Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne papers, 1838-1983.

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Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne papers, 1838-1983.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/173700346

Papers of an internationally acclaimed theatrical couple whose careers spanned more than half a century and who starred in more than 60 theater and television productions from 1915 to 1980. The Lunts' personal correspondence provides a virtual "who's who" in the arts and entertainment industry in the first half of the 20th century. Letters abound from such prominent literary figures as Enid Bagnold, S. N. Behrman, John Mason Brown, Noel Coward, Edna Ferber, Terence Rattigan, Robert Sherwood, Booth Tarkington, Thornton Wilder, and Alexander Woollcott. Theater personalities such as Maxwell Anderson, Cecil Beaton, Hugh Beaumont, Russel Crouse, John Gielgud, Helen Hayes, Vivien Leigh, Howard Lindsay, Cathleen Nesbitt, Laurence Olivier, and John Wilson are represented as well. Other well-known figures are represented in smaller amounts. Although the Lunts starred in separate productions until the early 1920's, they achieved their greatest fame after 1924 when they appeared together in "The Guardsman." The majority of the production information in the collection dates from that time until the Lunts' last Broadway appearance in 1958, and includes newspaper and magazine clippings of reviews, advertisements, and related publicity, as well as playbills and programs. There is similar material from the 1919 production of "Clarence," which launched Lunt to stardom. The collection includes scripts from the following productions: "Beverly's Balance" (1915), "Iphigenia in Aulis" (1915), "Clarence" (1919), "Banco" (1922), "Outward Bound" (1924), "The Guardsman" (1924), "The Taming of the Shrew" (1935), "Idiot's Delight" (1936), "The Pirate" (1942), "O Mistress Mine" (1946), "I Know My Love" (1949), and "Anastasia" (TV - 1967). Tape-recorded material includes "The White Cliffs," a 1941 radio production; a performance of "The Guardsman"; and reminiscences of the actress Ellen Terry by Sybil Thorndike. There are video cassettes from the 1980 television documentary "The Lunts: A Life in the Theatre" and the 1981 "Bunny Raasch Special." Also present is a film of the 1963 television production "The Old Lady Shows Her Medals." Extensive production and personal photographs are included in the collection as well as home movies.

6.0 c.f. (14 archives boxes and 1 flat box),17 reels of microfilm (35mm),10 tape recordings,5 videorecordings,28 film reels, and1,600 photographs.

Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 6925468

Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project

Related Entities

There are 24 Entities related to this resource.

Hayes, Helen, 1900-1993

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6f58g3r (person)

Helen Hayes Brown was born in Washington, D.C. on October 10, 1900. Her parents were Frank and Catherine “Essie” Brown. With her mother’s encouragement, Hayes made her stage debut at the age of five and began performing both in amateur productions as well as the stock company, The Columbia Players. While performing in a recital for Miss Minnie Hawke’s School of Dance, Hayes was spotted by Lew Fields. Fields, half of the Weber and Fields comedy team, as well as a producer, recognized Hayes’s tale...

Lunt, Alfred, 1892-1977

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6k17vk2 (person)

Alfred Davis Lunt Jr. (August 12, 1892 – August 3, 1977) was an American stage director and actor who had a long-time professional partnership with his wife, actress Lynn Fontanne. Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre was named for them. Lunt received two Tony Awards, an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for 1931's The Guardsman and an Emmy Award for the Hallmark Hall of Fame's production of The Magnificent Yankee. Lunt was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1892 to Alfred D. Lunt and Harriet ...

Bagnold, Enid, 1889-1981

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6mt4hqt (person)

Enid Bagnold, a twentieth-century British author, is best known for her novel National Velvet (1935) and her play "The Chalk Garden" (1955). Born in Rochester, England she spent much of her early life abroad. As a child Bagnold lived in Jamaica where her father was stationed with the Royal Engineers. She was educated in Germany and France. During World War I, Bagnold served in an English hospital and drove an ambulance for the French army. Drawing on these expe...

Leigh, Vivien, 1913-1967

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6vr3rt5 (person)

English actress. From the description of Autograph letter signed : London, to Denys [Blakelock], [n.d.]. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270871310 Actress Vivien Leigh was born in Darjeeling, India, and returned to England with her parents after World War I. While attending a convent school, her mother took her to see a play, where she determined to become an actress. She had little experience before creating a sensation in the role of Scarlett O'Hara in the movie Gone With t...

Crouse, Russel, 1893-1966

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6862mxp (person)

American playwright, journalist, and producer. From the description of Autograph card signed : [n.p.], to Perry, [194-?]. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270923790 ...

Beaumont, Hugh, 1908-1973

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w61n89t6 (person)

Sherwood, Robert E. (Robert Emmet), 1896-1955

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66113xr (person)

American playwright. From the description of Letter, Surrey, England, to Malcolm Wells, New York City [manuscript], 1948 August 30. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647817235 Sherwood was a noted American dramatist. He was born in New Rochelle, N.Y., graduated from Harvard in 1918, and served in World War I. He wrote for Vanity Fair and Life magazines, serving as editor of the latter from 1924 to 1928. His first play, written in 1927, was an immediate success. H...

Ferber, Edna, 1887-1968

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6t155sw (person)

American novelist, short story writer and playwright. From the description of Letters, 1912-1957. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122415400 American fiction writer and playwright. From the description of Typed letter signed : Stepney Depot, Conn., to Edward Wagenknecht, 1944 Oct. 30. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270868073 Author. From the description of Edna Ferber letter, 1921. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79450230 Author of popu...

