The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1921-11-12

Harris Dickson, noted jurist, phil
osopher and writer of stories about
the Colored man, spent good many
years turning out literature before
he decided to turn his efforts to-
ward the motion picture screen. Mr.
Dickson was rather skeptical about
his ability to put his characters be-
fore the public in motion pictures
with same success that rewarded
his literary efforts. But finally he
was convinced it could be done
and he organized his own company
TO produce the two comedies, in
which all Colored players appear
which Pathe shortly will release
"The Custard Nine" and "The
Beauty Contest" represent the acme
of his success in the literary field
and these are the stories he decided
to produce on the screen. The merit
of these Saturday Evening Post
stories as motion picture material
is best subscribed to by the fact that
Pathe accepted these pictures fol-
distribution directly after their first
screening.
In explaining how he came to
write stories about the Colored
man, Mr. Dickson said:
ut was not until / had written
about six novels that l Numbered
into the short story game, first by
doing a special article for the Sat
urday Evening Post on the reform
movement in Vickshurg. After that
did several other specials, then grad
ually got into short Negro fiction
Presently Old Reliable bobbed III
in an incident that happened in my
own back yard, and ran along fol
upwards of thirty stories l dom
know exactly how many. These were
linterspersed at times with what you
know as the Coffin Club stories
both seemed to catch on.
Whatever else may be said abou
i this class of my work, ii is true tC
type and founded upon a life lone
association with all sorts of Negroes
am a southerner as my people
have been for many generations;
since Colonial days they hove beer
planters, lawyers, doctors and sol
diers- always thrown more or less
with Negroes. Therefore l have
known anything, and all kinds Of
them. l know the criminals from
fifteen years experience in the
courts, all over the south; will
three years additional as city judge
know the household type, Of
course; the river Negroes from be
ing constantly on the boats; the
agricultural Negro from being will
him on the plantations; and the
woods Negro from hunting and fish
ing with them. l have also known
many of their politicians. From the
perfectly naked savage in the jun
giles of Africa, I've know them righ
along the line TO the patent leather
ed and silk-hated Colored congress
man from South Carolina, the las
/ Colored man ! believe that ever sa
in the House OF Representatives Ii
addition to this have read every
thing | could get my hands on, anC
tried to comprehend the reasons TO
what | saw around me.
And in my writing / have nevel
allowed myself to put anything il
false perspective, for the purpos,
of creating an apparently dramati
or humorous effect This makes me
as you know, rather a sticl1ler TO
atmosphere; but | do believe tina
the real Negro is funnier, more hu
man and convincing just as he nat
urally is, than as any fanciful make
shift might portray him. This o
course is our natural southern Ne
gro. where he likes the white folk
and the white folks like him."