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DeMille, Cecil B. (Cecil Blount), 1881-1959

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1881 - 1959

Biographical History

Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959) was an American motion picture producer and director, considered the archetype of the American film mogul. His 70 films reflect changing American tastes and values, and he was particularly noted for his multimillion-dollar spectacles.

Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12, 1881 in Ashfield, Massachusetts to Henry Churchill de Mille and Matilda Beatrice Samuel de Mille. DeMille started acting on Broadway in 1900, and by 1913 he joined a film studio partnership which would eventually become Paramount Pictures. DeMille had a long and storied career as a filmmaker and directed several epic films, such as the Ten Commandments (1956). DeMille died on January 21, 1959, in Hollywood, California.

Citation:
His The Royal ...

LC data base, 10/11/85 (hdg.: DeMille, Cecil Blount, 1881-1959; usage: Cecil B. DeMille); LC manual auth. cd. (also shows usage: Cecil B. De Mille)

Wikipedia, Sept. 16, 2010 (Cecil Blount DeMille; b. Aug. 12, 1881 in Ashfield, Mass.; d. Jan. 21, 1959 in Hollywood, Calif.; American film director and producer)

Turner Classic Movies database, Oct. 7, 2010 (Cecil B. DeMille Productions; est. 1921; founded by Cecil B. DeMille)

Empire of dreams, 2010: p. 212 (Cecil B. DeMille Pictures Corporation; founded by Cecil B. DeMille)

Found in 643 Collections and/or Records:

Cecil B. DeMille Pictures/Motion Picture Associates, 1933-1980

 Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 11
Scope and Contents Cecil B. DeMille Pictures was initially formed in the 1920s when DeMille operated his own studio. Another organization, utilizing the same name appeared in the records in 1933, but was not fully operational until 1937. DeMille Pictures was dissolved as an active company in 1952, although minutes of meetings carry the company name up to 1970. These files, consisting of 4 boxes, contain articles of incorporation and minutes of meetings. Also included are Cumulative Profit and Loss...
Dates: 1933-1980
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 1400, Cecil B. DeMille papers

Cecil B. DeMille Productions, 1857-1978

 Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 12
Scope and Contents Found in ths series of 261 boxes are files relating to the activities of DeMille Productions, beginning in 1916. They include financial records and ledgers from 1916 to 1952. The extensive correspondence fields (1922-1959) are arranged chronologically, and then alphabetically within each year. The original order maintained in these files often includes years other than those indicated by the file heading. Files from preceding years were occasionally brought froward for reference or for...
Dates: 1857-1978
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 1400, Cecil B. DeMille papers

Cecil B. DeMille Productions records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 6254
Scope and Contents

Collection includes corporate by-laws and minute books of Cecil B. DeMille Productions. Also includes correspondence with many of DeMille's associates, appraisals, tax records, and estate records of Cecil B. DeMille and Constance A. DeMille. Collection contains materials related to the production of various DeMille films, including Samson and Delilah, The Greatest Show on Earth, and The Ten Commandments (1956).

Dates: approximately 1932-1959
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / Cecil B. DeMille Productions records

Cecilia deMille Harper, 1969

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 1 Sub-Series 7
Scope and Contents From the Series:

Contains genealogical charts, correspondence, and research relating to DeMille's ancestry as compiled by Louis DeBoer, a genealogist retained by DeMille for many years. Also included in this series is correspondence relating specifically to Frederic A. Adams (father-in-law), Constance Adams DeMille (wife), Henry C. DeMille (father), Beatrice Samuel DeMille (mother), William C. deMille (brother), and Cecilia deMille Harper (daughter).

Dates: 1969
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 1400, Cecil B. DeMille papers / Family

Celebrities

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 2 Sub-Series 2 Sub-Series 7
Scope and Contents From the Series: Identified by DeMille as "Personal," this group of 196 boxes begins with 22 boxes dealing with the research and writing of the posthumously published The Autobiography of Cecil B. DeMille (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1959), edited by Donald Hayne. The files are arranged chronologically by year, and items within each year are arranged alphabetically by subject or name. Over time, the organization of some of the files deteriorated into groups of unrelated records. Therefore, files...
Dates: 1913-1958
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 1400, Cecil B. DeMille papers / Personal / Autobiography files--research

Censorship and special screenings

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 10 Sub-Series 2 Sub-Series 16 Sub-Series 48 Sub-Series 1
Scope and Contents From the Series: In 1932 DeMille returned to Paramount Pictures after an eight-year absence. There he set up his own production entity know to those on his Paramount lot as the DeMille Unit. This series is the largest single group of material in the DeMille Archives, numbering 450 boxes. It is organized into two main groups: General Correspondence and Motion Picture Production Files.General Correspondence is arranged chronologically, and then alphabetically within each year by individual,...
Dates: 1952-1959
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 1400, Cecil B. DeMille papers / Paramount Pictures / Motion picture production files / The Ten Commandments / Publicity and screenings--foreign

Civic involvement, 1942-1958

 Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 16
Scope and Contents

These 3 boxes of correspondence and other material overlap to some extent material in other files. This series documents three primary areas: DeMille's activity in the American Cancer Society during the 1950's; his commission to design the uniforms for the new United States Air Force Academy; and the establishment of the Cecil B. DeMille Junior High School in 1956. See also: Scrapbooks, Personal, and Speeches, Broadcasts, and Narrations.

Dates: 1942-1958
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 1400, Cecil B. DeMille papers

Cleopatra, 1934

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 10 Sub-Series 2 Sub-Series 4
Scope and Contents From the Series: In 1932 DeMille returned to Paramount Pictures after an eight-year absence. There he set up his own production entity know to those on his Paramount lot as the DeMille Unit. This series is the largest single group of material in the DeMille Archives, numbering 450 boxes. It is organized into two main groups: General Correspondence and Motion Picture Production Files.General Correspondence is arranged chronologically, and then alphabetically within each year by individual,...
Dates: 1934
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 1400, Cecil B. DeMille papers / Paramount Pictures / Motion picture production files

Collection of Cecil B. DeMille recordings

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 3203
Scope and Contents

Contains two CD copies of a radio transcription disk made by the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. The first CD contains two broadcasts: track one is a broadcast of the Salt Lake City Tabernacle Choir from November 9, 1958 (RED 586), and track two is an excerpt from a speech by Cecil B. DeMille on the Ten Commandments given at the University of Southern California and distributed by the Trojan Digest program (IED 626). The second CD contains only the address by DeMille.

Dates: Broadcast: approximately 1958
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / Collection of Cecil B. DeMille recordings

Collection on Cecil B. DeMille, date of production not identified

 Series
Identifier: MSS 2544 Series D13
Scope and Contents

Contains a Cecil B. DeMille publicity slide.

Dates: date of production not identified
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections / MSS 2544, Collection on motion picture publicity and promotion

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