Finding aid for the Charles Higham collection 2165

Marissa Chavez for History Associates Incorporated

USC Libraries Cinematic Arts Library

2022 February

Doheny Memorial Library G4

3550 Trousdale Parkway

Los Angeles, California 90089-0185

ctlibarc@usc.edu

URL: http://libraries.usc.edu/locations/cinematic-arts-library

Contributing Institution: USC Libraries Cinematic Arts Library

Title: Charles Higham collection

Creator: Higham, Charles, 1931-2012

Identifier/Call Number: 2165

Physical Description: 106.85 Linear Feet 89 boxes

Date (bulk): 1920s-1990s

Abstract: This collection consists of Charles Higham's (1931-2012) research and papers for his biographies and investigative journalism. Higham was an English journalist and biographer who moved to the United States in 1969. He wrote biographies of celebrities as well as books about Nazis in the United States. This collection includes research he did for his books, including: "Trading with the Enemy: The Nazi American Money Plot 1933-1949" (1983), "Errol Flynn: The Untold Story" (1980), "Orson Welles: The Rise and Fall of An American Genius" (1985), "Princess Merle: The Romantic Life of Merle Oberon" (1983) with Roy Moseley, and "Lucy: The Life of Lucille Ball" (1986).

Language of Material: English.

Conditions Governing Access

Advance notice required for access.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Charles Higham, July 23, 1982-August 27, 2010.

Biographical / Historical

Charles Higham (1931-2012) was an English journalist and biographer. He wrote biographies about Katharine Hepburn, Errol Flynn, Lucille Ball, Wallis Simpson (Duchess of Windsor), Cary Grant, and many more. He also wrote investigative journalism books about Nazis in the United States. Higham moved to Australia in 1954 and worked in journalism before moving to the United States in 1969 where he started publishing books.

Preferred Citation

[Box/folder no. or item name], Charles Higham collection, Collection no. 2165, Cinematic Arts Library, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Processing Information

This collection is unprocessed. Box 56 not on shelf as of February 2022. The inventory is based on box labels and may not fully represent the contents within.

Related Materials

See also: Charles Higham collection (Coll. No. 2165-2)

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of Charles Higham's (1931-2012) research and papers for his biographies and investigative journalism. Higham was an English journalist and biographer who moved to the United States in 1969. He wrote biographies of celebrities as well as books about Nazis in the United States. This collection includes research he did for his books, including: "Trading with the Enemy: The Nazi American Money Plot 1933-1949" (1983), "Errol Flynn: The Untold Story" (1980), "Orson Welles: The Rise and Fall of An American Genius" (1985), "Princess Merle: The Romantic Life of Merle Oberon" (1983) with Roy Moseley, and "Lucy: The Life of Lucille Ball" (1986). Within the research files, there are many photocopies of archival documents collected by Higham during his research.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Cinematic Arts Library at ctlibarc@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Cinematic Arts Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Authors, English -- Biography -- 20th century -- Archival resources

Biographers -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources

Celebrities -- United States -- Biography -- Archival resources

Interviews -- United States -- 20th century -- Archival resources

Journalism

Notebooks

Journals (accounts)

Research (documents)

Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)

Audiotapes

Interviews (Sound recordings)

Higham, Charles, 1931-2012 -- Archives

Lucille Ball

Box 43

Lucille Ball

Marlon Brando

Box 1

Marlon Brando (box 1 of 5)

Box 2

Marlon Brando (box 2 of 5)

Box 3

Marlon Brando (box 3 of 5)

Box 4

Marlon Brando (box 4 of 5)

Box 5

Marlon Brando (box 5 of 5)

Marlene Dietrich

Box 62

Reviews and photographs, Marlene Dietrich

The Duchess of Windsor

Box 12

The Duchess of Windsor research: chronological files (box 1 of 3), 1925-1937

Box 13

The Duchess of Windsor research: chronological files (box 2 of 3), 1937-1942

Box 14

The Duchess of Windsor research: chronological files (box 3 of 3), 1942-1987

Box 15

The Duchess of Windsor research: alphabetical files (box 1 of 6), A-C

Box 16

The Duchess of Windsor research: alphabetical files (box 2 of 6), C-H

Box 17

The Duchess of Windsor research: alphabetical files (box 3 of 6), H-Ma

Box 18

The Duchess of Windsor research: alphabetical files (box 4 of 6), Ma-N

Box 19

The Duchess of Windsor research: alphabetical files (box 5 of 6), P-U

Box 20

The Duchess of Windsor research: alphabetical files (box 6 of 6), V-W

Box 21

The Duchess of Windsor research (box 1 of 3): alphabetical files, A-S

Box 22

The Duchess of Windsor research (box 2 of 3): alphabetical files, S-W

Box 23

The Duchess of Windsor research (box 3 of 3): chronological, 1897-1981

Box 24

The Duchess of Windsor (book) addition, 6/88

Box 25

The Duchess of Windsor (box 1 of 2)

