John Houseman papers, 1929-1988

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Summary

Creators:
Houseman, John
Abstract:
John Houseman wrote, produced, directed and translated plays, founded theater companies, collaborated on radio series, produced film, television, and stage productions, and acted in movies and television shows. The collection consists of correspondence, director's scripts for stage, movies, radio, & television, newspaper clippings, ephemera, and videotapes of television interviews, commercials, and television performances.
Extent:
75.8 linear feet (127 boxes; 12 oversize boxes; 1 record carton)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], John Houseman papers (Collection 816). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of correspondence; scripts for stage, movies, radio, and television; newspaper clippings; writings by Houseman and others; ephemera; audiovisual material.

Biographical / historical:

Born Jacques Haussmann in Bucharest, Romania on September 22, 1902, of a Alsatian father and English mother; attended Clifton College Preparatory School, Bristol, England, 1916-1918; moved to U.S. in 1924; was grain export businessman while doing freelance writing and translating plays; entered theatrical production and direction upon collapse of stock market; by early 1930s was writing, producing and directing for New York stage; supervised Federal Theatre Project's Negro Theatre Project; taught at Vassar; founded Mercury Theater with Orson Welles in 1937, and collaborated with Welles on the radio series The Mercury Theatre of the Air; collaborated on screenplay of Citizen Kane, and in 1941 became vice-president of David O. Selznick productions; chief of overseas radio division, Bureau of the Office of War Information, 1942-43; producer of film, television, and stage productions; artistic director of American Shakespeare Festival Theatre and Academy in Stratford, Connecticut, 1956-1959; artistic director of Theatre Group of Los Angeles in 1960s, which became nucleus of Center Theatre Group of Los Angeles; director of drama division of Juilliard School, New York City, 1967-1976; founder of the Acting Company in New York City, 1972; received Oscar for role in Paper Chase; acted in television show of same name; died October 31, 1988.

Acquisition information:
Gift of John Houseman, 1963-1987. Gift of John Houseman estate, 1989.
Processing information:

Processed by Manuscripts Division staff, 1980. Boxes 1-87 described by Doug Johnson, 2025.

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.

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Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series:

  1. Series 1. Production material
  2. Series 2. Correspondence
  3. Series 3. Manuscripts
  4. Series 4. Photographs
  5. Series 5. Ephemera
  6. Series 6. Diaries and scrapbooks
  7. Series 7. Awards and realia
  8. Series 8. Audiovisual material

Physical / technical requirements:

This collection contains both processed and unprocessed audiovisual materials. Audiovisual materials are not currently available for access, unless otherwise noted in a Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements note at the series and file levels. All requests to access processed audiovisual materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.

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], John Houseman papers (Collection 816). 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