Finding Aid for the Ralph Freud Theatre, Motion Pictures and Television Interviews, 1961-1970

Processed by Steven D. Frame; machine-readable finding aid created by Steven D. Frame

UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections

Manuscripts Division

Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library

Box 951575

Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575

Email: spec-coll@library.ucla.edu

URL: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/scweb/

Finding Aid for the Ralph Freud Theatre, Motion Pictures and Television Interviews, 1961-1970

Collection number: 542

UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections

Manuscripts Division

Los Angeles, CA

Contact Information

Manuscripts Division
UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Telephone: 310/825-4988 (10:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m., Pacific Time)
Email: spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
URL: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/scweb/

Processed by:: Steven D. Frame, February 1999
Encoded by:: Steven D. Frame
Online finding aid edited by:: Josh Fiala, July 2002

Descriptive Summary

Title: Ralph Freud Theatre, Motion Pictures and Television Interviews,

Date (inclusive): 1961-1970

Collection number: 542

Creator: Freud, Ralph, 1901-1973

Extent: 2 boxes (1 linear ft.)

Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.

Los Angeles, California 90095-1575

Abstract: Ralph Freud (1901-1973) was a stage actor in Detroit before becoming the director at the Pasadena Community Playhouse. In 8 years, he played over 200 roles and directed more than 40 productions. In 1938, he became a lecturer for theater courses in the English Department at UCLA and was active in the creation of a separate Theater Arts Department, where he became a full professor and emeritus professor. The collection consists of taped interviews with theater, motion picture, and television professionals, conducted by Ralph Freud, Victor Jory, and Professor Freud's students from UCLA's Theater Arts Department.

Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Language: English.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of 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 where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Restrictions on Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.

Additional Physical Form Available

A copy of the original version of this online finding aid is available at the UCLA Department of Special Collections for in-house consultation and may be obtained for a fee. Please contact:

Public Services Division
UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Telephone: 310/825-4988 (10:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m., Pacific Time)
Email: spec-coll@library.ucla.edu

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Ralph Freud Theatre, Motion Pictures and Television Interviews (Collection 542). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

UCLA Catalog Record ID

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 1470443

Biography

Freud was born in England in 1901; brought to the U.S. as a child; attended Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania and Detroit public schools; at 20 he became a member of the Bonstelle Stock Company of Detroit, and the next year toured as a general understudy for the Sothern and Marlowe Shakespeare Company; moved to California in 1922 and became director at the Pasadena Community Playhouse, and in 8 years, played over 200 roles and directed more than 40 productions; became head of the San Francisco Federal Project in 1937; first came to UCLA to teach two summer courses in 1932; in 1938 became a lecturer for theater courses in the English Department; he was active in the creation of a separate Theater Arts Department, where he became a full professor and emeritus professor; died on November 4, 1973.

Biographical Narrative

Ralph Freud was born in London, England in 1901 and moved to the United States as a child. Freud attended Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania and Detroit public schools. At the age of 18 Freud joined the Detroit Arts and Crafts Theater. In 1920 Freud became a member of the Bonstelle Stock Company of Detroit, Michigan. While in Michigan, Freud attended Detroit Junior College then the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In 1921 Freud toured as a general understudy for the Sothern and Marlowe Shakespeare Company. Freud moved to California in 1922 and became director of the Pasadena Community Playhouse. In 8 years, Freud played over 200 roles and directed more than 40 productions. In 1924, Freud and Gilmore Brown established the Playbox Theater in Los Angeles, the first arena stage theater in the United States. In 1933 Freud assumed the position of director for the San Francisco Jewish Community Theater. He became the head of the San Francisco Federal Theater Project in 1937. Freud first came to UCLA to teach two summer courses in 1932. From 1938 to 1947 Freud was a full-time lecturer for drama courses in the English Department. Freud played an active role in the creation of a separate Theater Arts Department in 1947. He served as head of the Theater Arts Department from 1947 to 1953 and was chairman of the department from 1953 to 1969. Freud also directed the Ramona Pageant in Hemet, California form 1952 to 1966. Freud became a full professor of Theater Arts at UCLA in 1954 and was granted emeritus status in 1969. In 1969 the Theater Arts Department dedicated its theater, build in 1962, to Freud, naming it the Ralph Freud Playhouse. The department also established a fellowship named the Ralph Freud Fellowship Fund in Acting in Freud's honor in 1969. Freud died on November 4, 1973.

Scope and Content

Collection consists of taped interviews with theater, motion picture, and television professionals, conducted by Ralph Freud, Victor Jory, and Professor Freud's students from UCLA's Theater Arts Department. Typed transcripts for eight of the interviews are included. Interviewees include: Ralph Bellamy, Shirley Booth, Ray Bradbury, Sebastian Cabot, George Cukor, Bette Davis, James A. Doolittle, Ralph Freud, Dean Jagger, Jack Lemmon, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, Roddy McDowall, Meredith Willson, and Keenan Wynn.

Organization and Arrangement

Arranged in the following series:

Tapes 1-14 (Box 1).
Tapes 15-20, and typed transcripts of some tapes (Box 2).

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Freud, Ralph, 1901-1973--Archives.

University of California, Los Angeles--Dept. of Theater Arts--Faculty--Archival resources.

Actors--United States--Interviews.

Motion picture producers and directors--United States--Interviews.

Audiotapes.

