The Lincoln Motion Picture Company was an American film
production company
A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and v ...
founded in 1916 by
Noble Johnson
Noble Johnson (April 18, 1881 – January 9, 1978), later known as Mark Noble, was an American actor and film producer. He appeared in films such as '' The Mummy'' (1932), ''The Most Dangerous Game'' (1932), ''King Kong'' (1933) and ''Son of ...
and
George Perry Johnson. Noble Johnson was president of the company, and the secretary was actor
Clarence A. Brooks
Clarence Ahart Brooks (1896–1969) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films including in starring roles. With Noble Johnson and James Thomas Smith he formed Lincoln Motion Picture Company in 1916. He starred in the 1921 film ''By Rig ...
. Dr. James T. Smith was treasurer, and Dudley A. Brooks was the assistant secretary.
The company is known as the first producer of
race movies. Established in
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
, the company relocated to Los Angeles the following year. It remained in operation until 1923, closing shortly after announcing a final project, ''The Heart of a Negro''.
[Sampson, Henry T. ''Blacks in Black and White: A Source Book on Black Films'', page 39] The point of the creation of Lincoln's was to eliminate the stereotypical roles of "
slapstick comedy
Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...
" in Hollywood at the time for Black actors and actresses. "best advertised and most widely known Race Corporation in the world" is the famous slogan for the company.
Background
In the first two decades of the 20th century, African American audiences were ignored by film studios. Because African American audiences were ignored, there was a high demand for films geared to catering to black audiences. Thus bringing about the need for black motion picture production companies.
The Lincoln Motion Picture Company is considered the first all-Black movie production company, building a reputation for making films that showcased African American talent in the film industry. The company made and distributed only five films. The first film that was created and produced by the Lincoln Motion Picture Company was "
The Realization of a Negro's Ambition" (1916).
This was the first film that would portray and show the
Black middle class
The African-American middle class consists of African-Americans who have middle-class status within the American class structure. It is a societal level within the African-American community that primarily began to develop in the early 1960s, ...
. These films were limited to African American audiences in churches, schools, and "Colored Only" theaters, despite the Johnson brothers wanting a wider audience. Unfortunately, production expenses and low sales halted future films to be made and distributed. Noble left his position as president to become an actor at
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
, with Dr. James T. Smith taking over the position. Speculation tells that the films that starred Johnson were released by the company at this time were commercially more successful than the white owned Universal Studios.
The Lincoln Motion Picture Company lasted until 1921.
Although the Lincoln Motion Picture Company did not last long, it was influential in the African American community. This company inspired the movement of more ethnic movie companies.
Filmography
![Trooper of Troop K movie poster - restoration1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Trooper_of_Troop_K_movie_poster_-_restoration1.jpg)
*''
The Realization of a Negro's Ambition'' (1916)
*''
The Law of Nature'' (1916)
*''
The Trooper of Company K'' (1917)
*''
A Man's Duty
''A Man's Duty'' was a 1919 Lincoln Motion Picture Company film. It starred Clarence A. Brooks. It was advertised as featuring an "All Colored Cast". The film's story is about rivals fighting over a woman. Harry A. Gant directed.
Brooks debuted ...
'' (1919)
*''
By Right of Birth
The film ''By Right of Birth'' premiered on June 22, 1921, in Los Angeles, California. This film is one of the few surviving films of the Lincoln Motion Picture Company, which is known as the first producer of race films and of such silent fil ...
'' (1921)
See also
*
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska
*
Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Devereaux Micheaux (; January 2, 1884 – March 25, 1951) was an author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films. Although the short-lived Lincoln Motion Picture Company was the first movie company owned and controlled ...
Footnotes
References
*Berry, S. Torriano. ''The 50 Most Influential Black Films: A Celebration of African-American Talent, Determination'', Citadel Press, (2001) –
*Bowser, Pearl. ''Oscar Micheaux and His Circle: African-American Filmmaking and Race Cinema of the Silent Era'', Indiana University Press, (2001) –
*Cripps, Thomas. ''Slow Fade to Black: The Negro in American Film, 1900-1942'', Oxford University Press, (1977) -
*Jones, George William. ''Black Cinema Treasures: Lost and Found'', University of North Texas Press, (1991) –
*Reid, Mark A. ''Redefining Black Film'', University of California Press, (1993) –
*Sampson, Henry T. ''Blacks in Black and White: A Source Book on Black Films'', The Scarecrow Press, Inc., New Jersey, (1997) –
*Stewart, Jacqueline. ''Migrating to the Movies: Cinema and Black Urban Modernity'', University of California Press, (2005) –
*McClure, Michelle (2000). ''Black Camera - A Micro Journal of Black Film Studies''. United States: Black Film Center/Archive, Indiana University. pp. 1–8.
External links
Filmography of Lincoln Motion Picture Company
{{Authority control
African-American cinema
African-American history in Omaha, Nebraska
History of California
African-American cultural history
Universal Pictures
Film production companies of the United States
1916 establishments in Nebraska