Finding Aid for the Ethel Smith papers, 1950s-1990s
Processed by Natalie Snoyman and Sue Hwang; machine-readable finding aid created by Sue Hwang, Julie Graham, and Caroline
Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Performing Arts Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
URL: http://www2.library.ucla.edu/specialcollections/performingarts/index.cfm
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Ethel Smith papers,
Date (inclusive): 1950s-1990s
Collection number: 361
Creator: Smith, Ethel, 1902-1996
Extent: 7 boxes (4.0 linear ft)3 flat boxes
Abstract: Ethel Smith gained fame as an organist and performer through radio, film, and records. Most associated with her career is
her widely popular rendition of
Tico Tico. The collection consists of materials related to her career and includes scrapbooks of press clippings, souvenir programs,
publicity stills and photographs, sound recordings, and publications from the Ethel Smith Music Corporation.
Language: Finding aid is written in English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library.
Performing Arts Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Performing
Arts Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Administrative Information
Restrictions on Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, Performing
Arts Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
RESTRICTED Access: Use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Ethel Smith papers (Collection 361). Performing Arts Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, UCLA.
Biography
Ethel Goldsmith was born on November 22, 1910, in Pittsburgh, PA. She attended Carnegie Tech and majored in piano. She gained
fame as an organist and performer through radio, film, and records. Most associated with her career is her widely popular
rendition of
Tico Tico. Spotted by a talent agent while working as the house organist at the St. Regis hotel in New York, she began appearing on
radio in the late 1930s. In 1941 she took over from Eddie Duchin at the Copacabana Casino in Rio de Janeiro. She returned
to the US and began playing for
Your Hit Parade in 1943 where she arranged popular songs and performed with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, among others. In 1944 she appeared
in the musical numbers for
Bathing Beauty, her first feature for MGM. Other motion picture credits include
Scandals,
Twice Blessed,
Easy to Wed, and Disney's
Melody Time. During the course of her career she also appeared in stage performances such as
Beyond Desire,
The Desk Set,
Season of Choice, and
The Women. Smith founded her own publishing company,
Ethel Smith Music Corporation in the mid-1940s which published arrangements of popular tunes and instructional books for the Hammond organ, as well as
other items such as
Ethel Smith's Latin American Rhythms for Percussion Instruments and her Hammond arrangements of Fritz Kreisler's violin pieces. Smith produced over 20 albums, mostly with Decca. She developed
a nightclub act in which she played the organ and other instruments, sang and told jokes. Smith collected percussion instruments
from all over the world which she used on records and in performances. In the 1960s she took a renewed interest in acting,
taking small roles on stage and in film. In the 1970s she relocated to Palm Beach, Florida, where she occasionally performed
for special occasions. She died in May 1996, in Palm Beach, Florida.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of materials related to the career of entertainer and musician, Ethel Smith. Included are sound recordings
(including pieces from the Decca Personality Series), scrapbooks of press clippings, publicity stills and photographs, and
a very small amount of correspondence, souvenir programs, printed music, and publications from the Ethel Smith Music Corporation.
Additionally there is a script and budget report for the film,
Lets Live a Little, and two contracts--one for Smith's last performance at Broward College Bailey Theatre.
Organization and Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
- Sound Recordings
- Scrapbooks and Clippings
- Photographs
- Printed Material
- General Files
Subjects
Smith, Ethel, 1902-1996 -- Archives.
Entertainers -- United States -- Archival resources.
Women organists -- United States -- Archival resources.
Box 11
Adios - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
At The End Of A Perfect Day Ethel Smith organ solos - 33 1/3 RPM LP record
album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Babooshka - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Babooshka Babouska - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
Bouqet of the Blues Ethel Smith at the organ - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Brazil E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
Bright and Breezy Ethel Smith organ solos - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Cancao do poly (Poly's song) - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Carinhoso E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Carioca - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Carnival - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Carnival Capers - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 8
Complete Organ Routine drum insert with rhythm background - 33 1/3 RPM LP record
album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 3, Folder 2
Concerto Grosso in E Major, Op. 8, No. 1 - long play record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
Dance to the Latin Rhythms of Ethel Smith - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Ethel Meets the Count E. Smith - 45 RPM record album (2 copies)
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 6, Folder 2
Ethel Smith Hammond Organ Publications
1948, 1949
Scope and Content Note
Sheet music in loose-bound binder, Ethel Smith Music Corp.
