BHS Day 18: Oscar Micheaux

Hi! With this category being both a large one and a vague one, it was a little difficult to narrow down the people I wanted to include in this year's BHS Entertainment. I'm trying to remember to focus on both in front of and behind the camera, and today's selection is more about the latter. A couple of weeks ago we spoke about Paul Robeson, the entertainer and activist, and today we learn about the man who gave Robeson his first acting gig. On to the Spotlight!

Source

Name: Oscar Micheaux, 1885-1951 

Profession: Cinematographer, author, producer and director

Why is the Spotlight on him today? For his contributions to both the portrayal of Blacks on film and the progression of the Black film entrepreneur

Selected works, both on paper and film:
Books: --The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer (1913)
--The Homesteader: A Novel (1917)
--The Wind from Nowhere (1941)
--The Case of Mrs. Wingate (1945)
--The Masquerade: A Historical Novel (1947)

Film:
--Within Our Gates (1920)
--Body and Soul (1925)
--The Exile (1931)

Accomplishments:
--Made race films a signature in order to bring more attention to those issues
--Helped open the door for future Black filmmakers to have control over their work by deciding to write, produce, direct, record then transport all of his films
--Was able to help Blacks transition from the stereotypically negative theme in films to a more realistic depiction
--Was able to break a race barrier by convincing White southern theater managers to show his race films at their local segregated theaters
--Founded his own film company in order to have more control over the direction of his written works being depicted on film
--Was the posthumous namesake of the Oscar Micheaux Award, which celebrates young Black filmmakers
--Is recognized as the first Black filmmaker to use his platform to both educate and entertain the audience
--Was one of the few filmmakers whose career continued after the death of silent films and went on to create the first Black talkie
--Was the first Black filmmaker to work on exclusively turning his novels into films and casting Black actors rather than relying on typical casting methods for the time 
--Cast Paul Robeson (BHS #5) in his first film
--Is widely regarded as the first major Black filmmaker
--Has several of his films permanently added and preserved in the Library of Congress
--Received the posthumous honor of being selected for a commemorative stamp
--Was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the film industry

Further reading links: NAACP | Wikipedia

Today's list of accomplishments was pretty lengthy, wasn't it? For everything that Oscar Micheaux was able to do in his career, his work should be given more attention than it is now. I applaud his trailbrazing ways, completely unaware that people for years to come would be following in his footsteps for similar reasons. I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you tomorrow!