- Creator
- Erskine, Chester, 1905-1986
- Call number
- *T-Mss 1994-025
- Physical description
- 2.3 linear feet (6 boxes)
- Preferred Citation
Chester Erskine papers, *T-Mss 1994-025. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.
- Repository
- Billy Rose Theatre Division
- Access to materials
- Request an in-person research appointment.
Chester Erskine (1905-1986) was a director, writer, and producer for theater, film, and television. He was active from the late 1920s through the 1980s. In his early career, he wrote under the pseudonym Paul Leslie. The Chester Erskine papers (1870-1991, bulk 1930-1987) consist largely of scripts, outlines, and film treatments written by Erskine. Not all scripts were produced; some are annotated. Programs, clippings, contracts, and other materials are present for some productions. Productions represented in the collection include Double Murder, Satyr (a script for the original 1930 play and a later screenplay), The Seven Who Resisted, and The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn. A photocopy of an annotated script for Harlem (1929) is present. The collection also contains biographical material and articles about Erskine; his notes and poetry; letters to Erskine; and photographs of him and show business colleagues, including two small photographs of Spencer Tracy. One cabinet card, depicting Edwin Booth and dating to about 1870, is also present. Letters date from 1952 to 1991 and discuss Erskine's scripts as well as personal subjects. Correspondents include Robert Whitehead, Garson Kanin, Robert Parrish and his wife Kathie, Arlene Francis, Irwin Shaw, and Vivien Leigh. Some letters are addressed to Erskine's wife, Sally Erskine.
Administrative information
Source of acquisition
Donated by the estate of Sally Erskine, 1994.
Processing information
Compiled by Kit Fluker, 2014
Using the collection
Location
Billy Rose Theatre DivisionNew York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Conditions Governing Use
The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Theatre Division at theatre@nypl.org.