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Finding Aid for the RKO Studio Records ca.1928-1958
PASC 3
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Description
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. was founded in 1928 and
continued as a major motion picture studio for more than 27 years. The
collection consists of script files, production information files, music scores
and arrangements, script synopses and reader's reports, story submission cards,
payroll records, and books from what appears to be the story department library.
Included within the collection is information pertaining to ca. 3,000 plus
produced and/or unproduced projects related to the studio's history.
Background
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. was founded in 1928 and operated out of the former
Robertson-Cole studios in Hollywood (now part of the Paramount lot). The company
was born out of mergers among the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), the Film
Booking Offices of America (FBO) and the Keith-Albee-Orpheum vaudeville circuit
in the 1920s. The result was Radio-Keith-Orpheum, better known as RKO. The
studio built its prestige upon a generally high production standard and the
participation of major stars, such as Fred Astaire, Irene Dunne, Cary Grant,
Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers. Additionally, were the stars from behind
the camera such as Edward Dmytryk, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Val Lewton, George
Stevens, and Orson Welles, among others. Amongst its productions were The Bells
of St. Mary's, Bringing Up Baby, Cat People, Cimarron, Citizen Kane, The
Farmer's Daughter, Gunga Din, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Informer, King
Kong, Kitty Foyle, Little Women, The Magnificent Ambersons, Morning Glory,
Notorious, Suspicion and the classic Fred Astaire titles Carefree, Flying Down
to Rio, Follow the Fleet, The Gay Divorcee, Roberta, Shall We Dance, Swing Time
and Top Hat. Aside from its own productions, RKO also released Goldwyn, Disney
and Selznick films such as The Best Years of Our Lives, Becky Sharp, It's a
Wonderful Life, and a variety of Disney feature animation films up until 1954.
The company continued as a major motion picture studio for more than 27 years.
In 1948 Howard Hughes acquired a large share of RKO stock and gained control of
the company. After a period of financial difficulties, the company ceased
production in 1958, and the studio lot was closed and the real estate sold to
Desilu. (Note: historical note based on information from Academy of Motion
Pictures Arts and Sciences, Margaret Herrick Library website -
http://www3.oscars.org/mhl/hn/RKO_hn.html
)
Extent
ca. 5000 boxes
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Performing
Arts 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.