Frank Siedel papers
Creation: 1947-1988Abstract
Frank Siedel (1914-1988) was a writer, educator, and broadcaster. He founded the firm Storycraft, Inc., an industrial writing company, in 1947 and wrote scripts at Storycraft until his death in 1988. This small collection documents a sample Siedel's work. The two largest groups of materials relate to The Ohio Story television series and the "In the Ohio Heritage" educational series. The materials date from 1947 to 1967, with a few items dated 1988.
Dates
- Creation: 1947-1988
Creator
- Siedel, Frank (Person)
- Storycraft, Inc. (Organization)
Extent
.5 Linear Feet
Biographical Note
Frank Siedel (1914-1988) was a writer, educator, and broadcaster. He founded the firm Storycraft, Inc., an industrial writing company, in 1947 and wrote scripts at Storycraft until his death in 1988.
Siedel graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in journalism. In 1936, he began his career as a freelance writer working for various radio stations, eventually working for a motion picture studio. In 1946, he began working as a writer/director with Cinecraft Productions, a corporate film and video production house in Cleveland, Ohio.
Siedel originated The Ohio Story television series and wrote many of the scripts, along with other writers at Storycraft. The series focused on various aspects of Ohio history and culture. The Ohio Story began as a radio show and later developed into a television series presented by Ohio Bell Telephone, running from 1947 to 1961 and producing 1,309 radio shows and 175 television episodes. The last radio broadcast aired in 1955, two years after the television series began. The television shows were directed by Ray Culley (1904-1983) of Cinecraft Productions.
Scope and Contents
This small collection documents a sample Frank Siedel's work. The two largest groups of materials relate to The Ohio Story television series and "In The Ohio Heritage" educational series. The materials date from 1947 to 1967, with a few items dated 1988.
There are photographic prints related to The Ohio Story of production stills, behind-the-scenes images, and headshots from celebrities, many of which are signed congratulating Siedel on the success of the show. There are also several newspaper clippings about the series and Siedel's work. There is also a letter from Storycraft to comedian Bob Hope inquiring about the possibility of writing an episode about his life.
"In the Ohio Heritage" was an educational series sponsored by the Standard Oil Company (SOHIO), intended for school students. The collection consists of the printed materials for four parts of the series and does not include the corresponding film. The four parts represented in the collection are Great Moments, Agriculture, Government, and Architecture, each consisting of ten topics. The panel guides provide a written history, sample discussion questions, and recommendations for further reading.
Included in the collection is a Siedel biography and his obituary; a script for "Have you Done Your Homework?" for the Ohio State Board of Education; Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Advertising Club of Columbus Ohio newsletter called "The Advocate" that features Siedel on the cover; and "Land of Promise," preview program.
Existence and Location of Copies
View selected items online in Digital Archives.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Language of Materials
English
Additional Description
Provenance
Gift of Jon Siedel.
Subjects
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- Frank Siedel papers
- Author:
- Laurie Sather
- Date:
- 2022
- 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
