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John C. Tibbetts papers

 Collection
Call Number: MS 325

Overview

John C. Tibbetts, was an Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies at the University Kansas, and worked as a professional broadcaster of arts and entertainment news. This collection consists largely of transcripts and recordings of interviews conducted by Tibbetts with notable figures in the fields of film, classical music, and literature. The collection also contains sound recordings of radio programs and video recordings of television programs produced and/or hosted by Tibbetts.

Dates

  • Creation: 1977 - 2017

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

No access restrictions.

Biography of John C. Tibbetts

John C. Tibbetts was born October 6, 1946 in Paola, Kansas and grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969, a Master of Arts in 1974, and a doctorate in 1982, all from the University of Kansas. His doctorate is in Multi-Disciplinary Studies (Art History, Theater, Photography, and Film).

From 1980 to 1996 Tibbetts worked as a full-time broadcaster. He hosted his own television show in Kansas City, Missouri, and worked as an Arts and Entertainment Editor and Producer for a variety of radio and television outlets, including KCTV (Kansas City's CBS affiliate), KMBC Radio, and KXTR-FM Radio. During that time he also contributed many broadcast stories about musicians, painters, playwrights, and filmmakers to CBS Television, the Christian Science Monitor Radio Network, Voice of America, and National Public Radio. He has produced two radio series about music, The World of Robert Schumann and Piano Portraits.

From 1976-1985 Tibbetts edited the bi-monthly magazine American Classic Screen (the publication of the National Film Society). He has written and illustrated 24 books, more than 200 articles, and several short stories. His books include His Majesty the American: The Films of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (1977), Dvorak in America (1993), The Encyclopedia of Novels into Film (1998), Shakespeare into Film (2002), Those Who Made It: Conversations with the Legends of Hollywood (2015), and The Gothic Worlds of Peter Straub (2016). Tibbetts has painted thousands of portraits of the subjects he has interviewed. His work has served as illustrations for his articles and books and has been featured in gallery exhibitions in Kansas City and at the University of Kansas. Tibbetts has also worked as a pianist, accompanying silent movies at venues including the American Film Institute in Washington, DC; the Silent Film Festival in Topeka, Kansas; and the Buster Keaton Celebrations in Iola, Kansas—the latter event organized by Tibbetts himself since 1992.

Tibbetts was an Associate Professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at the University of Kansas, where he taught courses in film history, media studies, and aesthetics. He has also served as Associate Chair for the Department of Theater and Film. In 2008 he was awarded the Kansas Governor's Arts in Education Award by Governor Kathleen Sebelius. He has since retired.

Extent

3.5 Linear Feet (5 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of paper, audio, and video documentation of the career of John C. Tibbetts. It contains transcripts and recordings of interviews conducted by Tibbetts with artists and celebrities of film, music, and literature. It also includes sound recordings of radio programs and video recordings of television programs produced and/or hosted by Tibbetts.

The interview transcripts in this collection include actors and directors in the film and television industry; musicians and scholars of classical music; authors and playwrights in the humanities; and authors and film actors working in the horror, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Sound recordings on compact disc are also included for those interviews in the horror, science fiction, and fantasy category. A few articles about Kansas City theater are included in the author and playwright series.

Arrangement

Organized into three series: Series 1. Interviews, Series 2. Radio programs, Series 3. Television programs.

The Interviews series is further divided into four sub-series: 1. Film and television interviews, 2. Music and musicians interviews, 3. Interviews of figures in the horror/science fiction/fantasy fields, 4. Interviews with authors and playwrights in the humanities.

Interviews are arranged alphabetically by surname of interviewee. Interviews added in 2023 are in alphabetical order at the end of each sub-series.

Physical Location

MS 325

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gifts, John C. Tibbetts, 2015, 2016, 2019.

Related Materials

John C. Tibbetts collection of Hollywood press kits, 1978-2004, MS 292, Special Collections, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas

John C. Tibbetts collection of movie stills, 1895-1998, MS 297, Special Collections, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas

John C. Tibbetts' portraits collection, MS Q74, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas

Processing Information

Three separate accessions of material were merged into one collection during processing. A later accession was added in 2023. Items that could not be interfiled from this later addition are housed in box 5 and listed in alphabetical order at the end of each subseries.

Title
Guide to the John C. Tibbetts collection
Subtitle
John C. Tibbetts papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by kj. Finding aid encoded by kj.
Date
2016-04-25
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Finding aid written in English.
Finding aid permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/10407/5767918130
Preferred citation
John C. Tibbetts papers, MS 325, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, Unviersity of Kansas.

Repository Details

Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334