The Phil Stern collection spans the years 1942-1995 and encompasses 12 linear feet. The collection consists of more than 30,000 items, including color and black-and-white photographic prints, negatives, slides, and transparencies. The photographs are grouped into motion picture production photographs, biography photographs, subject photographs, and television production photographs.

The motion picture production photographs span the years 1942-1995 and consist of photographic prints, negatives, slides, and transparencies. These are comprised primarily of snapshots, off-camera, and general publicity photographs. The material is arranged alphabetically by title. Titles include THE ALAMO (1960), BLOOD ALLEY (1955), A CHILD IS WAITING (1963), DARBY'S RANGERS (1958), GUYS AND DOLLS (1955), JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961), MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR (1958), PORGY AND BESS (1959), TRUE GRIT (1969), and WEST SIDE STORY (1961).

The television photographs span from the 1950s-1990 and consist of photographic prints, negatives, slides, transparencies, and motion picture film strips. These are comprised primarily of off-camera and general publicity photographs. The material is arranged alphabetically by title. Titles include “C.H.I.P.S.,” “Colgate Comedy Hour,” “Crossings,” “Fame,” “Family Circle,” “Hotel,” “Jack Benny Show,” “Matlock,” “Snoops,” and “This Is Your Life.”

The biography photographs span from the 1940s-1995 and consist of photographic prints, negatives, slides, and transparencies. These are comprised primarily of snapshots and general publicity photographs. The material is arranged alphabetically by name. Persons depicted include Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., James Dean, Alfred Hitchcock, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, and John Wayne.

The subject photographs span from the 1940s-1978 and consist of photographic prints, negatives, slides, and transparencies. These are comprised primarily of general publicity photographs. The material is arranged alphabetically by subject. Subjects include the 1957 (30th) Academy Awards, Desilu Productions, the Friars Club, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the Moscow Film Festival, motion picture industry strikes, Paramount Pictures, the Producers Guild of America, and Universal Studios.

Phil Stern (1919-2014) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began his career in New York City in 1937 working as a studio apprentice during the day and as a photographer for the National Police Gazette at night. He came to Los Angeles to be a photographer for Friday magazine, and went on to do freelance photography for various newspapers and magazines including "Life," "Look," and "Colliers." Stern spent two years as a combat photographer during World War II, covering the invasions of North Africa and Sicily. Returning to Los Angeles, he worked for a number of movie magazines and photographed several album covers and recording sessions for musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, and Sarah Vaughn. He took photographs on the sets of more than 100 feature films, including THE ALAMO (1960), THE DEVIL AT FOUR O'CLOCK (1961), GUYS AND DOLLS (1955), JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961), PEPE (1960), ROAD TO HONG KONG (1962), and WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962).