Box 8
Ethel Smith Make Mine Hawaiian - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
Ethel Smith on Broadway - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
Ethel Smith Organ Solos - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
Ethel Smith Parade - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Physical Description: Signed album cover.
Note
RESTRICTED access: use of audio material requires
production of listening copies.
Box 3, Folder 1
Ethel Smith Plays the Hits - record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Ethel Smith Plays the Hits Vol. 1 - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Ethel Smith Plays the Hits Vol. 2 - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 3
Ethel Smith Sings 'Sing a Tropical Song' - 78 RPM recording
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Ethel Smith Souvenir Album - 45 RPM record album (2 discs)
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
Ethel Smith Swings Sweetly - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Ethel Smith Vol. 1 - 45 RPM record album (2 copies)
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Ethel Smith Vol. 2 - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
Ethel Smith… Rhythm Antics! Organ and percussion - 33 1/3 LP RPM record
album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
Ethel Smith's Cha-Cha-Cha Album - 33 1/3 LP RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
Ethel Smith's Cha-Cha-Cha Album - 33 1/3 LP RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 7
Galloping Fingers Ethel Smith - 33 1/3 LP RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Gypsy in My Soul E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 8
Hollywood Favorites Ethel Smith organ solos - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 8
Lady Fingers Ethel Smith - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Meditation - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Meringue Simon E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 8
Miss Smith Goes to Paris - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album (2 copies)
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Moonglow and Love Theme Picnic Morris Stoloff - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Old Black Magic E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
One of Those Things E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
One of Those Things E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 8
Organ Holiday Ethel Smith organ solos - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Side A: The Parrot. Side B: (1) Paran Pan Pin (2) Cachita.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Side A: Liza. Side B: I Got Rhythm.
Note
RESTRICTED access: use of audio
material requires production of listening copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Side A: Just A Prayer Away. Side B: My Mother's Waltz.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Titles: If; Be My Love.
Note
RESTRICTED access: use of audio material requires
production of listening copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Side A: The Sweetest Story Ever Told. Side B: Mighty Lak' A Rose.
Note
RESTRICTED access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Side A: Toca Tu Sambra. Side B: Dinorah.
Note
RESTRICTED access: use of
audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Side A: La Bamba De Vera Cruz. Side B: Tic-Toc Rhumba.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Titles: The Loveliest Night of the Year; The Syncopated Clock.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Side A: White Christmas. Side B: Jingle Bells.
Note
RESTRICTED access: use of
audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Side A: Easter Parade. Side B: A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Titles: The Breeze and I; (1) Alla En El Rancho Grande (2) Las Altenitas.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 9
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Side A: The Green Cockatoo. Side B: Blame It On the Samba.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 10
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Titles: The Loveliest Night of the Year; The Syncopated Clock.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 10
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Titles: The Galloping Comedians; Sleigh Ride.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 10
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Side A: Teddy Bear's Picnic. Side B: Fiddle-Faddle.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 10
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Titles: Steamboat Rag; Maple Leaf Rag.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 10
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Titles: Largo; Clair De Lune.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 10
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Side A: Over Three Hills. Side B: Beautiful Wisconsin.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 10
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Titles: The Tubby the Tuba Song; Monkey on a String.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 10
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Titles: Cuban Cutie; Mambo Jambo.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 10
Phonograph album book containing Decca Personality series 78 RPM
recordings
no date
Scope and Content Note
Titles: Cataña; The Samba Polka.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 11
Propak No. 1 - 33 1/3 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Rhythm Antics - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 3, Folder 5
Rhythm slow bass - record
no date
Physical Description: Title annotated on item.
Note
RESTRICTED
access: use of audio material requires production of listening copies.
Box 11
Rhythm Track No. 1 E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Rhythm Track No. 2 E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Rhythm Track No. 3 E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Rhythm Track No. 4 E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 3, Folder 4
Rosina - record
no date
Physical Description: Title annotated on item.
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: use of audio material
requires production of listening copies.
