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JOHN H. MITCHELL WAS A DRIVING FORCE in the television industry’s formative years. As President of Columbia Pictures’ television division, he led more than 100 productions, including iconic titles such as The Flintstones and Brian’s Song. Mitchell was also a pioneer in shifting television beyond entertainment, using the medium’s wide audience to address issues like race and gender.
Mitchell passed away in 1988, yet his legacy continues through endowments created in his honor. In 2019, the UCLA Film & Television Archive(opens in a new tab) received a $10 million donation dedicated to television programming and preservation, thanks to Mitchell’s wife, the late philanthropist Patricia W. Mitchell.
The establishment of the John H. Mitchell Television Archivist endowment transformed Mark Quigley’s position at the Archive. Since joining the Archive in 2001, Quigley has worked to preserve and share moving image history. Appointed Television Archivist in 2017, his work was frequently constrained by high costs and the volume of material requiring restoration and stewardship.
Quigley said the endowment had prompted exponential growth in initiatives to keep valuable television holdings alive, protecting a medium uniquely positioned to capture the cultural imprint of daily life, yet prone to decay and technological obsolescence.
Two additional endowments dedicated to preservation and programming were established in Mitchell’s name in addition to the archivist role, and Quigley says the combined impact of these funds created “a wellspring of ongoing support” for preservation and exhibition work.
“Special projects, events and student resources that previously might not have been considered possible due to lack of resources are now regularly executed,” he said.
These include monthly public screenings(opens in a new tab) of historic television at the Billy Wilder Theater. “These ongoing screenings, underwritten by the Mitchell Programming endowment, have allowed the Archive to present rarities and landmarks of the medium, with special in-person guests, to appreciative audiences made up of a diverse range of UCLA students and Angelenos from across the city,” said Quigley.
Other projects supported by the endowments include preserving Tom Reed’s "For Members Only, which Quigley describes as “a treasure trove of local Black history.” The Archive has restored these rare, endangered videotapes and, in collaboration with the UCLA Digital Library Program, made them viewable online.
Collaborations with renowned scholars, such as UCLA Distinguished Professor Chon Noriega, have bolstered the collection’s research potential. A preservation and public access initiative is underway for the 1970s Chicanx public affairs television program Reflecciones, thanks to the Mitchell endowments and partnerships with the Chicano Studies Research Center and the Digital Library Program.
What started on the small screen in living rooms continues on the big screen in Los Angeles and at home across the globe, thanks to the Mitchell endowments preserving and making significant television programs accessible for all to see.
