Archives West Finding Aid

Series 1: Films and Pre-Production Material, ca. 1950-1970. - The film collection of Humphrey W. Leynse at Washington State University Libraries consists of finished films, work prints, original film, sound tracks on 16mm and 35mm magnetic stock. The collection includes four categories of films, arranged in numerical sequence.

Subseries 1.1, films numbered 1 to 25, are based on a list developed by Mrs. Judith Leynse, including those made by Leynse or his company, Oceania Productions. Subsereis 1.2, films numbered 26 to 47, are those Leynse made while working for the USIS-Korea. Subseries 1.3, films numbered 48 to 77, are those that Leynse collected. Subseries 1.4, Miscellaneous, includes those film materials (numbered 78 to 89) that were part of the original accession, but that were not described in the original inventory.

Note: Each listing in Series 1 contains information about the film, including credits, summary, length, sound, color, print size and type, and additional collateral materials such as work prints, out takes, sound tracks, or duplicate prints. All materials are numbered sequentially within each listing. Prints are generally ranked in sequence, from the final print back to the original filming. For example, Micronesia, film number 10, consisting of fifty related items, is numbered 10-1 through 10-50. This includes two final prints (10-1 and 10-2), a work print and its duplicate (10-3 and 10-4), one reel of sound track (10-5), two rolls of out takes (10-6 and l0-7), and forty-three rolls of original film (10-8 through 10-50).

Series 2: Audiotapes and Phonograph Records, 1952-1977, n.d. - Includes sounds recorded for filmmaking, tapes for teaching college cinema courses, an index of lecture material, and records from Leynse’s personal collection. The Leynse Audiotape and Record Collection consists of a variety of audio mediums including 3" 5" and 7" reels, some which play at 3 ¾, 7 ½, and 15 inches per second, cassettes, and 45rpm and 75rpm records. For listening convenience, all reel-to-reel items have been dubbed to cassette, re-numbered, and combined with the original cassette collection.

Subseries 2.1 (numbered 1-52) is a collection of tapes that were used in the production of some of the films that Leynse produced for Oceania Productions and those films that Leynse worked on while he was with USIS-Korea. The first fifteen tapes are recordings of music, songs, sounds from the South Pacific Islands, Hong Kong, and parts of Southeast Asia. Tapes 16-26 (including 19 and 19a) are similar, but they include recordings of soundtracks used in the production of some films produced by the USIS-Korea. Tapes numbered 27-36 were used in the production of Out There, a Lone Island (previously titled Under One Roof). The last set in this group (numbered 37-52) is a collection of sounds, songs, and radio programs from various parts of the Orient, some used in the production of Sumodo and Out There, a Lone Island.

Subseries 2.2 of the audiotape collection includes tapes (numbered 53-170) that Leynse recorded for use in teaching college courses about cinema, especially history and criticism. These consist of conversations and discussions recorded from television and radio programs, speeches, and readings from autobiographies. Among some of the subjects are film directors such as Robert Altman, Ingmar Bergman, Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, Arthur Penn, and Orson Welles, all of whom discuss their careers in films and filmmaking. Leynse also recorded famous scenes from films like Casablanca (Bogart and Bergman) and High Noon (Gary Cooper). Leynse made these tapes by recording television programs such as "The History of the Movies," "The Men who Made the Movies," "The Moviegoers," and others on more specific subjects such as Japanese cinema and the impact of film on black culture.

There are 171 cassettes total that include MASC recordings of approximately 310 reel-to-reel tapes and fifty-four cassettes from the original collection. Original tapes numbered 235, 244, 245, 259, 271, 275, 279, and 281 to 284 are absent from the archive.

The lecture material portion of the collection was indexed by Leynse on 3 x 5 file cards and divided alphabetically into two categories: "People and Things" and "Films." The numbers indexed refer to the originally numbered item. This index can be found in Box 95.

Subseries 2.3: consists of fourteen phonograph records of music from various countries, including China, Thailand, and Germany.

Subseries 2.4: consists of Leynse’s original reel-to-reel tapes.

Series 3: Photographs, 1931-1962, n.d. - The photograph collection consists of prints and negatives taken during Leynse’s youth in China, photographs taken by Leynse while producing films in the Orient and South Pacific, and pictures of artwork.

The material is arranged into four subseries: 3.1, Prints and Negatives; 3.2, Glass Transparencies; 3.3, Transparencies; and 3.4, Oversize. The hand-colored prints are mostly of landscape scenes and pictures of ornate temples and castles. The snapshots are more tourist-oriented, featuring images of the Leynse family at various sites in China. The glass transparencies are of the Chinese people, many portraits and scenes of people working, and seem to be an attempt to capture the culture in photographs.

Series 4: Miscellaneous Papers, 1916-1977, n.d. - These include material on Leynse’s childhood in China and his professional life as a filmmaker and college professor. Series 4 has been divided into seven subseries:

Subseries 4.1, Clippings, 1916-1976, consists of newspaper and magazine articles that Leynse collected over the years as a source of information for his film classes and for personal reference. This series has been divided into two groups: The Film Industry, and, Movies. The Film Industry pertains to directors, stars, and countries that have made an impact on film. Movies deals with news items on individual films.

Subseries 4.2, Oceania Productions, 1954-1973, contains company records, including all costs and profits associated with movie production, letters to investors, purchase orders, expenses, and employee information. These records show how Leynse attempted to distribute Out There, a Lone Island (originally titled Under One Roof), and includes magazine articles, primarily in English, with some in Korean. This subseries has been divided into two groups: Chronology, and Brochures and Pamphlets. Chronology contains closed accounts, correspondence, receipts, shipping invoices, bills, and film bookings of the company formed by Leynse in 1951 to produce educational and theatrical films dealing with the Far East. The material in this group dates from 1954 through 1973. The second group, Brochures and Pamphlets, includes film brochures for many of Leynse’s movies and the photoprints for the pamphlet on his film Micronesia.

Subseries 4.3, Writings for Publication, 1945-1975, is divided into Short Story Manuscripts and Magazine Articles, and, Book Materials. Short Story Manuscripts and Magazine Articles consists of Leynse’s short story material, much of which was submitted for publication. Book Materials includes drafts, proofs, and copies of Leynse’s book, Selected Short Subjects, a study of Asian, documentary, and propaganda films.

Subseries 4.4, Washington State University, 1908-1977, consists largely of Leynse’s classroom material. Included are lecture notes, tests, syllabi, handouts, news articles, film schedules, reserve material, and other readings. Also included is a small amount of correspondence, travel fund requests, and other material related to Washington State University.

Subseries 4.5, Film-Related Material, 1957-1976, consists of various production components of Leynse’s film-making activities, such as director’s manuals, working notes, scripts, subject and descriptive treatments, recording assignments, and photographs taken on location.

Subseries 4.6, Personal Papers, 1921-1971, includes biographical items, personal documents, and some personal correspondence.

Subseries 4.7, Card File, consists chiefly of undated lecture notes.

Series 5: Memorabilia, 1930-1976, n.d. - This series includes mementos and materials from Leynse’s work and travels, such as puppets, rubber stamps, notebooks, scrolls, and medals.