Library of Congress >> Search Finding Aids (full view)

Search/Browse Library of Congress Finding Aids (full view)

PREVIOUS NEXT NEW SEARCH

Outline view | PDF view

Sherman Krellberg Papers

A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress


Prepared by Laura J. Kells

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/xmlcommon/lcseal.jpg

Manuscript Division, Library of Congress

Washington, D.C.

2009

Contact information: http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html

Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2009

Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms009039


Table of Contents

Collection Summary

Selected Search Terms

Personal Names

Organizations

Subjects

Occupations

Administrative Information

Provenance:

Processing History:

Transfers:

Copyright Status:

Access and Restrictions:

Preferred Citation:

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Organization of the Papers

Container List

Office Files, circa 1919-1989

Financial Papers, 1929-1977

Oversize, circa 1937-1967


Collection Summary

Title: Sherman Krellberg Papers
Span Dates: 1919-1989
Bulk Dates: (bulk 1931-1970)
ID No.: MSS58768
Creator: Krellberg, Sherman, 1892-1979
Extent: 11,000 items; 43 containers plus 6 oversize; 18.2 linear feet
Language: Collection material in English
Repository: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Abstract: Motion picture and theatrical producer and film distributor. Correspondence, memoranda, scripts, dialog sheets, reports, financial and legal records, and promotional material pertaining chiefly to Krellberg's career as an independent film distributor and producer of feature films, serials, and theatrical productions.

Selected Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.

Personal Names

Adams, Joey, 1911-1999.
Baker, Josephine, 1906-1975.
Krellberg, Sherman, 1892-1979.
Lang, Fritz, 1890-1976.
Lugosi, Bela, 1882-1956.
Oysher, Moishe.
Rogers, Budd.
Rogers, Ginger, 1911-1995.

Organizations

Principal Film Exchange.

Subjects

B films.
Cassidy, Hopalong (Fictitious character)
Dogs in motion pictures.
Feature films.
Film serials.
Motion pictures--Distribution.
Theater.

Occupations

Distributors (Commerce)
Motion picture producers and directors.
Theatrical producers and directors.

Administrative Information

Provenance:

The papers of Sherman Krellberg, motion picture and theatrical producer and film distributor, were donated to the Library of Congress by his wife, Mildred Krellberg, in 1979. A small addition was received from Louis B. Marino, Warner Brothers Television Distribution, in 1990.

Processing History:

The Sherman Krellberg Papers were processed in 1995. The finding aid was revised in 2009.

Transfers:

Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Some photographs have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. Motion picture stills have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Sherman Krellberg Papers.

Copyright Status:

The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Sherman Krellberg is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).

Access and Restrictions:

The papers of Sherman Krellberg are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.

Preferred Citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Sherman Krellberg Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Biographical Note

Date

Event

1892Born
1911Graduated New York Law School, New York, N.Y.
1931Founded Regal Talking Pictures Corp.
1932Established Regal Distributing Corp.
1933Founded Principal Film Exchange
1935Produced motion picture serial, The Lost City
circa 1938-1941Owned Belmont Theatre, New York, N.Y.
circa 1941Established Goodwill Pictures Corp.
1954Married Mildred Kraus
1955Formed Budsam Distributing Co. with Budd Rogers
1959Formed theatrical investment group, Theatre Securities Syndicate
Produced play, The Pink Jungle, starring Ginger Rogers
1962Formed Ultra Pictures Corp. with Budd Rogers
1964Produced stage show, Josephine Baker and her Company
1966Established Goodwill Systems Exchanges
1979, Jan. 10Died, New York, N.Y.

Scope and Content Note

The papers of Sherman Samuel Krellberg (1892-1979) span the period circa 1919-1989, with the bulk of the material dating from 1931 to 1970, and document his long career as an independent film distributor and producer of feature films, serials, and theatrical productions. Sherman Krellberg's father operated a nickelodeon on the Lower East Side of New York City in the early part of the twentieth century. Krellberg first became an attorney, but ultimately joined in the family business. His papers are organized into three series: Office Files, Financial Papers, and Oversize.

