RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. and Media, 1946-1976

The RKO and media series dates from 1946-1976 and is primarily composed of reference files of newspaper clippings, relating to the general operations of RKO, the Stolking sale, the $23.5 million sale of RKO stock, and the purchase of RKO by Thomas F. O’Neil in 1955. It also contains a substantial amount of material about the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. antitrust case before the Supreme Court known as the “Divorcement,” which ended the studio system. Other suits that feature less prominently in the materials are the 1954 RKO Anti-trust suit and a number of suits brought by actors. HUAC hearings, American Legion Anti-Communist crusade, communism in Hollywood and Howard Hughes’ reaction to the perceived threat of communism in Hollywood all feature prominently in the material of this series.

Among the reference files there are a large number of files on the leading entertainers, film production companies, Radio-Television stations, newspapers, magazines, and columnists from 1949-1976. Also included in the series are production requests sent to Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation by RKO (1950-1953), a number of scandal and movie magazines from the 1950s and 1960s, and memos about media subscriptions from Hughes Productions.