Details

ARC-0814

collection

Ronald D. Marx Collection

circa 1957

0.07 (Linear feet)

x

x

Radio DJ, Alan Freed’s TV series, “The Big Beat” was a music and dance program that premiered in 1957. It was considered the first nationally-televised rock and roll dance show in the United States, premiering four months before “American Bandstand.” The show was canceled nationally the same year due to the uproar it caused after black singer Frankie Lymon was seen on TV dancing with a white audience member. It was later picked up to be broadcasted locally in New York until 1959.

The Ronald D. Marx collection is dated 1957. The collection contains 69 black-and-white negatives (eight sheets) and six black-and-white photograph contact sheets from Alan Freed's show, The Big Beat. This collection provides insight into the Cleveland taping of The Big Beat in 1957.

Acquisition Note: The Ronald D. Marx Collection was received by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a gift from Ronald D. Marx on March 26, 2008.

Citation: [Identification of Item], Ronald D. Marx Collection, Library and Archives, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Processing Information: Processed by Laurel Post, Intern. Completed July 15, 2019. Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS and local processing manual. Collection processed through an Access to Historical Records grant from the NHPRC.

Language Note: Materials in English.

Collection is open for research. Patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights statement on the Researcher Registration Form before using this collection. Consult the Library and Archives in advance of your visit to ensure access to these materials is available.

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. For more information, please consult the staff of the Library and Archives.