George Kirby Collection

Bulk Dates
circa 1960 – 1989
Abstract
A collection of films and other media that once belonged to George Kirby, an entertainer known for his unique style of comedy, a mix of mimicry, celebrity impressions, singing, and acting. The collection includes 16mm home movies that appear to have been shot by Kirby, including footage depicting travels with his wife and behind-the-scenes footage of other entertainers, as well as prints of television episodes Kirby appeared in.
Description

George Kirby's home movies depict a broad variety of subjects. Many document airports, flights arrivals, departures, and in-flight views out of the plane of a sunrise or sunset. His Kodachrome films frequently present joyous occasions: gatherings with friends, the companionship he shared with his wife Rosemary Calabrese Kirby on their travels across the United States and abroad, and themes of a more “showbiz” variety, in front of and behind the camera. Prime examples of this include footage of an event space being constructed for Della Reese and Nipsey Russell at the Roberts Motel in Chicago; behind the scenes footage of various talk shows as well as the comedy special A Time for Laughter (1967), with Redd Foxx, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, and a young Richard Pryor; and glimpses of Las Vegas and Reno performances by Dean Martin and Kirby himself.

 

The collection also includes 16mm films Kirby collected, including films made by the Community Film Workshop of Chicago, production prints of episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, Amos ‘n’ Andy, Playboy After Dark and The American Sportsman television series (in which Kirby appears), and feature films including Sweet Love, Bitter (1967) and Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin So Sad (1967, with Kirby in a bit part). There are also several industrial films of machine demos, which arrived on film loopers.

view More collection Details

Collection Items

Browse All Objects
Mike Douglas Show [Behind-the-scenes]
Film
Mike Douglas Show [Behind-the-scenes]
1967
Home [Films] of Chi[cago], Wash[ington, D.C.], N.Y. + Vegas
Film
Home [Films] of Chi[cago], Wash[ington, D.C.], N.Y. + Vegas
[1967 Home Movie: Las Vegas, Rosemary's Birthday, Puerto Rico, 'A Time for Laughter,' NYC]
Film
[1967 Home Movie: Las Vegas, Rosemary's Birthday, Puerto Rico, 'A Time for Laughter,' NYC]
1967
[Della Reese and Nipsey Russell at the Roberts Motel]
Film
[Della Reese and Nipsey Russell at the Roberts Motel]
circa 1974
Jive / Come Together [Community Film Workshop of Chicago]
Film
Jive / Come Together [Community Film Workshop of Chicago]
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
Collection Identifier
C.2025-14
Extent of Collection
24 reels of 16mm film totaling approximately 16,750 feet; 2 reels 8mm film; 2 reels Super 8 film; 3 reels 1/4" audiotape; 5 reels 2" videotape; 4 U-matic tapes; 12 1/2" videotapes; 1 paper item; and 3 16mm film loopers.
Subject
African Americans
Entertainers
Custodial History
These films were acquired from the purchaser of a storage unit who contacted CFA founder Nancy Watrous in 2023 about donating the films to the archive. Mailing addresses on boxes and cans in the collection indicate that these materials formerly belonged to George Kirby.
Creators
Kirby, George (was created by)

Born in 1923, Kirby was raised within Chicago’s Black Metropolis, primarily near Bronzeville and Washington Park neighborhoods. He was born 8 years after the first wave of the Great Migration in 1915, which coincided with jazz music making its first appearance in the city. Chicago’s southside was host to jazz and blues musicians who frequently spent time there to perform, having formed a reputation for jazz venues that largely catered to majority black or multi-racial crowds, with some frequency of white clientele pre-integration.

 

At 15, Kirby dropped out of Wendell Phillips High School to join the workforce. He started his career working behind the scenes at popular nightclub venues: Rhumboogie Cafe at 343 East Garfield Boulevard and later at Club DeLisa at 5521 South State Street, near where he lived. Kirby debuted his mimic act in these early performances, convincing a manager at Club DeLisa to let him perform and later becoming a mainstay entertainer there. 

 

Kirby suffered some interruptions to his rise to fame, including serving in the U.S. Army for 3 years during World War II. Shortly after returning to Chicago, he left for New York City, which led to a regular show at the 845 Club in the Bronx. In 1947, he released a comedy record with Arista Records called “Ice Man Blues,” and made his first television appearances in 1948. By the early ‘70s, he had appeared on, among others, the variety shows of Ed Sullivan, Dean Martin and Jackie Gleason, as well as "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" and "The Tonight Show" starring Johnny Carson. In 1970, he produced his own television program, "The George Kirby Show." He also became a regular in the British-produced ABC Comedy Hour series "The Kopycats," alongside such fellow impressionists as Rich Little, Charlie Callas, Marilyn Michaels and Frank Gorshin.

 

After serving 42 months in prison for selling drugs in the late ‘70s, Kirby and his wife Rosemary Calabrese Kirby settled down more permanently in Las Vegas, Nevada. He continued performing, making appearances on television talk shows, and collaborating on projects into the early 1990s. In 1995 he experienced a decline in his health brought on by Parkinson’s disease, which he ultimately died from on September 30, 1995. The New York Times described Kirby as having, “acquired an arsenal of over 100 impressions by the end of his career.” Other statements across many publications of his passing consistently speak to his strong affinity for his friends and making them laugh well into his battle with his disease.