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John B. Goodman Collection
MSS 0026
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Creator:
Goodman, John B. -- (John Bartlett), 1901-1991
Title: John B. Goodman Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1814-1991
Extent:
13.10 linear feet
(22 archives boxes, 1 card file box and 27 oversize folders)
Abstract: Collection of John Bartlett Goodman, III, motion picture art director, bibliophile, author, and collector of Western Americana.
Materials include manuscripts, correspondence, movie research materials, artwork and sketches, family memorabilia, ephemera,
photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings and historical manuscripts associated with Goodman's interest and research on
the American West. The collection is arranged in ten series: 1) GOODMAN COLLECTION CATALOG, 2) WRITINGS, 3) MOVIE RESEARCH,
4) ARTWORK AND SKETCHES, 5) MATERIALS LAID IN BOOKS, 6) CORRESPONDENCE, 7) GOODMAN FAMILY MATERIALS, 8) EPHEMERA, 9) NEWSPAPER
CLIPPINGS, and 10) PHOTOGRAPHS.
Repository:
University of California, San Diego. Geisel Library. Mandeville Special Collections Library.
La Jolla, California 92093-0175
Collection number: MSS 0026
Language of Material:
Collection materials in English
Collection is open for research.
Not Available
John B. Goodman Collection, MSS 0026. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
John Bartlett Goodman, III, (1901-1991) was born in Denver, Colorado and moved to California by the age of three, first to
San Diego and then to Los Angeles in 1916. After high school he worked in an architect's office, but left in 1920 after a
short time to join the art department of the Famous Players Lasky Company, an early motion-picture company. Goodman's forty-seven
year professional career in the motion-picture industry included work on 252 movies. He spent seventeen years with Paramount
Studios, worked for Warner Brothers Studios, and served as supervising art director (1942-1945) for Universal Studio, after
which, he pursued a freelance career as an independent art director. Goodman won an Oscar for his color art direction of
the "Phantom of the Opera" in 1943. He was the art director for the films "The Mountain" (1955) and "Rawhide" (1959) and
the weekly television series "Rawhide" (1961-1965). Goodman retired from film work in 1967.
At the same time he entered the film industry, Goodman began his lifelong avocation as a bibliophile interested in American
maritime history, early sailing ships, the American West, and California and the Gold Rush. He was a founding member of
the Los Angeles Corral of Westerners (1946) and a member of the Zamorano Club since May 1947. Goodman's major works include
THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH FLEET (1992), the jointly authored and published SCRAPS OF CALIFORNIANA series, a collection of six
Christmas keepsakes for Zamorano Club members, and "An Annotated Bibliography of California County Histories," an extensive
unpublished manuscript. Goodman's historical and bibliophilic interests complemented his art direction, especially his passion
for historically accurate set designs.
John Goodman died on June 30, 1991.
Scope and Content of Collection
The John Goodman Collection contains manuscripts, correspondence, movie research materials, artwork and sketches, family memorabilia,
ephemera, photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings and historical manuscripts associated with Goodman's interest and research
on the American West. The collection is arranged in ten series: 1) GOODMAN COLLECTION CATALOG, 2) WRITINGS, 3) MOVIE RESEARCH,
4) ARTWORK AND SKETCHES, 5) MATERIALS LAID IN BOOKS, 6) CORRESPONDENCE, 7) GOODMAN FAMILY MATERIALS, 8) EPHEMERA, 9) NEWSPAPER
CLIPPINGS, and 10) PHOTOGRAPHS.
SERIES 1: GOODMAN COLLECTION CATALOG
The first series contains an unpublished catalog of Goodman's book collection as of 1983. A mixture of typescript, holograph
and Goodman's own pen and ink illustrations, the catalog provides bibliographic description, monetary values and, often times,
comments on condition or content of individual works.
SERIES 2: WRITINGS
The WRITINGS series comprises four subseries: "Bibliographies," "Scraps of Californiana Series," "Miscellaneous," and "Notes."
