Delta Kappa Alpha
Encyclopedia
Delta Kappa Alpha is a co-educational professional fraternity founded in 1936, at the School of Cinematic Arts
at the University of Southern California
in Los Angeles
, California
.
According to USC's cinema website, "Recognized by the School of Cinematic Arts as the official professional cinema fraternity at the University of Southern California, DKA engages the community through philanthropic, social, and professional events. The goal of this co-ed fraternity is to establish meaningful relationships and camaraderie between students highly committed and interested in the film industry and in the cinematic arts."
Delta Kappa Alpha was founded in 1936, at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, originally as a group for cinematographers
. Soon the Alpha chapter encompassed all undergraduate divisions at the School of Cinematic Arts, including Film & TV Production, Critical Studies, Writing for Screen & Television, Animation & Digital Arts, and most recently Interactive Entertainment.
The Alpha chapter had considerable influence in its first incarnation from 1936 until the mid-1980's. The fraternity had its own office within the School of Cinematic Arts building, equivalent to the current Student Production Office in today's SCA complex.
The fraternity also held annual banquets to honor notable contributors to the cinematic arts. Film legends such as Alfred Hitchcock
and Fred Astaire
were inducted into the fraternity as honorary members. Hollywood
heavyweights such as Sophia Loren
, George Cukor
, and Judy Garland
were known to attend these events.
The fraternity was in its heyday in the 1960's and 1970's, when Dirty Dozen
members George Lucas
and Howard Kazanjian
were among its members. There were 5 national chapters with a membership of 1500 in 1965. However, by the mid 1980's the Alpha chapter as well as other chapters in the United States and South America had disbanded. There are rumors that the fraternity was asked to be shut down due to its increasing influence on campus and in the Hollywood industry, but it is more likely that dwindling membership and funding caused the USC chapter to close. Why all chapters went inactive is unknown. Despite no longer being on campus, USC still held a "DKA film series" of screenings from 1982 until the late 2000's at the Norris Cinema Theater
on campus, drawing hour-long lines every Friday.
, John Landis
, and John C. McGinley
(on behalf of Spread the Word to End the Word
) to campus as part of its DKA Speaker Series.
A Beta chapter at San Francisco State University
followed after in the fall of 2010 with 20 founding members. The Beta chapter's UNAI committee produced the official introduction video to the United Nations Academic Impact
program, which premiered at the UN on November 19, 2010. The Beta chapter has also worked with Italian neorealist
filmmaker Carlo Lizzani in Italy.
Each chapter elects an Executive Board consisting of a President and six Vice Presidents (Programming, Communications, Membership, Pledgemaster, Cinematic Affairs, Finance) as well as a Sergeant of Arms.
Other officer positions include Film Committee, Historian, Social, Philanthropy, Sunshine, Alumni, Design, Webmaster, Interchapter, Recruitment, and Professional chairs.
USC School of Cinematic Arts
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
According to USC's cinema website, "Recognized by the School of Cinematic Arts as the official professional cinema fraternity at the University of Southern California, DKA engages the community through philanthropic, social, and professional events. The goal of this co-ed fraternity is to establish meaningful relationships and camaraderie between students highly committed and interested in the film industry and in the cinematic arts."
History
This section details primarily the Alpha (USC) chapter of Delta Kappa Alpha, as its history is the most well documented.Delta Kappa Alpha was founded in 1936, at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, originally as a group for cinematographers
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
. Soon the Alpha chapter encompassed all undergraduate divisions at the School of Cinematic Arts, including Film & TV Production, Critical Studies, Writing for Screen & Television, Animation & Digital Arts, and most recently Interactive Entertainment.
The Alpha chapter had considerable influence in its first incarnation from 1936 until the mid-1980's. The fraternity had its own office within the School of Cinematic Arts building, equivalent to the current Student Production Office in today's SCA complex.
The fraternity also held annual banquets to honor notable contributors to the cinematic arts. Film legends such as Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
and Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
were inducted into the fraternity as honorary members. Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
heavyweights such as Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
, George Cukor
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
, and Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
were known to attend these events.
The fraternity was in its heyday in the 1960's and 1970's, when Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen (filmmaking)
The Dirty Dozen is the nickname for a group of filmmaking students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts within the University of Southern California during the mid-late 1960s. The main group consisted of budding directors, screenwriters, producers, editors and cinematographers...
members George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
and Howard Kazanjian
Howard Kazanjian
Howard G. Kazanjian is an American film producer, former Vice President of Lucasfilm, LTD and a published non-fiction author. Of Armenian descent, Kazanjian is an active member of the Armenian charity and cultural community, and a USC alumnus....
were among its members. There were 5 national chapters with a membership of 1500 in 1965. However, by the mid 1980's the Alpha chapter as well as other chapters in the United States and South America had disbanded. There are rumors that the fraternity was asked to be shut down due to its increasing influence on campus and in the Hollywood industry, but it is more likely that dwindling membership and funding caused the USC chapter to close. Why all chapters went inactive is unknown. Despite no longer being on campus, USC still held a "DKA film series" of screenings from 1982 until the late 2000's at the Norris Cinema Theater
USC School of Cinematic Arts
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...
on campus, drawing hour-long lines every Friday.
