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
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 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.