Mar 30, 2023 - Sale 2631

Sale 2631 - Lot 199

Price Realized: $ 3,000
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 700 - $ 1,000
(ENTERTAINMENT--FILM.) Papers of actor Brock Peters as producer of the film "Five on the Black Hand Side." Approximately 130 leaves, mostly letter or legal size, a combination of original typescripts, signed letters, carbons, and photocopies; generally minor wear, some staples and paper clips. Various places, 1967 and 1970-1975
Set Alert for Similar Items

Additional Details

Brock Peters (1927-2005) was a prolific Black film and television actor, best known early in his career for his roles in "Porgy and Bess" and "To Kill a Mockingbird," and later for his recurring roles in the Star Trek franchise. He was co-producer of the 1973 film "Five on the Black Hand Side," a family-oriented comedy-drama which was marketed as a more uplifting alternative to the current wave of "blaxploitation" films.

This file relates almost entirely to "Five on the Black Hand Side," including a mix of original correspondence, photocopies, and typescript carbons of contracts, financial statements, invoices, and more. A copy of a December 1970 letter negotiating with the agents of screenwriter Charlie Russell expresses the constraints of producing an independent film: "We trust you realize that Mssrs. Peters and Tolan (or the company to be formed by them for this production) do not have the financial resources of a major motion picture company. Thus they cannot be expected to compete on a financial basis with major studio operations." Also included are a 1970 memorandum of agreement with Russell, the "Five Hand Company" limited partnership agreement, the film's 1971 preliminary budget (a grand total of $580,006) and ongoing budget reports, copies of the contract with the film's composer and related recording budget, and more. The latest item in the lot is a carbon of an April 1975 letter from Peters to the project's law firm, expressing his inability to pay the project's final bills. Also included is an unrelated 1967 NAACP program honoring Peters.