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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 573 Collections and/or Records:

Financial, 1907-1959

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 2 Sub-Series 5
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: 1907-1959

Financial, 1907-1929

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 2 Sub-Series 5 Sub-Series 1
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: 1907-1929

Financial: Bank Accounts, 1916-1936

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 12 Sub-Series 1
Scope and Contents From the Series: 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: 1916-1936

Financial: Ledgers and Cash Books, 1916-1952

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 12 Sub-Series 2
Scope and Contents From the Series: 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: 1916-1952

Florence Cole, 1933-1975

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 5 Sub-Series 2
Scope and Contents From the Series:

This series of 6 boxes contains correspondence, notes and desk calendars (1933-1965), and appointment books of key DeMille employees: Florence Cole (secretary), Gladys Rosson (secretary), Joseph W. Harper (businessman and son-in-law), Henry Wilcoxon (associate producer), Russell A. Treacy (business manager), and Stella Stray (DeMille's first employee, a secretary, hired in 1913).

Dates: 1933-1975

Four Frightened People, 1933-1934

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 10 Sub-Series 2 Sub-Series 3
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: 1933-1934

Frederic A. Adams, 1911-1919

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 1 Sub-Series 2
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: 1911-1919

Arnold Friberg paintings for The Ten Commandments

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 8821
Abstract

Collection of eight artistic renderings of Moses created by Arnold Friberg as commissioned by Cecil B. DeMille for the 1956 film The Ten Commandments.

Dates: approximately 1956

Genealogy, 1895-1960

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 1 Sub-Series 1
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: 1895-1960

General, 1923-1957

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 1400 Series 2 Sub-Series 2 Sub-Series 1
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: 1923-1957