Description
This collection consists of papers collected for the never-built Hollywood Museum from film and television producer, director,
and actor Hal Roach (1892-1992); film producer Sol Lesser (1890-1980); actor William Farnum (1876-1953); and editor and author
Pete Martin (1901-1980). Items include scripts, manuscripts, production information, and more.
Background
The Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum (known as the Hollywood Museum) was conceived as a repository for American
film and television history to be built and operated by the County of Los Angeles. Archival materials were donated in the
1960s, but the museum was never built, and the materials were transferred to the City of Los Angeles. In the 1980s, the collections
were dispersed on long-term loan among local archives including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the American
Film Institute, the University of California, Los Angeles, the Natural History Museum, and the University of Southern California.
The planned museum was not related to Hollywood Museum on Highland Avenue in Hollywood.William Farnum (1876-1953) was an American actor during the silent film era and then in motion pictures into the 1930s and
1940s. He was one of the highest paid actors of the silent film era. He acted in "The Count of Monte Cristo" (1934), "Cleopatra"
(1934), and "If I Were King" (1921).Sol Lesser (1890-1980) was an American film producer. He produced a number of 1940s and 1950s Tarzan films as well as "Our
Town" (1940) and "Stage Door Canteen" (1943).Pete Martin (William Thornton "Pete" Martin Jr., 1901-1980) was an American editor and author. He was an editor for the Saturday
Evening Post from 1927 until 1959, where he created the "I Call On ..." series of magazine articles about Hollywood celebrities,
including Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, and Bing Crosby. He wrote a number of books including "The Story of Walt Disney" (1957).Hal Roach (1892-1992) was an American film and television show producer, director, and actor. He created Hal Roach Studios.
Roach produced "Our Gang" (also known as The Little Rascals), an American series of comedy short films following a group of
poor neighborhood children.