Charles W. Chesnutt to Swan E. Micheaux, 12 March 1921
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March 12, 1921.
Micheaux Film Corporation,1
S. E. Micheaux, Esq., Secretary and Treasurer,
538 So. Dearborn Street,
Chicago, Illinois.
Dear Mr. Micheaux:-
I was notified by Houghton Mifflin Company some days ago that they had sent you a contract for the motion picture rights in "The House Behind the Cedars,"2 with the request that you forward it to me.3 I hope the contract is satisfactory to you and that the matter will go through.4 I am anticipating some very pleasant relations with your concern.5
Sincerely yours,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. In the postscript of a letter to Chesnutt from January 29, 1921, Oscar Micheaux requested that Chesnutt ask his publisher to prepare the contract. Chesnutt overlooked this until he received a follow-up from Swan E. Micheaux on February 18, 1821, prompting Chesnutt to redress this with the Micheaux Corporation on February 19 and with William B. Pratt of Houghton Mifflin. In his letter to Chesnutt on March 3, 1921, Pratt enclosed a letter of the same date to Swan E. Micheaux, in which he had included the contract. The contract itself has not been located. [back]
4. Delays in the signing of the movie-rights contract for The House Behind the Cedars continued from March 1921 throughout the summer (see Swan E. Micheaux to Chesnutt, June 17, 1921, and Chesnutt's reply). The contract was eventually signed in late August or early September. [back]
5. 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]
