Special Collections
Joseph K. Redmond Jr. Collection
Return to Redmond Collection main page | Biographical Sketch | Collection Finding Aid with Series Descriptions
Biographical Sketch
Joseph K. Redmond Jr. was a veteran showman, starting his career while still a student at Westport High School in Kansas City. He began as a theatre usher, and was promoted to doorman while a freshman at Rockhurst College. In 1931, he dropped out of school to become assistant manager of the brand-new Uptown Theatre. During the Depression, Redmond stayed continuously employed as a stage manager, house manager, vaudeville booker and film booker. He spent most of that time at the Tower Theatre in Kansas City, one of only four theatres in the entire Midwest that followed a stage show policy. He also provided management at the Esquire Theatre.
In 1943, Redmond went to Hollywood to become a studio promotion man and to pursue another longtime ambition: to be a radio singer. He won a CBS audition, but received his military draft notice right after that. As a member of the U.S. Signal Corps, he set up a training film library in France, distributed motion-picture equipment, and personally trained more than 200 G.I. projectionists. After being discharged from the service, Redmond joined Fox-Midwest Theatres, supervising the advertising promotion of 120 movie houses in the area before taking a job at KMBC-TV in 1959. He later followed with a career at the Kansas City Star where he handled movie and other amusement advertising as a member of the ad sales staff.
Joseph K. Redmond, Jr., passed away Tuesday, September 17, 1996, at his home at the age of 83.
Portions of the biographical sketch were obtained from KMBC-TV’s Conference Call. This item is located in Series I of the collection.
Collection Finding Aid with Series Descriptions
- Biographical Information
- Theatres
- Writings by Joseph K. Redmond Jr.
- Personalities
- News Publications
- Promotional
- Conventions
- Miscellaneous
- Photographs
SERIES I: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Series I consists of folders 1-3 in box 1, and contains biographical sketches; certificates; correspondence and news clippings about Redmond. Also, located in folder 1 is email correspondence between a Special Collections staff member and a distant relative of Joseph Redmond’s doing genealogical research on her ancestors.
Box 1, Folder 1
- Biographical sketches; certificates; business cards; high school reunion
Box 1, Folder 2
- News clippings about Redmond
Box 1, Folder 3
- Correspondence, business and personal, 1937-1996
Series II consists of folders 4-11 in box 1, and contains information on various theatres in Kansas City, MO. Theatres included are Cabaret Riviera; Esquire; Midland; Orpheum; Tower and Uptown. Among all the folders there are promotional flyers; menus; photographs; writings by Redmond; tickets and many news clippings of ads from newspapers and magazines. Folder 11 is separated into misc. theatre clippings from a number of theatres in Kansas City. There are Orpheum Theatre and Realty Co. Weekly Reports which can be found in box 3, folder 1. Redmond has made notation directly on the report for some of the performances. Additional oversized clippings are located in oversized drawer 26.
Box 1, Folder 4
- Cabaret Riviera. Promotional flyers; menus; news clippings
Box 1, Folder 5
- Esquire Theatre. Program; payroll log; tickets; new clippings
Box 1, Folder 6
- Midland Theatre. News clippings, calendar photograph
Box 1, Folder 7
- Orpheum Theatre. Ad mock-up; promotional material; booklet; notes [See also box 3, folder 5 for Orpheum Theatre and Realty Co. Weekly Reports.]
Box 1, Folder 8
- Tower Theatre. Writings by Joseph Redmond; news clippings
Box 1, Folder 9
- Uptown Theatre [Palace Dinner Playhouse]. (1/2) Writings by Joseph Redmond; published photographs; flyers; tickets [See also box 3, folders 2-4 for promotional mock-ups related to the Uptown Theatre]
Box 1, Folder 10
- Uptown Theatre (2/2). Writings by Joseph Redmond; news clippings [See also box 3, folders 2-4 for promotional mock-ups related to the Uptown Theatre.]
Box 1, Folder 11
- Misc. theatre clippings [See also oversized drawer 26, folder 1 for additional theatre clippings.]
SERIES III: WRITINGS BY JOSEPH K. REDMOND JR.
