Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Rudy Behlmer papers
1362
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Abstract: The collection consists of Behlmer's research files for numerous books and articles on the history of motion pictures, and
includes scripts, correspondence, clippings, notes, and primary source material related to film production. The material is
arranged by film title and by subject. In the subject files, research related to books by Behlmer are grouped by the title
of the work.
Collector:
Behlmer, Rudy
Dates: 1861-2008
Dates: 1935-2005
Collection number: 1362
Collection Size:
12 linear ft. of papers
Repository:
Margaret Herrick Library. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Available by appointment only.
Property rights to the physical object belong to the Margaret Herrick Library. Researchers are responsible for obtaining all
necessary rights, licenses, or permissions from the appropriate companies or individuals before quoting from or publishing
materials obtained from the library.
Rudy Behlmer papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Gift of Rudy Behlmer, 2007-2014; with additions from Stacey Behlmer, 2020
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The Rudy Behlmer papers span the years 1861-2008 (bulk 1935-2005) and encompass 12 linear feet. The collection consists of
production files and subject files. The production files include scripts for THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) and THE SEA
HAWK (1940), collected by Behlmer for research purposes. The subject files include research for the books "The Films of Errol
Flynn" (1969), "Memo from David O. Selznick" (1972), "Hollywood's Hollywood: The Movies About the Movies" (1975), "America's
Favorite Movies: Behind the Scenes" (1982), "Inside Warner Bros. (1935-1951)" (1985), "Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck: the Golden
Years at Twentieth Century Fox" (1993), "W.S. Van Dyke's Journal: White Shadows in the South Seas 1927-1928 and Other Van
Dyke on Van Dyke" (1996), and "Henry Hathaway: A Directors Guild of America Oral History," (2001). The subject files also
include research for numerous articles on the history and evolution of motion pictures.
Rudy Behlmer (1926-) was born in San Francisco, California. He studied at Los Angeles City College and graduated with a B.A.
degree in theater arts from Pasadena Playhouse College. He began his professional career in 1950 at KLAC-TV in Hollywood,
quickly becoming a stage manager, then a staff director. He left in 1956 to direct network television programs. In 1963 he
joined the advertising firm Leo Burnett U.S.A. in Hollywood as a commercial producer, and in 1977 was appointed a vice president.
He produced, directed and edited a syndicated television special, MOVIES GOLDEN AGE (1961), after which he began researching,
writing, and publishing articles on various aspects of the film industry. He has written books, including "Memo from David
O. Selznick" and "Inside Warner Bros.," numerous magazine articles, and many essays to accompany film music recordings. Behlmer
has also contributed commentaries about Hollywood's Golden Age to many documentaries, laser discs, videos, and DVDs. He has
lectured on film subjects at Cal State University, Northridge; the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena; the Directors
Guild of America (of which he is a long-standing member); the University of Southern California; and the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences.
1. Production files; 2. Subject files; 3 Additions, subseries A-B as follows: A. Received 2014; B. Received 2020
Historians