Collection context
Summary
- Dates:
- 1925-1960
- Creators:
- Davies, Valentine
- Abstract:
- The collection includes script material for nearly all of the films written by Davies, as well as material on his plays. Nine scrapbooks document Davies's career from 1931 to 1957.
- Extent:
- 15.5 linear ft. of papers
- Language:
- Languages represented in the collection: English
- Preferred citation:
-
Valentine Davies papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Valentine Davies papers span the years 1925-1960 and encompass 15.5 linear feet. The papers include script material for all of the films written by Davies, with the exception of House Without a Name (1956), as well as material on his plays. Script drafts and, in most cases, the shooting script exist for the following films: BACHELOR IN PARADISE (1961), THE BENNY GOODMAN STORY (1956), THE BRIDGES AT TOKO-RI (1955), CHICKEN EVERY SUNDAY (1948), THE GLENN MILLER STORY (1954), IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING (1949), IT STARTED WITH A KISS (1959), MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947), ON THE RIVIERA (1951), SAILOR OF THE KING (1953), STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND (1955), SYNCOPATION (1942), THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE (1946), and YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME (1948). Extensive production documentation for The Benny Goodman Story includes research and music notes. Storyboard sketches for The Bridges at Toko-Ri are also of interest. A couple of television scripts; several stage scripts, including “Keeper of the Keys,” "Three Times the Hour," and "Blow Ye the Winds"; a dozen unstaged play scripts; and script material for the 1956 and 1957 Academy Award ceremonies round out the script files. "Tambourine" is represented by a published score containing music and lyrics. Treasury Department war bond speeches for Binnie Barnes, Kay Francis, Arlene Judge, and Herbert Marshall are of interest. Nine scrapbooks document Davies's career from 1931 to 1957.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Valentine Davies (1905-1961) was born in New York City. He was educated at the University of Michigan and attended drama school at Yale University. One of his earliest productions was a musical performed at the University of Michigan titled "Tambourine," for which he cowrote the book and lyrics. Work as a playwright in the late 1920s through the early 1940s yielded "Keeper of the Keys," "Three Times the Hour," and "Blow Ye the Winds." A proposed film adaptation of the latter brought Davies to Hollywood in the early 1940s, and he wrote the screenplay for another film, SYNCOPATION (1942). Davies served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I. His postwar story, originally titled "This Is the Time" and later "Kris Kringle," resulted in the film and novel MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947). Later screenplays include IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING (1949), THE GLENN MILLER STORY (1954), and STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND (1955). He also directed and wrote THE BENNY GOODMAN STORY (1956). BACHELOR IN PARADISE (1961) was his final film. Davies received an Academy Award for his original story for MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, two nominations in the writing category, and one for the documentary short HOUSE WITHOUT A NAME (1956). Davies served on the Academy Board of Governors from June 1955 to July 1961 (assistant secretary, 1957-1958; first vice president, 1958-1960; president, 1960-1961).
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Mrs. Valentine Davies, 1980
- Arrangement:
-
1. Production files, subseries A-B as follows: A. Produced; B. Unproduced; 2. Television files - Produced; 3. Stage files, subseries A-B as follows: A. Produced; B. Unproduced; 4. Subject files; 5. Scrapbooks
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Screenwriters
- Names:
- Davies, Valentine
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- Published January 2023
- Date Encoded:
- Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Ahn, Stella. Date of source: January 19, 2023.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Available by appointment only.
- Terms of access:
-
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.
- Preferred citation:
-
Valentine Davies papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- Location of this collection:
-
333 S. La Cienega BlvdBeverly Hills, CA 90211, US
- Contact:
- (310) 247-3036 extension 2226