Finding aid for the Philip Ahn papers 3007
Sarah Cassone
USC Libraries East Asian Library
2018 January
Doheny Memorial Library
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California 90089-1825
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries East Asian Library
Title: Philip Ahn papers
Creator:
Ahn, Philip, 1905-1978
Identifier/Call Number: 3007
Identifier/Call Number: /repositories/6/resources/1496
Physical Description:
6 Linear Feet
5 boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 binder
Date (inclusive): 1935-2001
Abstract: Philip Ahn was a Korean American actor, WWII veteran, and USC alum. This small collection comprises primarily personal and
family photographs, film and television stills, and awards and realia documenting Ahn's professional career, personal life,
and his numerous involvements within the Korean community. It also contains scripts, teleplays, and some biographical materials.
Language of Material:
English.
Biographical
Philip Ahn, born March 29, 1905 in Los Angeles, was a Korean American film and television actor (despite his portrayal as
Japanese in many roles) and USC alum. He was discovered for his first film role ("The General Died at Dawn", 1936) while on
campus and subsequently dropped out after completion of his second year in order to seriously pursue acting.
Ahn was the son of Dosan Ahn Chang-ho and Helen Lee Ahn; his family was reportedly the first of Korean descent to settle in
Los Angeles, emigrating to the United States in 1902. His father was an activist and educator during the colonial period
of the Korean Independence movement and returned to Korea in the 1920s to continue his efforts there. Ahn was the oldest of
two brothers and two sisters, one of whom was Susan Ahn Cuddy, the first ever Asian-American woman to join the U.S. Navy.
Ahn revealed his desire to be involved in society by the young age of 13, selling war bonds for which he received commendation
of his excellence. This drive extended into Ahn's academic career at USC, where he was the member of multiple honor societies,
assistant to the Dean of Men, president of the USC Cosmopolitan Club, and chairman of the All University Committee on International
Relations.
Despite his active film career during the 1930s and 1940s, wherein he worked with such actors as Bing Crosby, Shirley Temple
and Anna May Wong, Ahn found the time to assist during World War II as a member of the U.S. Infantry. Ahn continued his armed
services involvement during the Vietnam War, visiting American and Korean soldiers at the invitation of the U.S. Government,
for which he received a number of awards and accolades. Ahn was also an instrumental part of establishing the Do San Memorial
Park in Seoul, Korea and worked to make Los Angeles a sister city of Pusan, Korea. He helped bring the Korean Bell of Friendship
to San Pedro, California and served as honorary mayor of Panorama City, California for twenty years.
Philip Ahn died on February 28, 1978 due to complications from surgery. He was 72. On November 14, 1984, he posthumously became
the first-ever Korean American actor to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Scope and Contents
The Philip Ahn papers, 1935-2001 (bulk 1935-1978), consist of film and television stills, scripts and teleplays, biographical
materials, certificates, awards, realia, and photographs created and collected by Philip Ahn as well as by family members
after his death. The materials document Ahn's career as a film and television actor, as well as his armed service history
and many commitments to the Korean community.
Photographs make up the bulk of the papers, both in the form of film and television stills as well as personal and family
related items. There are numerous headshots, portraits, and family events, as well as materials collected after Ahn's death,
including photo albums from his funeral and his posthumous induction into Hollywood Walk of Fame. The papers also include
certificates of Ahn's achievements, such as his multiple appointments as honorary mayor of Panorama City, receipt of the Heart
Service Award, and his acceptance as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Awards and realia (mainly
in the form of plaques) are also prevalent within the collection and largely relate to Ahn's armed service history and contributions,
as well as his local involvement in the Korean community. The remainder of the collection consists of scripts and teleplays,
articles and clippings, some correspondence, and various publications and programs, including a program and invitation for
the 46th Annual Academy Awards.
Conditions Governing Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Curator of the Korean
Heritage Library. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Korean Heritage 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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the Ahn family.
Related Archival Materials
Related materials pertaining to Philip Ahn's father can be found within USC's Korean-American Digital Archive under An Chang
Ho, as part of the Korean American Private Records subcollection. http://libguides.usc.edu/KADA
Preferred Citation
[Box/Folder# or Item name]. Philip Ahn papers, Collection no. 3007, Korean Heritage Library, USC Libraries, University of
Southern California.
Processing Information
This collection is not fully processed.
Organization
The Philip Ahn papers have been organized into the following series: 1. Film and TV stills; 2. Scripts and teleplays; 3. Biographical
materials, awards, and realia; 4. Personal and family photographs.
The original arrangement of the film and TV stills was primarily chronological; this organization has been kept intact and
applied to the remainder of the series excluding the scripts and teleplays series, which has been arranged alphabetically,
as documented in the separated materials note.
