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William Keighley material
1721  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Important Information for Users of the Collection
  • Biography
  • Collection Scope and Content Summary
  • Indexing Terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: William Keighley material
    Date (inclusive): 1940-1981
    Date (bulk): 1940-1967
    Collection number: 1721
    Creator: Keighley, William
    Extent: 1.7 linear feet of papers.
    Repository: Margaret Herrick Library. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
    Languages: English

    Important Information for Users of the Collection

    Access

    Available by appointment only.

    Publication rights

    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

    William Keighley material, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

    Acquisition Information

    Gift of LACMA, 2012

    Biography

    William Keighley was an American actor, director, and screenwriter most active in the 1930s and 1940s. After having spent his youth acting and directing on Broadway during the 1910s and 1920s, he relocated to Hollywood. He was the initial director of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938), starring Errol Flynn, but was replaced by Michael Curtiz. During World War II, he supervised the U.S. Army Air Force's motion picture unit. He retired from filmmaking in 1953 and moved with his actress wife Genevieve Tobin to Paris where he went on to become a cultural ambassador throughout Europe.

    Collection Scope and Content Summary

    The William Keighley material spans the years 1940-1981 (bulk 1940-1967) and encompasses approximately 1.7 linear feet. The collection consists of three scripts for three films released in 1940: THE FIGHTING 69TH, FOUR MOTHERS, NO TIME FOR COMEDY, along with correspondence, honorary certificates, clippings, biographical information, artifacts, and photographs. The material covers his role as director of the U.S. Army Air Force's motion picture unit during World War II and his time spent in France during retirement.

    Arrangement

    Arranged in the following series: 1. Production files; 2. Subject files; 3. Oversize.

    Indexing Terms

    actors
    directors