Box 26

The Duchess of Windsor (box 2 of 2)

Errol Flynn

Box 33

Errol Flynn

Box 34

Errol Flynn

Box 35

Errol Flynn

Box 36

Errol Flynn

Box 37

Errol Flynn

Box 38

Errol Flynn

Box 39

Errol Flynn

Box 40

Errol Flynn

Box 87

Errol Flynn

Carey Grant

Box 9

Carey Grant (box 1 of 3): research materials, alphabetical A-H

Box 10

Carey Grant (box 2 of 3): research materials, alphabetical H-S

Box 11

Carey Grant (box 3 of 3): research materials, chronological 1920-1985

Audrey Hepburn

Box 86

Audrey Hepburn

Kate

Box 55

Books by Higham- Kate (publicity/review). Incl. ANA

Merle Oberon

Box 41

Merle Oberon

Orson Welles

Box 27

Orson Welles

Box 28

Orson Welles

Box 29

Orson Welles

Box 30

Orson Welles

Box 32

Orson Welles scrapbook

Box 44

Orson Welles

American Swastika

Box 79

American Swastika: subjects (1 of 2)

Box 71

American Swastika: subjects (2 of 2), people (1 of 4)

Box 80

American Swastika: people (2 of 4)

Box 72

American Swastika: people (3 of 4)

Box 73

American Swastika: people (4 of 4)

Box 74

American Swastika: addition (1 of 2), A-Mala

Box 75

American Swastika: addition (2 of 2), Matt-S

Box 76

American Swastika: miscellaneous people (1 of 1)

Box 77

American Swastika: additions (1 of 1), A-T

Box 81

American Swastika (book manuscripts)

Palace

Box 7

"Palace" (1 of 1), Baron's magazine articles, manuscript, and research

Sisters (Olivia De Havilland and Joan Fontaine)

Box 42

Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine

Box 53A

Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine

Box 53B

Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine

Trading with the Enemy

Box 45

Trading with the Enemy

Box 46

Trading with the Enemy

Box 47

Trading with the Enemy

Box 50

Trading with the Enemy

Box 51

Trading with the Enemy

Box 52

Trading with the Enemy

Box 82

Trading with the Enemy (box 1 of 4)

Box 78

Trading with the Enemy (box 2 of 4)

Box 83

Trading with the Enemy (box 3 of 4)

Box 84

Trading with the Enemy (box 4 of 4)

Box 85

Photocopied documents, photographs, 1940s

Scrapbooks

Box 70

Anastasia Reilly/Theodore Buhl

Box 70

Leila Hyams

Box 70

Paramount Press Sheets (August 1, 1930-July 31, 1931)

Photographs and related research

Box 66

Ziegfeld (photos), Kate [Katherine Hepburn], Cecil B. DeMille (photos), "Misc. photos II", The Woman in Red

Box 67

Ziegfeld (research); Kate [Katherine Hepburn] (research); Ava [Ava Gardner] (3 folders and photographs)

Box 68

Photos, Kate [Katherine Hepburn], A. C. Doyle

Miscellaneous

Box 6

Miscellaneous (L. Bell, Marlon Brando, Errol Flynn)

Box 8a

Miscellaneous (including files labeled Poems, Novels, Rohl, Space Babies, and Naked Angels)

Box 31

Miscellaneous files

Box 61

Miscellaneous (including various correspondence, clippings, The Adventures of Conan Doyle galleys; Hal Wallis manuscript)

Box 69

Miscellaneous; Wm. Desmond Taylor

Box 56

[Missing]

Various book manuscripts

Box 57

Book manuscripts (Errol Flynn, Bette Davis)

Box 58

Book manuscript (Charles Laughton; The Adventures of Conan Doyle)

Box 63

Manuscripts: Warner Brothers (with photographs), Kate [Katherine Hepburn], Cecil B. DeMille (B of B)

Box 64

Where the Pictures Talked and Sang manuscript

Writings and correspondence

Box 59

Personal Higham correspondence (to/from)

Box 60

Writings, articles

Box 65

Notes and notebooks

Audio

Box 8b

Audio recordings of the novels Ava and Kate

Box 48

Cassette interviews (book research, 1980-1985)

Box 49

Reel-to-reel tapes

Box 54

Reel-to-reel audio tapes