May McAvoy papers, 1910s-1980s

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Summary

Creators:
McAvoy, May, 1901-1984
Abstract:
May McAvoy was a silent screen actress who gained popularity during the early 1920s. She also reigned as Rose Queen for the 1923 Tournament of Roses. The collection consists of photographs, film stills, clippings, and ephemera related to her career.
Extent:
3.2 linear ft. (8 flat boxes.)
Language:
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], May McAvoy Papers (Collection 1634). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of photographs, clippings, and ephemera related to the career of actress May McAvoy. The photographs are primarily portraits of McAvoy and film stills from a number of productions, such as Ben Hur, The Enchanted Cottage, The Jazz Singer, and Sentimental Tommy. Known photographers represented in the collection include: Russell Ball, Clarence S. Bull, Richard Burke, Preston Duncan, Edwin Bower Hesser, and Melbourne Spurr. The clippings and ephemera are related to McAvoy's reign as the Rose Queen for the Tournament of Roses in 1923.

Biographical / historical:

May McAvoy was born September 18, 1901 in New York City. She began her career at the age of 15, when she dropped out of school to begin modeling and acting. In 1917, she made her debut in the film Hate. She then appeared in several other films, including To Hell with the Kaiser! (1918) and The Truth about Husbands (1920). Her work in Sentimental Tommy (1921) led to her being offered an exclusive contract with Paramount Pictures, where she appeared in many successful films, including A Private Scandal (1921), Morals (1921), and Clarence (1922). In 1923, she bought out the remainder of her contract after refusing to appear scantily dressed in the Cecil B. DeMille production Adam's Rib. That same year, she was chosen to be queen of the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, CA. As a free-lance actress, McAvoy's success continued;. she was known for her beauty and talent, and she was very popular with audiences. During this time, she appeared in The Enchanted Cottage (1924), Lady Windemere's Fan (1925), and Ben Hur (1926). In 1927, McAvoy signed a new contract with Warner Brothers, which ultimately led to her appearing in The Jazz Singer (1927), often considered to be the first "talking picture." McAvoy continued to appear in sound pictures throughout the rest of the 1920s. She retired from film making in 1929 after her marriage to United Artists executive, Maurice G. Cleary. In 1940, after her divorce from Cleary, she returned to acting and worked under contract with MGM into the late 1950s, when she retired for the second time. She continued to live in Los Angeles, CA until her death on April 26, 1984.

Arrangement:

There is no specific arrangement to the collection.

Physical location:
Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. 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], May McAvoy Papers (Collection 1634). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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