Today
In the spring of 2009 , a group of students at USC re-chartered the Alpha chapter, and has since grown to be the largest undergraduate student group at the School of Cinematic Arts, again encompassing all divisions of undergraduate study and bringing guests such as Alan MyersonAlan Myerson
-Career:Myerson began working in theatre in New York City, then directing The Second City in Chicago. He founded The Committee in San Francisco in 1963...
, John Landis
John Landis
John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
, and John C. McGinley
John C. McGinley
John Christopher McGinley is an American actor, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Marv in Stone's Wall Street. He has also written and produced for television and film...
(on behalf of Spread the Word to End the Word
Spread the Word to End the Word
Spread the Word to End the Word is a United States national campaign to encourage people to pledge to stop using the word retard.End the R word advocates believe the use of the word “retard” in colloquial and everyday speech is hurtful and dehumanizing to individuals with mental retardation...
) to campus as part of its DKA Speaker Series.
A Beta chapter at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
followed after in the fall of 2010 with 20 founding members. The Beta chapter's UNAI committee produced the official introduction video to the United Nations Academic Impact
United Nations Academic Impact
The United Nations Academic Impact, also known by its acronym UNAI, is a United Nations initiative to align institutions of higher education, scholarship and research with the United Nations and with each other....
program, which premiered at the UN on November 19, 2010. The Beta chapter has also worked with Italian neorealist
Italian neorealism
Italian neorealism is a style of film characterized by stories set amongst the poor and working class, filmed on location, frequently using nonprofessional actors...
filmmaker Carlo Lizzani in Italy.
Collegiate chapters
- Alpha chapter, University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, reest. 2009 - Beta chapter, San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
, reest. 2010
Each chapter elects an Executive Board consisting of a President and six Vice Presidents (Programming, Communications, Membership, Pledgemaster, Cinematic Affairs, Finance) as well as a Sergeant of Arms.
Other officer positions include Film Committee, Historian, Social, Philanthropy, Sunshine, Alumni, Design, Webmaster, Interchapter, Recruitment, and Professional chairs.
Notable alumnae
- USC Alma and Alfred Hitchcock Professor for the Study of American Film Drew CasperDrew CasperJoseph Andrew "Drew" Casper is a Professor of Critical Studies in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California and considered to be an authority on American film from World War II to the present. While a Ph.D. student at USC, Dr. Casper's mentor, Irwin Blacker, died...
- Director George LucasGeorge LucasGeorge Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
- Producer Howard KazanjianHoward KazanjianHoward G. Kazanjian is an American film producer, former Vice President of Lucasfilm, LTD and a published non-fiction author. Of Armenian descent, Kazanjian is an active member of the Armenian charity and cultural community, and a USC alumnus....
- Steve BloomSteve BloomSteve Bloom is a photographer and writer. He is best known for his photography books and essays, many of which feature wildlife; as well as his large scale outdoor exhibitions called Spirit of the Wild.-Career:...
- Editor Arthur SchneiderArthur SchneiderArthur Schneider is a television pioneer and a four-time Emmy Award winning television editor, with a career spanning from 1951 to 1988.Arthur Schneider grew up in New York, and attended Brighton High School in Brighton, Monroe County, New York and Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri....
- Chuck JonesChuck JonesCharles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
Delta Kappa Alpha dinners and honorees
Delta Kappa Alpha had an annual banquets in January/February which honored figures in the Cinema industry and presented them with honorary membership in the fraternity. Honorees include:- 1953 Arthur Charles Miller
- 1957 William A. SeiterWilliam A. SeiterWilliam A. Seiter was an American film director. He was born in New York City. After attending Hudson River Military Academy, Seiter broke into films in 1915 as a bit player at Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios, doubling a cowboy...
- 1957 (November) Gene KellyGene KellyEugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
- 1958 Cecil B. DemilleCecil B. DeMilleCecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
- 1959 George CukorGeorge CukorGeorge Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
- 1961 Greer GarsonGreer GarsonGreer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award...
and Kirk DouglasKirk DouglasKirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K... - 1963 (25th anniversary) Mary PickfordMary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
and Harold LloydHarold LloydHarold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies.... - 1964 Gloria SwansonGloria SwansonGloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the...