The Office Files series comprises most of the Krellberg Papers and contains records from the companies and ventures he formed and undertook in the course of his career, including the Amusement Securities Corporation, Filmcraft, Goodwill Pictures Corporation, Goodwill Systems Exchanges, Krellbar Pictures Corporation, Principal Film Exchange, Regal Distributing Corporation, Regal Talking Pictures Corporation, Theatre Securities Syndicate, Ultra Film Distributors, and Ultra Pictures Corporation. The longest lasting of these companies was Principal Film Exchange. Records in the Office Files illustrate the technical and financial aspects of making and distributing films. Appearing throughout the papers is Budd Rogers, with whom Krellberg had a variety of working relationships, including a partnership in Ultra Pictures Corporation. Krellberg's career, spanning over sixty years, was not always a financial success. There are past due bills and demands for tax payments throughout the collection, as well as evidence that in 1968 Krellberg declared bankruptcy.

A main portion of Krellberg's business involved the distribution of second feature or "B" movies and serials. In a films section of the Office Files are records relating to six films featuring the singing cowboy Hopalong Cassidy, including translations of the dialog into Spanish and Portuguese for distribution in foreign markets. Krellberg also distributed pictures featuring Lightning the Marvel Dog and Kazan the Wonder Dog, both billed as sons of Rin Tin Tin. There is also extensive material on Singing in the Dark, starring Moishe Oysher and Joey Adams. In addition, there are files relating to White Zombie starring Bela Lugosi and the American releases of the Fritz Lang films, The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse and M. Other files relate to serials featuring the characters Ace Drummond, Buck Rogers, and Flash Gordon. In addition, there is material on The Lost City, which Krellberg produced, and the earliest work documented in the collection, the 1919 silent serial The Fatal Fortune.

Krellberg also produced stage plays, particularly in the 1950s. Theatrical productions represented in the collection include The Fifth Season and The Pink Jungle, which starred Ginger Rogers and closed in 1959 before reaching Broadway. Krellberg produced the 1964 stage show Josephine Baker and Her Company, which appeared on Broadway and toured the country for several months. The financial details of the Josephine Baker tour are well documented.

Also contained in the Office Files is a group of scripts and treatments, many of which were never produced. These include manuscripts from the 1960s and 1970s which Krellberg purchased from Bryanston Films. The scripts range widely in subject matter, including "Hard to be a Jew" by Sholom Aleichem, 1931, "Promises Written on Water" by Sylvester E. Stallone, 1970, and an undated musical stage play "The Count of Ten" by William Penzner, slated to be directed by Busby Berkeley.

The Financial Papers series includes ledger books and bank records relating to Krellberg's companies. There are also ledgers on RKO and Universal films which Krellberg distributed through his companies. Several of these ledgers, particularly the ledgers for the Principal Film Exchange, document the distribution of films to theaters in New York and New Jersey.

Organization of the Papers

The collection is arranged in three series:


