Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Guggenheim Productions, Inc.
- Extent:
- 450 linear feet of papers.
- Language:
- English
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Guggenheim Productions records span the years 1954-2007 (bulk 1960s-1990s) and encompass more than 450 linear feet. The collection documents the film and television productions and activities of the documentary film company and its founder, Charles Guggenheim. There is voluminous production material and scripts for Guggenheim's films, often with prodigious research and correspondence. The production files, along with the business records, document the company's numerous historical, social, and political films. In addition to producing and directing hundreds of documentaries, Guggenheim was a pioneer of political campaign advertisements for television, including the political documentary. There are extensive files on media campaigns for national and state political candidates. Also of interest are chronological files comprised of Guggenheim's office correspondence and files relating to the 1969 reopening of Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. The bulk of the collection is from the 1960s through 1990s, files with dates earlier than 1954 usually contain photocopies of historical research related to the subject of the documentary, ranging from colonial America in 1575 to World War II.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Guggenheim Productions, Inc., is an American documentary film company based in Washington, D.C., that specializes in producing historical, social, and political films. The company was founded by Charles Eli Guggenheim, an American documentary filmmaker and media consultant, who was active in film from the 1950s through 1990s. Guggenheim founded the company's predecessor, Charles Guggenheim & Associates, in 1954 in St. Louis, Missouri. He relocated his company to Washington a decade later in order to be closer to the political center of the country. He was responsible for presidential media campaigns for Adlai Stevenson in 1956, Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, George McGovern in 1972, and Edward Kennedy in 1980. Through Guggenheim Productions, Charles Guggenheim went on to specialize in non-fiction films on historical figures and events, often with a political bent. The principle themes in the company's filmography were social, political, and architectural. Charles Guggenheim received Academy Awards for the documentary short subjects NINE FROM LITTLE ROCK (1964), THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD (1989), and A TIME FOR JUSTICE (1994); and for the live action short subject ROBERT KENNEDY REMEMBERED (1968).
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Charles Guggenheim, 1999-2002, with additions from Grace Guggenheim, 2005-2016
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged in the following series: 1. Production files, subseries A-B-C as follows: A. Produced; B. Presidential libraries; C. Unproduced; 2. Television files, subseries A-B as follows: A. Produced; B. Unproduced; 3. Correspondence; 4. Subject files; 5. Personal papers; 6. Business papers, subseries A-B-C as follows: A. General; B. Government; C. Political; 7. Organizations; 8. Oversize; 9. Awards; 10. Photographs.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
333 S. La Cienega BlvdBeverly Hills, CA 90211, US
- Contact:
- (310) 247-3036 extension 2226