Alfred N. Sack (1898 –1969) was an American businessperson, newspaper publisher and the proprietor of film distribution, production, and the theater-owning business Sack Amusements.

Biography

Sack was born in Greenville, Mississippi. He worked as a newspaper publisher in the 1920s between stints in the film industry."Alfred N. Sack, 69, Is Dead; Texas Film Executive." ''

Boxoffice ''Boxoffice Pro'' is a film industry magazine dedicated to the movie theatre business published by BoxOffice Media LP. History It started in 1920 as ''The Reel Journal'', taking the name ''Boxoffice'' in 1931 and still publishes today, with ...

''. Vol. 94, Iss. 21. Mar 10, 1969. p. 11. Via Proquest. His business, Sack Amusements, included many films starring African American casts, so-called

race films Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

. He worked with his brother Lester. They were Jewish. They partnered with

Spencer Williams Spencer Williams (October 14, 1889 – July 14, 1965) was an American jazz and popular music composer, pianist, and singer. He is best known for his hit songs " Basin Street Blues", "I Ain't Got Nobody", "Royal Garden Blues", "I've Found a New B ...

on several films. Sack distributed several

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 ...

films. Sack secured a deal with RKO to distribute four 2-reel films of "Negro spirituals". The brothers re-released some films. The brothers purchased the

Lucas Theatre The Lucas Theatre is a theater on Abercorn Street in Reynolds Square, Savannah, Georgia, United States. Built in 1921, the theater closed in 1976 and was slated to be demolished, but preservation efforts led to it reopening in 2000. It is ma ...

in Dallas, Texas. He opened the Coronet Theatre in Dallas in 1948. It opened as an art house theatre but by the time he sold it in 1967, it was an

adult film Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, sex films, and 18+ films are films that present sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse and satisfy the viewer. Pornographic films present sexual fantasies and usually include eroticall ...

theatre. Sack had a daughter, Sarah Lee Sack. Sarah Lee Sack's blindness was discovered when she was a few days old; her disability inspired Sack to become active in helping blind children. He had a heart attack in 1959. ''

Go Down, Death! ''Go Down, Death!'' is a 1944 race film directed by and starring Spencer Williams. The film's title derives from a poem by the African-American writer James Weldon Johnson.

'' was adapted from a poem by James Weldon Johnson.

Filmography

*'' St. Louis Blues'' (1929) *'' The Black King'' (1932) *'' She Devil'' (1934), distributor *''

Princess Tam Tam ''Princess Tam Tam'' is a 1935 French black-and-white film which stars Josephine Baker as a local Tunisian girl who is educated and then introduced to Parisian high society. Baker sings two songs, "Dream Ship" and "Neath the Tropical Blue Skies", ...

'' (1935), distributor, a French film adaptation of ''Pygmalion'' blocked from major distribution channels by censors in the U.S. *''

The Broken Earth ''The Broken Earth'' is an American film written and directed by Roman Freulich in 1939. The 11-minute short film stars Clarence Muse as a sharecropper and widower who plows his farm and tries to care for a sick son, pleading and praying for divin ...

'' (1936) *''

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

'' (1937), distributor *''

Harlem on the Prairie ''Harlem on the Prairie'' (1937) is a race movie, billed as the first " all-colored" Western musical. The movie reminded audiences that there were black cowboys and corrected a popular Hollywood image of an all-white Old West. It was produce ...

'' (1937), distributor *''

Policy Man ''Policy Man'', is a 1938 American feature film in black and white, and is now a lost film. It was advertised as having an "all colored cast", featuring Ethel Moses, Jimmie Baskett, and Count Bassie. It was directed by Irwin Franklyn, and produ ...

'' (1938) *''

Two-Gun Man from Harlem ''Two Gun Man from Harlem'' is a 1938 American contemporary Western film directed by Richard C. Kahn. It was produced by Merit Pictures, distributed by Sack Amusement Enterprises and featured an all-African-American cast. Plot summary A man wr ...

'' (1938), distributor *''

Harlem Rides the Range ''Harlem Rides the Range'' is a 1939 American Western race film directed by Richard C. Kahn. It followed the groundbreaking 1937 Western musical film '' Harlem on the Prairie''. Plot Bob Blake (Herb Jeffries) and his sidekick Dusty ( Lucius Br ...

