SHERMAN S. KRELLBERG
A REGISTER OF HIS PAPERS IN THE
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Prepared by
Laura J. Kells
Manuscript Division
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C. 1995
***
PROVENANCE
The papers of Sherman Samuel Krellberg (1892-1979), film,
serial and theatrical producer and film distributor, were donated
to the Library of Congress by his wife, Mildred Krellberg, in
1979. A small addition was received from Louis B. Marino, Warner
Brothers Television Distribution, in 1990.
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of
Sherman S. Krellberg is governed by the Copyright Law of the
United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Photographs have been transferred to the Library's Prints &
Photographs Division where they are identified as part of these
papers.
Motion picture stills have been transferred to the Library's
Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division where
they are also identified as part of the Krellberg Papers.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Readers interested in consulting any of the division's
collections are advised to write or telephone the
Manuscript Reading Room at (202) 707-5387 before visiting.
Many processed and nearly all unprocessed collections are
stored off site, and advance notice is needed to retrieve
these items for research use.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Linear feet of shelf space occupied: 18.2
Approximate number of items: 11,000
***
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
1892 Born
1911 Graduated New York Law School, New York, N.Y.
1931 Founded Regal Talking Pictures Corp.
1932 Established Regal Distributing Corp.
1933 Founded Principal Film Exchange
1935 Produced motion picture serial, _The Lost City_
ca. 1938-1941 Owned Belmont Theatre, New York, N.Y.
ca. 1941 Established Goodwill Pictures Corp.
1954 Married Mildred Kraus
1955 Formed Budsam Distributing Co. with Budd Rogers
1959 Formed theatrical investment group, Theatre
Securities Syndicate
Produced play, _The Pink Jungle_, starring Ginger
Rogers
1962 Formed Ultra Pictures Corp. with Budd Rogers
1964 Produced stage show, _Josephine Baker and her
Company_
1966 Established Goodwill Systems Exchanges
1979, Jan. 10 Died, New York, N.Y.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The papers of Sherman Samuel Krellberg span the period ca.
1919-1989, with the bulk of the material dating from 1931 to
1970, and document his long career as an independent film
distributor and producer of feature films, serials, and
theatrical productions. Sherman Krellberg's father operated a
nickelodeon on the Lower East Side of New York City in the early
part of the twentieth century. Krellberg first became an
attorney, but ultimately joined in the family business.
The Office Files series comprises most of the Krellberg
Papers and contains records from the companies and ventures he
formed and undertook in the course of his career, including the
Amusement Securities Corporation, Filmcraft, Goodwill Pictures
Corporation, Goodwill Systems Exchanges, Krellbar Pictures
Corporation, Principal Film Exchange, Regal Distributing
Corporation, Regal Talking Pictures Corporation, Theatre
Securities Syndicate, Ultra Film Distributors, and Ultra Pictures
Corporation. The longest lasting of these companies was
Principal Film Exchange. Records in the Office Files illustrate
the technical and financial aspects of making and distributing
films. Appearing throughout the papers is Budd Rogers, with whom
Krellberg had a variety of working relationships, including a
partnership in Ultra Pictures Corporation. Krellberg's career,
spanning over sixty years, was not always a financial success.
There are past due bills and demands for tax payments throughout
the collection, as well as evidence that in 1968 Krellberg
declared bankruptcy.
A main portion of Krellberg's business involved the
distribution of second feature or "B" movies and serials. In a
films section of the Office Files are records relating to six
films featuring the singing cowboy Hopalong Cassidy, including
translations of the dialog into Spanish and Portuguese for
distribution in foreign markets. Krellberg also distributed
pictures featuring Lightning the Marvel Dog and Kazan the Wonder
Dog, both billed as sons of Rin Tin Tin. There is also extensive
material on _Singing in the Dark_, starring Moishe Oysher and
Joey Adams. In addition, there are files relating to _White
Zombie_ starring Bela Lugosi and the American releases of the
Fritz Lang films, _The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse_ and _M_. Other
files relate to serials featuring the characters Ace Drummond,
Buck Rogers, and Flash Gordon. In addition, there is material on
_The Lost City,_ which Krellberg produced, and the earliest work
documented in the collection, the 1919 silent serial _The Fatal
Fortune_.
