The Pandro Berman collection is organized in two main parts. Part 1, the Original Collection, contains materials received in the Archives in 1975. These materials date 1935-1970 and comprise the bulk of the collection (Boxes 1-27). Part 2 consists of materials received later and designated the “1977 Additions.” These materials date 1932-1977, fill only two boxes (Box 28-29), and consist primarily of miscellaneous financial information and of small amounts of clippings and publicity on 81 titles.
Part 1, Original Collection, 1935-1970
The Original Collection portion is mainly comprised of production files on four films Berman worked on from 1964 to 1970: A Patch of Blue, Justine, “John Brown's Body,” and Move. In addition, there are 44 scripts of films he produced between 1934 and 1963, and material on interviews and a seminar with Berman that give a more comprehensive view of his career and position in the motion picture industry. The papers are organized into Biographical Materials and Motion Pictures (subdivided into Production Files, Scripts, Unproduced, Miscellany, and General Financial Files).
The Biographical Materials, 1972, include transcripts of two interviews and an American Film Institute seminar with Berman.
The Motion Picture material includes production files on five films. Documenting A Patch of Blue, Justine, and Move and the not-yet-released “John Brown's Body” are extensive production files, with correspondence, scripts, notes, reports, casting, budget files, editing materials, and daily production reports. For Cat on a Hot Tin Roof there is one folder of correspondence and a script.
Scripts for 44 films Berman produced are arranged chronologically in boxes 13-20. Parts of boxes 20-21 include sketchy material on seven unproduced films, including such documentation as notes, correspondence, scripts, and negotiation files. Five folders of Miscellany contain correspondence from actors and agents, 1968-1969; popularity polls re actors and actresses, 1966; correspondence and notes concerning writers, 1958-1969; notes and correspondence re story files, 1939-1958; and information on 20th Century-Fox contract players, 1966-1970. Finally, there are General Financial Files. These contain statements and correspondence re RKO's profits and losses and Berman's income from his RKO films in the 1930s; accounting statements, 1961-1975, on a number of films Berman made for MGM; income from television properties, 1961; and various other lists and reports, 1959-1969.
Part 2, 1977 Additions, 1932-1977
The 1977 Additions include miscellaneous financial information about film costs and revenues and publicity information about film promotion and exploitation. They have been arranged in two subseries: a General File and Motion Pictures.
The General File consists of notes about Berman, financial information about film production, and miscellany. Among the financial materials are a 1939 resume of incomes received for recently released films; continuity and pre-production budgets for No Blade of Grass and The Secret Classroom; and a listing of Loew's, Inc. operating costs for films by Pandro Berman, George Cukor, Jack Cummings, Arthur Freed, Vincente Minnelli, Joseph Pasternak, and Richard Thorpe. Also included are miscellaneous letters (1940) discussing currency restrictions imposed by Great Britain that limited the amount of money motion picture companies could withdraw from the country during wartime. The file also contains a brochure for a tribute to director John Cromwell, including an article in which Cromwell discusses directorial techniques.
The majority of the Motion Pictures series contains clippings from magazines
and newspapers for many of Berman's films and records various publicity methods, production information, and box office results. In addition there are a few memoranda dealing with financial matters for the various films and a few studio publications describing publicity campaigns. These materials are especially interesting in that they reveal the methods studios used to publicize films during the 'thirties, 'forties, and 'fifties. Moreover, the clippings document cast changes which occurred. Holdings are most extensive for The Blackboard Jungle, The Brothers Karamazov, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ivanhoe, Justine, Knights of the Round Table, National Velvet, A Patch of Blue, and The Prize. The files are arranged in alphabetical order by film title and thereunder chronologically.
