{"value"=>"<p>George Ames Plimpton (1927-2003) was a journalist, author, and literary editor best known for co-founding the <span class=\"title\">Paris Review</span>, and for his participatory style of sports writing.</p> <p>Plimpton was born in New York City on March 18, 1927. He attended St. Bernard's School and Phillips Exeter Academy before enrolling at Harvard in 1944. A year later, Plimpton was drafted into the United States Army, where he served until 1948. He earned a Bachelor's degree in English in 1950, and then went on to study at Cambridge University in England, where he earned a second Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in English.</p> <p>In 1953, Plimpton helped to found the literary magazine, <span class=\"title\">The Paris Review</span>, where he served as editor-in-chief until 2003. Plimpton was a frequent contributor to <span class=\"title\">Sports Illustrated</span>, and also penned pieces for such publications as <span class=\"title\">Esquire</span>, <span class=\"title\">Harper's</span>, <span class=\"title\">Life</span>, <span class=\"title\">The New York Review of Books</span>, <span class=\"title\">The New York Times</span>, <span class=\"title\">The New Yorker</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Playboy</span>.</p> <p>Plimpton was known for his immersive journalistic pursuits into the world of sports, some of which began as <span class=\"title\">Sports Illustrated</span> assignments, and were ultimately published as full books. Plimpton wrote of his experience pitching in a major league baseball game in <span class=\"title\">Out of My League</span> (1961); playing backup quarterback with the Detroit Lions in <span class=\"title\">Paper Lion</span> (1966); playing golf as part of the PGA tour in <span class=\"title\">The Bogey Man</span> (1967); boxing against World Light Heavyweight champion Archie Moore in <span class=\"title\">Shadow Box</span> (1977); and playing goalie with the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins in <span class=\"title\">Open Net</span> (1985). He also wrote biographical accounts of the Detroit Lions' Alex 'Mad Duck' Karras and John 'the Bear' Gordy in <span class=\"title\">Mad Ducks and Bears</span> (1973), and co-authored a biography chronicling the final season of the Green Bay Packers' Bill Curry in <span class=\"title\">One More July</span> (1977).</p> <p>Plimpton published two works of fiction in his lifetime. The first was an illustrated children's book, <span class=\"title\">The Rabbit's Umbrella</span> (1955). The second, entitled <span class=\"title\">The Curious Case of Sidd Finch</span>, was a notorious April Fool's prank that profiled a fictional pitcher, Hayden Siddhartha \"Sidd\" Finch, who could throw a 168 mile per hour fastball. The story first appeared in the page of <span class=\"title\">Sports Illustrated</span> in 1985, and was later published in expanded form as a novel in 1987.</p> <p>In addition to his sports writing, Plimpton also served as editor on a number of projects including Jean Stein's <span class=\"title\">American Journey: Life and Times of Robert Kennedy</span> (1970) and <span class=\"title\">Edie: An American Biography</span> (1982); Pierre Etchebaster's <span class=\"title\">Pierre's Book: The Game of Court Tennis</span> (1971); Diana Vreeland's <span class=\"title\">D.V.</span> (1984); and <span class=\"title\">The Norton Book of Sport</span> (1992). Plimpton also wrote biographies of Truman Capote in 1997, and of the Antarctic explorer, Ernest Shackleton, in 2003.</p> <p>Plimpton worked as a demolitions expert during his Army service, inspiring a lifelong interest in fireworks, which he routinely set off illegally at parties. In 1983, he helped to coordinate the Brooklyn Bridge 100th anniversary fireworks celebration, resulting in his appointment as unofficial fireworks commissioner of New York City by Mayor John Lindsay. Plimpton went on to publish a book on the topic called <span class=\"title\">Fireworks: A History and Celebration</span> (1984).</p> <p>Plimpton's career expanded beyond the literary world into television, film, and commercials. He made a number of cameo appearances and acted in such films as <span class=\"title\">Lawrence of Arabia</span> (1962), <span class=\"title\">Rio Lobo</span> (1970), <span class=\"title\">Reds</span> (1981), <span class=\"title\">Volunteers</span> (1985), <span class=\"title\">A Fool and His Money</span> (1989), <span class=\"title\">The Bonfire of the Vanities</span> (1990), <span class=\"title\">L.A. Story</span> (1991), <span class=\"title\">Little Man Tate</span> (1991), <span class=\"title\">Just Cause</span> (1995), <span class=\"title\">Nixon</span> (1995), <span class=\"title\">Good Will Hunting</span> (1997), and <span class=\"title\">Just Visiting</span> (2001). Plimpton was also featured in <span class=\"title\">The Tightrope Dancer</span> (1989) a documentary about the artist Vail Myers; in Ken Burns' <span class=\"title\">Baseball</span> documentary series (1991); and the boxing documentary, <span class=\"title\">When We Were Kings</span> (1996), about the 1974 Muhammad Ali and George Foreman heavyweight championship match.