With a crooked stick : the films of Oscar Micheaux

With a "crooked stick," filmmaker Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951) sought to hit a "straight lick" by stressing the strategic importance of class mobility, or "uplift," for African Americans. A theme in all of his more than 40 feature-length, black-produced, black-directed, black-cast, and black-audience films, uplift would allow for the better things in life: fast cars and fancy clothes, freedom of belief, financial security, and an unencumbered intellectual life. Although racism was an impediment to uplift for Micheaux and other African Americans, race as a category was of a secondary order for him in the larger game of class. In With a Crooked Stick, J. Ronald Green pursues this seeming contradiction in a detailed analysis of each of Micheaux's 15 surviving films. He presents critical commentary on each film's plot and action and its contribution to the overall theme of uplift. Readers will also find this an invaluable guide to the preoccupations and features of Micheaux's remarkable career and the insight it provides into the African American experience of the 1920s and 30s. Biographical Backstory -- Within Our Gates -- Symbol Of The Unconquered -- Body And Soul -- The Sound Era: Signifying With Music -- The Exile -- The Darktown Revue -- Veiled Aristocrats -- Ten Minutes To Live -- The Girl From Chicago -- Murder In Harlem -- Underworld -- God's Step Children -- Birthright -- Swing! -- Lying Lips -- The Notorious Elinor Lee. J. Ronald Green 1. Biographical Backstory -- 2. Within Our Gates (1920; Second Film) -- 3. Symbol Of The Unconquered (1920; Fourth Film) -- 4. Body And Soul (1925; Fourteenth Film) -- 5. The Sound Era: Signifying With Music -- 6. The Exile (1931; Twenty-fourth Film) -- 7. The Darktown Revue (1931; Twenty-fifth Film) -- 8. Veiled Aristocrats (1932; Twenty-sixth Film) -- 9. Ten Minutes To Live (1932; Twenty-seventh Film) -- 10. The Girl From Chicago (1932; Twenty-eighth Film) -- 11. Murder In Harlem (1935; Thirty-first Film) -- 12. Underworld (1937; Thirty-third Film) -- 13. God's Step Children (1938; Thirty-fourth Film) -- 14. Birthright (1938-1939; Thirty-fifth Film) -- 15. Swing! (1938; Thirty-sixth Film) -- 16. Lying Lips (1939; Thirty-seventh Film) -- 17. The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940; Thirty-eighth Film). Includes Bibliographical References (p. [293]-299) And Index. Filmography: P. [283]-284. A comprehensive guide to the surviving films of a remarkable African American filmmaker