Film, Video [Gershwins, 1935-1939--Ira Gershwin--home movies] Former supplied title: Gershwins, 1936-1939--Ira Gershwin--home movies

Title

• [Gershwins, 1935-1939--Ira Gershwin--home movies]

Other Title

• Former supplied title: Gershwins, 1936-1939--Ira Gershwin--home movies

Summary

• Collection of home movies featuring George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin filmed 1935-1939. All films in color unless noted.

Names

• Gershwin, George, 1898-1937, camera operator
• Arlen, Harold, 1905-1986, camera operator
• Brooks, Richard, 1912-1992, film editor

Created / Published

• [between 1935 and 1939]

Contents

• 1. [Group walking in the Hills] (00:07-00:51) (1939?): Moss Hart, Helen Broderick, and Alma Hearst are filmed together probably in the Hollywood Hills within the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Angeles, California, area. Vincente Minnelli and an unidentified man wearing a hat shake hands with them. Vincente Minnelli and Ira Gershwin stand together and point to the hills in the distance. Ira Gershwin and Alma Hearst briefly hold hands and walk together. Alma Hearst walks alone towards the camera. Tony, George Gershwin's dog, runs, plays in the mud, and drinks from a puddle -- 2. (00:52-01:27) (1936-1937?): Exterior shots of the Gershwin home and backyard garden at 1019 N. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, California. Close up of Ira Gershwin. Leonore Gershwin holds flowers and walks toward the camera. Brief shot of tennis court followed by interior shots of an office/workroom with desks, a piano, and a painting -- 3. (01:28-1:58) (1936-1937?): More exterior shots of Gershwin home followed by an unidentified man watering backyard plants. Benita Hume, wearing a swim cap, sits poolside and others are seen nearby lounging on patio furniture. An unidentified man (possibly Ronald Colman) sits on a patio swing and smokes a pipe. Leonore Gershwin and an unidentified woman wearing a red head scarf sit poolside and play cards -- 4. (01:59-04:25) (1936-1937 ; filmed by Harold Arlen): Rouben Mamoulian and George Gershwin play tennis at the Gershwin home. Simone Simon joins George Gershwin on the tennis court. Arthur S. Lyons, the Gershwins' agent, poses in the backyard garden. An unidentified woman (possibly Leonore Gershwin) wears a pink silk robe. Simone Simon and George Gershwin eat together at a patio table followed by shots of buffet foods. Rouben Mamoulian sits on a patio swing and smokes a pipe. E.Y. "Yip" Harburg sits on a patio chair and smokes a cigarette. Simone Simon lounges on a patio chair. A shirtless Harold Arlen and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg playfully interact with each other. Harold Arlen takes several bows in the backyard garden. Ira Gershwin and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg sit together and eat. Tony, George Gershwin's dog, walks near the pool.
• 5. (04:26-06:27) (1939): Party for Spain. An unidentified man wearing a fake beard mixes something. Ira Gershwin smokes a pipe and stands next to Ted Koehler. Anya Arlen, wearing a hat, is seen briefly. Lionel Stander wears sunglasses and smokes a cigarette. Clowns holding balloons interact with Ira Gershwin and Anya Arlen. Ira Gershwin and Ted Koehler stand next to each other. An unidentified man (possibly Johnny Green) plays the organ. Cecelia "Golly" Hayes holds a roll of raffle tickets and laughs with Anya Arlen. Shots of Lionel Stander standing near an unidentified woman wearing a red two-piece outfit. Johnny Green and Betty Furness laugh together. Harry Warren and Josephine Warren sit in a car and are approached by Anya Arlen and her mother Mary Taranda. Shots of Anya Arlen and Harold Arlen arm-in-arm on the street with The Victor Hugo restaurant, located at 233 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, California, in the background -- 6. [Schoenberg and Kolisch Quartet playing handball] (06:28-07:47) (1936-1937): Kolisch Quartet musicians Felix Khuner and Benar Heifetz play handball on the tennis court at the Gershwin home at 1019 N. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, California. Doris Warner LeRoy stands with Kolisch Quartet musician Rudolf Kolisch near the tennis court's chain link fence. Felix Khuner, Rudolf Kolisch, Doris Warner LeRoy, Benar Heifetz, Kolisch Quartet musician Eugene Lehner, and Gertrud Schoenberg are filmed standing together; unidentified woman standing with group is possibly Benar Heifetz's wife Olga Heifetz or Eugene Lehner's wife Lucca Lehner. Felix Khuner and Eugene Lehner throw a ball back and forth. George Gershwin smokes a pipe and stands with Rudolf Kolisch and Doris Warner LeRoy. George Gershwin, his mother Rose Gershwin, and Rudolf Kolisch stand together. George Gershwin's dog Tony plays with the ball. Arnold Schoenberg shakes hands with Rudolf Kolisch and they are joined by Gertrud Schoenberg.