Krellberg also produced stage plays, particularly in the
1950s. Theatrical productions represented in the collection
include _The Fifth Season_ and _The Pink Jungle_, which starred
Ginger Rogers and closed in 1959 before reaching Broadway.
Krellberg produced the 1964 stage show _Josephine Baker and Her
Company_, which appeared on Broadway and toured the country for
several months. The financial details of the Josephine Baker
tour are well documented.
Also contained in the Office Files is a group of scripts and
treatments, many of which were never produced. These include
manuscripts from the 1960s and 1970s which Krellberg purchased
from Bryanston Films. The scripts range widely in subject
matter, including "Hard to be a Jew" by Sholom Aleichem, 1931,
"Promises Written on Water" by Sylvester E. Stallone, 1970, and
an undated musical stage play "The Count of Ten" by William
Penzner, slated to be directed by Busby Berkeley.
The Financial Papers series includes ledger books and bank
records relating to Krellberg's companies. There are also
ledgers on RKO and Universal films which Krellberg distributed
through his companies. Several of these ledgers, particularly
the ledgers for the Principal Film Exchange, document the
distribution of films to theaters in New York and New Jersey.
***
DESCRIPTION OF SERIES
Container Nos. Series
1-36 Office Files, ca. 1919-1989, n.d.
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, scripts,
dialog sheets, contracts, distribution agreements,
pressbooks and other promotional material,
vouchers, and related records. Arranged
alphabetically by name of company, person, type of
material, or name of project and chronologically
therein.
37-43 Financial Papers, 1929-77, n.d.
Ledger books, banking records, brokers
statements, and related financial records.
Arranged alphabetically by name of company and
type of material and chronologically therein.
OV 1-OV 6 Oversize, ca. 1937-1967, n.d.
Pressbooks, promotional material, story boards,
and ledgers. Described according to the series,
folders, and boxes from which the items were
removed.
***
CONTAINER LIST
Container Nos. Contents
OFFICE FILES, ca. 1919-1989, n.d.
Box 1 Amusement Securities Corp., 1925, 1932-39, 1945
(2 folders)
Attorneys
Enselman, Isidor, 1953-56
Sulken, Herman, 1949-63
Bank of America, London, England, 1953-58
Belmont Theatre, New York, N.Y., 1937-41, n.d.
Exclusive Films, Ltd., 1953-59, n.d.
(4 folders)
Box 2 (3 folders)
Family material, 1931-40
Filmcraft, Inc.
Agreements, 1949-53, n.d. (2 folders)
American Trading Association, 1949-53
(2 folders)
Embassy Pictures Corp., 1949-54, n.d.
Box 3 International Film Distributors, 1949-53
Jaslow, Jack, 1950-51, n.d.
Miscellany, 1949-55, n.d.
Films
_Angkor_, 1934-36, 1946, n.d.
_City of Lost Men_, (alternate title, _The Lost
City_, feature version), 1935-37, 1957, n.d.
(2 folders)
_Come Back to Erin_, 1940
_A Day in Court_, 1963, 1971, n.d.
Dog pictures
Agreements, 1935-47
_Fighting Fury_, ca. 1934
_Man's Best Friend_, 1934-37, n.d.
_Thunderbolt_, 1935, n.d.
_When Lightning Strikes_, 1934, n.d.
Box 4 _Enemies of the Law_, 1931-32, n.d.
_Escape from Terror_, 1957-61
_Fatal Desire_, 1963, n.d.
_The Fighting Lady_, ca. 1935
_Forty Thousand Horsemen_, 1941-49, n.d.
(2 folders)
_Get That Venus!_, n.d.
_Hollywood Hoodlum_, (alternate title,
_Hollywood Mystery_), 1934, 1946, n.d.
Hopalong Cassidy pictures
_Bar 20 Rides Again_, 1935-36
_Call of the Prairie_, 1936
_The Eagles Brood_, 1935, n.d.
_Heart of the West_, 1936
_Hopalong Cassidy Enters_, 1935
Box 5 _Three on the Trail_, 1936
Various related material, 1935-50, 1971, n.d.
