LibGuides: Film & Media Studies: Archives

UCSB Library Special Collections

Performing Arts Collection: Film and Television Collections

Anderson (Dame Judith) Papers (PA Mss 6)
- Personal papers of Austrialian born actress famous for her interpretations of roles in Hamlet and Medea.
Dramatic Arts Collection. Programs, playbills and clippings from the stage and the early days of film. (PA Mss 7).
Film Press Kit Collection (PA Mss 39)
- Press kits for motion pictures, mostly independent releases, including promotional material, clippings and advertising materials.
Film Scripts Collection (PA Mss 60)
- Collection of screenplays from major and independent films, 1959-2003 (bulk 1989-2003).
Hollywood Film Star Photographs, ca. 1930s-1940s. Collection of 30 b/w publicity shots, including John Barrymore, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Jimmy Durante, W. C. Fields, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Jack Haley, Walter Huston, Harold Lloyd, Frederic March, George Raft, Mickey Rooney, and Akim Tamiroff. (SC 722).
John Hilly Collection (PA 2000-017)
- Recordings of several radio shows guest starring John Hilly, including one episode of Hi Jinx and seven of the show Gangbusters.
Kellogg (Marjorie) Papers (PA Mss 85)
- Papers of Marjorie Kellogg (1922-2005), American novelist and screenplay writer born in Santa Barbara, California.
Law & Order Production Scripts (PA Mss 86)
- Production script library for the Law & Order franchise.
Lemack (Brad) Collection (PA Mss 58)
- Collection of publicity materials from shows produced by Embassy Television and Tandem/T.A.T.
Naylor (Cal) Production Files, 1981-1982 (PA Mss 16)
- Production files for early episodes of Hill Street Blues.
Screen Guild Players Recordings, 1942-1948 (PA Mss 28)
- Recordings of 32 Screen Guild Players radio programs used as a fundraising effort for the Motion Picture Relief Fund featuring many contemporary stars.
Sinclair (Robert) Collection (PA Mss 12)
- Annotated teleplays for 1950s and 60s television program directed by Sinclair.
United States Army Signal Corps Film Unit Records, 1945-1946.
- Large binder containing caption sheets, critical evaluations, and other paperwork relating to films shot during 1945 and 1946 by soldiers serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps film units. Events covered include the war crimes trials of two Japanese generals, Tomoyuki Yamashita and Masaharu Homma; German atrocities discovered in Hanover; the liberation of American POWs; reactions among soldiers to V-E Day celebrations; activities of the Red Cross; the plight of displaced persons; the conversion of the port of Bremen for use by American forces; and even boxing matches held in Manila. Also included are several Motion Picture Coverage Reports, marked “Confidential,” which discuss issues of technique while evaluating the output of the various film units. (Bernath Mss 139).

FILM AND TELEVISION ARCHIVES IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA

The Margaret Herrick Library
The Academy Film Archive (sibling to The Margaret Herrick Library)
Autry National Center of the American West
Louis B. Mayer Library Devoted to serve the research needs of the American Film Institute, the library is also available on a non-circulating basis to visiting scholars, researchers, and advanced graduate students, as well as members of the entertainment industry. Holdings include books and periodicals and other special collections covering various aspects of motion pictures and television.
Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum of African American History & Culture
MCLM maintains the largest and most academically substantial, independently held collection of rare and out-of-print books, documents, films, music, photographs and memorabilia on African American history and culture in the United States.

Frances Howard Goldwyn - Hollywood Regional Branch Library
The Goldwyn Hollywood Branch of the library is particularly strong for the study of film, and includes some archival resources.

Hollywood Heritage Museum (The DeMille Barn)

UCLA Performing Arts Special Collections

UCLA Film & Television Archive
USC Cinematic Arts Library - See specifically the Performing Arts Archives and Warner Bros. Archives.

Studio Archives

The following is a working list of locations with significant print archival holdings documenting specific studios, including those collections not held in publicly accessible institutions. However, the papers of individuals (actors, directors, producers, screenwriters, costumers, etc.) connected with specific studios may also be available in other locations throughout the country, and are not listed here. Suggestions, revisions, and information leads for this list are encouraged!

This list was originally compiled by UCLA librarians for the UCLA Film & Television Research Guide.

CBS: UCLA holds music-related manuscripts, books, printed music, sound recordings and business papers relating to CBS productions from 1955-1983. Finding aid is available.

Disney: Disney maintains an extensive in-house archive, but it is not open to the public. UCLA owns some publicity ephemera from 1938-1980s.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM): There is no fully centralized or comprehensive archive available for MGM, and unfortunately some of the studio's archival records were discarded. For instance, all MGM musical material, including orchestra arrangements and parts, were discarded in the late 1960s. However, some content is available at USC, the Margaret Herrick Library (art, legal, production, and wardrobe departments, as well as scripts), and UCLA Library Special Collections (architectural set plans, scripts, in-house materials related to productions and compiled by the M-G-M Research Department for behind the scenes research).

Paramount: The most extensive institutional holdings from Paramount are housed in multiple archives by the studio, including all of the music archives. The Margaret Herrick Library includes some production records, scripts, press sheets, and contract summaries. UCLA holds select stills (1920s-1940s) and television production files (1950s-1970s). Ohio State holds some materials as part of the Paramount International Films collection, 1927-1968.

Republic Pictures: Some archival materials available at USC.

RKO: The RKO studio collection (1922-1956) is housed at UCLA Library Special Collections, including scores, daily production reports, story submission cards, payroll cards, scripts, and story synopses. Some specific collection information is available via a finding aid.

Sony: Sony also owns Columbia and Tri-star. The studio has an in-house archive that is not open to the public. UCLA houses some Columbia scripts and stills, and stills from Tri-star.

Twentieth Century Fox: Most archival holdings are housed by the studio and are not open to the public. Some Fox production material (including scripts) is available at USC, and UCLA holds some scripts.

United Artists: Some UA archival records are located at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, including corporate ledgers.

Universal: The most extensive archives are located at the studio and in other remote locations, but are not open to the public. Some material is available at USC, and the Margaret Herrick Library houses a collection of trailer scripts.

Warner Bros.: Most Warner Bros. archives are held at USC, covering studio inception to 1968. Also includes the William Schaefer ledger, which covers film grosses from 1921-1967. Some materials (mostly scripts) are held at the University of Wisconsin, and UCLA Library Special Collections houses some Warner Bros. silent film music scores.