[6][7] In March 1936, Brooks received glowing reviews for his portrayal of Haitian monarch Henri Christophe in the WPA production, Black Empire, which debuted at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles.

[12]Exactly two weeks after Pickens' impassioned plug, New York's Amsterdam News reported that RKO Pictures had acquired the rights to ten short subjects scripted by George Randol, the first of which, Samson and Delilah, was to co-star Brooks and Edna Mae Harris, with music provided by William Grant Still and the Hall Johnson Choir.

[18][19] In the meantime, Brooks had long since made his screen debut portraying the police lieutenant in another George Randol project, the feature film Dark Manhattan, which had its lavish, "Hollywood style" world premiere on January 19, 1937, in the heart of L.A.'s Central Avenue Corridor.

[21][22][23] On Tuesday morning, December 13, 1944, Brooks suffered a fatal heart attack while en route to Paramount Studio, where he had a supporting role in The Lost Weekend.

NPB Hollywood correspondent Lawrence LaMar reported that the actor's widow, Vesterée, claimed that Brooks had had premonitions of his death for more than a week, and thus had made detailed plans, such as those regarding the undertaker to be employed and the manner of burial.