He was by far one of the greatest theatrical producer directors from the
1920s to the early 1940s. He also worked on the first African-American "talkie"
motion picture,
The Exile (1931), with director
Oscar Micheaux. According to
his grandson Grant Harper Reid the film, was shot in Fort Lee, New
Jersey. The Fort Lee Film Commission presented Harper's grandson Grant
Harper Reid with "The Barrymore Award" in recognition of his efforts
and devotion in the promotion of Fort Lee's history and its role as the
birthplace of the motion picture industry.