The Colored American Winning His Suit
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Thomas M. Mosley
Ida Askins
Florence Snead
Marshall Davies
F. King
Fred Leighton
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Freed from slavery after the Civil War, the Winalls, a poor couple, rent a farm from their former master. The Winalls prosper, eventually buy the farm, and have two children, Bob and Bessie, whom they send to college. Returning to his Virginia home as a lawyer, Bob falls in love with Bessie's roommate Alma Eaton, who becomes a principal at the high school in her North Carolina town. Alma's mother, however, wants her to marry wealthy James Sample instead of Bob, and the couple break up under this familial pressure. When Alma's father, a banker, loses a box of jewels, his white rival Hinderus gives information to the police that results in Eaton's arrest. Hinderus uses his influence to prevent any lawyer from taking Eaton's case. In despair, Mrs. Eaton asks Bob to represent her husband. Bob hires a detective and finds the jewels in the possession of some street children, acquitting Eaton and clearing the way for his marriage to Alma.
Cast
Thomas M. Mosley
Ida Askins
Florence Snead
Marshall Davies
F. King
Fred Leighton
Edgar Snead
Mrs. E. Snead
Thomas Wheeler
Minnie Smith
Fred Quinn
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
First film to feature an all black cast.
Notes
This film was the first feature made by a black production company. The cast was made up of nonactors from the Jersey City, NJ area. Scenes were shot in Virginia, in Jersey City, and at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The film was cut to four reels sometime after its premiere. One modern source states that the film was originally six, not five, reels. Another modern source credits Dr. G. E. Cannon, the Douglass Film Company's financial backer, as the film's co-producer.
