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RKO Radio Pictures Studio records
PASC.0003
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: RKO Radio Pictures records
Creator:
RKO Radio Pictures
Identifier/Call Number: PASC.0003
Physical Description:
2042.5 Linear Feet
(4085 boxes)
Date (inclusive): circa 1921-circa 1956
Abstract: 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.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
The payroll cards in this collection are restricted. Inquiries regarding these materials should be directed, in writing, to
Special Collections reference (spec-coll@library.ucla.edu).
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other 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.
[Identification of item], RKO Radio Pictures Studio Records (Collection PASC 3). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles
E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Gift of RKO Pictures, 1987.
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interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides
a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive
processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
Processed by UCLA Library Special Collections staff, pre-1999. Revised by Tim Wilson of the Performing Arts Special Collections
Center for Primary Research and Training, 2008. Descriptive Summary and series notes updated by Julie Graham, 2010 and 2014.
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545 updated for catalog record
RKO Radio Pictures was founded in 1928 and operated out of the former Robertson-Cole studios in Hollywood. 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. One of the top studios of Hollywood's
Golden Age, RKO employed many of the top creative talents of the 1930s and 1940s and was responsible for film classics such
as Citizen Kane, Bringing up Baby, Suspicion, Gay Divorcee, and The Magnificent Ambersons, to name only a few. RKO was also
the distributor of many of Samuel Goldwyn, Walt Disney, and other independently produced films. In 1948 Howard Hughes acquired
a large share of RKO stock, gained control of the company and eventually sold to General Tire. 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.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
9942336723606533
RKO Radio Pictures 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.)
The collection consists of script files, production information files, music scores and arrangements, script synopses and
reader's reports, what appears to be Story Department files consisting of story submission cards and books, and payroll records.
Included within the collection is information related to 2500-plus produced and/or unproduced projects produced and/or distributed
by RKO.
The script files may include various script drafts for 2000-plus feature films and shorts, both produced and unproduced or
distributed by RKO. Included are files for 400-plus RKO shorts such as
Deep House,
Dummy Ache,
Scratch-As-Catch-Can, and
Should Wives Work?;
50-plus Path; shorts, and assorted RKO serials. The feature film writings include
Alice Adams,
Cat People,
Cimarron,
Gay Divorcee,
Gunga Din,
I Remember Mama,
The Informer,
King Kong,
Kitty Foyle,
Love Affair,
Morning Glory,
My Favorite Wife,
The Sea Around Us,
Shall We Dance,
Stage Door,
Suspicion, and
Top Hat, to name a few.
The production information files are day-to-day production records for RKO features films and some shorts. Each project file
may include a mix of cast call sheets, extra talent requisitions, set accounting records, and possibly on-set production memoranda.
Among the large number RKO productions represented in the files are the feature films
Carefree,
Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer,
Bringing Up Baby, and
Enchanted Cottage; projects such as the Broadway Headliners series; and productions featuring the comedy team of Clark and McCullough, actors
Edgar Kennedy, Leon Errol, Harry Sweet, and country and western singer, Ray Whitely, among others.
The music files may include scores, parts for individual instruments, and music cue sheets for feature films and some shorts.
The music files showcase composers such as Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Newman, Max Stiener, Franz Waxman, and Roy Webb to name
a few.
The script synopsis-reader report files include story synopsis-reader reports and occasional interdepartmental communication
with comments about the works/story. Individual reports generally include title and author of the original work, type of work
(i.e. Biographical), theme, summary, and reader name. The story submission cards contain resume-like information related to
literary materials offered to or covered by RKO from 1928-1958. The file is organized by story title and by author name. Additionally
there is a subject file index (which is not as voluminous as the title and author index files). The library of books comprises
original literary properties including published plays, novels, and reference books. The payroll records include start and
close payroll advice cards for various studio employees covering ca. 1921-1956 (with gaps
Notably absent from the collection are legal records, stills, and publicity material related to RKO productions.
The collection is organized into the following series:
- Series 1. Feature Films and Shorts
- Series 2. Story Department Records
- Series 3. Payroll Records
RKO Radio Pictures photographs, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Motion picture studios -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives.
RKO Radio Pictures -- Archives