Abstract
The Rene de Haven Papers contain photographs, costume designs, promotional show materials, press clippings, music manuscripts and productio notes, and audio recordings of dancer and choreographer Rene de Haven from 1944 to 2011. Personal papers, prints, proof sheets, black-and-white and color photographs document de Haven's work in dancing and choreography in Las Vegas, Nevada and Los Angeles, California.
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Scope and Contents Note
The Rene de Haven Papers contain photographs, costume designs, promotional show materials, press clippings, music manuscripts and productio notes, and audio recordings of dancer and choreographer Rene de Haven from 1944 to 2011. Personal papers, prints, proof sheets, black-and-white and color photographs document de Haven's work in dancing and choreography in Las Vegas, Nevada and Los Angeles, California.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in two series:
Series I. Professional papers, 1944-2010;
Series II. Personal papers, 1958-2011.
Biographical / Historical Note
Dancer and choreographer Rene de Haven was born Joseph Wellinton McIntosh in Oklahoma in 1922. He later moved to California to be closer to his sister and worked various jobs to earn money. De Haven and his sister enjoyed dancing at night clubs and de Haven was naturally talented at dance. After an encounter with a psychic, he decided to pursue dancing professionally. Camargo Studios gave de Haven a scholarship to train. He was soon hired to dance in Mexico, where he spent four-and-a-half years before returning to the United States. De Haven came to Las Vegas, Nevada for the first time in 1954, and he worked as a professional dancer in both Las Vegas and Los Angeles. He worked on notable films including Singing in the Rain and Jailhouse Rock. De Haven had a heart attack and a stroke in 1961 that prevented him from performing, which prompted him to transition from dancer to professional choreographer. His first job as a choreographer was "C`est la Femme" and he went on to choreograph several shows in Las Vegas and California, including notable shows at the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Source: Betty Bunch, "Rene de Haven went from farm boy to Las Vegas dancer," Las Vegas Review Journal. February 1, 2012. http://www.reviewjournal.com/betty-bunch/rene-de-haven-went-farm-boy-las-vegas-dancer
Preferred Citation
Rene de Haven Papers, 1944-2011. MS-00586. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/f1bg7p
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 2012 by Rick Hamilton, acession number 2012-002. Additional materials were transferred by Jonathan Rhodes Lee (Director, Arnold Shaw Popular Music Center) in 2024; accession number 2024-034.
Processing Note
Material was processed by Su Kim Chung in 2014. In 2015, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Dallas Reiber and Lindsay Oden revised and enhanced the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards. In 2024, Sarah Jones rehoused the additional materials and added the 4 boxes into the finding aid in ArchivesSpace.