Series III consists of folders 12-14 in box 1, and contains notes and drafts by Joseph Redmond, arranged by subject.
Box 1, Folder 12
- Show Biz Memories - Kansas City, MO
Box 1, Folder 13
- Misc. historical timelines
Box 1, Folder 14
- The Roaring Twenties
Series IV consists of folders 15-16 in box 1, and contains promotional material and news clippings related to show business personalities. Among the folders are information on Benny Goodman, Jack Carson, Elmer C. Rhoden Sr. and Dana Suesse. Folder 15 also contains news clippings of Dick Powell, a good friend of Jack Carson who died the same day as Carson, both from cancer.
Box 1, Folder 15
- Benny Goodman / Jack Carson / Elmer C. Rhoden Sr.
Box 1, Folder 16
- Dana Suesse
Series V consists of folder 17 in box 1, and contains drafts of articles and pages from the publications Box Office and Fox Midwest. The Last Word is found in box 3, folders 6-9.
Box 1, Folder 17
- Box Office / Fox Midwest
[See box 3, folders 6-9 for material from The Last Word]
Series VI consists of folder 18-20 in box 1, and contains items such as flyers, programs, news ads, menus and cartoon samples for publication. [Additional promotional items are found in box 3, folder 1-4.]
Box 1, Folder 18
- Flyers; programs; news ads; booklets; menus, etc.
Box 1, Folder 19
- Stormy Weather: advertisements; fact sheet; misc. notes
Box 1, Folder 20
- Cartoon samples for publication
[See also box 3, folders 1-4 for additional promotional items]
Series VII contains materials related to the Fox Midwest Theatre's annual conventions. Box 2, folders 1 and 2 contain convention programs for the years 1935-1957. Folder 3 contains an instructional book entitled The Fundamentals of Successful Theatre Operation.
Box 2, Folder 1
- Fox Midwest Theatres Annual Convention, 1950-1957
Box 2, Folder 2
- Fox Midwest Annual Convention, 1935-1949
Box 2, Folder 3
- Book: The Fundamentals of Successful Theatre Operation
Series VIII consists of folders 4-7 in box 2, and contains items which do not fit into other categories. Various items include booklets; programs; old advertisements from the Kansas City directory; ticket stubs and information relating to Redmond’s high school reunion.
Box 2, Folder 4
-
Books: The Children's Library / The J.C. Nichols Company / The City of Fountains
Box 2, Folder 5
- Program for the world premiere of Daddy Long Legs
Box 2, Folder 6
- Misc. advertisements taken from Kansas City directories, 1870s
Box 2, Folder 7
- Misc. items: postcard; clippings; ticket stubs; log sheet; Landon Laird program; high school reunion information
[See box 3, folder 5 for a French document entitled Budget Primitif]
Series IX consists of 148 images in photograph boxes 1-3. Photographs can be browsed and searched online at the University of Missouri Digital Library at http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?page=index;c=umkcredic.
Special Collections is a non-circulating and non-browsing resource center. The Special Collections Reading Room is open to researchers Monday through Friday during the academic year. Public service hours for the current semester are listed at http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/index.html#hours but researchers are encouraged to call ahead for verification of hours due to University intersessions and other events. Special Collections is located on the fourth floor of the Miller Nichols Library at 5100 Rockhill Road in Kansas City, Missouri. All inquiries concerning access to the collections should be addressed to Special Collections Library Information Specialists Teresa Gipson or Kelly McEniry.
| Teresa Gipson Special Collections Library Information Specialist Miller Nichols Library 5100 Rockhill Rd Kansas City, MO 64110 (816) 235-1532 Teresa Gipson Fax (816) 333-5584 |
Kelly McEniry Special Collections Library Information Specialist Miller Nichols Library 5100 Rockhill Rd Kansas City, MO 64110 (816) 235-1532 Kelly McEniry Fax (816) 333-5584 |
For sound recordings from this collection, contact Chuck Haddix, Marr Sound Archives, Miller Nichols Library, University of Missouri-Kansas City. (816-235-2798)
