Charles Luckman Papers Collection Description

THE THOMAS AND DOROTHY LEAVEY CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF LOS ANGELES RESEARCH COLLECTION

CHARLES LUCKMAN PAPERS, 1908-2000 (CSLA-34)

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

COLLECTION TITLE AND NUMBER: Charles Luckman Papers, 1908-2000. CSLA-34
ACCESSION NUMBER: 2006.65; gift of Charles, Luckman, Jr., and James Luckman
COLLECTION SIZE: 96 archival document boxes; 15 oversize boxes; 3 unbound scrapbooks

The Charles Luckman Papers consist, primarily, of subject files that Charles Luckman established for his work and activities. Although documenting the activities of his companies, they were for his personal reference and recordkeeping. General company files, eg, from Charles Luckman Associates, that do not directly concern Charles Luckman are absent. Series 1: Pepsodent and Lever Brothers Subject Files demonstrates this point well. The files found here, which were collected from 1938 through 1950, combine both company and personal correspondence, and personal and company activities.

Absent are architectural plans and records for his major projects, eg, the Madison Square Garden and the Los Angeles Convention Center. Some architectural plans for lesser projects can be found in Series 4: Subject Files. The collection’s holdings are especially good at documenting Charles Luckman’s time at Pepsodent and Lever Brothers, and activities of Charles Luckman Associates in the 1960s and 1970s. A major lacuna in the collection is material from Luckman’s partnership with William Pereira from 1950 through 1958. There are only a few newspaper articles concerning some of their projects as well as some subject files in Series 8: Autobiography. Topics and themes in Luckman’s life cross over from series to series. For example, Series 8 consists of the notes collected for Luckman’s autobiography. Thus it contains materials on the years at Pepsodent and Lever Brothers, as well as on the Charles Luckman Associates. Research strengths are especially pronounced in the areas of corporate business and advertising in the 1940s, architectural philosophy, and campus unrest in the 1960s. The latter strength stems from Luckman’s time on the California State University Board of Trustess, including as chair. Luckman was a strongly critical of the New Left on campus, a stand articulated well in the speeches found in Series 10.

Types of materials in this collection include textual and non-textual. The latter category predominates and includes correspondence, newspaper articles, telegrams, magazines, licenses, memoranda, budget forms, copies of speeches, and press releases. Much of the correspondence is copies. Non-textual materials include photographs and videocassettes. The inclusive dates of the materials are 1908-2000.

Names of note in this collection include Harry S. Truman, I. Robert Kriendler, Sarah Melton Scaife, Hedda Hopper, Bob Hope, Albert D. Lasker, Elizabeth Arden, and Francis Countway.

Based on type of materials and the original order of materials found in its holdings, the Charles Luckman Papers have been divided into the following series. To view the series select the following links:

RESEARCH ACCESS: Use of this collection is on-site and by appointment only.  To schedule an appointment, please call the Department of Archives and Special Collections at 310-338-2780 or 310-338-7478. The collection is open for research with no restrictions under the conditions of the access policy of the Department of Archives and Special Collection. The Research Collection is a program of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles.

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