William Franklin Grisham Collection

Bulk Dates

1960 – 1979

Preservation Sponsor

Dr. Allyson Nadia Field & the University of Chicago Department of Cinema & Media Studies

Abstract

The William Franklin Grisham Collection contains 16mm films, audio and paper materials primarily related to Chicago's role in early cinema history. It contains interviews with important figures from Essanay and Ebony Studios as well as documentaries Grisham made on these topics in the 1970s.

Description

The William Franklin Grisham Collection consists of release prints and outtakes of two major films Grisham directed about Chicago film studios in the 1970s: The Very Last Laugh, which documented the history of Ebony Studios; and The Beautiful Lady, a documentary exploring the career of actress Beverly Bayne and the landmark Essanay Studios. In addition, the collection includes 16mm prints of the all known existing works produced by Ebony Studios in the early 1900s (the original 35mm nitrate prints are believed to have disintegrated long ago). There are also numerous commercial films which Grisham either directed or provided copywriting for during his long career as an advertising executive - which ran parallel to his professional life as a film historian and documentarian.

Alongside this, the collection consists of audio tapes capturing interviews with Luther J. Pollard, producer (and possibly the sole founder) of Ebony Studios, as well as Charles David who worked as his cameraman, and other notable figures who were instrumental in the shaping of Chicago's early film history. There are also several boxes of paper and ephemera relating to Grisham's work on both of his documentary films, as well as the extensive research conducted on the history of Essanay Studios.

Collection Items

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Film

The Comeback of Barnacle Bill - A Black Sherlock Holmes

1918

Film

The Very Last Laugh, Part 1

1976

Film

The Very Last Laugh, Part 2

1976

Film

[Untitled Outs - Very Last Laugh]

Audio

(16) 9-1-74, 3, Chas David

September 1 1974

Audio

(13) #3 Charlie David

circa 1976

Audio

(9) I L.J. Pollard , II D. Smith Ontario

circa 1976

Film

[3/26 Cuts Grisham]

Audio

(8) [L.J. Pollard] I Identifying Pictures, Chorus David Horx, Bob Horner, Laser Talk

Film

Alleluia

1967

Audio

Siakel #3

Audio

Siakel #1, Siakel #2

Audio

(11) Maxine, Mrs Anderson, Part I and II

Audio

The Man in the Celluloid Armchair: James Bridges

circa 1973

Audio

The Man in the Celluloid Armchair [Sample Tape]

1973 – 1974

Audio

Eat to Your Health's Content, Program 1

Audio

(7) I Tom Harper, 50:50 Talk of Picture

Audio

Side 1: Beverly Baynes / Side 2: Guy on Facets

Film

The Beautiful Lady (3rd Trial Print)

circa 1977

Audio

(10) I Gen Weart and Mrs. Weart - First 10 Minutes, II Beverly Bayne

circa 1967

Film

[Beautiful Lady - Untitled Mag Track]

View More Items

To request more information about the items in this collection, please contact the archive at info@chicagofilmarchives.org.

Items with Viewable Media

SERIES I: The Very Last Laugh

SERIES II: The Beautiful Lady

Collection Identifier

C.2017-12

Extent of Collection

Approximately 20 boxes of film, paper ephemera, and audio material. Includes 422 16mm reels of prints and outtakes, 14 cassette tapes, 41 open reel-to-reel audio recordings. Paper ephemera consists primarily of photos, scripts, and other documents focused on early film history in Chicago.

Language Of Materials

English

Subject

Chicago (Ill.)
History
Motion picture production & direction
Advertising
African Americans

Custodial History

Stored by Grisham's son-in-law, Luke Grimm, before being transported to CFA in May 2018.

Access Restrictions

Appointments must be made with Chicago Film Archives for on-site access. Due to the fragile nature of the films, only video copies will be provided for on-site viewing.

Creators

Grisham, William Franklin (was created by)

William Franklin Grisham was a filmmaker and silent film historian who was committed to documenting the dynamic early film history of Chicago.

Grisham was born in St. Louis to Gladys (née Standing) and Charles Grisham. He served in a Navy code-breaking unit in World War II. Upon his return, he studied drama at the University of Washington and then earned his PhD in film history from Northwestern University. During his doctoral work, he interviewed figures who were involved with Chicago’s early film studios, and received a fellowship from the Rockefeller Institute to perform research at the British Film Institute.

He worked as an advertising executive for many years, writing copy for some of the most popular advertisement campaigns of the 1950s and '60s, including for Leo Burnett. He wrote, directed and produced about 75 films, mostly for industry as well as a number of documentaries. He additionally hosted several radio shows and acted in plays on the West coast. In the 1990s, he taught advertising and marketing at Roosevelt University.

He resided in Evanston, IL for most of his life, with his wife Gertrude Sternberger and daughters Therese and Esther. Grisham passed away in 2016 at the age of 91.

William Franklin Grisham Collection

Series In this Collection

Collection Items

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