(5 folders)
_I Conquer the Sea_, ca. 1936
_Knickerbocker Holiday_, 1938-44, 1956, 1966,
1971
_The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse_, 1940-47, n.d.
(3 folders)
_Love on the Dole_, n.d.
_M_, 1932, 1941-47, n.d.
Box 6 _Marriage Forbidden_, (also released as _Damaged
Goods_), ca. 1937-1938, 1977, n.d. _See also
Oversize_
_Mars Attacks the World_ (Flash Gordon feature),
1977-78, n.d.
_Meet John Doe_, 1941-56, 1962-77, n.d.
(3 folders) _See also Oversize_
_The Mutiny of the Elsinore_, 1938-47, 1957,
n.d. (2 folders) _See also Oversize_
_The Passion of Joan of Arc_, ca. 1928
_Planet Outlaws_, (Buck Rogers feature), ca.
1939, n.d. (2 folders) _See also Oversize_
_Revolt of the Zombies_, ca. 1936
_Rocket Ship_, (Flash Gordon feature), n.d. _See
also Oversize_
_Should a Doctor Tell_, 1931-32
Box 7 _Singing in the Dark_
Budsam Distributing Co., 1955-65 (5 folders)
_See also Container 38, same heading_
Miscellany, 1955, n.d.
Principal Film Exchange, 1955-58, n.d.
(2 folders)
_Story of a Cheat_, (alternate title,
_Confessions of a Cheat_), 1942, 1974, n.d.
_Story of Michael Flagherty_, 1941
_Two Nights with Cleopatra_, 1963, n.d.
Box 8 _Vienna Waltzes_, ca. 1952
_White Zombie_, 1932-47, 1967-78, n.d.
(2 folders)
_Wolves of the Underworld_, n.d.
Flamingo Films, 1949-54
Friars Club, 1959, 1974-77
Goodwill Pictures Corp.
Adelphi Films, 1953-58, n.d.
American and Foreign Trade Corp., 1966
Barnett International Forwarders, 1953-57, 1965
Davis, Jack, 1953-58, n.d.
Forest Export Corp., 1951-56, n.d.
Gilliams and Rubin, 1949-57
Guffanti Film Laboratories, 1955-57
Box 9 Kay Film Exchanges, 1949-61 (6 folders)
Manson Distributing Corp., 1966
Miscellany, 1946-69, n.d.
Box 10 National Screen Service Corp., 1953-60
(2 folders)
Office leases, 1961-63
Pat Patterson Productions, 1953-60 (2 folders)
Rosen, David, 1953-60 (2 folders)
Tower Pictures Co., 1949-52
Variety Film Distributors, 1947, 1953-56
Box 11 Goodwill Systems Exchanges, 1966-70, n.d.
(5 folders)
Insurance, 1949-56, n.d.
Krellbar Pictures Corp., 1927, n.d.
Lawrence of Arabia, Inc., 1935, 1942, n.d.
Letterhead, n.d.
Library of Congress
Copyright Office, 1961-77, n.d.
Miscellany, 1969-73, n.d.
Melotone Corp. of America, 1929
Miscellany, 1928-42, 1949-79, 1989, n.d.
(2 folders)
Box 12 Motion Picture Pioneers, 1940-57, 1976
Motion Pictures for Television, Inc., 1951-61
(3 folders)
Movielab, Inc., 1962-75, n.d.
Pathe-America Distributing Co., 1961-63, n.d.
(3 folders)
Box 13 (7 folders)
Box 14 Principal Film Exchange
Banner Productions, Tarzan films distribution,
1958-63 (2 folders)
Brandt Theatres, New York, N.Y., 1963-64, n.d.
Censor board, 1932-64, n.d. (2 folders)
Dominant Pictures Corp., 1959-60
Film Bookers, Inc. 1963-64
Film distribution, 1956-71, n.d. (6 folders)
I.F.E. Releasing Corp., 1957-59, n.d.
Loews, Inc., 1959-63, n.d.
Box 15 Miscellany, 1953-78, n.d.
Museum of Modern Art, New York, N.Y., 1968-69
National Labor Relations Board, 1951, n.d.
