The Marquee

The Crimson Skull - 1922

With an "all colored cast". This poster is a relic from an all but forgotten era, when there was a small black film industry running parallel to Hollywood. In those days, mainstream Hollywood mainly confined black performers to small, caricitural, "Stepin Fetchit"-type roles. The black film industry sprang up as a counter-balance, routinely featuring black casts in conventional stories.

In the coming weeks , I'll feature posters and images from the "other" Hollywood. Check out the website Midnight Ramble for more info on this era.