- unitid
-
{"value"=>"*T-Mss 1973-005", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"22616", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"b20767200", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1932-1970", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1932/1970"}
{"value"=>"1930s-1940s", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1930/1949"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Joseph O. Kesselring writings"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"4.62 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"11 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- repository
-
{"id"=>"THE", "value"=>"Billy Rose Theatre Division"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Joseph Otto Kesselring (1902-1967) was an American dramatist best known for his successful play Arsenic and Old Lace (1941). The Joseph O. Kesselring writings date from 1932 to 1970 and contain scripts and short stories."}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p>Joseph O. Kesselring writings, *T-Mss 1973-005. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Kesselring, Joseph, 1902-1967", "type"=>"persname", "role"=>"creator"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Joseph Otto Kesselring (1902-1967) was an American dramatist. In 1922, Kesselring taught vocal music and directed stage productions at Bethel College in Newton, Kansas. He left academia after a couple of years to pursue acting and writing. Kesselring wrote short stories, and worked for a few years with an amateur theatrical group in Niagara, New York. In 1933, he settled as a freelance dramatist, and authored twelve original plays during his career. Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men (1933) was his first play to be produced; four other plays were later produced on Broadway: There's Wisdom in Women (1935), Arsenic and Old Lace (1941), Four Twelves Are 48 (1951), and Mother of That Wisdom (1963). Kesselring is best known for his successful play Arsenic and Old Lace (1941), which was also produced in other countries and adapted to television and film. In 1932, Kesselring married Charlotte Elsheimer. He died in 1967 in New York.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Joseph O. Kesselring writings date from 1932 to 1970 (bulk dates 1930s-1940s) and document his career as an American dramatist. His original writing is represented through scripts and short stories.</p> <p>Arsenic and Old Lace (1941) is the most prominent play in this collection. There are several versions of the script with accompanying edits and notes, including the original \"Bodies in Our Cellar\" draft. The television adaptation is represented with a script written by Robert Hartung, and rehearsal schedules for the 1962 Hallmark Hall of Fame production. There are also a few published versions of the play, and a program from the 1969 Pitlochry Festival Theatre production.</p> <p>Scripts for the plays Appleby, Maker of Men (1933), There's Wisdom in Women (1935) Four Twelves Are 48 (1951), and Mother of That Wisdom (1963) are also included in this collection. Kesselring's wife, Charlotte E. Kesselring, annotated many of the scripts to record copyrights, draft dates, and notes about transcriptions.</p> <p>There are also several short stories typescripts such as \"Hills of Kansas,\" \"The Black Puncher,\" \"Heads We Win,\" and \"To Walk the Night.\" Most of the short stories include a word count and Kesselring's address, but it is not discernible if they were ever published or developed into plays.</p>"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection is arranged alphabetically by file type: scripts and short stories.</p>"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by Lewis D. Solomon, 1973.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"type"=>"processing", "value"=>"<p>Compiled by <span class=\"name\">Joyce Joseph</span>, <span class=\"date\">2014</span>.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Theatre Division at theatre@nypl.org.</p>"}
- dsc_type
-
combined
- date_start
-
1930
- keydate
-
1930
- date_end
-
1970
- date_inclusive_start
-
1932
- date_inclusive_end
-
1970
- date_bulk_start
-
1930
- date_bulk_end
-
1949
- extent_statement
-
4.62 linear feet (11 boxes)