RKO Radio Pictures _See also Container 41, same
heading_
Miscellany, 1957-67, n.d.
(6 folders)
Box 16 (3 folders)
Weekly reports
Apr. 1957-Oct. 1958 (4 folders)
Box 17 Nov. 1958-Sept. 1964 (7 folders)
Box 18 Oct. 1964-Dec. 1967 (4 folders)
Shorts, 1956-65, n.d.
Sydney B. Weill Co., 1949-52, n.d.
Tri-State Theatre Service, 1963-64
United States military, 1950-64, n.d.
(2 folders)
Universal Pictures Co., 1961-64
Veterans Administration, 1959-62
Wallkill Prison, Wallkill, N.Y., 1962-63
Box 19 Promotional material, 1950, n.d. _See also
Oversize_
Rank Film Laboratories, 1966-73, n.d.
Regal Distributing Corp., 1932-39, 1945
Regal Talking Pictures Corp., 1931
Scripts and treatments
1931-67 (7 folders)
Box 20 1969-72 (7 folders)
Box 21 1973 (7 folders)
Box 22 1974-77 (5 folders)
Undated
(2 folders)
Box 23 (10 folders)
Box 24 (6 folders)
Box 25 (5 folders)
Serials
_Ace Drummond_, ca. 1936
_Buck Rogers_, ca. 1939, 1949-56, n.d.
(2 folders) _See also Oversize_
_The Fatal Fortune_, ca. 1919
Flash Gordon
_Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars_, 1938, n.d.
(3 folders)
Miscellany, ca. 1940, 1949-53, 1963-64
Box 26 _The Lost City_, 1934-48, 1960, 1966, 1976-78,
n.d. (4 folders)
_Tarzan, the Fearless_, 1933
Various related material, 1948-61, n.d.
Terry, Paul, (Terrytoons), 1940, 1950-57, n.d.
Theater directory, 1963
Theatre Securities Syndicate, 1944-49, 1959, 1969,
n.d.
Box 27 Theatrical productions
Falk, Sawyer, 1952-60
_The Fifth Season_, 1951-59, n.d. (6 folders)
Her Majesty's Theatre, Montreal, Canada, 1953
_Josephine Baker and Her Company_
Box office statements, 1964
Contracts and agreements, 1964, n.d.
(3 folders)
Box 28 Correspondence, 1964
Joback Productions, 1964-66 _See also
Container 39, same heading_
Miscellany, 1964-65, n.d.
Press, 1964
Program and promotional material, 1964
Various bills, 1964-65
Vouchers, 1964
(4 folders)
Box 29 (7 folders)
Box 30 (3 folders)
_Julia, Jake, and Uncle Joe_, 1960, n.d.
_Lunatics and Lovers_, 1955-56
Miscellaneous productions, 1939-45, 1952-62,
n.d.
_The Pink Jungle_ _See also Container 39,_ The
Pink Jungle Co.
Box office statements, 1959
Contracts, 1959, n.d.
Correspondence, 1959-60
Box 31 Insurance, 1959-60
Litigation and arbitration, 1959-62
(2 folders)
Miscellaneous expenses, 1959, n.d.
Miscellany, 1959-60, n.d.
Payroll and taxes, 1959-60, n.d. (3 folders)
Program and press, 1959
Script, 1959
Settlement statements, 1959
Theatre Securities Syndicate, 1959-61
Various bills, 1959-61, n.d.
(4 folders)
Box 32 (7 folders)
Shubert, Lee, 1953
_Starcross Story_, ca. 1952-54
Box 33 "They All Had Voices Like Diamonds" project, 1968,
1977, n.d. _See also Oversize_
Ultra Film Distributors
Miscellany, 1964-67
"Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar" project, 1964,
n.d. (3 folders)
"The War's Greatest Snafu Treasure Hunt"
project, 1965-73, n.d.
Ultra Pictures Corp.
Arthur J. Newman Film Co., 1963-65
Brown, Harry Joe, 1962-66
Brylawski, Fulton, 1962-65
Cavalcade Pictures, 1963-64
Box 34 Expenses, 1962-64 (5 folders)
Independent Film Distributors, Inc., 1963-66
J.M.G. Film Co., 1963-66
Loew's Theatres, 1963-64
Masterpiece Pictures, 1963-67
Maton Films, 1963-66 (2 folders)
Memoranda to all franchise holders, 1963-65
Box 35 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1962-65
Mid-America Drive-In Theatres, 1963
Military motion picture services, 1963-66
Miscellany, 1962-65
Mutual Films, 1963-66 (2 folders)
National Legion of Decency, 1963
National Screen Service Corp., 1963-65
Paramount Pictures Corp., 1963-66
Principal Film Exchange, 1963-66
Realart Pictures of Cincinnati, Cincinnati,
Ohio, 1963-64 (2 folders)
Seven Arts Associates Corp., 1963-66
Shuster, Harry, 1964-66
Titra Film Laboratories, 1962-65
United Detroit Theatres, Detroit, Mich., 1963
United Producers Releasing Organization, 1963-66
(2 folders)
Box 36 Universal Pictures Co., 1963-66 (2 folders)
Weekly reports, 1963-64 (5 folders)
William Goldman Theatres, Philadelphia, Pa.,
1963-64
FINANCIAL PAPERS, 1929-77, n.d.
Box 37 1025 Park Avenue Corp.
Tax material, 1945-48, n.d. (2 folders)
Ledger, 1945-48 _See Oversize_
Amusement Securities Corp., 1932-33
Banks
Ledger sheets, 1957
Miscellany, 1929-31, 1956-58
Brokers statements
Elbern, Florence, 1956-57
Krellberg, Mildred, 1957
Krellberg, Sherman S., 1956-57 (4 folders)
Phillips, Mary J., 1956-57
Box 38 Budsam Distributing Co., 1955-63 (2 folders)
Goodwill Pictures Corp.
Cash disbursements and receipts, 1951-58 _See
Oversize_
General ledger, 1941-54
(4 folders)
Box 39 (1 folder)
Goodwill Systems Exchanges, 1968, 1975-77
Joback Productions, 1964
The Pink Jungle Co., 1959
Principal Film Exchange
Accounts payable, 1934-52
Cash disbursements, 1960-65; purchases, 1952-53;
bank reconciliation, 1950-58 _See Oversize_
Cash receipts, 1952-67 _See Oversize_
Box 40 General ledger, 1950-55 (2 folders)
Journals, 1938-48 (2 folders)
Box 41 RKO Radio Pictures
Accounts receivable, 1957-68
Ledgers, 1954-67 (3 folders)
Taxes, 1933-38, 1974-77
Box 42 Theatre ledgers, 1950-64 (2 folders)
Theatre Securities Syndicate, 1961 (2 folders)
Ultra Pictures Corp., 1963-64
Universal Pictures Co., 1964
Box 43 Various companies
Cash disbursements and receipts, 1939-40 _See
Oversize_
Cash receipts and film distribution, 1944 _See
Oversize_
General ledgers, 1933-41 (3 folders)
OVERSIZE, ca. 1937-1967, n.d.
Box OV 1 Office Files
Films
_Marriage Forbidden_, ca. 1937 (Container 6)
_Meet John Doe_, n.d. (Container 6)
_The Mutiny of the Elsinore_, n.d.
(Container 6)
_Planet Outlaws_, n.d. (Container 6)
_Rocket Ship_, n.d. (Container 6)
Promotional material, n.d. (Container 19)
Serials
_Buck Rogers_, n.d. (Container 25)
Box OV 2 "They All Had Voices Like Diamonds" project,
n.d. (Container 33)
Financial Papers
1025 Park Avenue Corp.
Ledger, 1945-48 (Container 37)
Box OV 3 Goodwill Pictures Corp.
Cash disbursements and receipts, 1951-58
(Container 38)
Principal Film Exchange
Cash disbursements, 1960-65; purchases,
1952-53; bank reconciliation, 1950-58
(Container 39)
Box OV 4 Cash receipts, 1952-67 (Container 39)
Box OV 5 Various companies
Cash disbursements and receipts, 1939-40
(Container 43)
Box OV 6 Cash receipts and film distribution, 1944
(Container 43)
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