Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Harry Pilcer papers
- Dates:
- 1911-1940s
- Creators:
- Pilcer, Harry, 1885-1961
- Abstract:
- Harry Pilcer was an American dancer and entertainer. The collection consists of papers and photographs pertaining to his life and career, particularly the time he spent partnering with Gaby Deslys, the French dancer and actress.
- Extent:
- 1.0 linear ft. (2 boxes and 1 flat box)
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Harry Pilcer papers (Collection 1941). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of photographs, correspondence, writings, and ephemera related to the career of entertainer and dancer Harry Pilcer. The bulk of the material represents Pilcer's partnership with French dancer and actress Gaby Deslys. The photographs include images of Deslys and Pilcer alone and together as well as what appear to be personal photographs of Pilcer and others. The correspondence is primarily letters, notes and telegrams to Pilcer; a number of the telegrams and notes are from Deslys. The writings include typescript and holograph versions of a story that appears to be about Pilcer and to some degree his association with Deslys. The small amount of ephemera includes invoices billed to Pilcer, music and other miscellany. Additionally there are two employment contracts. A small portion of the collection is in French.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Harry Pilcer was born in 1885 in New York and debuted on Broadway when he was 14 years old. He was an American dancer and entertainer who spent a good deal of time in France. He was known through his partnership with Gaby Deslys, who was a well-known French actress and dancer in the early 1900s. Together, they popularized a dance named after Deslys, called The Gaby Glide. Pilcer's stage credits include Vera Violetta (1911), Stop! Look! Listen! (1915), Laissez-Les Tomber (1917) and Pins and Needles (1922). He also appeared in the films Her Triumph (1915) and Infatuation (1918). After Deslys's death in 1920, Pilcer partnered with the French dancer Mistinguett for ten years. In 1930, he began working as master of ceremonies and entertainer at French casinos owned by Francois Andre and remained a popular entertainer in France throughout the 1930s. He was a choreographer for and appeared in the film The Razor's Edge (1946). Pilcer continued to work as an entertainer until his death in 1961.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged in the following series:
- Photographs
- Contracts
- Correspondence
- Writings
- Ephemera
- Physical location:
- Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- ©2014 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2014-10-17T14:32-0700 . Supplementary encoding and revision by Caroline Cubé using Notetab Pro.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Harry Pilcer papers (Collection 1941). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
- Location of this collection:
-
A1713 Charles E. Young Research LibraryBox 951575Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
- Contact:
- (310) 825-4988