Woollcott, Alexander, 1887-1943

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6zc842w (person)

Woollcott, American critic, member of the Algonquin Round Table, and the inspiration for the character of Sheridan Whiteside in the play The Man Who Came to Dinner by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. From the description of [Letters, 1929-1940] / Alexander Woollcott. (Smith College). WorldCat record id: 491398373 American drama critic, journalist, playwright, essayist, and actor. From the description of Alexander Woollcott collection, 1921-[194-]. (Boston Univers...

Gielgud, John, 1904-2000

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6kh0q39 (person)

English actor. From the description of Autograph letters signed (19) : London, to "Dear Mardi" [Mrs. John C. Hughes], 1972-1979. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 269589158 From the description of Autograph letters signed (5) and typed letter signed : London, Hampstead, and Beverly Hills, to Denys [Blakelock], 1958 Dec. 6-1964 May 30 and [n.d.]. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270870868 From the description of Autograph letters signed (2) : Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, t...

Colefax, Sibyl (British interior designer, contemporary)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w60s16d0 (person)

Behrman, S. N. (Samuel Nathaniel), 1893-1973

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6dv1mm2 (person)

American author of works for the stage and screen also noted for his biographical essays and memoirs. S. N. Behrman was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1893. He was educated at Clark College, Harvard College (B.A. 1916) and Columbia University (M.A. 1918). During the late 1910s Behrman's short stories and book reviews appeared in magazines and newspapers including The Smart Set and The New York Times. During the 1920s he collaborated on stories and plays with Kenyon ...

Nesbitt, Cathleen, 1888-1982

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65t456x (person)

Cathleen Nesbitt (1888-1982) was an English actress. From the description of Letters: to Anita Loos, 1965-1975. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 122515122 Epithet: actress British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000001027.0x000244 Epithet: afterwards Ramage actress British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_1...

Coward, Noël, 1899-1973

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6668c61 (person)

English composer, writer, actor, and producer. From the description of Signature on his visiting card, dated : [n.p., n.d.], [n.d.]. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270899310 Badger's Green opened Jun. 12, 1930. From the description of Letter [1930] Jun. 20 [London] to Maurice Browne [London] (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 34365183 English actor and author. From the description of The Birth of Hope : autograph manuscript signed ...

Lindsay, Howard, 1889-1968

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6kp86h7 (person)

Gordon, Ruth, 1896-1985

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6891wb1 (person)

Actress and playwright. From the description of Ruth Gordon papers, 1924-1969 (bulk 1940-1969). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71130956 Biographical Note Ruth Gordon 1896, Oct. 30 Born, Wollaston, Mass. 1915 Appeared as Nibs in Peter Pan (play) ...

Wilder, Thornton, 1897-1975

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62b8ws0 (person)

Thornton Wilder (1897-1975), novelist and playwright. From the description of Thornton Wilder collection, 1918-1983. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 82555916 From the description of Thornton Wilder collection, 1918-1983. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702165470 Thornton Wilder was an American playwright, novelist, and essayist. From the description of Thornton Wilder collection of papers, 1926-1975 bulk (1926-1967). (New York Public Library). WorldCat rec...

Beaton, Cecil, 1904-1980

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bg2rpk (person)

Cecil Beaton, theatrical designer, won the 1960 Tony Award for costume design for his work on SARATOGA. He was also nominated for best scenic designer for the same production. From the guide to the Costume designs for Saratoga, 1959, (The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.) B. in London, 1904;d. January 18, 1980. From the description of Cecil Beaton : Artist File. (International Center of Photography). WorldCat record id: 539084703 Eng...

Olivier, Laurence, 1907-1989

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65q5j04 (person)

English actor. From the description of Autograph letters signed (5) : London and Naples, to Denys Blakelock, 1947-1953. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270872061 From the description of Autograph letter signed : "South Indian Ocean" [on the way to Australia], to Denys Blakelock, 1947 Mar. 9. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270872063 From the description of Typed letter signed (8) : London, to Denys Blakelock, 1948-1964. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270874989 ...

Robertson, W. Graham (Walford Graham), 1866-1948

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Epithet: painter and theatre designer British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000001039.0x000142 Walford Graham Robertson (1866-1948) was an English painter, writer, and collector of William Blake watercolors. From the description of Papers of W. Graham Robertson, 1875-1948. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122540425 Robertson was born on July 8, 1866;...

Rattigan, Terence

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6h136bx (person)

English dramatist. From the description of Table by the window : autograph manuscript : [England], ca. 1954. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270616332 From the description of The deep blue sea : autograph manuscript and typescript : [New York and Connecticut?], ca. 1950. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270616329 Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (1911-77) was a playwright. See the Dictionary of National Biography for further information. From the guide to the Dr...

Tarkington, Booth, 1869-1946

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6qf8tn9 (person)

"These were written at periods when Mr. Tarkington and Susanah [his wife] were in Indianapolis and they wanted to have news from Kennebunkport, Maine. We had known him very shortly after we moved to Kennebunkport in about 1917, after the war. He was known as 'the gentleman from Indiana' and was a well known author at the time the first letter in this collection was written. . . . Mr. Tarkington had rented a house in Kennebunkport for many years but decided that he would like to design his own pl...

Rankin, May.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6806ktc (person)

Fontanne, Lynn

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6jw8vws (person)