Curtain's Up! The Carolina Theatre Records Come to Special Collections and University Archives

The Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives is thrilled to announce that we are now the home to the Carolina Theatre of Greensboro’s historic materials. A donation to our Manuscript collections, the Carolina Theatre’s materials include programs, marketing materials, slides, photographs, artifacts, and digital records.

The Carolina Theatre has been an important cultural and business icon in downtown Greensboro since 1927. The Carolina Theatre’s records will provide an amazing perspective on the history of downtown Greensboro, performing arts, film, and local business for students, faculty, researchers, and the general public.

Carolina Theatre, circa 1927.

As part of the ongoing relationship between Special Collections and the Carolina Theatre, Special Collections will continue to receive materials from the theatre to ensure a continuous record of their operations and impact on the Greensboro and the Triad.

Carolina Theatre sketch, 1982.

We hope to begin processing the collection soon and will provide more updates as the collection is arranged, described, and digitized! Look for updates about the collection on this blog and our social media platforms.

Dust Jackets to Die For

Stories of murder, suspense, and horror fill the shelves of the American Women’s Detective Fiction Collection in the Martha Blakeney Special Collections & University Archives. It is the dust jacket artists’ struggle to convey the authors’ foreboding tales of intrigue and vengeance in book covers enticing to potential readers. Sometimes, these attempts fall short of their intended purpose. From ice skating skeletons to murder by baking soda, this exhibit features the best of the worst dust jacket art of the collection. The exhibit can be found in the displays next to the the Jackson Library reference desk from June 8th to September 1st.

Shakespeare Exhibit

The UNCG sponsored series, The Globe and the Cosmos, is a year-long celebration of William Shakespeare and Galileo Galilei on the 450th anniversary of their respective births. It is a collaborative project that brings artists and scholars to campus and taps into the knowledge and talent of its faculty, students, and staff. The celebration also draws on the university’s holdings of art and rare and unique books to highlight the genius and humanity of both Shakespeare and Galileo. These works reflect the continued impact of these two men on scholarly research, creative work, and the ways we all imagine the world.

With strong holdings in the works of William Shakespeare, Special Collections and University Archives at UNCG’s University Libraries has mounted an exhibit that exclusively focused on the Bard. The exhibit, “That in Black Ink My Love May Still Shine Bright:” Selections from Five Centuries of Printed Works of William Shakespeare, seeks to illustrate Shakespeare’s impact on the history of western print culture. Additionally, the exhibit reveals the Library’s own active collecting of Shakespeare since the university’s founding.

To best view the exhibit, it is recommended that visitors begin with the two horizontal glass exhibit cases to the left as you enter the Hodges Reading Room. Moving in a clock-wise direction, visitors will view printed works in five horizontal exhibits cases and then end the tour by examining the contents of two large vertical cases that stand on either side of the Reading Room’s main entrance.

The first two exhibits cases contain works that provide the visitor with a glimpse of the print revolution that was sweeping Early Modern England. With rising literacy rates and a flourishing book trade, Shakespeare’s plays and poetry were purchased and read in large numbers. On display is a wonderful facsimile of a 1609 quarto of his sonnets and a complete 1623 First Folio, both found in Special Collections and University Archives. In the accompanying vertical case, there are two of the earliest print editions found in the exhibit. The case contains a 1632 copy of Richard the Third and a beautiful and complete 1685 Fourth Folio.

The display in the next two exhibit cases is intended to transport the visitor to the 19th and 20th centuries and reveal Shakespeare’s revered place within the English speaking world. The 1850 edition of the complete works of Shakespeare is a scholarly edition that contains an essay on his genius. These editions were intended to be used for educational pursuits. In the adjoining exhibit, the visitor will view examples of Shakespeare’s works produced by high-end publishing houses such as: Kelmscott Press, Doves Press, and Cranach Press. These works were collected for both their intricate design and content.

The works found in the final two vertical cases are wonderful examples of how book artists and custom binders of the late 20th century continue to turn to Shakespeare for inspiration. The works of Ronald King and Circle Press are found in the first case. Please note the provocative custom binding design of Antony & Cleopatra by Monique Lallier. In the last case, the visitor has the opportunity to view the breathtaking woodcuts by Leonard Baskin (Gehenna Press) and Claire Van Vliet (Theodore Press).

