Gish Film Theater collection

Collection – Multiple Containers

Identifier: MS-0741

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The Gish Film Theater collection contains correspondence, programs, photographs, promotional material, clippings, scrapbooks, printed material, sound and video recordings, artifacts, research files, and artwork, collected by the Curator of the Gish Film Theater, Ralph Wolfe, on the history of the theater and it programs at Bowling Green State University, as well as the careers of Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Jean Arthur, Eva Marie Saint, and Maidie Norman. Some materials were donated by the actresses themselves. Other contributors to the collection include Wilhelmina Pilger, Todd Light, John Oller, Richard Weigle, Jan Wahl, and Stuart and Gladys Oderman.

Dates

Creation: 1891-2015

Extent

164 Boxes

29 Reels

15 Items

Creator

Bowling Green State University (Organization)
Bowling Green State University. Department of Theatre and Film (Organization)

Biographical / Historical

On June 11, 1976, a classroom in Hanna Hall was converted into the Gish Film Theater at Bowling Green State University (BGSU). The theater was dedicated to Dorothy and Lillian Gish, natives of Ohio and American motion picture film pioneers. The undertaking was largely spearheaded by English Professor, Ralph H. Wolfe, whose vision included a theater with state-of-the-art projection capabilities and an exhibit area in which memorabilia from both sisters could be displayed. Out of respect for his diligence in honoring them, Lillian supported the effort, donating documents and memorabilia to BGSU. In 1979, Lillian Gish endowed a film studies scholarship at BGSU in the name of the Gish sisters, and in 1989, Wolfe was named Gish Endowed Professor of Film Studies.

In October 1982, the first phase of a renovation project was completed with the dedication of an exhibit of photographs from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The retrospective photo exhibit of Lillian's film career also included images of both sisters’ appearances in various film productions. Lillian was present for this dedication. The first phase of expansion included a new marquee and a gallery where the photograph collection could be displayed. In October 1990, the renovation project was completed and the theater was rededicated. Remodeling of the stage, projection area and 168 new seats were part of this second stage. Each seat bore the name of friends and admirers of Lillian Gish, all of whom made contributions to the theater. With these contributions an endowment was created, bringing film programs, visiting directors, and speakers to the theater on a regular basis.

From its creation until 2018, some documents, photographs, and artifacts were on display at the Gish Film Theater in Hanna Hall. After undergoing extensive renovation, Hanna Hall was renamed the Robert W. and Patricia A. Maurer Center, serving as home of the College of Business Administration. The university had planned to rename the theater space in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union in honor of the Gish sisters after the repurposing of Hanna Hall, but a Task Force on the Gish Film Theater (2019) recommended against continued use of the Gish name in association with theater space on campus (see task force documents).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The Gish Film Theater Collection is divided into 15 series, which help to make clear a donor’s relationship to the materials in the series or which describe the nature or theme of the series. Many series were artificially created and contain accruals from multiple donors over the course of many years.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Gish Film Theater collection was established by Dr. Ralph Wolfe, Curator of the Gish Film Theater and Gish Professor of Film Studies at Bowling Green State University. After discussions with the director of the Center for Archival Collections (CAC), Wolfe decided that the CAC would be the appropriate repository for the materials he collected or had donated to the Gish Film Theater. The first documents relevant to the establishment of the theater and the Gish sisters were transferred in 1987. Additional donations were made by Dr. Wolfe on a regular basis through roughly 2012. Where known, specific donors and dates of acquisition are called out in series-level archival description below.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Ann Bowers, University Archivist, in March 1998 and was subsequently updated by Eric Honneffer, as required, through 2018. Nick Pavlik and Michelle Sweetser updated the finding aid in 2022.