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Black America : story

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 0099-F0868B

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

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

Related Materials in this Repository

MSS 0099, F0868A, Lew Lipton, Harlem cavalcade : story and screen play

This item forms part of MSS 0099 Miscellaneous Literary and Historical Manuscripts.

Shelving Summary

Box 60, F0868B: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0099 manuscript boxes.

Processing Information

Processed and encoded by Jaime Margalotti, May 2021.

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

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