Ten Nights in a Barrom(1926) is one of four films produced by the Colored Players Film Corporation of Philadelphia, in the 1920's in Philadelphia, PA. All of the films were considered race films and cared significant and important racial content. My father Sam Sadler was in two of these movies. Ten Nights in a Barroomand The Prince of His Race.The American Film Institute lists his name in cast credits in Ten Nights in a Barroom. I am searching for a copy of both films. I am aware of one copy of Ten Nights in a Barroom (1926)that is located at the George Eastman House in Rochester, NY. But cannot find a copy of The Prince of his race.I have a photo of my father taken on the street near the studio during the filming.

. . . to exactly WHICH evenings the title of TEN NIGHTS IN A BARROOM refers. Title cards keep referring to "a month later" here and "two months later" there, and all of this is followed by a lapse of several years leading up the this flick's Election Day conclusion. Perhaps the so-called "prologue" is taking place on the day of the voting as well, but there is no mention of a mayor's race during the beginning of this film. If the mob of angry townspeople were wielding swords instead of torches as they storm the saloon, the spelling here could be seen as a misprint for TEN KNIGHTS IN A BARROOM.

WARNING: If you have a severe snake phobia, be aware that this film has a sequence where a drunk man keeps seeing snakes.

While you'd never know it today, Timothy Shay Arthur's "Ten Nights in a Bar-Room and What I Saw There" was among the most successful novels of the Victorian era...being only surpassed by "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in popularity. So, it's not surprising that they'd make a film version of this story....and WOW have they made a bunch. I counted 10 different versions, including this all-black cast version from 1926. Each version is about the evils of drink and the joys of clean, domestic living...sentiments that led to the Prohibition movement in the late 19th and early 20th century.

The story finds Joe Morgan a pathetic drunk who spends most of his time at the local saloon. He used to be respected and rich but lost it all due to liquor and the swindlers at the bar. After his daughter is killed there, however, he and the town are bent on revenge and purging the town of this criminal element. Several lesser stories are also portrayed...such a son who has descended to card playing and drinking at the establishment.

Most movies made for black movie theaters and patrons of the 1920s-40s were rather poor quality productions--with lousy acting, direction and no budgets. They just didn't have the money and stars mainstream cinema had and had to make the most of what they could get. It's in light of this that I mention that "Ten Nights in a Barroom" (1926) is surprisingly good for the genre. Now I am not saying it's a masterpiece...but it is competently made and is entertaining to watch with less of the usual overacting. In fact, most of the acting is pretty good....even though I must admit that the story is VERY old fashioned and ultra-melodramatic.