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Mitzi Cunliffe (American, 1918-2006): An Original Guild of Television Producers and Directors Award, 1955, image 1
Mitzi Cunliffe (American, 1918-2006): An Original Guild of Television Producers and Directors Award, 1955, image 2
Mitzi Cunliffe (American, 1918-2006): An Original Guild of Television Producers and Directors Award, 1955, image 3
Film & Television
Lot 24

Mitzi Cunliffe (American, 1918-2006): An Original Guild of Television Producers and Directors Award,
1955,

26 May – 4 June 2025, 13:00 BST
Online, London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £3,584 inc. premium

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Mitzi Cunliffe (American, 1918-2006): An Original Guild of Television Producers and Directors Award,

1955,
Presented to Colin Morris in 1955 for the script of The Unloved, engraved on the reverse Merit Award 1957 Script, and Merit Award 1958, bronze mask on top of a marble base, with symbols of electricity and a screen on the reverse, representing film and television,
11in x 6in (28cm x 16cm)

Footnotes

Provenance:
Awarded to Colin Morris, and thence by descent to the present owners.

Mitzi Cunliffe:
The American sculptor, Mitzi Cunliffe (1918-2006), is perhaps best known for designing the iconic BAFTA mask. She trained in New York and Paris and in 1949 she met and married the English historian and academic Marcus Cunliffe and moved permanently to the UK. The next two decades proved to be both busy and creative and brought her widespread recognition.

In 1955 the Guild of Television Producers asked her to create an award trophy. The result was a distinctive theatrical mask, which she referred to as the 'Jason Award' after her son who was also born in 1955. The golden mask is now one of the most coveted awards in film and television. The Guild merged with the British Film Academy in 1958, eventually becoming BAFTA in 1976. The Academy presented Cunliffe with a lifetime achievement award in 1992.

This award was first presented to Colin Morris in 1955, for 'The Unloved' Script. As was custom at the time, upon subsequent recognitions by the Guild, the original award was re-engraved. This explains the inclusion of the 1957 and 1958 Merits on the award, which are engraved underneath the 1955 acknowledgement.

This is a significant award as the early date of 1955, suggests that it was one of the first awards made to Cunliffe's design, having only been commissioned by the Guild earlier that year.

There is a photograph from the Savoy in 1955 from when Colin Morris accepted his award. Please contact the department to view this.

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