Hollywood, Movies, Motion Pictures, Film, Cinema, Movie Stars, etc.
Today's post was written by Gregory Tavormina, Archivist with the Special Access and FOIA Program (RF) at the National Archives in College Park, MD. Newspaper clipping from FBI file 94-HQ-51223-8 ([FBI Headquarters] - 94-HQ-51223 [Classification - Research Matters] [Mort Sahl] (NAID 365107580). It originally appeared in the February 8, 1960 New York Times article “Anyway, … Continue reading Comedian in the Cross-Hairs: The FBI Investigation into Mort Sahl
Theatrical Release Poster, Paths of Glory, 1957 The 1957 motion picture Paths of Glory, directed by Stanley Kubrick, is one of the more famous anti-war movies of all time. It is set during World War I. A French colonel, played by Kirk Douglas, defends three of his soldiers who have been falsely accused of cowardice … Continue reading International Problems With “Paths of Glory,” 1958
In honor of the spookiest time of year, this blog post spotlights the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) case files on the late American actor Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. (100-HQ-410935, 100-LA-34677, and 100-WFO-38897). Price is best known for being one of Hollywood’s original four Kings of Horror. From 1938 to 1993, he terrified audiences and … Continue reading Vincent Price and The “Secret Letter” to the FBI
Remarks at Last Night's Oscars (National Archives Identifier 236685729) The month of March is traditionally the month in which the Academy Awards are presented in Hollywood. A search of the records of the National Register of Historic Places in the National Archives Catalog returns more than 650 results for the term “Hollywood,” including the Hollywood … Continue reading Light! Camera! Action! Records of the Movie Industry in the National Register of Historic Places
This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the motion picture The Godfather. Even before that movie saw its release, the studio began work on the sequel – The Godfather Part II. Photography began in October 1973, and the picture came out in December 1974. Some of the action in Part II takes place in … Continue reading The Godfather Shoots Abroad
The 1956 motion picture Giant was exactly that. Three hours and 17 minutes long. Directed by George Stevens. Filled with stars: Elizabeth Taylor. Rock Hudson. James Dean (in his last film). Sal Mineo. Dennis Hopper. Carroll Baker. Jane Withers. Chill Wills. Mercedes McCambridge. Rod Taylor. Music by Dimitri Tiomkin. “Giant” received 10 Academy Award nominations, … Continue reading Cutting “Giant” Down to Size
An earlier post discussed the 1959, United Artists release of the major motion picture On the Beach. The movie was based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Nevil Shute. To recapitulate - Both the book and the movie take place in a post-apocalyptic world. The nuclear fallout resulting from World War III … Continue reading International Reaction to the Motion Picture “On the Beach”
Please enjoy this countdown of our most popular blog posts of 2021. Thank you for continuing to read the Text Message and we hope you join us for more stories, insights, and highlights from the textual records of the National Archives in 2022! #5 "Lucy, I'm Home!"... from the Army Armed Forces Newsmap, vol 1, … Continue reading Text Message Top 5 of 2021
Today’s post is by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver and Subject Matter Expert for Native American Related Records. It is the early 1870s, on the expansive western plains. Starvation is gripping an unspecified tribe. The once plentiful bison, those that their elders assured them could never be wiped out, were in … Continue reading There’s No Business Like Show Business: Hollywood Comes to the Wind River Indian Reservation, 1922–1925
Today's post was written by David Langbart, archivist in Textual Reference at the National Archives at College Park, MD. The PBS miniseries Atlantic Crossing tells a story of a princess stealing the heart of the president of the United States in a made-for-television drama about the World War II relationship of President Franklin D. Roosevelt … Continue reading Atlantic Crossing: The Christmas Visit
