- Collection:
- The Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s: Selections from the Records of Macon's Douglass Theatre
- Title:
- Letter: Washington D.C. to Charles Henry Douglass, Jr., Macon, Georgia, 1926 Feb. 15
- Creator:
- Dudley, Sherman H., ca. 1870-1940
- Date of Original:
- 1926-02-15
- Subject:
- Theatre Owners Booking Association
Contracts for work and labor--Georgia--Macon
Negotiation--Georgia--Macon
Theaters--Georgia--Macon
Vaudeville--Georgia--Macon
Entertainment events--Georgia--Macon
Commercial agents--Tennessee--Nashville
African American actors--Employment--Georgia--Macon
African American actresses--Employment--Georgia--Macon
African American musicians--Employment--Georgia--Macon
African Americans in the motion picture industry
African Americans in motion pictures
Race in motion pictures
Feature films--United States
Motion picture theaters--Georgia--Macon
Race films--United States
Easy money (Motion picture : 1922)
Bamville Dandies (Musical show : 1926)
Douglass Theatre (Macon, Ga.)
Douglass, Charles Henry, 1870-1940 - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Bibb County, Macon, 32.84069, -83.6324
- Medium:
- letters (correspondence)
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- image/jpeg
text/html - Description:
- Letter from Sherman H. Dudley, African American vaudevillian, actor in the 1922 film Easy Money and later president of the white-owned, Philadelphia-based Colored Players Film Corporation, to Charles Henry Douglass, Jr., African American entrepreneur and owner of the Douglass Theatre, dated February 15, 1926, regarding his plans to make personal appearances to promote the film Easy Money. Dudley informs Douglass that he will be promoting his film with personal appearances for a limited time and reminds Douglass of the large amount of business that he played to before his tour. He explains that he presents a musical show with eighteen people, adding that he carries his own agent and advertises heavily. Dudley proposes to split the profits fifty-fifty, explaining that he does not want Douglass to pay him or guarantee him and lose money. He reminds Douglass that while this act is not his big show, Ebony Follies, it is his personal appearance with the film Easy Money and a "red hot company." He asks Douglass to reply at once (see dbr046 of the Douglass Theatre Web site to view the circular for the film). Easy Money, released in 1921, was one of only two comedies released by REOL Productions Corporation, a white-owned, New York City based film company that released ten films for African Americans from 1920 to 1924.
Digital image and encoded transcription of an original manuscript, scanned, transcribed and encoded by the Digital Library of Georgia in 2005, as part of Georgia HomePLACE. This project is supported with federal LSTA funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. - Local Identifier:
- dbr066
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/dtrm/id:dbr066
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_dtrm_dbr066
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_dtrm_dbr066/presentation/manifest.json
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], Theater Records Series, Charles Henry Douglass, Jr. Business Records, 1906-1967, Middle Georgia Archives, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.
- Extent:
- [1] p.
Manuscript held by the Middle Georgia Archives, Washington Memorial Library, Charles Henry Douglass, Jr. business records, 1906-1967, box 21A, folder 212, document 3. - Holding Institution:
- Washington Memorial Library, Middle Georgia Regional Library
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
[Note: This document contains typewritten, handwritten, and printed text.]
[printed text:
MILTON STARR, PRES. [PRESIDENT] SAM E. REEVIN, TREAS. [TREASURER] & GEN. MGR. [GENERAL MANAGER]
[Note: Red and black lines frame the text, accompanied by a decorative square around each letter of the acronym]
T O B A
THEATRE OWNERS BOOKING ASSOCIATION]
OFFICE OF
S. H. DUDLEY
1223 SEVENTH STREET, N.W. [NORTHWEST]
[Note: Drawing depicting two harps connected by a ribbon sash.] TELEPHONE
MAIN 4644
WASHINGTON, D. C.]
[typewritten text: 15 February 1926]
[written text: Chas. [Charles] Douglass
Douglass Theater
Macon, Ga. [Georgia]]
[typewritten text: Dear Sir:
I have decided to start South with my picture and my personal appearance and play a limited amount of Time South. I am sure you know of the large amount of business I played to before on my Tour.
I have surrounded myself with a musical Tab of 18 people and a real show, I carry my own Agent and bill heavy. I do not know at this writing just what date I can play you, but all that I careto [care to] know just now is: Will you play the attraction at a 50-50 basis. I want to gamble with you as I dont want you to pay me nor guarantee me and lose money. You have the house and I have the attraction.
Dont get this confused with my Ebony Follies as this is not the Big Show, but it is S. H. Dudley's personal appearance with his picture EASY MONEY and a red hot company. Let me hear from you at once.
Sincerely yours,]
[Signed] [written text: S H Dudley]