Frank Sully papers

Finding aid prepared by Jenifer Becker with assistance from Julie Graham, August 2015; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1575
(310) 825-4988
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
Finding aid last modified on 18 March 2016.


Title: Frank Sully papers
Collection number: 2249
Contributing Institution: UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 1.0 linear ft. (1 box and 1 flat box)
Date: circa 1920s – circa 1970s
Abstract: Frank Sully started his acting career in 1929 and appeared on stage, film and television. The collection consists of a small amount of scripts, photographs, biographical information, clippings, and contracts related to Sully’s career.
Language of Materials: English
Physical Location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Creator: Sully, Frank, 1908-1975

Restrictions on Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. 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.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Frank Sully Papers (Collection 2249). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Provenance/Source of Acquisition

Gift of Mikell Ann Kemper, 2014.

UCLA Catalog Record ID

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 7797453 

Biography/History

Frank Sullivan, professionally known as Frank Sully and as Sully, was born in 1908 in St. Louis, Missouri. He began his career in Vaudeville in 1929. His stage work included Whoopee (1933), Midsummer Night’s Dream (1934) and Kiss Me, Kate (1955). During World War II, Sully performed in U.S.O. Camp Shows. Much of his professional work was concentrated in film and television where he was frequently cast as folksy or villainous characters. In 1940, Frank Sully starred in the film adaption of Grapes of Wrath. Other film appearances include Let’s Go Collegiate (1941), Bye Bye Birdie (1963), and Funny Girl (1968), among others. His many television credits include The Beverly Hillbillies, Colt .45, and The Virginian. He died December 17, 1975 in Woodland Hills, California.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of materials related to the career of actor Frank Sully. Included are a small amount of scripts, photographs, clippings, residual payment stubs, contracts, and biographical information. The two scripts represent the motion pictures The Grapes of Wrath and Funny Girl. The photographs represent motion picture and television projects, many of which are not identified, and headshots of Sully. Additionally, there are a small number of professional photographs of his first wife and performer Gladys Edris Slycott (also known as Edris Purcell) and autographed photographs of performers. Residual stubs document his work at Columbia Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros.

Organization and Arrangement

The collection is organized in loose alphabetical order by file title.

Box 1, Folder 1

Biographical Information. undated.

Box 1, Folder 2

Residuals. 1966-1976.

Box 1, Folder 3

Clippings. circa 1940s and 1972.

Box 1, Folder 4

Contracts. 1952 and 1967.

Box 1, Folder 5

Funny Girl - script, production, information, still and lobby card. circa 1967.

Box 1, Folder 6

Grapes of Wrath (The) - script. 5 Aug 1939.

Box 1, Folder 7

Kiss Me, Kate - rehearsal schedule and clipping. 1955.

 

Midsummer Night's Dream (A) - program and published playscript. circa 1934.

Box 1, Folder 9

U.S.O Appearance - schedule. 29 Mar 1944.

Box 2, Folder 1

photographs of Gladys Edris Sylcott (AKA Edris Purcell) - (33 items). undated.

Box 2, Folder 2

photographs of performers signed (mostly to Sully) (10 items). undated.

Scope and Content

James Cagney, Ken Curtis, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope, Gene Kelly, Arthur Lake, Jack Oakie, and Roy Rogers with others.
Box 2, Folder 3

Photographs of Sully (headshots) (40 items). undated.

Box 2, Folder 18

Photographs of Sully with Others Undentified Appearances (19 items). no date.

Box 2, Folder 5

Unidentified motion picture - stills (9 items). no date.

Box 2, Folder 6

Unidentified title - stills (15 originals and 1 facsimile). no date.

Box 2, Folder 4

Unidentified motion picture - stills (4 items). no date.

Box 2, Folder 7

Boogie Man Will Get You - stills (2 items). no date.

Box 2, Folder 8

Bye Bye Birdie - stills (2 originals and 1 facsimile). no date.

Box 2, Folder 9

Down Among The Sheltering Palms (AKA Friendly Island) - stills (2 items). no date.

Box 2, Folder 10

Honeymoon Pilot - stills (2 items). no date.

Box 2, Folder 11

Laugh Your Blues Away - stills (2 items). no date.

Box 2, Folder 12

Let's Go Collegiate - stills (11 originals and 2 facsimiles). no date.

Box 2, Folder 13

Man in the Saddle - still. no date.

Box 2, Folder 14

Man's World (A) - stills (13 items). no date.

Box 2, Folder 15

More The Merrier (The) - still. no date.

Box 2, Folder 16

There's Something About A Soldier - stills (3 items). no date.

Box 2, Folder 17

Whoopee - still and credits. no date.