Papers of John Grierson, 1898-1972, documentary film producer
- Reference:GB 559 MS 28
- Dates of Creation:1919-1972
- Name of Creator:
- Language of Material:English
- Physical Description:52 metres
Scope and Content
John Grierson personal papers, 1919-1972, including:
- Correspondence 1927-1970
- Writings on film criticism, documentary and film matters 1927-1971
- Papers of organisations with which Grierson was connected 1928-1972
- Personal papers 1919-1970
Papers collected about Grierson, including:
- Articles, press cuttings, published material, correspondence and personal papers 1930-1976
Papers of H Forsyth Hardy, 1927-1992, including:
- Research notes on John Grierson 1963-1991
- Personal papers 1952-1976
- Papers of organisations with which Hardy connected 1954-1988
- Writings on film matters and papers concerning Scottish cinema 1929-1992
- Publications 1927-1982
Administrative / Biographical History
John Grierson (1898-1972 ), a documentary film producer, was born in 1898 in Kilmadock, Perthshire, Scotland, where his father was the local school headmaster. Grierson studied for a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Glasgow. After lecturing at Durham University he spent a period in America studying the effects of the media on public opinion, and it was there, in 1925 , he first coined the term documentary. He returned to Britain in 1927 and, after joining the Empire Marketing Board in 1928 , he produced a pioneering documentary film about herring fishing, Drifters (1929 ), which was shown at the premier of Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin in London. From 1933 he was head of the British G(eneral) P(ost) O(ffice) Unit where they produced hundreds of short films including the famous Night Mail, with a verse voice over by Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973 ). Grierson moved to Canada just before the start of the Second World War and there established the National Film Board of Canada. In 1945 he returned to America, forming The World Today, which produced films promoting international understanding. From 1946-1948 he was Director of Mass Communications for UNESCO and from 1948-1950 he was the film controller at the Central Office of Information in London. From 1957-1965 he produced an international range of documentary films for television and was host of This Wonderful World.
Arrangement
The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received
Access Information
Open
Acquisition Information
Unknown
Other Finding Aids
Records are catalogued within National Register of Archives Scotland survey no. 2199, which consists of A Semeonoff, The John Grierson Archive: List of Contents (Stirling, 1978).
Alternative Form Available
No known copies
Conditions Governing Use
Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the Manager, Library Liaison and Training.
Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of documents.
Appraisal Information
This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 559 procedures
Custodial History
Unknown
Accruals
Possible
Related Material
For further information about related material with a GB repository code consult the National Register of Archives search page, hosted on the National Archives website.
Location of Originals
This material is original
Bibliography
No known publications using this material
Additional Information
Scotland is the location of all place names in the administrative/biographical history element, unless otherwise stated.
Fonds level description compiled by H M Kemp and Alan Borthwick, Scottish Archive Network project, 10 May 2002.
Subjects
Personal Names
Corporate Names
Geographical Names