Charles W. Chesnutt to Robert Levy, 18 February 1921
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February 18, 1921.
Mr. Robert Levy,
Care Reol Productions Corporation,1
126-130 West 46th Street,
New York City.
My dear Mr. Levy:-
In telling you yesterday to forward contract,2 I overlooked to say that a condition of my sale of this book would be that in advertising, and in the film itself, the statement be always made that the film is based on "The Marrow of Tradition" by Charles W. Chesnutt, by special arrangement with the publishers, Houghton Mifflin Company.3 This is required by the publishers, so please insert this in the contract.
I have written my publishers to the effect that I have agreed with you on a price for the book, and have no doubt that they will concur in my arrangement, although I was taking a chance. I am writing them today but I do not anticipate any objection on their part.4
Yours very truly, CWC/KCorrespondent: Robert Levy (1888–1959) was a producer and director in Black theater and film in the 1920s. He was the manager of the Lafayette Theater in Harlem from 1916 until 1919, and founded REOL Productions, a film company dedicated to making films for Black audiences. A White Jewish immigrant from Britain, he was at times criticized for not making space for Black leadership in his theater and films.
1. REOL Productions was a film company founded by Robert Levy (1888–1959). Like the Micheaux Film Corporation, its direct rival, REOL sought to produce films based on the writings of Black writers and aimed at Black audiences. The company was incorporated in May of 1920 and released twelve silent films in 1921 and 1922, before being dissolved in 1924. Negotiations over the film rights to Chesnutt's The Marrow of Tradition did not ultimately result in a contract. [back]
2. Given that Chesnutt's letters to Levy from Thursday, February 17, 1921, and Friday, February 18, 1921 are only one day apart and do not allow for a written response from Levy, it is most likely that they had a telephone conversation or met in person on February 17, 1921, to discuss the film adaptation. [back]
3. The Marrow of Tradition was published by Houghton, Mifflin & Company in October 1901. The novel was a thinly veiled account of the Wilmington Massacre of 1898, a White supremacist coup that overthrew an interracial city government, targeted Black elected officials, killed between 60 and 300 Black citizens, and terrorized several thousand who fled the city and never returned. [back]
4. See Chesnutt's letter to William B. Pratt at Houghton Mifflin Company from the same day, February 18, 1921. [back]