Container List

BoxContents
BOX 1-36

Office Files, circa 1919-1989

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, scripts, dialog sheets, contracts, distribution agreements, pressbooks and other promotional material, vouchers, and related records.
Arranged alphabetically by name of company, person, type of material, or name of project and chronologically therein.
BOX 1Amusement Securities Corp., 1925, 1932-1939, 1945
(2 folders)
Attorneys
Enselman, Isidor, 1953-1956
Sulken, Herman, 1949-1963
Bank of America, London, England, 1953-1958
Belmont Theatre, New York, N.Y., 1937-1941, n.d.
Exclusive Films, Ltd., 1953-1959, undated
(4 folders)
BOX 2 (3 folders)
Family material, 1931-1940
Filmcraft, Inc.
Agreements, 1949-1953, undated
(2 folders)
American Trading Association, 1949-1953
(2 folders)
Embassy Pictures Corp., 1949-1954, undated
BOX 3International Film Distributors, 1949-1953
Jaslow, Jack, 1950-1951, undated
Miscellany, 1949-1955, undated
Films
Angkor, 1934-1936, 1946, undated
City of Lost Men, (alternate title, The Lost City, feature version), 1935-1937, 1957, undated
(2 folders)
Come Back to Erin, 1940
A Day in Court, 1963, 1971, undated
Dog pictures
Agreements, 1935-1947
Fighting Fury, circa 1934
Man's Best Friend, 1934-1937, undated
Thunderbolt, 1935, undated
When Lightning Strikes, 1934, undated
BOX 4Enemies of the Law, 1931-1932, undated
Escape from Terror, 1957-1961
Fatal Desire, 1963, undated
The Fighting Lady, circa 1935
Forty Thousand Horsemen, 1941-1949, undated
(2 folders)
Get That Venus!, undated
Hollywood Hoodlum, (alternate title, Hollywood Mystery), 1934, 1946, undated
Hopalong Cassidy pictures
Bar 20 Rides Again, 1935-1936
Call of the Prairie, 1936
The Eagles Brood, 1935, undated
Heart of the West, 1936
Hopalong Cassidy Enters, 1935
BOX 5Three on the Trail, 1936
Various related material, 1935-1950, 1971, undated
(5 folders)
I Conquer the Sea, circa 1936
Knickerbocker Holiday, 1938-1944, 1956, 1966, 1971
The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse, 1940-1947, undated
(3 folders)
Love on the Dole, undated
M, 1932, 1941-1947, undated
BOX 6Marriage Forbidden, (also released as Damaged Goods), circa 1937-1938, 1977, undated See also Oversize
Mars Attacks the World (Flash Gordon feature), 1977-1978, undated
Meet John Doe, 1941-1956, 1962-1977, undated See also Oversize
(3 folders)
The Mutiny of the Elsinore, 1938-1947, 1957, undated See also Oversize
(2 folders)
The Passion of Joan of Arc, circa 1928
Planet Outlaws, (Buck Rogers feature), circa 1939, undated See also Oversize
(2 folders)
Revolt of the Zombies, circa 1936
Rocket Ship, (Flash Gordon feature), undated See also Oversize
Should a Doctor Tell, 1931-1932
BOX 7Singing in the Dark
Budsam Distributing Co., 1955-1965 See also Container 38, same heading
(5 folders)
Miscellany, 1955, undated
Principal Film Exchange, 1955-1958, undated
(2 folders)
Story of a Cheat, (alternate title, Confessions of a Cheat), 1942, 1974, undated
Story of Michael Flagherty, 1941
Two Nights with Cleopatra, 1963, undated
BOX 8Vienna Waltzes, circa 1952
White Zombie, 1932-1947, 1967-1978, undated
(2 folders)
Wolves of the Underworld, undated
Flamingo Films, 1949-1954
Friars Club, 1959, 1974-1977
Goodwill Pictures Corp.
Adelphi Films, 1953-1958, undated
American and Foreign Trade Corp., 1966
Barnett International Forwarders, 1953-1957, 1965
Davis, Jack, 1953-1958, undated
Forest Export Corp., 1951-1956, undated
Gilliams and Rubin, 1949-1957
Guffanti Film Laboratories, 1955-1957
BOX 9Kay Film Exchanges, 1949-1961
(6 folders)
Manson Distributing Corp., 1966
Miscellany, 1946-1969, undated
BOX 10National Screen Service Corp., 1953-1960
(2 folders)
Office leases, 1961-1963
Pat Patterson Productions, 1953-1960
(2 folders)
Rosen, David, 1953-1960
(2 folders)
Tower Pictures Co., 1949-1952
Variety Film Distributors, 1947, 1953-1956
BOX 11Goodwill Systems Exchanges, 1966-1970, undated
(5 folders)
Insurance, 1949-1956, undated
Krellbar Pictures Corp., 1927, undated
Lawrence of Arabia, Inc., 1935, 1942, undated
Letterhead, undated
Library of Congress
Copyright Office, 1961-1977, undated
Miscellany, 1969-1973, undated
Melotone Corp. of America, 1929
Miscellany, 1928-1942, 1949-1979, 1989, undated
(2 folders)
BOX 12Motion Picture Pioneers, 1940-1957, 1976
Motion Pictures for Television, Inc., 1951-1961
(3 folders)
Movielab, Inc., 1962-1975, undated
Pathé-America Distributing Co., 1961-1963, undated
(3 folders)
BOX 13 (7 folders)
BOX 14Principal Film Exchange
Banner Productions, Tarzan films distribution, 1958-1963
(2 folders)