, Adolph ZukorAdolph ZukorAdolph Zukor , born Adolph Cukor, was a film mogul and founder of Paramount Pictures.-Early life:...
, Jack LemmonJack LemmonJohn Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
, Charles BrackettCharles BrackettCharles William Brackett was an American novelist, screenwriter, and film producer.-Biography:Born on November 26, 1892 in Saratoga Springs, New York, Charles William Brackett was the son of New York State Senator, lawyer, and banker Edgar Truman Brackett...
, and Billy WilderBilly WilderBilly Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age... - 1965 Rosalind RussellRosalind RussellRosalind Russell was an American actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday, as well as the role of Mame Dennis in the film Auntie Mame...
, Norman TaurogNorman TaurogNorman Rae Taurog was an American film director, and screenwriter.Between 1920 and 1968, Taurog directed over 140 films, and directed Elvis Presley in more movies than any other director...
and Robert WiseRobert WiseRobert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director... - 1966 Lucille BallLucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, Gregory PeckGregory PeckEldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
and Hal Wallis - 1967 Irene DunneIrene DunneIrene Dunne was an American film actress and singer of the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s. Dunne was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her performances in Cimarron , Theodora Goes Wild , The Awful Truth , Love Affair and I Remember Mama...
and Jack OakieJack OakieJack Oakie was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on stage, radio and television.-Early life:... - 1968 Mae WestMae WestMae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
, Mervyn LeRoyMervyn LeRoyMervyn LeRoy was an American film director, producer and sometime actor.-Early life:Born to Jewish parents in San Francisco, California, his family was financially ruined by the 1906 earthquake...
and James StewartJames StewartJames Stewart was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart may also refer to:-Noblemen:*James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland*James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn James Stewart (1908–1997) was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart...
- 1970 Julie AndrewsJulie AndrewsDame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
and Norman JewisonNorman JewisonNorman Frederick Jewison, CC, O.Ont is a Canadian film director, producer, actor and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. Highlights of his directing career include In the Heat of the Night , The Thomas Crown Affair , Fiddler on the Roof , Jesus Christ Superstar , Moonstruck , The Hurricane and The... - 1972 Edith HeadEdith HeadEdith Head was an American costume designer who won eight Academy Awards, more than any other woman.-Early life and career:...
, Alfred HitchcockAlfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, Walter MatthauWalter MatthauWalter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
and Sidney P. Solow, president of Consolidated Film IndustriesConsolidated Film IndustriesConsolidated Film Industries was a film laboratory, and film processing company, and was the leading film laboratory in the Los Angeles area for many decades. CFI processed negatives and made prints for motion pictures and television... - 1973 Paul NewmanPaul NewmanPaul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
, Joanne WoodwardJoanne WoodwardJoanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward is an American actress, television and theatrical producer, and widow of Paul Newman...
, Daniel TaradashDaniel TaradashDaniel Taradash was an American screenwriter.Taradash's credits include Golden Boy , From Here to Eternity , Rancho Notorious , Don't Bother to Knock , Désirée , Picnic , Storm Center , which he also directed, Bell, Book and Candle , Morituri , Hawaii...
and Lester NovrosLester NovrosLester Novros was born in 1909 in Passaic, NJ, and died September 10, 2000. He studied painting at the National Academy of Design in New York City. He was also an active member of the Art Students League of New York, and studied at the prestigious Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain. His curiosity in the... - 1974 Barbara StanwyckBarbara StanwyckBarbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
, Johnny GreenJohnny GreenJohnny Green was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, and conductor. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earliest, "Body and Soul"...
and William CastleWilliam CastleWilliam Castle was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Castle was known for directing films with many gimmicks which were ambitiously promoted, despite being reasonably low budget B-movies.... - 1975 Fred AstaireFred AstaireFred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
and Stanley DonenStanley DonenStanley Donen ; is an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are Singin' in the Rain and On the Town, both of which he co-directed with Gene Kelly. His other noteworthy films include Royal Wedding, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Face, Indiscreet, Damn... - 1976 Glenn FordGlenn FordGlenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
- 1977 Albert WhitlockAlbert WhitlockAlbert J. Whitlock was a British-born motion picture matte artist best known for his work with Disney and Universal Studios.-Life and career:...
- 1978 Disney's Nine Old MenDisney's Nine Old MenDisney's Nine Old Men were the core animators at The Walt Disney Company who created some of Disney's most famous works, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs onward to The Rescuers. Walt Disney jokingly called this group of animators his "Nine Old Men," referring to Robert S...
and Neil SimonNeil SimonNeil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that... - 1979 Russ MeyerRuss MeyerRussell Albion "Russ" Meyer was a U.S. motion picture director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, actor and photographer....