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Cecil B. DeMille collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2365

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Scope and Contents

This collection chiefly consists of scripts, awards, scrapbooks, and a small group of papers of American film director and producer Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959). In addition, there is a set of reviews and a program for the play "The Lost Paradise" (1891) written by DeMille's father Henry C. DeMille.

Personal materials include a notebook with a 1920 appraisal of DeMille's personal property in his study at the Famous Players-Lasky Studio; a photograph album of the Vermejo Club ranch, DeMille's estate in New Mexico; genealogical notes; and some miscellaneous items.

DeMille's film work is represented by more than 80 shooting scripts, often with handwritten notes, as well as some film musical scores; 17 stereopticon cards with stills from "Fool's Paradise" (1921); a handbook for "Samson and Delilah" (1948); scrapbooks of photographs and clippings related to the French release of "The Crusades" (1935), the world premiere of "Union Pacific" (1939) in Omaha, Nebraska, and the Italian publicity campaign for "The Greatest Show on Earth" (1953); and printed materials and 6 stills for "The Ten Commandments" (1956).

There are approximately 80 awards and certificates for DeMille, as well as one for his wife, Constance DeMille, from a variety of organizations related to his movie career and philanthropy.

Dates

  • Creation: 1891 - 1975

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Advance notice required for access.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Cinematic Arts Library at ctlibarc@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Cinematic Arts Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Biographical / Historical

Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959) was an American film producer and director. He was a pioneer filmmaker in Hollywood making both silent and sound films including "Samson and Delilah" (1949), "The Greatest Show on Earth" (1953), "The Ten Commandments" (1956). "The Greatest Show on Earth" won the Academy Award for best motion picture.

Extent

20.79 Linear Feet (11 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection chiefly consists of scripts, awards, scrapbooks, and a small group of papers of American film director and producer Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959).

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Received from various sources. Part of the collection was received as a gift, circa 1970. The awards were the gift of Cecilia Presley in 1997.

Processing Information

A portion of this collection was previously cataloged as Collection #99 and Collection #2099.

Title
Finding aid for the Cecil B. DeMille collection
Status
Publish Basic
Author
Diann Benti
Date
2022 April
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the USC Libraries Cinematic Arts Library Repository

Contact:
Doheny Memorial Library G4
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0185 United States