Brandt Theatres, New York, N.Y., 1963-1964, undated
Censor board, 1932-1964, undated
(2 folders)
Dominant Pictures Corp., 1959-1960
Film Bookers, Inc. 1963-1964
Film distribution, 1956-1971, undated
(6 folders)
I.F.E. Releasing Corp., 1957-1959, undated
Loews, Inc., 1959-1963, undated
BOX 15Miscellany, 1953-1978, undated
Museum of Modern Art, New York, N.Y., 1968-1969
National Labor Relations Board, 1951, undated
RKO Radio Pictures See also Container 41, same heading
Miscellany, 1957-1967, undated
(6 folders)
BOX 16 (3 folders)
Weekly reports
Apr. 1957-Oct. 1958
(4 folders)
BOX 17Nov. 1958-Sept. 1964
(7 folders)
BOX 18Oct. 1964-Dec. 1967
(4 folders)
Shorts, 1956-1965, undated
Sydney B. Weill Co., 1949-1952, undated
Tri-State Theatre Service, 1963-1964
United States military, 1950-1964, undated
(2 folders)
Universal Pictures Co., 1961-1964
Veterans Administration, 1959-1962
Wallkill Prison, Wallkill, N.Y., 1962-1963
BOX 19Promotional material, 1950, undated See also Oversize
Rank Film Laboratories, 1966-1973, undated
Regal Distributing Corp., 1932-1939, 1945
Regal Talking Pictures Corp., 1931
Scripts and treatments
1931-1967
(7 folders)
BOX 201969-1972
(7 folders)
BOX 211973
(7 folders)
BOX 221974-1977
(5 folders)
Undated
(2 folders)
BOX 23 (10 folders)
BOX 24 (6 folders)
BOX 25 (5 folders)
Serials
Ace Drummond, circa 1936
Buck Rogers, circa 1939, 1949-1956, undated See also Oversize
(2 folders)
The Fatal Fortune, circa 1919
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, 1938, undated
(3 folders)
Miscellany, circa 1940, 1949-1953, 1963-1964
BOX 26The Lost City, 1934-1948, 1960, 1966, 1976-1978, undated
(4 folders)
Tarzan, the Fearless, 1933
Various related material, 1948-1961, undated
Terry, Paul, (Terrytoons), 1940, 1950-1957, undated
Theater directory, 1963
Theatre Securities Syndicate, 1944-1949, 1959, 1969, undated
BOX 27Theatrical productions
Falk, Sawyer, 1952-1960
The Fifth Season, 1951-1959, undated
(6 folders)
Her Majesty's Theatre, Montreal, Canada, 1953
Josephine Baker and Her Company
Box office statements, 1964
Contracts and agreements, 1964, undated
(3 folders)
BOX 28Correspondence, 1964
Joback Productions, 1964-1966 See also Container 39, same heading
Miscellany, 1964-1965, undated
Press, 1964
Program and promotional material, 1964
Various bills, 1964-1965
Vouchers, 1964
(4 folders)
BOX 29 (7 folders)
BOX 30 (3 folders)
Julia, Jake, and Uncle Joe, 1960, undated
Lunatics and Lovers, 1955-1956
Miscellaneous productions, 1939-1945, 1952-1962, undated
The Pink Jungle See also Container 39, The Pink Jungle Co.
Box office statements, 1959
Contracts, 1959, undated
Correspondence, 1959-1960
BOX 31Insurance, 1959-1960
Litigation and arbitration, 1959-1962
(2 folders)
Miscellaneous expenses, 1959, undated
Miscellany, 1959-1960, undated
Payroll and taxes, 1959-1960, undated
(3 folders)
Program and press, 1959
Script, 1959
Settlement statements, 1959
Theatre Securities Syndicate, 1959-1961
Various bills, 1959-1961, undated
(4 folders)
BOX 32 (7 folders)
Shubert, Lee, 1953
Starcross Story, circa 1952-1954
BOX 33"They All Had Voices Like Diamonds" project, 1968, 1977, undated See also Oversize
Ultra Film Distributors
Miscellany, 1964-1967
"Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar" project, 1964, undated
(3 folders)
"The War's Greatest Snafu Treasure Hunt" project, 1965-1973, undated
Ultra Pictures Corp.
Arthur J. Newman Film Co., 1963-1965
Brown, Harry Joe, 1962-1966
Brylawski, Fulton, 1962-1965
Cavalcade Pictures, 1963-1964
BOX 34Expenses, 1962-1964
(5 folders)
Independent Film Distributors, Inc., 1963-1966
J.M.G. Film Co., 1963-1966
Loew's Theatres, 1963-1964
Masterpiece Pictures, 1963-1967
Maton Films, 1963-1966
(2 folders)
Memoranda to all franchise holders, 1963-1965
BOX 35Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1962-1965
Mid-America Drive-In Theatres, 1963
Military motion picture services, 1963-1966
Miscellany, 1962-1965
Mutual Films, 1963-1966
(2 folders)
National Legion of Decency, 1963
National Screen Service Corp., 1963-1965
Paramount Pictures Corp., 1963-1966
Principal Film Exchange, 1963-1966
Realart Pictures of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1963-1964
(2 folders)
Seven Arts Associates Corp., 1963-1966
Shuster, Harry, 1964-1966
Titra Film Laboratories, 1962-1965
United Detroit Theatres, Detroit, Mich., 1963
United Producers Releasing Organization, 1963-1966
(2 folders)
BOX 36Universal Pictures Co., 1963-1966
(2 folders)
Weekly reports, 1963-1964
(5 folders)
William Goldman Theatres, Philadelphia, Pa., 1963-1964
BOX 37-43

