Cecil B. DeMille collection, 1916-1980, bulk 1930-1950

Printable guide [HTML]

Summary

Creators:
DeMille, Cecil B.
Abstract:
The collection is comprised of material assembled and separated from the Cecil B. DeMille Photographs during processing. The collection consists primarily of script and research material for SAMSON AND DELILAH (1949), clippings, miscellaneous papers related to Paramount Studios, and correspondence, including a telegram from Douglas Fairbanks to DeMille about the founding of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927. The collection also includes clippings and promotional information related to DeMille’s Mercury Aviation Company. There is also a drawing by Frederick Stover dating from 1941 of Grauman's Chinese Theater.
Extent:
1.8 linear ft. of papers 5 item(s) of artworks
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English
Preferred citation:

Cecil B. DeMille collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Background

Biographical / historical:

Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959) was one of the motion picture industry's most prominent and successful pioneers. He began his career as an actor and playwright, often working with his brother William and producer David Belasco. In 1913 he formed a partnership with Jesse Lasky and Samuel Goldfish (later Goldwyn) called the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company. The partners traveled to California to film the first feature-length motion picture produced in Hollywood, "The Squaw Man" (1914). The film, co-directed by DeMille, was a critical and financial success. The Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company soon merged with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company and ultimately became Paramount Pictures, where DeMille became a leading producer. By the 1920s DeMille became known for a series of successful, sophisticated sex comedies, many starring Gloria Swanson. In the 1930s and 1940s DeMille produced and directed memorable epic action-adventure films such as "The Sign of the Cross" (1932), "Cleopatra" (1934), "The Crusades" (1935) and "Samson and Delilah" (1949). In the 1950s DeMille made two of his best remembered films: "The Greatest Show on Earth" (winner of the 1952 Best Picture Academy Award) and "The Ten Commandments" (a 1956 Best Picture nominee).

Acquisition information:
Gift of Mrs. Cecilia DeMille Harper and Mrs. Cecilia Presley, both on behalf of the Cecil B. DeMille Trust, 1981
Arrangement:

1. Production files; 2. Subject files

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Directors
Producers
Screenwriters
Names:
DeMille, Cecil B.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Available by appointment only.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical object belong to the Margaret Herrick Library. Researchers are responsible for obtaining all necessary rights, licenses, or permissions from the appropriate companies or individuals before quoting from or publishing materials obtained from the library.

Preferred citation:

Cecil B. DeMille collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Location of this collection:
333 S. La Cienega Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211, US
Contact:
(310) 247-3036 extension 2226
specialcollections@oscars.org
Website