The Bud Barsky papers span the years 1918-1940 and encompass 13 linear feet. The collection contains scripts, biographical material, contracts, financial papers, a small amount of correspondence, clippings, miscellaneous material, and a scrapbook.

Irving J. "Bud" Barsky (1891-1967) was born in Odessa, Ukraine, and was active as an independent producer in the 1920s and 1930s. He entered the film industry in 1906 and, in the 1910s, was involved with the C.L.B. Film Company and Associated Film Sales in New York and Gotham Film Company in San Antonio. After serving briefly in World War I, Barsky worked for the Pathé Film Exchanges in Kansas City, Missouri, and Peacock Films (then known as Pioneer Films) in St. Louis. He formed Bud Barsky Productions in Hollywood in 1922, producing Kenneth McDonald, Al Hoxie, and Frank Merrill features and short comedies featuring Jimmy Valentine. In 1926 he joined MGM as a unit manager, moving to Tiffany a year later as assistant general manager in charge of production. During this time he went by the name Roy Fitzroy. In 1930 Barsky joined Columbia as studio manager and left in 1931 to produce a series of shorts featuring a group of chimpanzees he had acquired. These chimpanzees were rented to MGM for the first Tarzan features, and Barsky himself worked at MGM from 1932 to 1934 as a unit manager. After a brief period as associate producer at Warner Bros. from 1936 to 1937, Barsky again became an independent producer, this time under contract to Grand National Pictures, where he produced WALLABY JIM OF THE ISLAND (1937), his best-known feature.

13 linear ft. of papers

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