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Goldenson (Leonard H.) collection
2242
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Cinematic Arts Library
Title: Leonard H. Goldenson collection
Creator:
Goldenson, Leonard H.
Identifier/Call Number: 2242
Physical Description:
254.563 Linear Feet
383 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1915-1994
Abstract: The Leonard H. Goldenson collection documents the activities of the American Broadcasting System network in the United States
and its interests outside of the country. The collection includes memoranda, correspondence, reports, speeches, reports, policy
statements, scant photographs, and a small amount of legal and financial papers. Although incomplete at several levels, the
collection offers representative coverage of operations in advertising, programming, research, sales, television, and news
and public affairs broadcasting and the expansion of the network into the movie industry primarily from the 1950's through
the late 1960's.
Language of Material:
English.
Beginning with his takeover in 1953 of the fledgling American Broadcasting Company, Leonard Goldenson became one of the most
famous pioneers of television history. After being hired to assist in the successful reorganization of near-bankrupt Paramount
Pictures, Goldenson then turned to Hollywood in the early 1950s. Competing against broadcasting giants NBC and CBS, Goldenson
engineered such successful ABC ventures as
American Bandstand,
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and
The Mickey Mouse Club. Convincing Warner Brothers and the Walt Disney Company to partner with ABC and produce TV shows proved to be another successful
move for Goldenson, who saw ABC continue to gain ground in the network ratings through the turbulent 1960s. Under Goldenson's
leadership, ABC soon emerged as the premier network for sports broadcasting with the addition of ABC's
Wide World of Sports, coverage of the Olympic Games, and
Monday Night Football. ABC introduced new, innovative ideas to the television landscape such as the TV movie and the miniseries (including 1977's
highly awarded
Roots). Seeing his once humble enterprise reach the pinnacle of financial success, Goldenson retired in 1986 after selling ABC
to Capital Cities, Inc.
Aside from his achievements in the entertainment industry, Goldenson's legacy includes a myriad of philanthropic endeavors
as well. Chief among these is the founding of United Cerebral Palsy in 1949, along with his wife Isabelle, fellow New York
businessman Jack Housman, and Housman's wife Ethel. Beginning with a simple advertisement in the
New York Herald Tribune, he led the campaign to improve treatment and quality of life for children with developmental disabilities, which resulted
in the national organization that continues to strive for those same ideals today.
The Leonard H. Goldenson collection consists of material relating to the day-to-day operations of the American Broadcasting
Company and the activities of Leonard H. Goldenson, its president from 1953 to 1986. The collection consists mainly of correspondence
and artifacts, as well as scrapbooks, ephemera, newspaper clippings, photographs, VHS film, and audio.
A sizeable amount of the collection is dedicated to Leonard H. Goldenson's founding of and continued philanthropic efforts
with United Cerebral Palsy. There is also material relating to Goldenson's autobiography
Beating The Odds.
This collection is organized into three series: Business Records Part 1, Personal Papers, and Business Records Part 2. All
three parts of the collection were processed prior to their arrival at USC.
Two principal archivists processed the majority of the collection. The first series, Business Records Part 1, having been
processed by the first archivist, and the remaining two series processed later by the other. Rather than integrate the last
acquisition of Business Records into an already completed series of Business Records, the second archivist instead created
a third series.
Advance notice required for access.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Cinematic Arts Library
at ctlibarc@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Cinematic Arts 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.
[Box/folder no. or item name], Leonard H. Goldenson collection, Collection no. 2242, Cinematic Arts Library, USC Libraries,
University of Southern California.
This collection is processed.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Television stations -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Television writers -- United States -- Archival resources
Television producers and directors -- Archival resources
Television personalities -- United States -- Archival resources
Television pilot programs -- Archival resources
Television series -- Archival resources
Television mini-series -- Archival resources
Television broadcasting of sports -- United States -- Archival resources
Television broadcasting -- Archival resources
Television broadcasting of news -- United States -- Archival resources
Monday night football (Television program)
Television programs -- Archival resources
Correspondence
Photographs
International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation -- Correspondence
United Cerebral Palsy Associations -- Archives
ABC Television Network -- Archives
American Broadcasting Company -- Archives
United States. Federal Communications Commission -- Correspondence
Kintner, Robert E. (Robert Edmonds) -- Archives
Treyz, Oliver E. -- Archives
Goldenson, Leonard H. -- Archives
Capital Cities Communications, Inc. (U.S.) -- Archives
Capital Cities/ABC, Inc -- Archives