William Henry Radebaugh films and scripts
Creation: 1959-1977Abstract
William Henry Radebaugh (1909-1996), was a public relations executive at the DuPont Company for over twenty years. He wrote, produced and directed many films about the company during his tenure there and for several years after his retirement. The bulk of the collection contains his scripts, storyboards, proposals and films, written and directed by William Henry Radebaugh. Several of the films are concerned about safety in the plants and in the use of DuPont products. Also included are four compilation reels of short news segments about different products, plants and services of the DuPont Company. There are also films about specific DuPont plants and laboratories including the Haskell Laboratory, the Spruance plant in Richmond, Va.; the Tecumseh plant in Tecumseh, Kansas, the Washington plant in Washington, West Virginia and the twenty fifth anniversary of the Victoria, Texas plant.
Dates
- Creation: 1959-1977
Creator
- Radebaugh, William H. (Director, Person)
Extent
4 Linear Feet
Physical Description
16 reels : sd. col. ; 16mm. 2 reels : sd., b&w ; 16mm. 1 videocassette (Betacam SP). 1 videodisc (DVD). 2 sound tape reels; analog. 21 items : scripts. 12 items : storyboards. 7 items : proposals. 2 items : lists. 1 item : letter.
Historical Note
William Henry Radebaugh (1909-1996) was a public relations executive at the DuPont Company for over twenty years. He wrote, produced, and directed many films about the company during his tenure there and for several years after his retirement.
Born in 1909 in Mobile, Alabama, William Henry Radebaugh was the son of Adelaide Walsh Radebaugh (1881-1940) and William Henry Radebaugh II (1878-1931). He went to Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio State University in 1931 with a degree in journalism. He began his career in public relations. In 1942, he founded and was the executive director of the South Jersey Manufacturers’ Association in Camden, New Jersey. Radebaugh then took a position at the DuPont Company as a public relations consultant in 1952. He later became the Director of Public Relations for the Textile Fibers Department.
When presented with a scratchy tape of a du Pont family member speaking about the family, Radebaugh produced a new film with James Q. du Pont (1902-1973) walking through the Hagley Yard as he discussed the du Pont family history. After retiring from his career in public relations with the DuPont Company in 1974, he went on to produce more films for DuPont with two former colleagues who had started the production company, Arden Films. Radebaugh was also an accomplished musician, having played with Jimmie Dorsey (1904-1957), Tommy Dorsey (1905-1956), Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), Jack Teagarden (1905-1964), and Charlie Teagarden (1913-1984). He was also an artist, working in needlepoint, watercolors, and printmaking.
Radebaugh was married to Marie Rose Herman Radebaugh (1906-1989); the couple had two sons.
Scope and Content
The bulk of the collection contains scripts, storyboards, proposals and films, written and directed by William Henry Radebaugh during his employment at the DuPont Company or for the company once he retired. A letter from a colleague and film lists from the company are also included. Some of the scripts or proposals are for films in the collection and others are proposals (that include storyboards) for slide/tape presentations. The documents are arranged in chronological order.
There are twenty 16mm films dating from 1959 to 1977. The films are arranged in alphabetical order by film title. All of the films are industrial films related to the DuPont Company. “Letter to a Child” is a commercial for DuPont from the Cavalcade of America series. William H. Radebaugh appears and explains how DuPont textiles are created using some of his own drawings. Several of the films are concerned about safety in the plants and in the use of DuPont products. There are three compilations of news segments containing one to three minute long pieces about different products, plants and services of the DuPont Company. “Corporate Perspective” is another compilation of segments, mostly about the DuPont Company’s mission to improve air and water pollution in and around the plants. There are also films about specific DuPont plants and laboratories including the Haskell Laboratory, the Spruance plant in Richmond, Virginia; the Tecumseh plant in Tecumseh, Kansas, the Washington plant in Washington, West Virginia and the twenty fifth anniversary of the Victoria, Texas plant.
Existence and Location of Copies
View selected items online in the Hagley Digital Archives.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.
There are no viewing or listening stations for analog audio, video, or film in the reading room. To access this material, please place a digitization request for the item(s).
Film material is located in remote storage. Please contact staff 48 hours in advance of research visit at askhagley@hagley.org
Language of Materials
English
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- William Henry Radebaugh films and scripts
- Author:
- Lisa Kruczek
- Date:
- 2018.
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository
