Level of Description
Identifier
Scope and Contents
The Multicolor Films, Inc. records (1926-1935) consists of administrative, advertising and publicity, financial, and legal records, as well as blueprints, specifications, and correspondence. Materials include black-and-white photographic prints and negatives, newspaper and magazine clippings, and financial reports detailing Howard Hughes' attempts at developing color prints for his films.
Date
Extent
Collection Name: Howard Hughes Film Production Records
Box/Folder: N/A
Additional Description
Biographical / Historical Note
Multicolor Films, Inc. was a short-lived company based on a printing process of the same name used to produce color films. Rowland V. Lee and William Worthington started the company in 1929, operating it until Howard Hughes purchased Multicolor in 1930. Under Hughes, Multicolor processed sequences for documentaries, shorts, cartoons, and two feature films. Construction of the new Multicolor manufacturing plant at 7000 Romaine Street in Los Angeles, California was completed in 1930. The company proved unprofitable and ceased operations in 1932; the Romaine Street building then served as Hughes’ headquarters in California.
Sources:
Kafka, Rachel, and Nate Hennagin. “Howard Hughes Headquarters.” Finding Lost Angeles. August 28, 2018. Accessed August 18, 2021. https://www.findinglostangeles.com/all-content/2019/8/28/hughes-headquarters-at-7000-romaine.
Dietrich, Noah; Thomas, Bob (1972). Howard, The Amazing Mr. Hughes. Greenwich: Fawcett Publications, Inc. pp. 107–110.
"Color Film Company Purchased by Hughes." Los Angeles Times. June 24, 1930. Accessed August 18, 2021. http://ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/162328110?accountid=3611.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged by subject matter, then chronologically. Correspondence are organized alphabetically. Blueprints and specifications are arranged sequentially by drawing number.