Category Archives: motion picture history

Spotlighting Communism & Hollywood in the papers of Sesame Street’s Mr. Hooper

Posted on April 18, 2018 by ahcadmin

One of the most recognizable figures of the first thirteen years (1969-1982) of PBS’s Sesame Street was Mr. Hooper the grocer, played by veteran actor Will Lee. He was one of the four original human characters on the show. Before … Continue reading →

Posted in Blacklisting, Cold War, Communism, Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, Political history, Politics, popular culture, Social justice, television history, Uncategorized, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

From Orphan to Icon: The Remarkable Journey of Barbara Stanwyck

Posted on March 2, 2018 by ahcadmin

The astounding and legendary life and career of Barbara Stanwyck began in Brooklyn, New York. The youngest of 5 children born to common laborers, Stanwyck was originally known as ‘Ruby Stevens.’ She became orphaned by the age of 4. After … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography and profiles, Film History, Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, popular culture, television history, Women in Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The June Vanleer Williams Story

Posted on February 1, 2018 by ahcadmin

African-American journalist and editor June Vanleer Williams is not necessarily well-known, but what a rich life she led. Williams was an actress, a casting director, a journalist, a playwright, a poet, and an active member in Karamu House, which is the … Continue reading →

Posted in African American history, Authors and literature, Current events, found in the archive, Journalism, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, popular culture, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

David Brown and Steven Spielberg: Through Thick and Thin

Posted on January 29, 2018 by ahcadmin

Film producer David Brown (1916-2010) began his career in 1951 heading the story department at Twentieth Century Fox. His success began early through his involvement with The Robe, an American Biblical epic film that received an Oscar nomination for Best … Continue reading →

Posted in Film History, found in the archive, motion picture history, Pop Culture, popular culture, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Carl Stalling, Music Animator

Posted on January 17, 2018 by ahcadmin

A chance meeting in the early 1920s at a Missouri movie theater led to some of the most beloved cartoons ever created. Carl Stalling was improvising on the organ while accompanying a silent film. A young Walt Disney was in … Continue reading →

Posted in cartoons, Composers, Film Music, motion picture history, music, Pop Culture, popular culture, television history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary O’Hara: “My Heart is in Wyoming”

Posted on January 9, 2018 by ahcadmin

Could successful screenwriter and socialite Mary O’Hara exchange her glitzy lifestyle for that of a Wyoming ranch wife? Her friends didn’t think so. But by 1930 Mary had hit her mid-forties and was fed up with her gilded life. She … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors and literature, Biography and profiles, Children's literature, Local history, motion picture history, popular culture, Uncategorized, Western history, women's history, writers and poets, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Brassy Barbara Stanwyck and Pre-Code Hollywood

Posted on December 17, 2017 by ahcadmin

In 1934, the Hays Code began to be strictly enforced in Hollywood to clean up alleged indecency in movies. All evil-doers had to meet their just rewards. What spurred the prudish policing? Hardboiled flicks like Baby Face. This 1933 film had … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, Politics, popular culture, Uncategorized, Women in Hollywood, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Terror in the Theater – Fifties Fears

Posted on November 13, 2017 by ahcadmin

Science fiction films of the 1950s commonly expressed several themes: fear of technology leading to unintended consequences; invasion of the planet by aliens; and the effects of atomic radiation. Because science fiction movies were not constrained by reality, more imaginative … Continue reading →

Posted in Cold War, Fantasy, Horror, motion picture history, Politics, Pop Culture, popular culture, science fiction, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jean Howard, Photographer for the Glamorous Hollywood Set

Posted on November 1, 2017 by ahcadmin

Jean Howard parlayed her extraordinary beauty, ethereal glamour and light-hearted intelligence to become a Ziegfeld girl, a Hollywood starlet, a legendary hostess and the “house photographer” of the film colony. Her circle included Tyrone Power, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Humphrey … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography and profiles, found in the archive, Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, Photography, popular culture, women's history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Adeline M. Leitzbach Papers: Part II of a Two-Part Series

Posted on October 24, 2017 by ahcadmin

Adeline Leitzbach once mused: “[In] the old days in pictures… we used to go out on a lot with a couple of actors, a horse, a camera man and an author. We used to shoot scenes, and mould them into … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Authors and literature, Hollywood history, Interns' projects, motion picture history, newly cataloged collections, popular culture, radio history, Uncategorized, women's history, writers and poets | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment