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Film, Video [By right of birth--clips]

digital viewing copy

About this Item

Title

  • [By right of birth--clips]

Summary

  • Consists of short clips, flash frames, and some interior titles; clips appear to be out of order: detective Pinky Webb resting his aching feet; Juanita Cooper being thrown from a horse and aided by Philip Jones; various scenes of Geraldine Cooper, alone and with Manuel Romero; scenes with various characters in Mr. Jones' office, including Pinky Webb, Frank Cooper, Juanita Cooper, Minnie Childers, and "Mother" Agnes. Also includes an 8 second clip (1:44 min. to 1:52 min.) of footage from the 1917 film, Trooper of Troop K, also produced by Lincoln Motion Picture Co. Depicted in the clip are actors Jimmie Smith, Beulah Hall, and Noble Johnson.

Names

  • Gant, Harry A., 1881-1967, film director, cinematographer
  • Mitchell, Dora, 1891-1970, screenwriter
  • Johnson, George P., 1885-1977, author
  • Reynolds, Anita Thompson Dickinson, 1901-1980, actor
  • Brooks, Clarence, actor
  • King, Webb, 1896-1984, actor
  • George, Beatrice, actor
  • Bates, Lester, actor
  • Meehan, Lew, actor
  • Ellenwood, Grace, actor
  • Smith, Jimmie, 1892-1981, depicted
  • Hall, Beulah, 1899-1952, depicted
  • Johnson, Noble, 1881-1978, depicted
  • Lincoln Motion Picture Company, production company

Created / Published

  • [1921]

Headings

  • -  Adoptees--California--Los Angeles--Drama
  • -  Heiresses--California--Los Angeles--Drama
  • -  Mothers and daughters--Drama
  • -  Fraud--Drama
  • -  Oil and gas leases--Oklahoma--Drama
  • -  Freed persons--Drama

Genre

  • Race films
  • Film clips

Notes

  • -  Anita Thompson, Clarence Brooks, Webb King, Beatrice George, Lester Bates, Lew Meehan, Grace Ellenwood.
  • -  Includes an 8 second clip (1:44 min. to 1:52 min.) of footage from the 1916 film, The trooper of Troop K, also produced by Lincoln Motion Picture Co. Depicted in the clip are actors Jimmie Smith, Beulah Hall, and Noble Johnson.
  • -  Filmed between April 2, 1921 and April 25, 1921 in Los Angeles, California.
  • -  One of five films produced and released by the Lincoln Motion Picture Company. All are thought to be lost, apart from these clips from their last feature, By right of birth, released theatrically in 1921. Originally six 35 mm reels (approximately 6,000 ft.), it was directed and photographed by Harry Gant. The scenario was written by Dora Mitchell and the story by George P. Johnson, with costume design by Claudius Booker.
  • -  Summary for feature film: Juanita Cooper has been raised in Los Angeles by adoptive parents, Frank and Geraldine Cooper. Geraldine incurs a debt and becomes involved in a nefarious scheme with an unscrupulous stockbroker, Manuel Romero. He intends to obtain land leases belonging to Freedmen in Oklahoma--formerly enslaved Black people who had had American Indian owners. The land that was allotted to Freedmen or their descendants, is, unbeknownst to them, rich in oil, and very valuable. Romero learns of a missing allottee named Helen Childers. He forges her signature on a lease to get her rightful proceeds for himself. Meanwhile, Juanita's adoptive mother, Geraldine Cooper, working with detective, Pinky Webb, discovers that Juanita is the missing Helen Childers. After learning of her heritage, Juanita decides to search for her biological parents, helped by a young attorney, Philip Jones, a friend from college. Jones also happens to be representing Minnie Childers, Juanita's biological grandmother. Philip learns of Romero's scheme to defraud Juanita. They fight, and Romero is killed in an automobile chase. Juanita is reunited with her birth mother, "Mother" Agnes, and inherits a fortune.
  • -  LC also holds a four minute edited sound version of these clips on the Pioneers of African-American cinema Blu-ray disc set.
  • -  Sources used: Film & Television catalog card in the Moving Image Research Center; AFI catalog online viewed July 5, 2022; Internet movie database, July 5, 2022.

Medium

  • 1 video file (digital) (2 min.) : si., b&w.

Source Collection

  • AFI/UCLA/Johnson (George P.) Collection, Dept. of Special Collections Collection (Library of Congress)

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2022602518

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Gant, Harry A., Film Director, Cinematographer, Dora Mitchell, George P Johnson, Anita Thompson Dickinson Reynolds, Clarence Brooks, Webb King, Beatrice George, et al. By Right of Birth--Clips. produceds by Lincoln Motion Picture Companyuction Company [1921] Video. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2022602518/.

APA citation style:

Gant, H. A., Mitchell, D., Johnson, G. P., Reynolds, A. T. D., Brooks, C., King, W. [...] Johnson, N. (1921) By Right of Birth--Clips. Lincoln Motion Picture Companyuction Company, prod [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2022602518/.

MLA citation style:

Gant, Harry A., Film Director, Cinematographer, et al. By Right of Birth--Clips. prod by Lincoln Motion Picture Companyuction Company [1921] Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/2022602518/>.