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Will Hays Correspondence, 1933 - 1950

 File — Box: 2, Folder: 47

Scope and contents note

From the Collection:

Terry Ramsaye (1885 - 1954), former editor of the Motion Picture Herald and author of A Million and One Nights, an early history of the motion picture industry, was a prolific writer and respected film historian. His papers, comprising 5 boxes (6.75 linear feet), are arranged in six series: a Dope File Series, Individual Series, Subject Series, Manuscripts Series, Photographic Series, and Personal Series.

Items of interest indexed in Terry Ramsaye's papers are a TLS by Wm. Kennedy Laurie Dickson, 1 TLS by George Eastman, 2 TLS by Thomas Edison, and TLS by Frank Dyer, Edison's attorney, and Wm. Meadowcraft, Edison's assistant. Terry Ramsaye's papers are, of course, of great value to those interested in the early history of the motion picture. But they are also fascinating to those who wish to explore how history is written. They represent a painstaking compilation of information which Terry Ramsaye collected to write A Million and One Nights and continued to collect until his death in 1954. His correspondence with Thomas Armat, Billy Bitzer, members of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, and others presents a picture of a man continuously struggling and researching in order to "get the facts straight" and end the myths which were continuously reappearing about early motion picture history and who invented what when. Researchers interested in Terry Ramsaye may also wish to look at Georgetown University's Martin Quigley Collection or copy of A Million and One Nights or Harvard University's collection in the Baker Library which Ramsaye mentions in his correspondence with the Harvard Business Historical Society.

Dates

  • 1933 - 1950

Conditions Governing Access

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Extent

From the Collection: 5.65 Linear Feet (4 boxes and 1 oversized folder)

Language of Materials

English

Container Summary

Correspondence between Terry Ramsaye and Will Hays. References to A Million and One Nights, censorship, Louis Auguste Lumiere, the Kinetoscope, George Eastman, Thomas Edison, John Hays, Benjamin Harrison, and self-regulation of the motion picture industry. Includes the following items: TLS from Thomas A. Edison to Will Hays referring to Terry Ramsaye, 15 Jul 1930. ALS from Wm. Meadowcroft, Edison's assistant, to Terry Ramsaye, 15 Jul 1930.

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
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