Collection search - Ned Sparks and family collection [textual record, graphic material]

Record information – Brief
1
Ned Sparks and family collection [textual record, graphic material]

Hierarchical level:

Collection

Date:

[1880-1985].

Reference:

R16226-0-X-E

Type of material:

Photographs, Textual material

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

5176218

Context of this record:

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Ned Sparks and family collection
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Record information – Details
Collection includes:

3 lower level description(s)
View lower level description(s)

Date(s):

[1880-1985].

Bilingual equivalent:

Click here

Place of creation:

No place, unknown, or undetermined

Added country of publication:

Canada, United States

Extent:

79 photographs : 39 b&w ; 38 b&w negatives ; 2 col. slides
0.55 m of textual records.

Language of material:

English

Scope and content:

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The records in this collection document the career and family history of pioneer Canadian stage and screen actor Ned Sparks (born Sparkman). The records include correspondence from Sparks to his parents and sister Gladys Sparkman, as well as correspondence sent to his family by his brother Reuben Sparkman, who worked for various railway companies in Canada and the United States. There are photos of Sparks, family members and friends. Other records pertain to Sparks's Hollywood career, notably promotional materials. In addition, there are several secondary sources compiled at the end of the 20th century by John Stirling (researcher, rare books dealer, author, commercial artist and amateur broadcaster), who had been preparing to write a biography of Sparks.

Provenance:

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Ned Sparks (family)

Additional name(s):

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Artist: Stirling, John Cameron, 1947-2018

Biography/Administrative history:

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Ned Sparks (family) : Ned Sparks (born Edward Arthur Sparkman, 1883-1957), comedic stage and screen actor, was born in Guelph and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario. As a young man, he worked on the railroad and in Yukon, briefly attended a Toronto seminary, took part in touring theatrical companies in North America, and then went to New York City in 1907 and appeared on Broadway in 1912. A leader of the strike that resulted in the formation of Actors' Equity, he was blackballed on Broadway. Known for his deadpan expression, dry wit and gravelly voice, he turned to Hollywood and appeared in over 80 films from 1915 to 1947. Some of his most notable films during the 1930s include Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Alice in Wonderland (1933)-as the caterpillar-and Walt Disney's animated short Broken Toys (1935).

Maintaining Canadian citizenship, Sparks regularly came back to Canada, notably during the 1940s, when he actively participated in war drive efforts, speaking on stage or on the radio and making several publicized appearances. In 1941, at the request of his childhood friend, Ontario Premier Mitch Hepburn, he launched "The Ned Sparks Show," a weekly radio series funded by the Ontario Travel Bureau and broadcast across Canada and the United States on the Columbia Broadcasting System. During these years, Sparks agreed to star in a successful travelling vaudeville troupe production and appeared in a few more Hollywood productions, such as Stage Door Canteen (1943) and Magic Town (1947).

Sparks retired from making movies in 1947 and lived his final years on a ranch in Victorville, California, with his daughter, Laura. He would return to do the voice of television's Heckle and Jeckle cartoons (1956) but died the following year. He was apparently married several times, notably to Mercedes Caballero, sister of Charles Caballero, head of Fox's Purchasing Department. Sparks is recognized as one of Canada's prominent pioneers in the Hollywood film industry.

Reuben B. Sparkman (1880-1975) learned telegraphy as a young man and worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway in various capacities at several venues across Canada. He returned to St. Thomas in 1936 and joined the Unemployment Insurance Commission.

Gladys Sparkman (1903-1973) was a watercolour artist and pianist.

Finding aid:

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Textual record, graphic material (Electronic) Finding aid is a file list for volumes 1 to 4. MSS2667 (90: Open)
http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf002/p000003486.pdf

Additional information:

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General note:

Acquired from Lord Durham Rare Books, St. Catherines, Ontario, in 2019.

Associated material note:

A Ned Sparks collection can be found at Toronto Public Library. The collection includes records pertaining specifically to Sparks's acting career on stage and on screen.
Subject heading:

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St. Thomas (Ont.)

Moving-pictures

Performing arts Canada

Film

Actors - Canada - United States

Railway companies - agents

Stock theatre
Source:

Private

Related control no.:

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2019-00271-X
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Conditions of access:

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Access restriction document

http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/r000001361.pdf

Graphic (photo)

[Consultation90 Open]

Textual records

[Consultation96 Restrictions vary]

Terms of use:

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Textual record: Copyright applies.
Consultation and reproduction allowed. Researchers wishing to consult and/or copy must complete a Restricted Access Application for Access form acknowledging copyright and the right to privacy of living persons.
Graphic material (photo): Copyright applies.

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