Charles W. Chesnutt to William B. Pratt, 8 October 1921
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October 8, 1921.
Houghton Mifflin Company,
4 Park Street,
Boston, Mass.
Attention Mr. W. B. Pratt,
Manager, Syndicate Bureau.
My dear Mr. Pratt:-
Micheaux Film Corporation1 have paid the first $100.00 note of the price they are to pay under their contract for the moving picture rights in "The House Behind the Cedars."2 Their note payable September 15th was protested, but they sent me a check payable on the first of October for the $100.00 and the protest fee, which went through in due course.3
I enclose you herewith my check for $25.00, being your 25 per cent. of the amount so received. I will keep after them sharply and try to see that they meet their obligations promptly.
Yours very truly,Correspondent: 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. 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]
3. The first promissory or "cognovit" note, due September 15, 1921, was not paid on time and incurred a penalty, for which the Micheaux Film Corporation reimbursed Chesnutt after paying the note by check on October 1, 1921. The October through December notes had similar delays; the last note was not paid. [back]
