Level of Description
Identifier
Scope and Contents
The Caddo Company, Incorporated series (1922-1965) is comprised of twelve sub-series containing film production and corporate records.
The first two sub-series contain materials related to two films that predate the formation of The Caddo Company, Incorporated as a production company,
Materials within each film sub-series include advertising and publicity, administrative, censorship, distribution, editing, financial, legal, and production and direction records, as well as film soundtracks and screenplays. Types of materials include of ledgers, correspondence, storyboard images, sheet music, and original scores, as well as film, direction, set, and production stills. Corporate records consist of newspaper clippings, administrative correspondence, actor and distribution contracts, and financial reports.
Date
Extent
Creator/Contributor Links
Collection Name: Howard Hughes Film Production Records
Box/Folder: N/A
Additional Description
Biographical / Historical Note
Howard Hughes founded The Caddo Company, Incorporated (Caddo) by an amended charter on August 13, 1926, soon after the failure of his first film, Swell Hogan (1926), and before the release of Everybody’s Acting (1926). Hughes hired director Lewis Milestone to direct Two Arabian Knights (1927), The Racket (1928), and The Front Page (1930) over the course of three years; the success of these films established Hughes’ reputation in the Hollywood film industry. Caddo went on to produce a total of nine films, most prominently Hell’s Angels (1930) and Howard Hawks’ controversial Scarface (1932), which was the recipient of notable censorship lawsuits. After 1932, Caddo continued to exist as a corporate body under Hughes Tool Company, but no longer produced films.
Sources:
Brand, Paul. “Nice Town. I'll Take It.” Bright Lights Film Journal, January 1, 2005. Accessed February 16, 2022. https://doi.org/https://brightlightsfilm.com/nice-town-ill-take-it-howard-hughes-and-hollywood/#.X2Jgf3lKiUm.
American Film Institute Catalog. “Caddo Co., Inc.” AFI Catalog. 2019. Accessed February 16, 2022. https://catalog.afi.com/Search?searchField=ProductionCompany&searchText=Caddo&sortType=sortByRelevance.
Arrangement
These records are organized into twelve sub-series:
I.A. Swell Hogan, 1925-1929;
I.B. Everybody's Acting, 1926-1960;
I.C. Two Arabian Knights, 1924-1931;
I.D. The Racket, 1926-1952;
I.E. The Mating Call, 1927-1929;
I.F. Hell's Angels, 1922-1965;
I.G. The Front Page, approximately 1927-1939;
I.H. The Age for Love, 1930-1932;
I.I. Cock of the Air, 1931-1932;
I.J. Sky Devils, 1930-1933;
I.K. Scarface, 1930-1963;
I.L. Corporate records, 1924-1961.