February 23, 2010, Filed Under: Authors, Exhibitions + EventsUT Students: Apply to participate in seminar with playwright, writer, and director David Mamet The Harry Ransom Center is pleased to provide current University of Texas at Austin graduate and undergraduate students with the opportunity to join playwright, writer, and director David Mamet on “A Journey Towards Meaning.” The Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum, is home to David Mamet’s archive, which… read more
February 23, 2010, Filed Under: Research + TeachingClaude McKay and the "Making of Home to Harlem" Jamaican-born writer Claude McKay (1889–1948) is probably best-known for his poem “If We Must Die.” McKay, however, also published three novels and a collection of short stories. His most popular novel, Home to Harlem (1928), grew out of a short story of the same name. He was encouraged in his… read more
February 18, 2010, Filed Under: Art, Books + ManuscriptsThe "curiously" illustrated Moll Pitcher The Bieber collection’s copy of John Greenleaf Whittier’s Moll Pitcher, a poem, is an 1832 first edition. In the poem, Whittier presents an unflattering fictional account of the exploits of Moll Pitcher (1736–1813), who amassed both fame and income through her work as a fortune-teller in Lynn, Mass. (Moll Pitcher… read more
February 16, 2010, Filed Under: Film, Research + TeachingHidden Talent: The Emergence of Hollywood Agents Tom Kemper, author of Hidden Talent: The Emergence of Hollywood Agents (University of California Press, 2009), did research for his book in the Ransom Center’s film collection with funding from the Warren Skaaren Film Research Endowment. He shares some of the surprising information he discovered while working with the Myron… read more
February 15, 2010, Filed Under: Art, Exhibitions + Events, FilmArt Director: Set design for boathouse in "Rebecca" The art director, in creating the environment that a character inhabits, reveals much about a character’s personality through the type of house, the style of furniture, the pictures on the walls, and even the items on the coffee table or in the kitchen sink. Furthermore, the sets designed by an… read more
February 12, 2010, Filed Under: Exhibitions + Events, FilmActor: Gloria Swanson discusses DeMille, acting technique The contributions of the actor can be seen throughout the Making Movies exhibition. The primary and most visible interpreter of character is the actor, who interacts with or is affected by every creative artist on the production team. Gloria Swanson’s performance as the aging film star Norma Desmond in Sunset… read more
