impossible, 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.
"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 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.""3
I agree with them as to the rearrangement of the story and quite appreciate what you say about it at considerable length in your letter of January 18th, and I have no doubt that you will Page 3. make it an interesting and credible picture.4 That you can do so I am well aware, from the specimen of your work that I saw in Cleveland several months ago, although I have not yet received the copy of the scenario for your next production which you suggested in your letter that you sent me.5
Please let me know what you think of Houghton Mifflin Company's proposition.6 You ought to have this story on your list, because it is the most popular of my novels, which constitute a small body of literature which is in a way unique in its treatment of race questions.
Yours very truly,Correspondent: 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.