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Birdwell (Russell) papers
LSC.0114
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Russell Birdwell papers
Creator:
Birdwell, Russell
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.0114
Physical Description:
29.51 Linear Feet
(59 boxes and 1 oversize box)
Date (inclusive): 1915-1951
Date (bulk): 1936-1946
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.
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.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
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.
[Identification of item], Russell Birdwell papers (Collection 114). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Unknown.
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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.
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UCLA Catalog Record ID:
9942303813606533
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.
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.
Arranged in the following series:
- Client files.
- Correspondence.
- Personal.
- Photographs.
- Office.
- Miscellaneous.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Motion picture industry -- Public relations.
Press agents -- United States -- Archives.
Birdwell, Russell--Archives.