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Finding Aid for the Jim Hawthorne papers, 1940s-1970
PASC 364
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Title: Jim Hawthorne papers
Collection number: PASC 364
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
3.75 linear ft.
(8 boxes and 1 flat box.)
Date: 1940s-1970
Abstract: Jim Hawthorne was a radio and television personality during the 1950s and 1960s. His outrageous antics made him an innovative
pioneer in non-traditional radio broadcasting. The collection consists primarily of bits, sketches, and ideas for routines,
photographs, clippings, and correspondence.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections
for paging information.
Creator:
Hawthorne, Jim
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the
creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright
owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
[Identification of item], Jim Hawthorne Papers (Collection PASC 364). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, UCLA.
Jim Hawthorne, best known as a radio personality, was born on November 20, 1918 in Victor, Colorado. He attended Denver University
School of Commerce, majoring in radio broadcasting from around 1936-1939. In 1942, he moved to Los Angeles and enlisted in
the military. In 1945 Hawthorne began working for Monogram Studios as a production assistant, while working part-time in radio
broadcasting. Two years later he began working full-time in radio, becoming a popular disc jockey at the radio station KXLA
in Pasadena. His outrageous antics at the time made him an innovative pioneer in non-traditional radio broadcasting.
In 1950 he created, produced, and starred in
The Hawthorne Thing, a Saturday night radio show that was broadcast nationwide. In 1955, he purchased a radio station in Yuma, Arizona and successfully
operated it until returning to Los Angeles in 1958. He maintained ownership of the station for years.
In the early 1950s, Hawthorne also began working in television, hosting the late-night television talk show This Is Hawthorne
and performing a daily comedic segment called "Hawthorne Looks at the Weather". In the mid-1950s he designed, built, and managed
K-SHO television in Las Vegas, the first station in the country to broadcast 24 hours a day. In 1959, he was made Vice President
of Programming for KFWB Los Angeles. In the 1960s Hawthorne moved to Hawaii, where he created and hosted the popular children's
television show
Checkers and Pogo. As a producer, he produced both educational films and some of his own comedic segments, including
Quicky Quiz. In the early 1960s Hawthorne was elected president of the Disc Jockeys Association and authored the booklet
How to Break Into Broadcasting.
Hawthorne used his celebrity to benefit the community through his involvement in civic affairs. In the early 1950s, he was
chosen as honorary mayor of Studio City and served in that position for five years. He wrote and produced a number of promotional
and public service spots, including for the Los Angeles City and County Fire Departments, the Los Angeles Civil Service Commission,
and the Los Angeles Metropolitan YMCA. His public service spot for the Los Angeles Police Recruitment Project won first place
at the International Broadcasting Awards in 1963. He was a member of other organizations including the Rotary Club and Variety
Club. In 1970 he moved to Denver, Colorado and worked for eleven years at KOA radio, where he eventually became general manager.
After his retirement in 1985, he continued to appear on the radio and to write both a web column for a Los Angeles radio page
and a weekly newspaper column for a group of San Diego North County papers. He died November 6, 2007 in Santa Barbara, CA.
The collection consists of materials relating to the career of radio and television personality Jim Hawthorne. Included is
script material along with assorted bits, sketches, and ideas for routines, photographs, clippings, and correspondence. Script
material includes writing for
Hawthorne Looks at the Weather and other material for both radio and television projects. The photographs are primarily publicity photos featuring Jim Hawthorne.
The bulk of the clippings are from are publicity about or mentions of Hawthorne from a variety of newspapers. The correspondence
appears business related. Also included in the collection is script material for
Greatest Headlines of the Century, made by Filmrites Associates, Inc.
The collection is not arranged in any specific order.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
6982035
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Hawthorne, Jim --Archives.
Radio broadcasters--Archives.
Radio personalities--Archives.