SOURCE: "The Micheaux Film Corporation; Oscar Micheaux," in Blacks in Black and White: A Source Book on Black Films, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1977, pp. 42-55.

In the following essay, Sampson presents a historical overview of Micheaux's filmmaking career.

The appreciation my people have shown my maiden efforts convinces me that they want racial photoplays depicting racial life, and to that task I have concentrated my mind and efforts.

—Oscar Micheaux (1920)

Undoubtedly the most successful of all black-owned independent film production companies which produced films about black people and employed all-black casts was the Micheaux Film and Book Corporation, which later became the Micheaux Film Corporation. This company, founded in 1918, was the only black-owned company which continued to produce films through the 1920's and 1930's. This company was established by one of the most colorful characters in the history of American films, Oscar Micheaux. During the 21 years between 1918 and...