Financial Papers, 1929-1977

Ledger books, banking records, brokers statements, and related financial records.
Arranged alphabetically by name of company and type of material and chronologically therein.
BOX 371025 Park Avenue Corp.
Tax material, 1945-1948, undated
(2 folders)
Ledger, 1945-1948 See Oversize
Amusement Securities Corp., 1932-1933
Banks
Ledger sheets, 1957
Miscellany, 1929-1931, 1956-1958
Brokers statements
Elbern, Florence, 1956-1957
Krellberg, Mildred, 1957
Krellberg, Sherman S., 1956-1957
(4 folders)
Phillips, Mary J., 1956-1957
BOX 38Budsam Distributing Co., 1955-1963
(2 folders)
Goodwill Pictures Corp.
Cash disbursements and receipts, 1951-1958 See Oversize
General ledger, 1941-1954
(4 folders)
BOX 39 (1 folder)
Goodwill Systems Exchanges, 1968, 1975-1977
Joback Productions, 1964
The Pink Jungle Co., 1959
Principal Film Exchange
Accounts payable, 1934-1952
Cash disbursements, 1960-1965; purchases, 1952-1953; bank reconciliation, 1950-1958 See Oversize
Cash receipts, 1952-1967 See Oversize
BOX 40General ledger, 1950-1955
(2 folders)
Journals, 1938-1948
(2 folders)
BOX 41RKO Radio Pictures
Accounts receivable, 1957-1968
Ledgers, 1954-1967
(3 folders)
Taxes, 1933-38, 1974-1977
BOX 42Theatre ledgers, 1950-1964
(2 folders)
Theatre Securities Syndicate, 1961
(2 folders)
Ultra Pictures Corp., 1963-1964
Universal Pictures Co., 1964
BOX 43Various companies
Cash disbursements and receipts, 1939-1940 See Oversize
Cash receipts and film distribution, 1944 See Oversize
General ledgers, 1933-1941
(3 folders)
BOX OV 1-OV 6

Oversize, circa 1937-1967

Pressbooks, promotional material, story boards, and ledgers.
Arranged and described according to the series, folders, and boxes from which the items were removed.
BOX OV 1Office Files
Films
Marriage Forbidden, circa 1937 (Container 6)
Meet John Doe, undated (Container 6)
The Mutiny of the Elsinore, undated (Container 6)
Planet Outlaws, undated (Container 6)
Rocket Ship, undated (Container 6)
Promotional material, undated (Container 19)
Serials
Buck Rogers, undated (Container 25)
BOX OV 2"They All Had Voices Like Diamonds" project, undated (Container 33)
Financial Papers
1025 Park Avenue Corp.
Ledger, 1945-1948 (Container 37)
BOX OV 3Goodwill Pictures Corp.
Cash disbursements and receipts, 1951-1958 (Container 38)
Principal Film Exchange
Cash disbursements, 1960-1965; purchases, 1952-1953; bank reconciliation, 1950-1958 (Container 39)
BOX OV 4Cash receipts, 1952-1967 (Container 39)
BOX OV 5Various companies
Cash disbursements and receipts, 1939-1940 (Container 43)
BOX OV 6Cash receipts and film distribution, 1944 (Container 43)


PREVIOUS NEXT NEW SEARCH

EAD Finding Aids at the Library of Congress | EAD DTD Official Web Site


The Library of Congress >> Search Finding Aids (full view)

Contact Us