Black America : story
Scope and Contents
American film writer and producer Lew Lipton worked on the ultimately unproduced story and screenplay for “Black America” from 1935 until his death in 1961. Originally titled “Harlem Cavalcade,” it follows the story of African American life from 1626 to the 1930s.
This script consists of 179 photocopied pages of legal-sized typescript. It also includes two addenda not found in the earlier draft: "Chronological Record of Years," which lists events in Black history from 1626-1937 and "Chronology of Songs and Instrumental Music used in this Motion Picture.”
Lipton's story begins in 1626 on the docks of the Dutch community in what is today New York City. What follows are vignettes of major events and the lives of African Americans as they shaped history until about 1938. Individuals depicted in the story include Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglas, George Washington Carver, Joe Lewis, Satchel Paige, Cab Calloway, and numerous others. The story ends with an Armistice Day celebration.
Dates
- Creation: approximately 1960-1961
Creator
- Lipton, Lew, 1893-1961 (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials entirely in English.
Access Information
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec
Lew Lipton (1893-1961)
American film writer and producer Lew Lipton wrote or adapted over twenty screenplays and was the producer of twenty other films. He was born on February 23, 1893, in Chicago, Illinois, and died in New York City on December 27, 1961.
"Lew Lipton." The Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0513858/ (retrieved June 2010).
Extent
1 item (179 pages)
Abstract
American film writer and producer Lew Lipton worked on the ultimately unproduced story and screenplay for “Black America” from 1935 until his death in 1961. Originally titled “Harlem Cavalcade,” it follows the story of African American life from 1626 to the 1930s.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Peter Howard, 2010
Shelving Summary
Box 60, F0868B: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0099 manuscript boxes.
Processing Information
Processed and encoded by Jaime Margalotti, May 2021.
Genre / Form
Geographic
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Finding aid for Black America : story
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Date
- 2021 May 4
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the University of Delaware Library Special Collections Repository