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Title: Orville Goldner Papers
Dates: 1935-1957
Collection Number: MSS 288
Creator/Collector:
Orville Goldner
Extent: Items: 8 folders Linear Feet: .4 linear feet
Online items available
Repository:
California State University, Chico
Chico, California 95929-0295
Abstract: Orville Goldner Papers, 1935-1957 consisting of correspondence, photographs, a script. The bulk of the material deals with
the California Department of Education and his photographs of migrant farm workers and their children.
Language of Material: English
Collection is open for research without restriction.
The library can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying any claimants of literary
property
Orville Goldner Papers. California State University, Chico
Orville Goldner, gift 1981
Biography/Administrative History
Orville Charles Goldner was born on May 18, 1906 in Toledo, Ohio. Goldner moved to California in the early 1920s to pursue
his undergraduate degree at the California School of Fine Arts in Berkeley, CA. In 1940 he earned his masters degree from
Stanford University. While at Berkeley he met and married Dorothy “Dot” Thompson of Modesto, on October of 1925. Dot and Orville
had two children, Maxine and Janet. Goldner lived many places including Hollywood where he held various positions including:
Art and Technical Director, Technical Director, Designer, Special Effects and Creator of Animated Films on such Hollywood
films such as The Most Dangerous Game (1932) and King Kong (1933). Goldner and his wife made many educational films for the
state of California. During World War II, Goldner served in the United States Navy as the Head of the Training Films and
Motion Picture branch. After the war Goldner worked as a Professor at San Francisco State University from 1954-1960 and at
Chico State College from 1967-1971 serving as an instructor for Mass Communication and as director of the Audio-Visual Center.
Goldner died February 28, 1982.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection consists of the papers of Orville Goldner from 1935-1957. The papers include correspondence, reports, a term
paper, a script, a proposal and 220 photographs and slides. The bulk of the material deals with the California Department
of Education and his photographs of migrant farm workers and their children. The photographs were taken from February to March
of 1940, in migrant camps from Bakersfield to Red Bluff, California. The correspondences are between Goldner and colleagues,
from many different jobs he held, including the United States Navy. The two reports pertain to migrant farm workers photography
project. The Term Paper is an essay written by Goldner and chronicles his experiences and the people he encountered during
the same project. Goldner also co-authored a script with Grace Kerns entitled Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand 1939-1940 for
the California Department of Education which also deals with this topic. In 1957, he wrote a series of proposals for the study
of resources of the California Historical Society. The final folder contains slides which are duplications of the migrant
farm worker photographs. This collection does not include anything about his movie or teaching career.
Migrant labor -- California.
Agricultural laborers -- California.
Migrant agricultural laborers -- California.
Education -- California.