December 12, 2013, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, Film, Research + TeachingFellows Find: Gloria Swanson biographer discovers rich material in Ransom Center’s archive “I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille,” says Norma Desmond in the famous end scene of Sunset Boulevard. Gloria Swanson, the actress who portrayed Desmond, is ready, as well. Bowdoin Professor Tricia Welsch received fellowships, which were funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Endowment, to conduct research in the… read more
December 10, 2013, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, Film, Research + TeachingBiographer Stephen Michael Shearer uses Gloria Swanson collection to paint a more in-depth portrait of the star in new biography Although best known for her role as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (1950), Gloria Swanson was a legendary actress even before then. She starred in countless silent films, working with celebrities Cecil DeMille and Charlie Chaplin. Vivacious and enigmatic, Swanson was known for her extravagant clothing, spending, and love life.… read more
December 3, 2013, Filed Under: Art, Exhibitions + EventsDirector of Amon Carter Museum discusses concept of “westering” Andrew J. Walker, Director of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, presents “Westering America: Frontier Thinking and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art” for the 2013 Amon Carter Lecture on Thursday, December 5 at 7 p.m. at the Harry Ransom Center. In his talk, Walker will explore… read more
December 2, 2013, Filed Under: Film, Research + TeachingFellows Find: How Hollywood producers used Alfred Hitchcock’s weight to their advantage Casey McKittrick is an Associate Professor of English at Western Michigan University. He spent June and July of 2012 researching the David O. Selznick and Myron Selznick archives at the Harry Ransom Center. His work, which was funded by the Warren Skaaren Research Fellowship Endowment, produced the first chapter, and informed several others, of… read more
November 26, 2013, Filed Under: Books + ManuscriptsRecently acquired Nancy Cunard typescript documents a dreamy connection to poet John Keats On December 31, 1956, writer and political activist Nancy Cunard visited the Keats-Shelley House in Rome. She went there to contribute an account of one of her earliest, most intimate experiences as a young writer and to memorialize her connection with one of the most important figures of the Romantic… read more
November 25, 2013, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, PhotographyTed Spagna’s photography featured in new book, “SLEEP” In 1975, photographer Ted Spagna (1943–1989) began his career-defining project that would revolutionize the artistic interpretation and even scientific understanding of sleep. Using a time-lapse camera, Spagna photographed a variety of sleeping subjects for an entire night. The results, now known as “sleep portraiture,” provided a unique bird’s eye perspective… read more
