The Sport of the Gods is a novel by Paul Laurence Dunbar , first published in 1902, centered on American urban black life. Forced to leave the South, a family falls apart amid the harsh realities of Northern inner city life in this examination of the forces that extinguish the dreams of African Americans .
21-518: Elizabeth Boyer may refer to: Elizabeth Boyer (actress) (1902–1946), played in The Sport of the Gods (1921) and featured on 2008 US postage stamp Elizabeth H. Boyer (born 1952), American fantasy author Elizabeth M. Boyer (1913–2002), American lawyer, feminist founder of Women's Equity Action League (WEAL), and writer [REDACTED] Topics referred to by
42-431: A Black man. After producing more than 100 plays with all- Black casts, and under pressure from Black newspaper sources, Levy left the theatre in 1919, determined to devote his efforts to Black film, thereafter called race films . As with his theatre productions, Levy wanted his films to be of the highest calibre, highlighting Blacks as serious actors with notable talent. In January 1921, he established Reol Films . Over
63-440: A breakthrough for Black actors to perform in roles they were never offered before. His insistence on high production value and respectful treatment of Blacks earned him initial acclaim from the public and press, but he nevertheless faced too many battles for his success to last long. Lester Walton , a popular Black film critic and theatrical manager himself, criticised Levy for holding a position that he felt rightfully belonged to
84-432: A farewell dinner for Maurice's younger brother, Francis Oakley, it becomes known that a large sum of money has disappeared from Oakley residence due to Francis apparently being careless and leaving the key in the safe. Maurice soon convinces himself that Berry must have stolen the money. A court finds Berry guilty of the theft and sentences him to ten years of hard labor. Maurice and his wife expel Fannie, Joe, and Kitty from
105-470: A fight at a racetrack. Broken down by the hardships of the city, Fannie and Berry decide to move back to the cottage near the Oakley residence when the apologetic Mrs. Oakley begs them to return. Literary critic Rebecca Ruth Gold describes The Sport of the Gods as an object lesson in the power of shame – a key component of the scapegoat mentality – to limit the law’s capacity to deliver justice. Robert Levy ,
126-415: A letter from Francis. Mr. Skaggs forcibly removes Francis's letter from Maurice's secret pocket. With Francis's letter, Mr. Skaggs is able to have Berry pardoned after five years in prison. Mr. Skaggs brings Berry to New York. Soon, Berry finds out about his son, daughter, and wife's new husband. Hopeless, Berry plans to murder his wife's suitor. To Berry's fortune, he finds that Mr. Gibson has been killed in
147-454: A popular article for the publisher. He travels to the hometown of the Hamilton's to converse with Maurice Oakley. He first meets with a man named Colonel Saunders who tells him that he believes Berry is innocent, the money was simply lost, and to protect the secret, Maurice Oakley carries the money in his "secret" pocket at all times. To gain entry into the Oakley residence, Skaggs lies about having
168-656: A postage stamp honouring Black film. Levy attempted to revive the Lafayette Players on the West Coast after the demise of Reol Films. He brought the troupe from Harlem to Los Angeles, where they became a major attraction, performing weekly from June 1928 until the end of 1929 new shows first in the 1250 seats palace - the Lincoln Theatre and later in Orange Grove Theatre. After staging close to forty shows on
189-476: A prolific producer of race films in the 1920s, earned the rights to adapt The Sport of the Gods ; his film version of the novel debuted in Chicago in 1921. While the most prominent roles went to black actors, Levy also selected whites for small parts, marking a breakthrough in desegregation in the entertainment industry. Billboard magazine carried a notice for the opening on its main motion picture page, making it
210-402: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Elizabeth Boyer (actress) Berry Hamilton, an emancipated black man, works as a butler for a wealthy white man Maurice Oakley. Berry lives in a small cottage a short distance away from the Oakley's place of residence. Berry lives with his wife, Fannie, and two children, Joe and Kitty. During
231-672: The United States where Levy was educated in the New York City public school system. In his early twenties, he found a job managing the American division of the Éclair Film Company , a leading French producer of film. In 1916, the Lafayette Theater in Harlem, featuring a company of Black vaudevillians and entertainers, was growing and in need of strong management. Robert Levy, who had entered
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#1732886749563252-558: The West Coast with Lafayette Players, which included Evelyn Preer, Abbie Mitchell, Sidney Kirkpatrick, Laura Bowman, and Andrew Bishop, Levy had to quit. 1929, the Great Depression hit, forcing theatres in LA and across the country to close. He returned to New York City in the early 1930s and accepted a job as a magazine editor working for famous publisher Martin Goodman . Levy, as editor, became
273-559: The artistic successes of Francis. To his dismay, it describes how Francis stole the money and he wishes for Berry Hamilton to be released from prison. Maurice decides that he will not announce Berry's innocence in hopes of preserving the honor of his brother and himself. Mr. Skaggs, an acquaintance of Joe at the Banner Club, overhears the story of Berry Hamilton's conviction for theft. As a writer for New York's Universe , Mr. Skaggs postulates that if he can prove Berry's innocence, he will have
294-450: The cottage. Unable to find work, Fannie and her children decide to move to New York. Once in New York, Joe begins work and starts regularly visiting the Banner Club. He begins dating an entertainer from the club named Hattie Sterling. To Fannie's disapproval, Hattie helps Kitty to find employment as a singer and actress. Joe's situation quickly declines and he becomes an alcoholic. Hattie breaks
315-447: The early 1920s, race films were gaining prominence as a form of popular entertainment. The independent productions struggled to compete with the larger funding and distribution available to the big studios. By 1924 Levy faced the problem of finding distribution outlets for his films and closed his company. In 2008, the U.S. Postal Service chose the promotional poster for The Sport of the Gods , Reol's first released film, to be featured on
336-474: The field of Black entertainment with the Quality Amusement Company , was hired for this role. Charged with selecting plays, mounting shows and managing the travelling troupes as well as bookings at other theatres, Levy focused his efforts on turning the theatre into a site of quality productions. He produced all- Black cast versions of notable plays such as Madame X and Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ,
357-466: The film are known to survive, some theater bills, production stills, and film reviews do exist. Robert Levy (Producer) Robert Levy (1888–1959) was an English-born theatre manager and film producer whose support for African-American actors helped pave the way for the recognition of race films . Levy was born to Jewish parents in London in 1888. In the late 19th century, the family immigrated to
378-478: The first time this level of recognition had ever been paid to a race film. Edward R. Abrams played the role of Jim Skaggs, and Elizabeth Boyer played Kitty Hammilton. In 2008, the United States Postal Service chose to feature the promotional poster for The Sport of Gods movie, showing Abrams and Boyer, on a commemorative stamp as part of its "Vintage Black Cinema" release. Although no copies of
399-457: The next few years he produced nine feature-length films and two documentaries. They featured Black actors such as Clarence Muse , Lawrence Chenault , Andrew S. Bishop , Sherman Dudley , Edna Morton , Inez Clough and Evelyn Preer and their involvement in these films often propelled them into larger careers. Levy purchased the rights to The Sport of the Gods and The Uncalled , works by acclaimed Black writer Paul Laurence Dunbar . In
420-422: The relationship. Completely degraded, Joe strangles Hattie. Later, he confesses to the murder and finds himself in prison. With her husband and son in prison, Fannie is distraught. Kitty convinces Fannie to marry a man named Mr. Gibson. Francis Oakley, who left for Paris to become an artist, sends a message to Maurice Oakley. When Maurice receives the letter, he postulates that it could be a message informing him of
441-409: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elizabeth_Boyer&oldid=1138117556 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
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