Related Material

A Career in Professional and University Theater [oral history transcript] / Ralph Freud, interviewee. UCLA Oral History Department interview, 1969. Available at Department of Special Collections, UCLA.

Box 1

Ames, Leon (1903- ). Interviewed by Victor Jory (December 18, 1965). Tape no.6. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Box 1

Arzner, Dorothy (1900-1979). Interviewer unknown (n.d.). Tape no.9. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; both sides: side one 3.75 ips; side two, 7 ½ ips.

Box 1

Bellamy, Ralph (1904 - ). Interviewed by Victory Jory (November 17, 1965). Tape no.7 and 11. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one, tape seven; side two, tape eleven.

Box 1

Booth, Shirley. Interviewed by Victor Jory (n.d.). Tape no.7. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Box 1

Bradbury, Ray (1920 - ). Interviewer unknown (n.d.). Tape no.14. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; both sides.

Box 1

Cabot, Sebastian. Interviewed by Charles McMurray (n.d.). Tape no.11. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Box 1

Clurman, Harold. Interviewer unknown (n.d.). Tape no.10. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Box 1

Doolittle, James A. (1914 - ). Interviewed by Richard Kelly (March 26, April 11, and April 24, 1969). Tape no.15. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips.

Box 1

Duerr, Ed (Edwin) (1906 - ). Speech given by Ed Duerr (n.d.). Tape no.12. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel: 3.75 ips; side two.

Box 1

Fontanne, Lynn. Recording of Players' Club Night, guests of honor: Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt (1963). Tape no.12.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Box 1

Fontanne, Lynn. Recording of Players' Club Night, guests of honor: Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt (1963). Interviewed by Victor Jory (December 14, 1965). Tape no.6. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Box 1

Jory, Victor. Interviewed by Ralph Freud (September 3, 1966). Tape no.13. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Box 1

Kelly, George (1887-1974). Interviewed by Rosalind Salzburg (n.d.). Tape no.18. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; both sides.

Box 1

Lawson, George Howard. Interviewer unknown (n.d.). Tape no.19. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Box 1

Lemmon, Jack. Interviewed by Judy Hayden (n.d.). Tape no.16. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Box 1

Lunt, Alfred. Recording of Players' Club Night, guests of honor: Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne (1963). Tape no.12. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Box 1

McDowell, Roddy. Interviewer unknown (n.d.). Tape no.16. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Box 1

McIntire, John. Interviewer unknown (n.d.). Tape no.19. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Box 1

Mishkin, Meyer. Interviewer unknown (June 2, 1964). Tape no.17. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Box 1

Morgan, Dickson. Interviewed by Ralph Freud (August 25, 1964). Tape no.13. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Box 1

Players' Club Night, 1963. Recording of Players' Club Night, guests of honor: Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt. Tape no.12. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Box 1

Pollock, Max. Interviewed by Ralph Freud (February 4, 1970). Tape no.20. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Box 1

Wilson, Meredith. Interviewed by Miriam Ford (April 24, 1961). Tape no.17. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Box 1

Wynn, Keenan. Interviewer unknown (n.d.). Tape no.10. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Box 2, Folder 1

Cukor, George (Dewey) (1899- ). Interviewed by Victor Jory and Ralph Freud (n.d.). Tape no.2.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Note

Transcript available (66 leaves) in folder one.

Box 2, Folder 2

Davis, Bette (1908- ). Interviewed by Ralph Freud and Victor Jory (July 28, 1966). Tape no.3.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Note

Transcript available (57 leaves) in folder two.

Box 2, Folder 3

Dumbeau, Dug (Douglass). Interviewed by Victor Jory and Ralph Freud (n.d.). Tape no.4.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Note

Transcript available (51 leaves) in folder three.

Box 2

Erway, Ben. Interviewed by Victor Jory (January 17, 1966). Tape no.4.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Box 2, Folder 4

Freud, Ralph (1901-1973). Interviewed by Victor Jory (March 2, 1966). Tape no.1.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Note

Transcript available (36 leaves) in folder four.

Box 2, Folder 5

Freund, Karl. Interviewer unknown (June 1, 1964). Tape no.3.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Note

Transcript available (19 leaves) in folder five.

Box 2, Folder 6

Hall, Frances. Interviewed by Victor Jory and Ralph Freud (December 31, 1965). Tape no.5 and 8.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two, tape five; side two, tape eight.

Note

Transcript available (38 leaves) in folder six.

Box 2, Folder 7

Jagger, Dean. Interviewed by Victor Jory and Ralph Freud (January 23, 1966). Tape no.1.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Note

Transcript available (72 leaves) in folder seven.

Box 2, Folder 8

Lane, Charles. Interviewed by Victor Jory and Ralph Freud (December 31, 1965). Tape no.5.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Note

Transcript available (12 leaves) in folder eight.

Box 2

Loos, Lex. Interviewed by Ralph Freud (n.d.). Tape no.8. No transcript available.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side two.

Box 2, Folder 9

McNear, Howard. Interviewed by Victor Jory (January 18, 1966). Tape no.5.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Note

Transcript available (42 leaves) in folder nine.

Box 2, Folder 10

Tamiroff, Akim. Interviewer unknown (n.d.). Tape no.2.

Physical Description: .25 open reel; 3.75 ips; side one.

Note

Transcript available (23 leaves) in folder ten.