Beginning the first subseries is Goodman's bound unpublished manuscript ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY HISTORIES,
1855-1953, in two volumes with additional correspondence and notes. Additional bibliographies in this subseries focus on
overland travel, the American West and Goodman's personal book collection.
The "Scraps of Californiana Series" contains manuscripts for the production of small keepsake books that Goodman produced
for fellow Zamorano Club members at Christmas. Typically, Goodman would write an introduction to accompany transcribed text
and often they included a tipped-in facsimile reproduction of a page or illustration. Of the six titles in the series, the
collection lacks materials for volume 5.
The "Miscellaneous" subseries provides an example of a scholarly book review by Goodman, several short essays and extensive
typescript and manuscript research materials on Theodore Foster's letters written from Rancho Santa Ana del Chico in California
and published in eastern newspapers. The Foster materials remain an unfinished project in Goodman's collection.
Finally, the "Notes" subseries contains numerous lists, single page typescripts and notes on various research projects.
SERIES 3: MOVIE RESEARCH
The MOVIE RESEARCH series documents several examples of Goodman's method of weaving historical research and art direction
into motion pictures, particularly his reconstruction of sailing ship hulls into historically accurate movie sets. Goodman
directed the restoration of the downeaster LEWELLYN J. MORSE into a facsimile of the USS CONSTITUTION. Additional materials,
largely photographs, document production sets for the MOUNTAIN and WELLS FARGO.
SERIES 4: ARTWORK AND SKETCHES
The few works in this series are arranged into two subseries: "By Goodman" and "By Others."
SERIES 5: MATERIALS LAID IN BOOKS
This series contains items, usually letters, found laid-in to books in Goodman's book collection. The materials are arranged
by the title of the book they were found in.
SERIES 6: CORRESPONDENCE
The CORRESPONDENCE series includes Goodman's exchanges with book dealers, libraries, historical societies and individuals
regarding books and historical research. Included in the series is some correspondence with family members. The materials
are arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
SERIES 7: GOODMAN FAMILY MATERIALS
The GOODMAN FAMILY MATERIALS comprise an assortment of memorabilia or materials by or about other family members, especially
Goodman's older brother Frank.
SERIES 8: EPHEMERA
The EPHEMERA series contains a variety of miscellaneous and printed materials, including brochures from San Diego theatres,
menus for restaurants and an example of Pacific Steamship Company letterhead.
SERIES 9: NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS
In addition numerous miscellaneous clippings, this series contains a scrapbook of clippings on San Diego history.
SERIES 10: PHOTOGRAPHS
The PHOTOGRAPH series is arranged in four subseries: "Goodman Family," "People," "Places" and "Stereographs." Images of
John Goodman and his family are located in the first subseries. Unrelated people and examples of mounted portraits comprise
the second subseries.
Goodman avidly collected images of the American West, particularly California and the urban regions of Los Angeles and San
Diego. The "Places" subseries contains images arranged by country, state, and city or locality with the bulk of the images
representing early twentieth century San Diego and Los Angeles.
The "Stereographs" provide examples of this particular photographic process and depict San Francisco, Yosemite Valley, and
an address by President McKinley in 1897.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Goodman, John B. -- (John Bartlett), 1901-1991 -- Archives
Goodman family -- Archives
Famous Player Laskys
Constitution (Frigate)
Theater -- California -- San Diego
Book collecting
Ships -- Reconstruction
Ships -- Drawings
Ships -- Pictorial works
Motion pictures -- Art direction
Motion pictures -- Setting and scenery
Baja California (Mexico : Peninsula) -- Description and travel
Photographic prints -- 19th Century.
Photographic prints -- 20th Century.
San Diego (Calif.) -- History
California -- Gold discoveries
California -- History -- 1846-1850
California -- History -- 1850-1950
Cumming, John, -- correspondent
Miller, Roland, -- correspondent
Miller, Victoria, -- correspondent