(1939) *'' The Devil's Daughter'' (1939) *''

Midnight Shadow ''Midnight Shadow'' is a 1939 film with an all African-American cast. It was directed and produced by George Randol, who was also African American. Plot The mind-reading Prince Alihabad courts a girl from Oklahoma played by Frances E. Redd. Her pa ...

'' (1939) *''

Moon Over Harlem ''Moon Over Harlem'' is a 1939 American race film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. Plot summary A gangster, Dollar Bill Richards, seduces a wealthy widow, Minnie, to get his hands on her money. Cast * Bud Harris as Dollar Bill * Cora Green as ...

'' (1939) *''

The Bronze Buckaroo ''The Bronze Buckaroo'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by Richard C. Kahn. It is one of the race films made by African-American directors and performers for African-American audiences. ''The Bronze Buckaroo'' stars black cowboy sing ...

'' (1939) *''

Lying Lips ''Lying Lips'' is a 1939 American melodrama race film written and directed by Oscar Micheaux who co-produced the film with aviator Hubert Fauntlenroy Julian, starring Edna Mae Harris, and Robert Earl Jones (the father of James Earl Jones). ''Lyi ...

'' (1939) *''

Gang War (1940 film) ''Gang War'' is an American film released in 1940. It features an African American cast and was directed by Leo C. Popkin. It was produced by Million Dollar Productions. The film is about the rivalry between two gangs. In 1998, the Turner Classic ...

'' *''

Son of Ingagi ''Son of Ingagi'' is a 1940 American monster movie directed by Richard C. Kahn. It was the first science fiction horror film to feature an all-black cast.Moon 1997, p. 370 It was written by Spencer Williams (actor), Spencer Williams based on his ...

'' (1940) *''

The Blood of Jesus ''The Blood of Jesus'' (also known as ''The Glory Road'') is a 1941 American fantasy drama race film written, directed by and starring Spencer Williams. The plot concerns a Baptist woman who, after being accidentally shot by her atheist husband ...

'' (1941), distributor * ''

Marching On! ''Marching On!'' is a 1943 American race film directed and written by Spencer Williams (actor), Spencer Williams. Sequences were filmed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The film was later rereleased with additional musical sequences under the title ''Wh ...

'' (1943), directed by

*'' Of One Blood'' (1944), directed by Spencer Williams *''

Go Down, Death! ''Go Down, Death!'' is a 1944 race film directed by and starring Spencer Williams. The film's title derives from a poem by the African-American writer James Weldon Johnson.

'' (1944) *''

Harlem Hotshots ''Harlem Hotshots'' is an American short film from 1940 produced by Sack Amusements. The 20 minute film is a musical. One poster for the film includes a skyline of buildings and street sign for Lenox Avenue and 125th Street. The film was reissue ...

'' (1940) (short subject) *''

Beale Street Mama Beale Street Mama is a 1923 popular song by J. Russell Robinson and Roy Turk and a 1946 film with an African-American cast named for the song. An early jazz standard, the song was recorded by Bessie Smith, Ted Lewis, Fletcher Henderson, Cab C ...

'' (1946) *''

Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A. ''Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A.'' is a 1946 race film directed by Spencer Williams and produced and distributed by Sack Amusement Enterprises. This film is in the public domain. Plot Gertie LaRue ( Francine Everett) is a nightclub entertainer ...

'' (1946) *''

Juke Joint (film) ''Juke Joint'' is a 1947 race film directed by and starring Spencer Williams and produced and released by Sack Amusement Enterprises. The film was considered lost until being rediscovered. Plot Bad News Johnson, a con artist from Memphis, Tenness ...

'' (1947) *''

Murder with Music ''Murder with Music'' is a 1948 American race film directed by George P. Quigley. The film used footage from the 1946 film ''Mistaken Identity'' and musical footage was reused in the short subject ''Bob Howard's House Party''. Alfred N. Sack "p ...

'' (1948) *''

The Girl in Room 20 ''The Girl in Room 20'' is a 1949 movie directed by and starring Spencer Williams. The story features Daisy Mae Walker, an aspiring singer from a small town in Texas, who comes to New York City to pursue a show business career, only to fall prey t ...

'' (1949)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sack, Alfred N. 1898 births 1969 deaths People from Greenville, Mississippi Film distributors (people) American Jews 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) American theatre people American film production company founders Film producers from Mississippi