The Shirley Clarke Papers were received in the Archives over a period of time spanning more than a decade. Parts were organized at different times so there now are three parts. Part 1: the Original Collection comprises Boxes 1-11 and films and its contents date 1952-1972. Part 2: the Additions organized in 1975 comprise Box 12-14, the tape recordings, and more films; they date 1949-1974. Part 3: the Additions organized in 1987 comprise Box 15-19 and more films and date circa 1936-1983. All three parts pertain primarily to Clarke's filmmaking activities.
Part 1: Original Collection, 1952-1972
Part 1 of the Shirley Clarke Papers consists of material relating to Shirley Clarke's work as a maker of experimental films. This material reflects her interest in filmmaking and in the commercial and academic promotion of experimental filming techniques and production. The papers in Part 1 are arranged in the following sections: Biographical Material, General Correspondence, Motion Pictures-Produced and Unproduced, Film Festivals and Awards, Lectures, and Filmmakers Distribution Center.
Included in the BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL is general information about Clarke's life and the development of her career; her personal notes and notebooks with entries describing her reactions to films, people, and events; material she saved because it influenced the development of her film techniques; and correspondence and clippings relating to her trips to Europe, 1966-1968, and to Berlin, 1965.
The GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE includes personal and business correspondence, as well as a folder relating to her research into film techniques and equipment, modern dance, and the drug culture. In the personal correspondence is fan mail and inquiries about her health, film techniques, and general advice. The business correspondence relates to the use of her films, her involvement in film clubs and other organizations, and her dealings with banks handling her personal account and a life insurance company.
The MOTION PICTURES-PRODUCED material comprises the largest portion of Part 1 of the collection and relates to films Clarke directed, produced, or acted in. This material includes correspondence, scripts, budget papers, production files, and clippings; it is arranged chronologically by release date of the films. The Cool World and The Connection are the best documented films; there unfortunately is little record of her dance films or of her shorts. Arrangement is chronological by production date.
Twelve folders of material document Clarke's MOTION PICTURES-UNPRODUCED. The scripts of films that she only considered making follow the records of some she actually began work on. This material spans the years 1957 to 1967.
FILM FESTIVALS AND AWARDS comprises one box of information on the film festivals and awards ceremonies that Clarke attended, such as the Cannes and London film festivals and the Academy Awards presentations, and on awards that she received.
LECTURES includes correspondence, notes, and budget materials, 1954-1970, relating to appearances Clarke made across the United States speaking on film and film techniques.
Two folders of correspondence, catalogs, and promotional material document in a fragmentary way Clarke's activities in the FILMMAKERS DISTRIBUTION CENTER, 1958-1968.
Part 2: 1975 Additions, 1949-1974
These additions consist of clippings, articles, interviews, correspondence, notebooks, script materials, miscellany, films, and tapes and focus on Clarke's filmmaking career. This part of the collection has been organized in four sections: General File, Production Files, Films, and Tapes.
The GENERAL FILE is divided into Biographical Material, Correspondence, Miscellany, and Notebooks. The Biographical Material includes discussions of Clarke's films, her film technique, and her belief in video as an art form. Correspondence consists of both personal and business communications and contains general information on the sale, distribution, and showings of her films, her participation in film festivals, her support of film and art projects, and her appearances at lectures and colleges. A small portion of the correspondence is in French. Included is a letter from Walter Wanger (July 17, 1971) complimenting Clarke's film work. Miscellany consists of a few personal items, plus announcements and brochures relating to film in general or specific festivals. Notebooks include diary entries, jottings, and notes on her current projects and future plans.
The PRODUCTION FILES contain correspondence, reviews, scripts, notes, and miscellany for several of Clarke's films. Among these are Bridges-Go-Round, Bullfight, The Connection, Cool World, Dance in the Sun, In Paris Parks, Portrait of Jason, A Scary Time, and Skyscraper. Many of these files are small and incomplete; those relating to The Connection are the most substantive. In addition, several of the scripts are in a rough outline format rather than a more finalized version. Arrangement is by film release date, with undated and unidentified scripts and notes completing the section. Of particular interest are notes on dance film making, on the objectives Clarke hoped to achieve in her films, and on video as an art form.
The FILMS consist of unedited and miscellaneous footage, work prints, outtakes, test, and complete films. The TAPES comprise original recordings for Portrait of Jason, unedited track and mixes for The Connection, and children's narration for the School Film.
Part 3: 1987 Additions, circa 1936-1983
Part 3's additions consist of biographical material, notebooks, correspondence, scripts and production material for various films that Clarke directed or projects with which she was involved, files concerning the video work of her daughter Wendy Clarke, films, and miscellaneous material. These additions, which were received in a disorganized condition, were arranged so that their structure roughly parallels that of the 1975 Additions, comprising a General File, Production Files, and Miscellany.
The GENERAL FILE includes biographical material, correspondence, and notebooks. The biographical material contains résumés, filmographies, transcribed interviews, biographical clippings from magazines, newspapers, and film catalogues, reviews of individual films, and posters and announcements pertaining to the showing of Clarke's work. Correspondence has been divided into personal letters from friends and family and a separate category of letters more specifically focused on film and video production. This section includes some material on her youth, including yearbooks, a scrapbook that includes a penciled play script, and letters from camp. The notebooks contain both journal-like notes and less focused jottings which concern projects and plans and current concerns. Those notebooks which appear to pertain to specific film projects have been filed with the production materials. Also filed here are a number of day books and miscellaneous loose notes.
PRODUCTION FILES contain scripts, notes, and miscellaneous production materials for several of Clarke's film and video projects, most notably Savage/Love, Tongues, and Bigtime Boogie, and a number of scripts apparently sent to her by friends and colleagues. Also filed here is an additional script for The Cool World that bears additional annotations in her hand.
MISCELLANY consists of information on various film festivals, grants, and symposia in which Clarke participated. Also included are several film licensing agreements, publications of the Women's Media Resource Center in which she was interested, and two folders of information about the video work of her daughter, Wendy Clarke.