C-SPAN2 Book TV Program features Women Veterans Historical Project and WWI Pamphlets

C-SPAN2 Book TV visited Greensboro and made a trip to Special Collections and University Archives. 

Beth Ann Koelsch, Curator of the Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project (WVHP) and  Keith Gorman, Head of Special Collections and University Archives were featured on C-Span2 Book TV in February, 2015.

Koelsch showcased a selection of books by and about women in the military including self-published memoirs, cartoon books, and recruiting brochures.Gorman discussed about how the special collection of WWI pamphlets illustrated how propaganda was used throughout the course of the "Great War."

You can watch the program at this link: http://www.c-span.org/video/?324062-1/book-tv-greensboro-north-carolina

A New Exhibit in the Hodges Reading Room: Kay Brown, David O. Selznick, and Gone with the Wind

Exhibit Poster


The Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives is pleased to announce a new exhibit -  Kay Brown, David O. Selznick, and Gone with the Wind. This exhibit features photographs and mementos belonging Dr. Kate Barrett, daughter of Kay Brown Barrett. Dr. Barrett is currently a Professor Emerita in the Department of Kinesiology of the School of Health and Human Sciences and continues to be involved in many university projects.

In 1936, Kay Brown was well into her successful career as Eastern Representative of Selznick International Pictures when she came across the yet unpublished manuscript of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind. Brown read the book in galley form and was so impressed with it that she immediately contacted producer David O. Selznick and his financial backer John “Jock” Whitney and urged them to buy the rights to the novel. Unsure of the success of a Civil War film, Selznick initially was not interested in the property, but Brown was adamant and he trusted her. Margaret Mitchell trusted her too and the two women would form a friendship that would last long after the filming ended. The legal rights to the book were purchased from the author for the sum of $50,000. Brown then began the painstaking project of acquiring a writer to adapt the book for the screen. Meanwhile, Selznick began searching for the right director to bring the story to life. 



Kay Brown with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Jock Whitney at a press conference announcing the purchase of the rights to the novel Gone with the Wind

Casting the movie would soon take on a life of its own.  After the book was published, it became a Pulitzer Prize winning sensation and casting the leads became a national event. While Selznick was considering casting the usual suspects of the Hollywood stars, fans across the country had their own ideas. Everyone seemed to think that Clark Gable was a natural choice for Rhett Butler, but he was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and legal negotiations ensued. In the end, MGM lent Gable for the movie in exchange for the distribution rights and half of the profits. It was a hard bargain, but as fans threatened to boycott the film if Gable was not cast as Rhett Butler, Selznick had little choice but to agree. Olivia de Havilland was borrowed from Warner Brothers Studios for the role of Melanie Hamilton Wilkes and Leslie Howard reluctantly agreed to take the part of Ashley Wilkes.


Producer David O. Selznick and the portrait of Scarlett O'Hara used in the film

The search for the right girl to play the self-centered and determined heroine Scarlett O’Hara would be the stuff of which legends are made. Selznick’s representatives traveled throughout the country testing local actresses, creating a media frenzy which continued until the movie’s release. Almost every actress in Hollywood tested for the role but ultimately, it was an English actress, Vivien Leigh, who would capture the part and the heart of the nation as Scarlett.

Gone with the Wind premiered in December of 1939 and became an instant critical and financial success. The movie swept the 1940 Academy Awards - nominated in thirteen categories and winning in eight. Selznick took home the Best Picture Oscar, Vivien Leigh won for Best Actress, and Hattie McDaniel won for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy, becoming the first African American to win an Academy Award. The movie won additional Oscars for Best Director (posthumously awarded to Victor Fleming) and Best Screenplay (Sydney Howard) as well as Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Interior Decoration. Walter Plunkett, who designed the costumes for the movie, was not nominated as there was not yet an official category for Best Costume Design until 1948.



A personalized photograph of Arthur Miller

After Selznick was forced to liquidate his studio in 1942 amid financial troubles, Brown became a talent scout and agent, representing stars such as Rex Harrison, Montgomery Clift, and John Gielgud, as well as writers Arthur Miller and Lillian Hellman. Brown was considered a brilliant and powerful presence in the literary and film industry until her retirement at 80. In addition to her career, she had a full personal life, marrying James Barrett and having two daughters, Laurinda and Kate.

This exhibit will be featured in the Hodges Reading Room from October 1, 2014 until January 7, 2015. The Reading Room is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.