</p> <p>Plimpton also ventured into the sphere of music, writing the libretto for a children's opera called <span class=\"title\">Animal Tales</span>, and playing triangle, sleigh bells, and a gong on a Canadian tour with the Leonard Bernstein directed New York Philharmonic. Plimpton famously missed his triangle cue, and later hit the gong with such force that it briefly disrupted the performance. The mishap was from then on referred to as \"the Winnipeg Sound\" by Bernstein.</p> <p>Plimpton died of a heart attack on September 25, 2003. A biography, <span class=\"title\">George, Being George</span>, was edited by Nelson W. Aldrich, Jr. and released posthumously in 2008.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p>The George Plimpton papers date from 1902 to 2008 (bulk dates 1960-2003), and chronicle Plimpton's career as a writer, book editor, journalist, and actor, as well as his early life, education, military service, and family history. The collection is arranged into ten Series comprising writing and editing files; materials related to Plimpton's media projects in film, television, and advertising; files detailing his public appearances and speeches; professional and personal correspondence; research files; photographs; biographical files; datebooks; accolades and memorabilia; and audio and video recordings. Plimpton's papers detail the varied nature of the literary projects he pursued throughout his career, as well as his on screen appearances, participatory endeavors, and the creative process behind those pursuits.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The George Plimpton papers are arranged in ten series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/24586#c1568777'>Series I: Writing and Editing</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1949-2003</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>65.62 linear feet (161 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series I spans the entirety of Plimpton's professional literary career, detailing five decades of his writing and editing work. The Series comprises files from most of the books Plimpton authored or edited; shorter pieces published in books, anthologies, magazines, and newspapers; unpublished and incomplete works; and administrative materials such as contracts, agreements, and royalty statements. The Writing and Editing files primarily hold manuscripts, notes, drafts, and research files, which are arranged within each Subseries by book title or publication name.</p> <p>Subseries I.A. holds files related to books in which Plimpton was the author or co-author. It commences with Plimpton's inaugural publication, the 1955 children's book <span class=\"title\">Rabbit's Umbrella</span>, and concludes with the final book he published in his lifetime, <span class=\"title\"> Ernest Shackleton</span>. The Subseries is arranged chronologically by each book's publication date, and consists mostly of notes, research, drafts, manuscripts, photographs, correspondence, and clippings of book reviews. There is also some fan mail present in the files for <span class=\"title\">Out of my League</span>, legal papers from a court case surrounding <span class=\"title\">Mad Ducks and Bears</span>, a screenplay adapted from <span class=\"title\">The Curious Case of Sidd Finch</span>, and interview transcripts from Plimpton's biography of Truman Capote.</p> <p>The most thoroughly documented book is the Truman Capote biography, which contains alphabetically filed interviews, notes arranged by subject matter, and permission forms for each interviewee and contributor. The interview files contain a mixture of transcripts and excerpted selections that Plimpton considered for the book. Similar excerpts appear in the Notes and Research section, but are arranged by topic or chapter instead of interviewee name. Audio recordings of many of these interviews are held in Series X.</p> <p>The Editing Subseries holds files from the books in which Plimpton served as editor. These files date from 1964 to 2001 and are arranged chronologically by publication date. The Subseries holds a mixture of drafts, manuscripts, notes, research, correspondence, financial documents, permissions, and press clippings. The most comprehensive files are from <span class=\"title\">Edie</span>, the biography of Edie Sedgwick written by Jean Stein, and <span class=\"title\">D.V.