Mr. William Foster - 2

in the commercial theatre was the Sam P. Jack's Creole Show. Am I right about this? My impression is that this was the first show that made any approach toward what further developed in the days of Williams and Walker, Cole and Johnson and Ernest Hogan.

I think the next venture on the musical revue stage was Isham's "Octoroons". Am I right about that? What can you tell me about the Octoroons, and who were the outstanding performers? I think Belle Davis was one.

I think Isham followed up the "Octoroons" with "Oriental America". From "Oriental America" on down I think I know the stage pretty well from my own experience.

I think the first real Negro musical comedy with a plot running through it was Cole and Johnson's "Trip to Countown". Am I right.

I think this was followed up by Williams and Walker in "Policy Players".

Any information you can give me in answer to the above queries, and any additional facts that you can give me I would deeply appreciate.

If you should need to go to any expense for typwriting, etc., I should be very glad to pay same.

Sincerely yours,

SYNDICATE PLAN TO BUILD AND MAKE MOVING PICTURES IN CALIFORNIA FOR
NATION-WIDE SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE MORAL AND FINANCIAL UP-LIFT OF THE
RACE. EVERY MEMBER STARTS ON EVEN FOOTING AND VOICE.

Alabama..................15
Arkansas..................10
California..............20
Illinois.................30
Indiana.................10
Georgia.................10
Louisiana..............10
Michigan.................15
Mississippi............10
Missouri..............20
New York..............20
New Jersey............10
Kentucky..............10
Florida..............10
Okalhoma..............10
Tennessee.............10
Pennsylvania.........20
Texas..................10
Ohio..................15
Virginia..............10
W. Virginia...........10
N. Carolina...........10
S. Carolina...........10
Maryland.............10
Delaware..............10
Dist. of
Columbia............10
335

Subscription One hundred ($100.00) dollars each. Limited to one subscription to each subscriber. Subscriber becomes one of Board of Advisors with a vote to elect the Board of Directors of the Syndicate. The Board of Directors to be elected every year. The Board has the power to select President, Vice-President, Secretary, and hire such talent that is not a member of the Syndicate to operate the business such as studio, law department, publicity, and sales department, and the management.

A printed pamphlet to be mailed to every subscriber once every three months, a statement on everything.

There are now eleven hundred theaters organized, waiting for those pictures. Equipment can be had in short order.

We have engineers that can handle the Talking, and Sound, camera men, writers, directors, and the talent who will turn out as good a picture as made today in a short time.

Cold facts--No big white producing company is going to promote big outstanding Negro productions.

When questioned, the big concerns say, "Why go to the expense to make Negro pictures now? We will give the Negro his chance some day, just wait."

It is a known fact that every big theater company in this country and Europe is wiring its theaters for Talking Pictures; also there is a picture war coming, not far off when the houses get wired. That's our day if prepared. Both sides will fight for our productions, if prepared to deliver. Now is the time to prepare.

We can sing, dance, and talk as well as any race. We are the better singers. The cost of studios is little or nothing when compared with the intake.

Our singing films would sell all over the civilized world. We would soon be getting our share of the $38,000,000.00.

The power lies in producing films.

Grounds for location have been selected in Santa Monica, a suburb of Los Angeles, California.