Separated Materials
This collection includes correspondence between USC and the Ahn family regarding the processing of Philip Ahn's papers, specifically
that the scripts would be housed as part of USC's Cinematic Arts library. There is an inventory within the collection (compiled
by Ahn's family members) of the scripts that were given to the Cinematic Arts library, as well as a listing of the film and
tv stills that were to be kept within this current collection and housed at the Korean Heritage Library. As the Ahn scripts
in the Cinematic Arts library have yet to be processed, please consult Box 1, Folder 40 for a complete list of their holdings.
It should also be noted that some scripts and teleplays, many incomplete and that were not featured on the inventory, remained
loose within Box 1 of this collection; these have now been organized into their own series and arranged alphabetically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Academy Awards (Motion pictures) -- Archival resources
Actors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Actors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Photographs
Asian American men -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Asian Americans in the motion picture industry -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Awards -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Korean American men -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Korean American motion picture actors and actresses -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Municipal officials and employees, Honorary -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Archival resources
World War, 1939-1945 -- Archival resources
United States -- Armed Forces -- Asian Americans -- Archival resources
Certificates
Film stills
Realia
Television scripts
Ahn, Philip, 1905-1978 -- Archives
Cuddy, Susan Ahn, 1915- -- Archives
An, Ch'ang-ho, 1878-1938 -- Archives
Film and television stills /repositories/6/archival_objects/542654
Box 1, Folder 13
"Kung Fu" (TV series) /repositories/6/archival_objects/542671
undated
Box 1, Folder 14
Make-up series /repositories/6/archival_objects/542672
undated
Box 1, Folder 15
Miscellaneous/unidentified film/TV stills /repositories/6/archival_objects/542673
undated
Box 1, Folder 1
"Anything Goes" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542657
1935
Box 1, Folder 2
"The General Died at Dawn" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542658
1936
Box 1, Folder 3
"Thank You, Mr. Moto" and "Daughter of Shanghai" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542659
1937
Box 1, Folder 12
"Something to Sing About", "Let's Get Tough", and Rogue's Regiment" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542670
1937-1948
Box 1, Folder 4
"King of Chinatown" and "A Yank on the Burma Road" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542660
1938-1941
Box 1, Folder 5
"Forever Yours" and "The Adventures of Smilin' Jack" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542661
1942
Box 1, Folder 6
"China" and "The Story of Dr. Wassell" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542662
1943
Box 1, Folder 7
"China Sky" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542663
1944
Box 1, Folder 8
"The Cobra Strikes" and "Women in the Night" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542664
1948
Box 1, Folder 9
"Hell's Half Acre" and "Shanghai Story" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542665
1952-1953
Box 1, Folder 10
"The Way to the Gold", "Battle Hymn", and "Never So Few" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542666
1957-1959
Box 1, Folder 11
"Thoroughly Modern Millie" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542669
1967
Pamphlet-Binder 1
Anna May Wong in Paramount Pictures [inscribed to Philip Ahn from Anna May Wong] /repositories/6/archival_objects/616238
undated
Processing Information
This photograph used to be framed, but it was removed from its frame and rehoused in 2021.
Scripts and teleplays /repositories/6/archival_objects/542668
Box 1, Folder 16
"An Almost Perfect Plan" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542683
1959
Box 1, Folder 17
Chan #12 - one line breakdown /repositories/6/archival_objects/542684
1947-08-18
Box 1, Folder 18
"Chinese Checkers" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542685
1955
Box 1, Folder 19
[Commercial teleplays and unidentified/incomplete scripts] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542674
1963-1977
Box 1, Folder 20
"Daughter of Shanghai" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542686
1937-09
Box 1, Folder 21
"Dawn Lily" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542676
undated
Box 1, Folder 22
"Diamond Sutra" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542677
undated
Box 1, Folder 23
"Disputed Passage" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542675
undated
Box 1, Folder 24
DLC #464 /repositories/6/archival_objects/542678
undated
Box 1, Folder 25
"A Girl Named Tamiko" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542687
1961-12-14
Box 1, Folder 26
"The Healers" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542679
undated
Box 1, Folder 27
"Jackson and Jill in "It's a Deal" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542680
undated
Box 1, Folder 29
"Miracles Do Happen" - A Christmas radio program /repositories/6/archival_objects/542681
undated
Box 1, Folder 28
"Lillie May" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542682
undated
Box 1, Folder 30
Ohanian - "Death Watch" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542688
1976-01-30
Box 1, Folder 31
"Survival Mechanism" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542689
1955
Box 1, Folder 32
"The Tokyo Doll" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542690
1960
Box 1, Folder 33
"Whodunit?" /repositories/6/archival_objects/542691
1941-12-11
Box 14
Biographical materials, awards, and realia /repositories/6/archival_objects/542655
Box 3, Item 021
[Clay mold of face (Philip Ahn)] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542727
undated
Box 3, Item 019
In Appreciation: 1st Logistical Command Special Services Vietnam [commemorative goblet] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542730