</span>, which is fashion editor Diana Vreeland's autobiography. The <span class=\"title\">Edie</span> files are arranged chronologically and grouped by format, while the <span class=\"title\">D.V.</span> files comprise notes, manuscripts, drafts, financial documentation, and press clippings, which are often found in a single folder.</p> <p>Book chapters, book introductions and forwards, magazine and newspaper articles, collaborative projects, and tributes written by Plimpton are all held in Subseries I.C. Most of the files are from newspapers and magazine articles Plimpton authored, which are arranged alphabetically by publication title. These files hold notes, research, notebooks, manuscript drafts, and correspondence with the publications and publishers. Plimpton's writing appeared most frequently in <span class=\"title\">Sports Illustrated</span>, which includes some articles that were later adapted into books, most notably <span class=\"title\">The Curious Case of Sidd Finch</span> and <span class=\"title\">Shadow Box</span>. The <span class=\"title\">Sports Illustrated</span> files contain more notes and research, while the files for the subsequent books held in Subseries I.A. contain full manuscripts and more comprehensive notes and drafts.</p> <p>The Collaborative Projects files include a scrapbook, correspondence, drafts, and mission statements from <span class=\"title\">The Dynamite Museum</span>, which was a loose coalition of writers and artists that Plimpton helped to organize. Another collaborative project, <span class=\"title\">Not the New York Times</span>, contains drafts, notes, and a full issue of the satirical newspapers. Also of interest are notes and scripts from <span class=\"title\">Animal Tales</span>, the children's opera written by Plimpton in collaboration with the composer, Kitty Brazelton.</p> <p>The tributes held in Subseries I.C. contain an assortment of typed pieces, notes, and drafts of accolades, homages, and obituaries Plimpton penned for Timothy Dickinson, Willard Espy, Jimmy Grucci, and Brock Safronoff.</p> <p>Incomplete and unpublished materials are held in Subseries I.D., which consists of Early Writing; Book Projects; and Plimpton's unfinished memoir. Materials include proposals, correspondence, manuscripts, notes, and research. Much of the book projects material is devoted to an incomplete project about Barney Rosset, while much of the early writing comprises typescripts of unidentified short stories.</p> <p>The Administrative Subseries dates from 1964 to 2003, and contains book contracts, correspondence, agreements, and royalty statements. Although there is some administrative materials found with the files for individual books, Plimpton kept most of these items separate, choosing instead to file them all chronologically.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/24586#c1569177'>Series II: Media Projects</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1961-2003</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>6.75 linear feet (17 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Files pertaining to Plimpton's work in advertising, film, radio, and television are held in the Media Projects Series. These files document Plimpton's various forays as an actor, broadcast host, and product pitchman through correspondence, contracts, notes, photographs, and scripts. The Series is further arranged into four Subseries that include Administrative Files; Advertising and Commercials Files; Film Files; Radio Files; and Television Files. Each Subseries is arranged alphabetically by production title, product name, or subject matter with the exception of Subseries II.D., which exclusively holds files from Plimpton's 1971 radio show, <span class=\"title\">George Plimpton, Man About Sports</span>.</p> <p>The Series holds files from advertising campaigns for companies such as Boeing, Muzak, Nike, Oldsmobile, and Volkswagen; films such as <span class=\"title\">Lawrence of Arabia</span>, <span class=\"title\">Nixon</span>, <span class=\"title\">Reds</span>, and <span class=\"title\"> Vali, The Witch of Positano</span>; and television programs that include Disney's <span class=\"title\">Mousterpiece Theatre</span>, <span class=\"title\">Rio Lobo</span>, and a number of George Plimpton hosted specials. Many of the files in this Series contain correspondence regarding Plimpton's performances, as well as administrative materials concerning logistics and compensation. There are a number of scripts, audio transcripts, and narration scripts held in these files, which are noted in the container list when present.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/24586#c1569256'>Series III: Appearances</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1967-2003</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>4.42 linear feet (11 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series III contains files related to Plimpton's public appearances, performances, and speeches he delivered. The Series is further arranged into three Subseries: Contracts and Agreements; Events and Performances; and Speeches.