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Catalog Data

Creator:
Orange Bowl Committee  Search this
Extent:
29 Cubic feet (67 boxes, 124 map folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1933-2000
Summary:
The complete records of the Orange Bowl Parade, Miami, Florida containing float renderings, programs, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consusts of . This collection arranged into six series. Series 1, Historical Background Material, Series 2, Seiler, Ernest E., 1951-1977, undated Series 3, Orange Bowl Parade Subseries 3.1, Office Files Subseries 3.2, Float renderings and Drawings Subseries 3.3, Costume Subseries 3.4, Parade Scripts Subseries 3.5, Ephemera Series 4, Publicity Materials Series 5, Photographs Subseries 5.1, Floats Subseries 5.2, Bands Subseries 5.3, Parades Subseries 5.4, Queens Subseries 5.5, Slides Subseries 5.6, Orange Bowl billboards
Arrangement:
Collection arranged into seven series. Series 1: Historical Background Material, Series 2: Ernest E. Seiler, 1951-1977, undated Series 3: Orange Bowl Parade Subseries 3.1: Office Files Subseries 3.2: Float renderings and Drawings Subseries 3.3: Costume Subseries 3.4: Parade Scripts Subseries 3.5: Ephemera Series 4: Publicity Materials Series 5: Photographs Subseries 5.1: Floats Subseries 5.2: Bands Subseries 5.3: Parades Subseries 5.4: Queens Subseries 5.5: Slides Subseries 5.6: Orange Bowl billboards Subseries 5.7: Photographic Negatives Series 6: Festival Float Files Series 7: Oversize Float Renderings, 1945-2000 Series 8: Motion Picture Film, 1957-1972
Biographical / Historical:
The Orange Bowl football game and associated Festival and Parade is one of the country's oldest and most colorful spectacles. It was conceived in 1932 by local businessmen as a way to attract visitors to Miami in the middle of the Great Depression. Originally known as the Palm Festival, in 1935 it was renamed the Orange Bowl Festival. Its popularity grew steadily, especially after a full-time business manager was hired in March 1939 to promote it. Two months later, in May 1939, the organizers officially incorporated themselves as the nonprofit Orange Bowl Committee, with the avowed purpose of promoting positive social and economic activity in the Miami community through the annual game, festival and parade. The foreword of a promotional brochure for the 1940 Festival, The Story of the Orange Bowl, described it as "The ORANGE BOWL… An Institution of higher learning in the arts of sportsmanship and community co-operation….Conceived and administered by unselfish citizens in the public interest…. Dedicated to the ideals of fellowship, good will and understanding among all ages, in the upholding of a great state.... This, briefly, is the ORANGE BOWL, belonging to all Florida and to the nation…." The parade came to national prominence after the Second World War. One key factor in the Committee's success was its early and mutually beneficial partnership with radio and television broadcasting, which brought the Orange Bowl festivities to a nation-wide audience. The parade packaged the social, cultural, and carnival-like fantasy life of Florida for northern audiences who might warm themselves by their televisions on New Year's Eve. To gain every advantage as a television event the parade was staged at night, unique among televised parades of similar scope and popular appeal. Unencumbered by height and width restrictions, its floats grew to fantastic proportions, characterized by animated mechanical figures, features such as "outriggers" (pontoon-like appendages from the main body of the float, like water skiers), and self-contained electrical lighting and sound systems. The latter anticipated Disney's "Electrical Parade." Similar attention was given to the staging of the Orange Bowl half-time show, whose multi-story telescoping towers and platforms have since become a Super Bowl staple. The production of Orange parade floats and special effects was a year-round job, which placed it in league with Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Pasadena's Tournament of Roses, and New Orleans' Mardi Gras. The Committee ended its annual parade and festival in 2002 but the Orange Bowl football game continues.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center Carvel Ice Cream Records Pepsi-Cola Advertising Collection (AC092) Materials Held by the National Museum of American History, Division of Political History Vaughn's Parade Float File
Provenance:
The collectioon was donated by the orange Bowl Committee, through Jeffrey T. Roberts, President, 2011.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Parades -- United States  Search this
Parade floats  Search this
Parades  Search this
Parade float designers  Search this
Citation:
Orange Bowl Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1191
See more items in:
Orange Bowl Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep886533103-91b7-4a5b-b2c5-647b1addbbe9
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1191