Albert Lewis memorabilia collection
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of memorabilia from the personal library of film and theatre producer Albert Lewis. Materials include Lewis’ unpublished autobiography Which Reminds Me… recounting his vaudeville days and early producing career. The collection also includes film and play scripts, photographs, pocket-sized diaries Lewis kept while traveling with theatre productions, correspondence, clippings, and materials belonging to sons Arthur and Burton.
Dates
- Creation: 1900s - 1978
Creator
- Lewis, Albert, 1884-1978 (Person)
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 cin@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.
Biographical / Historical
Albert Lewis (1884-1978) was a theatre, film, and television producer with an expansive catalog of projects. Lewis began as a partner to producer Max Gordon (1892-1978), creating single act plays for vaudeville. In 1925, Lewis produced and directed the original Broadway production of The Jazz Singer which was later adapted into the film The Jazz Singer (1927). In 1942, Albert Lewis and George Balanchine co-produced and co-directed Cabin in the Sky a Broadway musical with an all-Black cast, which Lewis later produced the film version in 1943. He also co-wrote films with his son, Arthur Lewis, including Oh You Beautiful Doll (1949) and Golden Girl (1951). Together they also produced the Broadway musical Three Wishes for Jamie (1952). Arthur Lewis produced theater works including Guys and Dolls (1953), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1963), and Funny Girl (1966). He produced Baxter (1972) and The Killer Elite (1975) for the screen, and Brenner (1959), The Asphalt Jungle (1961), and The Nurses (1962) and The Diary of Anne Frank (1980) for television. Arthur Lewis is a University of Southern California alumnus.
Extent
19.125 Linear Feet (17 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection consists of memorabilia from the personal library of film and theatre producer Albert Lewis.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to USC by Albert Lewis' children Arthur, Burton, and Elinor in 1978.
Processing Information
Collection is unprocessed.
Subject
- Lewis, Albert, 1884-1978 -- Archives (Person)
Genre / Form
Topical
- Motion picture industry -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
- Motion picture producers and directors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
- Television producers and directors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
- Theatrical producers and directors -- Archival resources
- Vaudeville -- United States -- History -- 20th century
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Albert Lewis memorabilia collection
- Status
- Minimally Processed
- Author
- Sarah Jardini for History Associates Incorporated
- Date
- 2022 May
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Box: 1 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 2 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 3 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 4 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 5A (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 5B (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 6A (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 6B (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 7A (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 7B (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 8 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 9 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 10 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 11 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 12 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 13 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 14 (Mixed Materials)
Repository Details
Part of the USC Libraries Cinematic Arts Library Repository
Doheny Memorial Library G4
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0185 United States
ctlibarc@usc.edu