Russell Birdwell papers, 1915-1951, bulk 1936-1946

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Summary

Creators:
Birdwell, Russell
Abstract:
Russell Juarez Birdwell was a reporter for Hearst Newspapers and subsequently the head of publicity for David O. Selznick (ca. 1936-193), for whom he directed the publicity campaign for Gone with the Wind. Thereafter he worked independently as publicity agent for actors and other celebrities and for American businesses. The collection pertains both to individual clients and to Birdwell's personal and professional interests, and includes extensive correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and press releases.
Extent:
29.51 Linear Feet (59 boxes and 1 oversize box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Russell Birdwell papers (Collection 114). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

These papers date almost entirely from the years 1936-1946. In this period Birdwell was employed by David O. Selznick (1936-1939) and operated his own publicity agency (1939-1946). Items include extensive correspondence and memoranda, newspaper and magazine clippings, press releases, and photographs. Materials pertain to both Birdwell's clients and to his personal and professional interests.

Biographical / historical:

Russell Juarez Birdwell was born on October 17, 1903. He worked for Hearst newspapers in Los Angeles and New York, and covered Charles Lindbergh's takeoff for Paris. He directed two silent movies in 1929 and a short in 1933. Subsequently he became the head of publicity for David O. Selznick. In February 1939 he opened his own office, Russell Birdwell and Associates, in Beverly Hills and New York, with occasional offices in London and Chicago. Among the many he publicized were actresses Carole Lombard, Marlene Dietrich, Janet Gaynor, Joan Blondell, and Jane Russell; companies Celotex and Associated Filmmakers; businessman Howard Hughes; King Carol II of Romania; and major films including Gone with the Wind and The Outlaw. In 1939 he published the autobiographical novel I Ring Doorbells. In 1941 he traveled to England and wrote the book Women in Battle Dress (1942) based on his observations. In later years he published a volume of poetry (1969) and the novel Mount Horeb (1972). He died on December 15, 1977 in Oxnard, California.

Acquisition information:
Unknown.
Processing information:

Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.

Processed by Nina Scholtz in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Kelley Wolfe Bachli, 2010.

The processing of this collection was generously supported by Arcadia funds.

We are committed to providing ethical, inclusive, and anti-racist description of the materials we steward, and to remediating existing description of our materials that contains language that may be offensive or cause harm. We invite you to submit feedback about how our collections are described, and how they could be described more accurately, by filling out the form located on our website: Report Potentially Offensive Description in Library Special Collections.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series:

  1. Client files.
  2. Correspondence.
  3. Personal.
  4. Photographs.
  5. Office.
  6. Miscellaneous.

Physical location:
Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other 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.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Russell Birdwell papers (Collection 114). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
Website