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Finding Aid for the Ann Sothern papers, 1954-1961
PASC 144
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Table of contents
Title: Ann Sothern papers
Collection number: PASC 144
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
9.0 linear ft.
(22 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1954-1961
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:
Sothern, Ann, 1909-
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.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Ann Sothern, 1980.
[Identification of item], Ann Sothern Papers (Collection PASC 144). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, UCLA.
Harriet Lake, later changed to Ann Sothern, was born on January 22, 1909 in Valley City, North Dakota. She was educated at
the University of Washington and was trained as a vocalist by her mother. In 1929, under her real name, Sothern made her film
debut playing small parts. She headed for Broadway where she quickly rose from small parts to leads. She returned to films
in 1933 and under her new name, she found her niche playing lighthearted heroines in B pictures for Columbia and RKO. She
moved to MGM in 1939 and gained popularity in the comedy-adventure series
Maisie . She demonstrated her vocal, comedic, and dramatic talents in films such as
Cry Havoc,
Lady Be Good ,
A Letter to Three Wives , and
Panama Hattie , among many others.
In the early 1950s she made the transition to television and launched a successful career starring in her own television shows,
Private Secretary and later
The Ann Sothern Show . She also toured with stage plays. In the mid-1960s she returned to films with occasional character roles. She also resumed
series television with her role in
My Mother the Car and appearing on several episode of The Lucy Show. Her made her final film appearance in 1987 in
The Whales of August which brought her a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination.
The collection consists of material related to the career of actress Ann Sothern. Includes scripts, business records, and
production material for
The Ann Sothern Show , along with correspondence, proposals for television series and pilots, production records for summer stock and night club
acts, handwritten scores, and sheet music. Also includes a small number of audio recordings, photographs, and one scrapbook.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
3222195
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Sothern, Ann, 1909- --Archives.
Motion picture actors and actresses--United States--Archival resources.
Television actors and actresses--United States--Archival resources.