Charles W. Chesnutt to Swan E. Micheaux, 19 February 1921
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February 19, 1921.
Micheaux Film Corporation,1
S. E. Micheaux, Secretary & Treasurer,
538 South Dearborn Street,
Chicago, Ill.
Dear Mr. Micheaux:-
I had been under the impression that you were to draw the contract for the motion picture rights in my "The House Behind the Cedars,"2 andbut upon re-reading your letter of January 29th,3 I see that I overlooked the postscript, which was on the second page, in which you ask me to have contract prepared.4 Upon receipt this morning of thurs of February 18th, I have written to my publishers asking them to prepare immediately and send to me or to you direct, a contract in the terms agreed between us. It will be along in a few days.
Correspondent: Swan Emerson Micheaux (1896–1975) was Oscar Micheaux's younger brother and served as secretary, treasurer, and booking manager of the Micheaux Film Corporation from 1920 to 1927. He was suspected of financial mismanagement and forced to resign in 1928.
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. See Oscar Micheaux's January 29, 1921, letter to Chesnutt. [back]
4. 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]