• 7. (07:48-08:39) (1936-1937?): Oscar Levant plays piano at the Gershwin home at 1019 N. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, California. Oscar Levant and George A. Pallay interact with each other in the backyard garden. George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin smoke pipes while working together. George Gershwin paints a portrait of Jerome Kern -- 8. [Schoenberg and Kolisch Quartet playing handball cont.] (08:40-09:53) (1936-1937): At the Gershwin home at 1019 N. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, California, George Gershwin takes photos of Doris Warner LeRoy standing next to Kolisch Quartet musician Rudolf Kolisch near the tennis court's chain link fence. Felix Khuner, Rudolf Kolisch, Doris Warner LeRoy, Benar Heifetz, Kolisch Quartet musician Eugene Lehner, and Gertrud Schoenberg are filmed standing together; unidentified woman standing with group is possibly Benar Heifetz's wife Olga Heifetz or Eugene Lehner's wife Lucca Lehner. Felix Khuner and Eugene Lehner throw a ball back and forth. Arnold Schoenberg shakes hands with Rudolf Kolisch and they are joined by Gertrud Schoenberg. Arnold Schoenberg and Felix Khuner interact on the tennis court -- 9. (09:54-11:47) (1936-1937): Gershwin family relaxes near the pool in the backyard garden at the Gershwin home at 1019 N. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, California. George Gershwin, Frances Gershwin, and Leonore Gershwin are seated in patio chairs. Frances Gershwin shares a lipstick with Rose Gershwin, who wears a red robe. Ira Gershwin smokes a pipe and stands behind Leonore Gershwin. George Gershwin and Frances Gershwin playfully interact. Ira Gershwin sits in a patio chair and reads a newspaper. Now inside the house, Rose Gershwin leans out of an upstairs window. Street view of N. Roxbury Drive from behind the gate with Ira Gershwin visible in silhouette -- 10. (11:48-13:09) (1936-1937): In California's Salton Sea, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, Leonore Gershwin, and Ira Gershin stand on a boat dock and read a map. E.Y. "Yip" Harburg and Leonore Gershwin touch the foamy water. George Gershwin, Leonore Gershwin, and Ira Gershwin put their arms around each other. Shots of canoes, small buildings, and a train traveling in the distance. George Gershwin and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg drive in a Cord convertible.
• 11. (13:10-14:31) (1936-1937): Exterior shots of the Quaker Ridge Golf Club clubhouse in Scarsdale, New York. George Gershwin, who was a member with a 10 handicap, plays golf with Lou Paley, Ira Gershwin, and an unidentified man -- 12. (14:32-15:53) (March 1937): George Gershwin, wearing a robe, eats at a patio table at a house in Palm Springs, California. George Gershwin is then seen standing with the mountains in the background. Paulette Goddard picks a flower and later hugs her mother Alta Goddard in the doorway. George Gershwin and Paulette Goddard get into George's Cord convertible -- 13. [Luncheon party] (14:32-15:53) (1936): Vincente Minnelli and Moss Hart sit at a table with an unidentified woman (possibly Ketti Gallian) and an unidentified man. Leonore Gershwin stands behind Vincente Minnelli with her arms draped around his neck. Harry Botkin and Anya Arlen sit at a table and smoke cigarettes. George Gershwin playfully pecks Lillian Hellman's cheek. Guest plays with George Gershwin's dog Tony. George Gershwin again playfully pecks Lillian Hellman's cheek, and Dashiell Hammett is visible in the background seated at a different table. George Gershwin plays with his dog Tony. Ira Gershwin humorously places bowls atop the heads of Anya Arlen and Harry Botkin. Anya Arlen sits with Harold Arlen -- 14. (17:15-17:20) (1936-1939?, b&w): Carol Frick, the Gershwins' secretary, walks toward the camera -- 15. [Fred Astaire performing Slap that bass] (17:21-19:53) (1936-1937, b&w and col. ; filmed by George Gershwin): In the b&w footage, Fred Astaire performs the "Slap that bass" dance number on the set of the film Shall we dance. A portion of the dance footage is in slow motion. The film's screenwriter, Ernest Pagano, walks toward the camera. In the col. footage, Fred Astaire performs the "Slap that bass" dance number and then production personnel clean the floor. The film's director, Mark Sandrich, smiles and interacts with Fred Astaire. Multi-angle shots of Fred Astaire dancing across the set.
• 16. (19:54-20:02) (January 1, 1937): A marching band performs at the Rose Bowl football game between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Washington Huskies at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. Ginger Rogers, sitting in the crowded bleachers, looks at the camera -- 17. (20:03-23:46) (October 10, 1935, b&w): Opening night party for opera, Porgy and Bess, on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in New York, New York. Rouben Mamoulian, Kay Swift, and Alexander Smallens are seen with original cast member Anne Brown and others (possibly Georgette Harvey, Abbie Mitchell, Helen Dowdy, and Eva Jessye). George Gershwin raises his glass at the party. J. Rosamond Johnson sips from a glass at the party. This is followed by footage of the cast, including Anne Brown, Ruby Elzy, Edward Matthews, and Todd Duncan, rehearsing on the stage with director Rouben Mamoulian. John W. Bubbles dances with Warren Coleman during the rehearsal. Performance footage features cast members Edward Matthews, John W. Bubbles, Georgette Harvey, J. Rosamond Johnson, Todd Duncan, Anne Brown, and Ruby Elzy. Outside at a train station, John W. Bubbles dances next to a train while two unidentified men (possibly Ira Gershwin and Irving Berlin) watch -- 18. (23:47-23:58) (1936-1939?): Oil painting of George Gershwin by Ted Koehler.

