Overview
Oscar Micheaux was the Jackie Robinson of film, the black D. W. Griffith--a bigger-than-life American folk hero whose important life story has been nearly forgotten today. The son of freed slaves, he roamed America as a Pullman porter before making his first mark as a homesteader in South Dakota--and going on from there to become the king of the "race cinema" industry, producing and/or directing nearly forty films during a time of Jim Crow segregation when African-American artists were not welcome in Hollywood.
In this groundbreaking new biography, award-winning film historian Patrick McGilligan offers a vivid and fascinating portrait of a true pioneer of American culture who was equal parts visionary, hustler, huckster, innovator, and raffish Barnum-like showman--and the first great African-American filmmaker.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780060731403
- ISBN-10: 0060731400
- Publisher: Harper Perennial
- Publish Date: June 2008
- Dimensions: 8.97 x 6.06 x 1.17 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.18 pounds
- Page Count: 432
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