Dean of University Libraries Julia Rholes and Ellis Nassour
From film production notes to Tony Awards Playbills, Ellis Nassour’s donations to University Libraries offer a look into the fascinating world of theater and entertainment.
“Mr. Nassour’s donations provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the entertainment world, particularly the theater of New York City and the film industry,” said Alex Watson, theater and English subject librarian and assistant professor. “His items often contain interesting details, rare promotional materials and other things not normally seen by people in everyday life.”
A former New York Times and New York Daily News journalist, Nassour graduated from Ole Miss in 1961. He is a Vicksburg native and the author of two books: Patsy Cline (Leisure Books) and Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline (St. Martin’s). Nassour also coauthored Rock Opera: The Creation of Jesus Christ Superstar (Hawthorn Books).
“I have never received a negative review or comment about Honky Tonk Angel and, most often, when readers and Patsy Cline fans have written, they tell me I gave them the opportunity to discover the ‘real’ Patsy Cline and how moved they were by experiencing her life and career,” Nassour said. “If a writer can move readers, hopefully, for the better, it’s really the very best you can ever hope for.”
A wide variety of theater and film ephemera is included in the Mamie and Ellis Nassour Arts and Entertainment Collection.
“I believe there’s probably a little bit of everything,” Nassour said. “Playbills dating way back, Tony Awards Playbills, books—mostly biographies—bound scripts and scripts donated by some of theater’s great playwrights, photos and posters, theater and event souvenir books, recordings, CDs, DVDs, digital media for film and theater, film production notes and many of the articles/features I’ve written.”
Nassour said that he gave his donations to the University of Mississippi to benefit the music and theatre departments, as well as to complement the archive’s blues collection.
“I have been so blessed to have traveled the world as a journalist and now [be] working as an arts journalist covering theater, film, TV, etc.,” he said. “I am sent many things that are library-worthy. With all the interesting things I’ve accumulated, I thought it time to find a place for them and to, hopefully, have them valued and enjoyed. It was only proper to name the collection after my parents.”
Portions of the collection are named after those who mentored Nassour at Ole Miss. Journalism chair Sam Talbert, Dean of Social Affairs Tom Hines, creative writing instructor Mildred Spurrier Topp and English professor Charles Noyes were all inspirational to Nassour.
Watson said that Nassour’s donations add something unique to Special Collections and the general collections.
“The donated media items have allowed us to build excellent collections of Hollywood films, film scores and Broadway musicals,” Watson said. “Nassour’s ephemera donations ensure that those items, normally thrown away, are preserved for the future use of researchers or film and theater buffs.”