Headings

• -  Gershwin, Ira,--1896-1983--Friends and associates
• -  Gershwin, Leonore,--1900-1991--Friends and associates
• -  Hart, Moss,--1904-1961,--depicted
• -  Broderick, Helen,--1891-1959,--depicted
• -  Walker, Alma,--1908-1972,--depicted
• -  Minnelli, Vincente,--depicted
• -  Gershwin, Ira,--1896-1983,--depicted
• -  Tony--(Dog),--depicted
• -  Gershwin, Leonore,--1900-1991,--depicted
• -  Hume, Benita,--depicted
• -  Mamoulian, Rouben,--depicted
• -  Gershwin, George,--1898-1937,--depicted
• -  Simon, Simone,--depicted
• -  Lyons, Arthur S.,--1906-1963,--depicted
• -  Harburg, E. Y.--(Edgar Yipsel),--1896-1981,--depicted
• -  Arlen, Harold,--1905-1986,--depicted
• -  Arlen, Anya,--1915-1970,--depicted
• -  Koehler, Ted,--1894-1973,--depicted
• -  Stander, Lionel,--depicted
• -  Hayes, Cecelia,--depicted
• -  Green, Johnny,--1908-1989,--depicted
• -  Furness, Betty,--1916-1994,--depicted
• -  Warren, Harry,--1893-1981,--depicted
• -  Warren, Josephine,--1896-1993,--depicted
• -  Taranda, Mary,--depicted
• -  Kolisch Quartett,--depicted
• -  Khuner, Felix,--1906-1991,--depicted
• -  Heifetz, Benar,--depicted,--depicted
• -  Vidor, Doris Warner,--1912-1978,--depicted
• -  Kolisch, Rudolf,--1896-1978,--depicted
• -  Lehner, Eugene,--1906-1997,--depicted
• -  Schoenberg, Gertrud,--depicted
• -  Gershwin, Rose,--depicted
• -  Schoenberg, Arnold,--1874-1951,--depicted
• -  Levant, Oscar,--1906-1972,--depicted
• -  Pallay, George A.,--depicted
• -  Godowsky, Frances Gershwin,--depicted
• -  Paley, Lou,--depicted
• -  Goddard, Paulette,--1911-1990,--depicted
• -  Goddard, Alta,--1888-1983,--depicted
• -  Botkin, Henry Albert,--1896-1983,--depicted
• -  Hellman, Lillian,--1905-1984,--depicted
• -  Hammett, Dashiell,--1894-1961,--depicted
• -  Frick, Carol,--depicted
• -  Astaire, Fred,--depicted
• -  Pagano, Ernest,--depicted
• -  Sandrich, Mark,--1900-1945,--depicted
• -  Rogers, Ginger,--1911-1995,--depicted
• -  Swift, Kay,--1897-1993,--depicted
• -  Smallens, Alexander,--1889-1972,--depicted
• -  Brown, Anne,--1912-2009,--depicted
• -  Johnson, J. Rosamond--(John Rosamond),--1873-1954,--depicted
• -  Elzy, Ruby,--depicted
• -  Matthews, Edward,--1904-1954,--depicted
• -  Duncan, Todd,--depicted
• -  Bubbles, John W.,--depicted
• -  Coleman, Warren,--depicted
• -  Harvey, Georgette,--depicted

