William Faulkner reportedly described Hollywood as a "place where a man can get stabbed in the back while climbing a ladder." Correspondingly Tennessee Williams described success as, "a kind of death [coming] to you in a storm of royalty checks beside a kidney-shaped pool in Beverly Hills." Although both of these well-known Mississippi authors showed antipathy towards the industry, they knew Hollywood well - both spent time writing screenplays for the big production companies and both saw their works transformed into celluloid. Their comments symbolize Mississippi’s unusual love-hate relationship with the film industry.

Hollywood has always shown interest in Mississippi as a place and a subject. From The Crisis, shot in Vicksburg in 1916, to the present, this state has provided three things which attract screenwriters, directors, producers, and most especially moviegoers: brilliant authors, a tumultuous history, and scenic locales. It is a land of extreme beauty and occasionally extreme sadness which translates well into film. Its citizens, while sometimes somewhat reluctant to take to the "acting bug" have eventually joined in the process and become quite taken with it.

Since 1975 Special Collections has enthusiastically collected items related to Mississippi and the screen – posters, pressbooks, daybills, scripts, movie treatments, soundtracks, and related ephemera. Our collecting parameters are that the movie should be shot in Mississippi, be about Mississippi, be based on a work by a Mississippian, or all of the above. We have worked with donors, rare book dealers, and now Internet auction houses to locate many of these unique pieces.

Organizing such a plethora of material offered complications. Among all of these colorful collections how should we present the little explored history of Mississippi and the movies? After much thought, our staff decided upon several themes which we felt represented the cinematic landscape of the state. Of course, the well-known and important work of William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams appears but other lesser known and vintage Mississippi authors and films make their presence felt. Thematic concepts such as foreign versions of Mississippi-related films and civil rights films also form important parts of the exhibition.

We have chosen the most striking items in our collections – both visually and intellectually. These include everything from rare Faulkner pressbooks from the then "scandalous" picture The Story of Temple Drake (1933) to unique early daybills for blues related films such as Bessie Smith’s St. Louis Blues. (1929). It is an attempt to draw from every part of the department and has involved the cooperation of each member of our staff. I want to thank my collaborators who contributed so much to this endeavor: Jeffrey Boyce, Shugana Campbell, Chatham Ewing, Joey Hammond, Gregory Johnson, and Leigh McWhite. In addition, our Library Dean, Julia Rholes, has been a constant supporter of Special Collections, encouraging our staff at each step of this process. I would also like to thank the retired Head of Special Collections, Dr. Thomas Verich, for his foresight in collecting much of this wonderful material when many believed it to be unimportant.

Several wonderful donors have contributed greatly to our holdings in this area: most notably Mrs. Ann Jefcoat Rayburn , Mrs. Leila Clark Wynn, Mr. William Lewis, Jr., and Mr. Matthew Bouchard. Without their help this event could not have been possible. They have given without regard for gain, and their kindness to Special Collections and the University is unbounded.

With all that being said I now invite you to sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the show...

Jennifer Ford, Head of Special Collections (January 2006)

Colophon: Produced by Jennifer W. Ford, Head of Special Collections & Associate Professor; Greg Johnson, Blues Curator & Assistant Professor; Dr. Leigh McWhite, Political Collections Curator & Assistant Professor; Shugana Campbell, Visual Materials Curator & Assistant Professor; Joey Hammond, Library Assistant; Jeffrey Boyce, Library Specialist; Chatham Ewing, Digital Initiatives Librarian for Special Collections & Assistant Professor; Banner by University of Mississippi Print Services