Description
The collection consists of scrapbooks ranging in date from 1933-1938. The
scrapbooks hold newspaper clippings highlighting Venable's stage and film
career. Also included is a series of loose newspaper clippings of which there
are subseries related to Venable's teaching career at UCLA, her father Professor
Emerson Venable, and a collection highlighting the stage career of Shakespearean
actor Walter Hampden. Also included is a series dedicated to Venable's roles in
Shakespearean stage performances. Of particular interest is a landscape
watercolor, attributed to an "E.V." possibly Venable or her father, as well as
an eight page typed poem by her grandfather, William Henry Venable.
Background
Evelyn Venable was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 18, 1913, the only
child of Professor Emerson Venable and Dolores Cameron. Evelyn's acting career
began in her junior year, when at the age of 14 she was cast to play Juliet in
her high school's production of "Romeo and Juliet". The praise from critics led
to her professional debut in the Cincinnati Civic Theatre production of "Dear
Brutus". Evelyn went on to play Rosalind in "As You Like It" during her senior
year at Walnut Hills. At 16, having graduated a year early, Evelyn attended
Vassar on a full scholarship. After a year, however, she decided to return home
and studied at the University of Cincinnati for half a year. In 1932, at the age
of 18, Evelyn became a member of Walter Hampden's Shakespearean theater company.
Hampden was a good friend of Professor Venable's after having read his book,
"The Hamlet Problem and Its Solution".
Restrictions
Property rights in the physical objects belong to the Performing Arts Special Collections.
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 if the Performing Arts Special Collections does not hold the copyright.
Availability
Collection is open for research.