undated
Box 3, Item 016
In Recognition of Your Contribution to the Usarhaw Special Services Entertainment Program [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542726
undated
Box 1, Folder 34
[Philip Ahn memorial and bio] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542702
undated
Box 3, Item 017
Sgt. Philip Ahn [ nameplate, wood] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542729
undated
Box 1, Folder 35
[Casting calls] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542703
1937-1972
Box 1, Folder 36
[Programs and publications] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542704
1946-1986
Box 1, Folder 37
[Correspondence] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542705
1948, 1973
Box 1, Folder 38
[Articles and clippings] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542706
1957-1987
Box 3, Item 018
With Deep Affection and Gratitude for a Decade of Service as Honorary Mayor, Panorama City [commemorative bowl] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542731
1962-1972
Box 1, Folder 39
Certificates and awards /repositories/6/archival_objects/542707
1965-1978
Box 2, Item 002
Young Men's Christian Association [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542710
1965-1967
Box 2, Item 001
Honorary Mayor's Award [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542709
1966
Box 2, Item 003
[Red standing frame with Korean writing] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542711
1967-05-15
Box 2, Item 005
[Service related plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542713
1968-07-18
Box 2, Item 004
To Mr. Philip Ahn presented by Yoo Hak Seong [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542712
1968-07-19
Box 2, Item 006
Presented by Captain Doan-Ngoc-Bich President of the Tae Kwon Do Association of the Vietnam Navy to Philip Ahn [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542714
1968-07-20
Box 2, Item 007
Republic of Korea Forces, Vietnam [plaque and pins] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542715
1968-07
Box 2, Item 008
To Philip Ahn in appreciation for visit to troops of Nha Trang from Col. LH Lockhart [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542716
[circa 1968]
Box 2, Item 009
Korean Catholic Association of Southern California Korean Night Festival honor [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542717
1969-04-12
Box 2, Item 010
Panorama City Chamber of Commerce Honorary Mayor appreciation [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542718
1970
Box 2, Item 011
Newhall-Saugus-Valencia Chamber of Commerce Chun-an Sister City Program honor [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542719
1970
Box 3, Item 023
Television Academy Awards [paperweight] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542724
1970-04-18
Box 3, Item 022
3rd Annual National Tae Kwon Do Tournament Appreciation Award /repositories/6/archival_objects/542725
1974-08-18
Box 2, Item 012
Korean Association of Southern California Miss Korea Beauty Contest services recognition [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542720
1975-04-25
Box 2, Item 014
ANKC All Nations Open Karate Championships Award for appreciation of dedication and service [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542722
1975
Box 2, Item 015
KWHY-TV Appreciation Award [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542723
1975
Box 3, Item 024
[Signed baseball on stand] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542728
1975
Box 2, Item 013
Soodo Women's University Appreciation Award [plaque] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542721
1976-06-10
Box 1, Folder 40
[USC correspondence and Philip Ahn Collection documents] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542708
1987, 2001
Presented to Esq. Philip Ahn, in commemoration of Bicentennial 1976, Mr. & Mrs. Jun Kim /repositories/6/archival_objects/589177
1976
Physical Description: 1 item
Language of Material: English.
Personal and family photographs /repositories/6/archival_objects/542656
Box 4, Item 3
[Banquet photo, enlarged, cardboard] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542753
undated
Box 4, Item 2
[Dorothy Jordan, MGM headshot, enlarged] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542752
undated
Box 4, Item 4
[Framed b&w photo] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542754
undated
Box 4, Folder 2
[Personal and family] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542758
undated
Box 4, Folder 1
[Philip Ahn headshots/portraits] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542757
undated
Box 4, Item 1
[Philip Ahn in uniform, enlarged b&w print in soft frame] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542751
undated
Box 4, Folder 3-4
[Personal and family] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542759
1940s-1970s
Box 4, Folder 5
ROK Navy /repositories/6/archival_objects/542760
1963
Box 4, Item 5
Thanksgiving at Philip's /repositories/6/archival_objects/542755
1971
Box 4, Item 6-8
[Philip Ahn Funeral (3 photo albums)] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542756
1978
Box 4, Folder 6
[Birthday party, Byung Mo] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542761
1978-1979
Box 4, Folder 7
[Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony, Ahn Family] /repositories/6/archival_objects/542762
1984
Television prop portrait /repositories/6/archival_objects/632049
Oversize-folder 1, Oversize-folder 1
Portrait in the likeness of Philip Ahn used as a prop for "The Magician" television series /repositories/6/archival_objects/632050
Box 1[B], Box 5, Box 7, Box 8, Box 9, Box 10, Box 11, Box 12, Box 13
[Unprocessed material] /repositories/6/archival_objects/610093
Processing Information
Backstage Library Works employees documented the boxes listed under this record during a 2019-2020 collections move. The boxes
listed under this record had not been described in the finding aid prior to this move, but have since been added here to maintain
physical control. Backstage indicated that this collection has two boxes that are numbered "1" and that they did not encounter
a box numbered "6."