Genre

• Amateur films
• Compilation films
• Nonfiction films

Notes

• -  Appearing: Vincente Minnelli, Moss Hart, Helen Broderick, Alma Hearst, Ira Gershwin, Tony (dog), Leonore Gershwin, Benita Hume, Rouben Mamoulian, George Gershwin, Simone Simon, Arthur S. Lyons, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler, Anya Arlen, Lionel Stander, Cecelia "Golly" Hayes, Johnny Green, Betty Furness, Harry Warren, Josephine Warren, Felix Khuner (Kolisch Quartet), Benar Heifetz (Kolisch Quartet), Doris Warner LeRoy, Rudolf Kolisch (Kolisch Quartet), Eugene Lehner (Kolisch Quartet), Gertrud Schoenberg, Rose Gershwin, Arnold Schoenberg, Oscar Levant, George Pallay, Frances Gershwin, Lou Paley, Paulette Goddard, Alta Goddard, Harry Botkin, Lillian Hellman, Dashiell Hammett, Carol Frick, Fred Astaire, Ernest Pagano, Mark Sandrich, Ginger Rogers, Kay Swift, Alexander Smallens, Anne Brown, J. Rosamond Johnson, Ruby Elzy, Edward Matthews, Todd Duncan, John W. Bubbles, Warren Coleman, Georgette Harvey.
• -  Camera operator [segment 15: Fred Astaire performing Slap that bass; other unspecified segments?], George Gershwin ; camera operator [segment 4: tennis at the Gershwin home featuring Rouben Mamoulian, George Gershwin, and others; other unspecified segments?], Harold Arlen ; editor, Richard Brooks.
• -  Note on original can says this work was edited by Richard Brooks and that the footage was possibly shot by George Gershwin and Harold Arlen.
• -  Segment 15: Per a Los Angeles times, March 7, 1991, p. 431 article, George Gershwin filmed Fred Astaire performing the "Slap that bass" dance number on the set of the film Shall we dance.
• -  Segment 4: Per "The Academy Film Archive" by L. Kirste from the book Mining the home movie, edited by K.L. Ishizuka and P.R. Zimmermann, p. 210, Harold Arlen filmed tennis at the Gershwin home featuring Rouben Mamoulian, George Gershwin, and others.
• -  Filmed between 1935 and 1939 in various locations.
• -  Sources used: original containers; Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Trust archive, 1895-2012 ILS record (LCCN 2018571963); Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Trust Archive finding aid; [Gershwins, 1936-1939--Ira Gershwin--home movies] DVD-R with identification; "Victor Hugo Restaurant, Beverly Hills" image, December 14, 1937, viewed December 13, 2024 via TESSA digital collections of the Los Angeles Public Library WWW site; Top 100 golf courses WWW site, viewed December 13, 2024; Quaker Ridge Golf Club WWW site, viewed December 13, 2024; Gershwin 100 WWW site (Sketching with Gershwin, as told by Ginger Rogers), posted April 11, 2024, viewed December 13, 2024; Wikipedia WWW site, viewed December 13, 2024; Ovrtur WWW site, viewed December 13, 2024; Metropolitan Opera WWW site (Black voices at the Met: Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: vision and impact), viewed December 18, 2024; New York Public Library WWW site (Vandamm theatrical photographs, Porgy and Bess, Alvin Theatre 1935), viewed December 18, 2024; Wyatt, R. and Johnson, J.A. George Gershwin reader, 2004, p. 179; Los Angeles times, March 7, 1991, p. 431, viewed January 14, 2025 via Newspapers.com; Kirste, L. "The Academy Film Archive." Mining the home movie, edited by Ishizuka, K.L. and Zimmermann, P.R., p. 210, viewed January 15, 2025 via De Gruyter WWW site.
• -  Ira and Leonore S Gershwin Trust archive, 1895-2012.
• -  Moving image material transferred to LC NAVCC Moving Image Section from the LC Music Division, 2011-04-05.

Medium

• 1 video file (digital) (approximately 23 min., 51 sec.) : si., col. and b&w.

Source Collection

• Gershwin Trust Collection (Library of Congress)

Digital Id

• https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsmi/ntscrm.02062506

Library of Congress Control Number

• 2024603517

Online Format

• image
• video

LCCN Permalink

• https://lccn.loc.gov/2024603517

Additional Metadata Formats

• MARCXML Record
• MODS Record
• Dublin Core Record