Box 8
Seated One Day at the Organ Ethel Smith - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 8
Silent Night-Holy Night Ethel Smith organ solos - 33 1/3 RPM LP record
album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
St. Louis Blues E. Smith - 45 RPM record album (2 copies)
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 8
The Many Moods of Ethel Smith - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Tico Tico E. Smith - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Tonight's The Night - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 3
Tonight's the Night - 45 RPM recording
no date
Scope and Content Note
Copy: Ethel Smith Decca Master.
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: use of audio material
requires production of listening copies.
Box 11
Unidentified sound recording - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Unidentified sound recording - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Unidentified sound recording - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Unidentified sound recording - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Unidentified sound reocrding - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 8
Unidentified title (in Russian) - 33 1/3 RPM LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
Verve Records - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 3, Folder 3
Waltzing Cat (The) and Three Cornered Tune - sample release record
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 11
What Is - 45 RPM record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 8
Wonderful Sounds of Christmas - LP record album
no date
Note
RESTRICTED ACCESS: Use of audio material requires production of listening
copies.
Box 1, Folder 8
Clippings (foreign language)
no date
Box 1, Folder 7
Clippings (roles in plays)
no date
Box 4, Folder 1
Palm Beach Daily News - clipping (laminated)
1986 Oct 1
Box 4, Folder 5
Scrapbook
1953
Scope and Content Note
Spanish language clippings.
Box 4, Folder 6
Scrapbook
1954-1963
Scope and Content Note
Clippings and photograph.
Box 5, Folder 1
Scrapbook
1942-1943
Scope and Content Note
Clippings.
Box 5, Folder 2
Scrapbook
1944-1946
Scope and Content Note
Clippings.
Box 4, Folder 2
Scrapbook - Belgian clippings
1949 May
Box 1, Folder 9
Miniature Photo Album
no date
Box 1, Folder 12
Photographs (snapshots)
1956, 1960s, 1982
Box 1, Folder 13
Photographs (snapshots)
no date
Scope and Content Note
Appears to be early to mid-career.
Box 1, Folder 14
Photographs (snapshots)
no date
Scope and Content Note
Appears to be later career. Original envelope labeled Florida Photographs.
Box 1, Folder 15
Photographs (snapshots)
no date
Scope and Content Note
May include photographs of Palm Beach apartment.
Box 1, Folder 16
Photographs (snapshots)
1985-1994
Box 1, Folder 17
Photographs (snapshots)
no date
Scope and Content Note
Original enveloped labeled Cruise Performances.
Box 1, Folder 18
Photographs (snapshots)
no date
Scope and Content Note
Original enveloped labeled Northern California.
Box 1, Folder 19
Photographs (snapshots)
no date
Scope and Content Note
Original enveloped labeled Foreign Travel.
Box 1, Folder 10
Publicity Stills
no date
Scope and Content Note
Many are headshots of Smith.
Box 1, Folder 11
Publicity Stills
no date
Scope and Content Note
Appears to related to performances.
Box 2, Folder 2
Advertisement for performances (photocopy)
no date
Box 2, Folder 7
Ethel Smith's Latin-American Rhythms For The Percussion Instruments
ca. 1951
Scope and Content Note
Latin rhythms for drummers and all other instrumentalists.
Box 6, Folder 1
Marin Veteran's Memorial Theater - performance poster
no date
Box 2, Folder 4
Memorabilia from cruises
ca. 1960s, 1992
Box 2, Folder 8
Printed music
no date
Note
Original folder titled Ethel Smith Printed Music.
Box 4, Folder 4
Ralph Wolfe Cowan's A Personal Vision, Volume 1
no date
Scope and Content Note
With inscription to Ethel on title page.
Box 2, Folder 3
Souvenir programs and flyers
1941-1989
Box 2, Folder 1
Contracts from performances at Broward College Bailey Theatre and the Ohio
Theatre.
1977, 1982
Box 2, Folder 10
Let's Live a Little - script and budget report
1965
Scope and Content Note
May have been released as C'mon, Let's Live a Little in 1967 (as per the
American Film Institute Catalog).
Box 4, Folder 3
Letter from Hugh Palmer to Ethel Smith
1983 June 29
Box 2, Folder 9
Letter from Raul Apold to Ethel Smith
1953 Sept 3
Box 2, Folder 5
Performance notes
1960s-1980s
Note
Removed from envelope addressed to Kathryn Smith.
Box 2, Folder 6
Song lyrics
no date
Note
Removed from envelope addressed to Kathryn Smith.