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Hollywood Museum collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2212

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Scope and Contents

This collection consists of papers collected for the never-built Hollywood Museum from film and television producer, director, and actor Hal Roach (1892-1992); film producer Sol Lesser (1890-1980); actor William Farnum (1876-1953); and editor and author Pete Martin (1901-1980). Items include scripts, manuscripts, production information, and more.

Dates

  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1900s-1970s

Conditions Governing Access

Advance notice required for access.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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

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.

Historical note on the Hollywood Museum

The Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum (known as the Hollywood Museum) was conceived as a repository for American film and television history to be built and operated by the County of Los Angeles. Archival materials were donated in the 1960s, but the museum was never built, and the materials were transferred to the City of Los Angeles. In the 1980s, the collections were dispersed on long-term loan among local archives including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the American Film Institute, the University of California, Los Angeles, the Natural History Museum, and the University of Southern California. The planned museum was not related to Hollywood Museum on Highland Avenue in Hollywood.

Biographical note on William Farnum

William Farnum (1876-1953) was an American actor during the silent film era and then in motion pictures into the 1930s and 1940s. He was one of the highest paid actors of the silent film era. He acted in "The Count of Monte Cristo" (1934), "Cleopatra" (1934), and "If I Were King" (1921).

Biographical note on Sol Lesser

Sol Lesser (1890-1980) was an American film producer. He produced a number of 1940s and 1950s Tarzan films as well as "Our Town" (1940) and "Stage Door Canteen" (1943).

Biographical note on Pete Martin

Pete Martin (William Thornton “Pete” Martin Jr., 1901-1980) was an American editor and author. He was an editor for the Saturday Evening Post from 1927 until 1959, where he created the "I Call On ..." series of magazine articles about Hollywood celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, and Bing Crosby. He wrote a number of books including "The Story of Walt Disney" (1957).

Biographical note on Hal Roach

Hal Roach (1892-1992) was an American film and television show producer, director, and actor. He created Hal Roach Studios. Roach produced "Our Gang" (also known as The Little Rascals), an American series of comedy short films following a group of poor neighborhood children.

Extent

220.08 Linear Feet (159 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection consists of papers collected for the never-built Hollywood Museum from film and television producer, director, and actor Hal Roach (1892-1992); film producer Sol Lesser (1890-1980); actor William Farnum (1876-1953); and editor and author Pete Martin (1901-1980). Items include scripts, manuscripts, production information, and more.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

On loan from the City of Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners, August 21, 1981.

Processing Information

This collection is unprocessed.

Title
Finding aid for the Hollywood Museum collection
Status
Unprocessed
Author
Marissa Chavez for History Associates Incorporated
Date
2022 January
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