Directed by
Nelson, Stanley Jr., American, born 1951
Subject of
Walker, Madam C.J., American, 1867 - 1919
Produced by
Nelson, Stanley Jr., American, born 1951
Narrated by
Nelson, Jill, American, born 1952
Subject of
Walker, Madam C.J. Manufacturing Company, American, founded 1906
Walker, A'Lelia, American, 1885 - 1931
Dr. Joyner, Marjorie Stewart, American, 1898 - 1994
Fisher, Peg, American
Johnson, Nettie, American
Distributed by
Filmakers Library Inc., American, 1969 - 2011
Owned by
D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
Date
1987
Medium
polyester film
Dimensions
Duration: 47 Minutes
Length (Film): 1700 Feet
Caption
This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
Description
A documentary film with the title Two Dollars and a Dream. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm polyester film with optical sound.
Through the use of archival still photographs, interviews, and voiceover narration, the documentary tells the tale of Madam C. J. Walker’s rise to prominence as America's first self-made female millionaire. The documentary opens with a discussion of Walker's early life as a child of slaves who was married at fourteen and widowed by the time she turned twenty (20) years old.
Other topics discussed in the film include the creation of the Walker Company; Mrs. Walker's marketing strategies in black churches; criticisms levied at Walker and her company for "whitening" black hair; her philanthropic endeavors, including donations to the anti-lynching movement; the establishment of Villa Lewaro as her place of residence; her death and last will and testament; film footage of the Walker building erected in Indianapolis after Walker's death, as well as the significance of some of the stores inside, such as the Coffee Pot and the Walker Theatre; her daughter A'Lelia Walker's life as a prominent African American heiress and socialite; as well as A'Lelia Walker’s Dark Tower in Harlem, New York. The film concludes with a discussion of A'Lelia Walker’s final years, the decline of the Walker fortune and the impact of The Great Depression on African American life.
Place used
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States, North and Central America
Harlem, New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
Collection title
DC Public Library Film Collection
Classification
Time-based Media - Audio
Movement
Anti-Lynching Movement
Type
documentaries
sound films
color films (visual works)
16mm (photographic film size)
Topic
Activism
Advertising
Beauty culture
Black Enterprise
Business
Documentary films
Economics
Families
Film
Segregation
Women
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2017.55.87.1a
Restrictions & Rights
Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd53e4afe8f-f5a6-467e-b655-7bf484866143

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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