Collection Guide
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Marion Davies estate papers
192
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Table of contents
Abstract: The papers consist of accounting and financial information for most of Davies's later films and correspondence files from
the 1950s. There is also information about Davies's business dealings, as well as her relationship with the Hearst organization
after Hearst's death. The photograph series consists of glass slides, nitrate negatives, and prints of biography photographs.
Collector:
Davies, Marion
Dates: 1906-1975
Dates: 1922-1937
Dates: 1951-1961
Collection number: 192
Collection Size:
6.25 linear ft. of papers
1 linear ft. of photos
Repository:
Margaret Herrick Library. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Available by appointment only.
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.
Marion Davies estate papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Gift of Gordon Mueller, 1992, with additions from Julie Payne, 2017.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The Marion Davies estate papers span the years 1906-1975 (bulk 1922-1937 and 1951-1961) and encompass 6.25 linear feet. The
papers in the original gift consist of two separate groups of material. The first is accounting and financial information
for most of Davies's later films, though there is some information on such early films as FIVE AND TEN (1927) and SHOW PEOPLE
(1928). Credit information may be found in the accounting files, since salaries for different departments are often listed.
The second group is correspondence files from the 1950s. These files are not complete; most of the material is for the years
1951-1953 and 1959-1961. Among the people writing to Davies are Diana Barrymore, Ingrid Bergman, Eleanor Boardman, Harry d'Abbadie
D'Arrast, and Constance Talmadge. Of special interest is a letter from Jacqueline Kennedy describing her honeymoon stay at
Davies's house. There is also information about Davies's business dealings, as well as her relationship with the Hearst organization
after Hearst's death.
The 2017 Additions comprise two Subseries, Production files and Subject files. The Production files consist of fan scrapbook
leaves or photographs of fan scrapbook pages documenting the films of Marion Davies. The Subject files document the disposal
of Davies's estate, and also notably include correspondence from William Randolph Hearst to Davies as well as photocopies
of annotated transcripts of an extended taped interview with Davies.
The donor of the Additions, Julie Payne, was the step-daughter of Marion Davies's nephew, Charles Lederer. She discovered
this material in 2017, during the course of a residential relocation, in an old suitcase of Lederer's that had been in storage
since his death in 1976.
Marion Davies (1897-1961) was born Marion Cecilia Douras in Brooklyn, New York, and began appearing on stage in 1913. By 1915
she was a well-known chorus girl appearing in numerous revues. That year she met William Randolph Hearst, and they began an
affair that lasted until his death in 1951. In 1917 Davies made her first film, RUNAWAY ROMANY, and from then on her films
were made by Cosmopolitan Pictures—Hearst's company—for release through Paramount, MGM, and finally Warner Bros. Among her
best-known films were WHEN KINGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER (1922), THE PATSY (1928), SHOW PEOPLE (1928), and POLY OF THE CIRCUS (1932).
Her last film was EVER SINCE EVE (1937). Davies was renowned as a hostess and gave memorable parties at the Hearst estate
in San Simeon, as well as at her Santa Monica beach house. After her retirement, she became deeply involved with many charities,
supporting a free children's clinic for many years. She married a seaman, Captain Horace Brown, several months after Hearst's
death.
1. Production files; 2. Television files; 3. Subject files; 4. 2017 Additions, subseries A-B, as follows: A. Production files;
B. Subject files; 5. Oversize; 6. Photographs
Davies, Marion
Actresses