Robert Beche Production Papers, 1935-1993

Printable guide [HTML]

Summary

Creators:
Beche, Robert Michael
Abstract:
Robert Beche (1906-1985) was a production manager, screenwriter, assistant director, director, or producer on numerous film serials, movies, and television series from the 1930s-1970s. A majority of these productions featured stories of the American West, usually occurring during the historical period of westward expansion, from 1865-1900, and typically set in the western United States or northern Mexico. This collection includes production related notes and documents, scripts, newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, memorabilia, and soundtrack recordings related to productions including Gunsmoke, How the West Was Won, A Man Named Horse, Hawk of the Wilderness, and Rio Lobo.
Extent:
10.8 Linear Feet 23 boxes
Language:
English , Spanish; Castilian , Siouan languages .
Preferred citation:

Robert Beche Production Papers, 1935-1993, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MSA.61; [folder number] [folder title][date].

Background

Scope and content:

The Robert Beche Production Papers consist of production related materials from Beche's roughly 40-year career working on numerous film serials, movies, and television series, from 1935-1984. The collection includes over 100 screenplays for movies and episodic productions, many with production notes laid-in. The majority of screenplays are for episodes of the television series Gunsmoke, from 1957-1970. The collection also includes production planning and shoot-related notes and documents including call sheets, shooting schedules, script logs, production reports, studio communication sheets, casting forms, invoices, budgets, promotional materials, photographs, and news clippings for productions such as Gunsmoke, Rio Lobo, A Man Called Horse, How the West Was Won, Streets of San of San Francisco, Daredevils of the West, Red Circle, Fighting Devil Dogs, the Three Mesquiteers, and others. Notable within the Production Files are correspondence and planning documents related to a railroad scene shot on location in Mexico for the film Rio Lobo and soundtrack recordings from the film A Man Called Horse. The collection also includes production files related to Michael Beche's work on the 1993 western film, Maverick.

Note: the term "screenplay" is used throughout this Finding Aid to identify scripts that include descriptions of actors' movements, camera directions, and other features of the story beyond dialog.

Biographical / historical:

Robert (Bob) Beche was born in New York City on June 10, 1906. He had a long career in the film and television industry working as a production manager, screenwriter, assistant director, director, and producer on numerous film serials, movies, and television series from the 1930s-1970s. He worked as an assistant director, production manager, and producer at Republic Pictures from 1935-1939. He was married to Esther Lilly Hoch, and had three children Norma, Ann, and Michael. He died on September 24, 1985. Michael (Mike) Beche (1948- ) is Robert Beche's son. Mike worked as a location manager for productions such as for Maverick (1994),Hart to Hart (1979) and The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008).

References

"Robert M. Beche (1906-1985)." IMDb, 12 September, 2024. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0064970/

"Michael Beche." IMDb, 12 September, 2024. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0064969/?ref_=fn_al_nm_3

Republic Pictures was an American film studio that operated from 1935-1967 in the San Fernando Valley, located about 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, California. Republic Pictures was best known for producing B-Movie Westerns, action movies, melodramas and cliffhanger serials that were shown in movie theaters.

Gunsmoke was an American television series that aired on CBS for 20 seasons, from 1955-1975. Set in the 1890s in Dodge City, Kansas, this western-genre series centered around a US Marshall (Matt Dillon) as he tried to maintain law and order in a western-frontier town. The series received the highest Nielson ratings from 1957-1961 and was won of the most popular television series of its time.

References:

Tikkanen, Amy. "Gunsmoke," Encyclopedia Britannica, 2024, July 24. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gunsmoke-American-television-series

Mallory, Mary. "Republic Pictures: The Little Studio With Big Heart." Toluca Lake, 2024, February 28. https://tolucalake.com/2024/02/republic-pictures/

Acquisition information:
Donated by Michael Beche, 2018.
Processing information:

Processing and finding aid by Molly Smith, 2024.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 3 series.

Series 1: Republic Pictures, 1936-1941

Series 2: Production Files, 1942-1983

Series 3: Michael Beche Production Files, 1993

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Access to this collection may be restricted due to culturally sensitive content. Requests for researcher access to materials identified as culturally sensitive will be restricted until tribal permission has been granted. Please see the Autry's Management of Native Collections policy for further information.

Appointments to view materials are required. To make an appointment please visit https://theautry.org/research-collections/library-and-archives and fill out the Researcher Application Form.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry Museum of the American West. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library and Archives at the Autry. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Autry Museum of the American West as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Preferred citation:

Robert Beche Production Papers, 1935-1993, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MSA.61; [folder number] [folder title][date].

Location of this collection:
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, CA 90027, US
Contact:
(747) 201-8448
rroom@theautry.org
Website