</p> <p>The Events and Performances files are arranged alphabetically by subject matter or event name, and hold materials from Plimpton's public appearances, participatory exploits, and theatrical presentations. Of special interest are the USO Tour files, which contain correspondence, photographs, and a scrapbook from a United States government sponsored trip called \"Operation VIP (Visits by Interesting Personalities).\" There are numerous photographs present depicting Plimpton signing copies of <span class=\"title\">Paper Lion</span> and meeting with injured American military service members in Japan and the Philippines. Also of note are scripts from <span class=\"title\"> Zelda, Scott, and Ernest</span>, a play about the relationship between F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway, in which Plimpton played the part of F. Scott Fitzgerald.</p> <p>Subseries III.C. contains files from speeches Plimpton delivered between 1967 and 2003. There is a selection of notes and drafts from unknown speeches which are arranged chronologically, while the rest are arranged alphabetically by individual name, institution, or subject matter. The files hold notes, drafts, correspondence, and programs.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/24586#c1569309'>Series IV: Correspondence</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1935-2003</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>12.33 linear feet (30 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Plimpton's correspondence, which dates from 1935 to 2003, is held in Series IV. The bulk of the correspondence is arranged chronologically in Subseries IV.A. The other Subseries consist of alphabetically arranged correspondence; family correspondence; and fan mail.</p> <p>Among the alphabetical correspondence is letters from Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer, Paul Newman, John Steinbeck, William Styron, and former presidents John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Plimpton also kept a file called \"Very Peculiar Correspondence,\" where he collected unusual unsolicited letters from readers and individuals with whom he was not acquainted.</p> <p>The Family correspondence, which dates from 1935 to 2002, includes many letters to and from Plimpton's immediate family and close relatives. Of special interest is a group of letters Plimpton wrote to his parents, Francis T.P. Plimpton and Pauline Ames, where he discusses his experiences at boarding school in the early 1940s. The Family correspondence is arranged alphabetically by correspondent name.</p> <p>Much of the Fan Mail addresses Plimpton's books, <span class=\"title\">Paper Lion</span>, <span class=\"title\">Bogey Man</span>, <span class=\"title\">Mad Ducks and Bears</span>, and <span class=\"title\">One for the Record</span>; his 1970s television specials; and his articles for <span class=\"title\">Sports Illustrated</span>. Some of the letters, especially those from school children, includes Plimpton's replies.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/24586#c1569378'>Series V: Research Files</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1950-2003</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>7.5 linear feet (18 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Plimpton's Research Files, which comprise notes, notebooks, and subject files, are held in Series V. There is a large cache of notes and notebooks which are unlabeled and cannot be associated with any particular project. The rest of the Research Files are arranged alphabetically by topic. Although it is typically not clear if these files pertain to a certain piece of writing, project, or appearance, they do all hold extensive notes on the assigned topic.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/24586#c1569415'>Series VI: Photographs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1902-2003</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>5.21 linear feet (15 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series VI contains photographs, most of which depict Plimpton, and also include images of his family, friends, and associates. The photographs date from 1902 to 2003, and are arranged alphabetically by subject matter. The Series contains images from Plimpton's books, media projects, participatory endeavors, and public appearances, as well as depictions of his travels and military service. There is a selection of photographs entitled \"friends and writers,\" which includes images of Plimpton with George H.W. Bush, Edward Kennedy, Norman Mailer, and Arthur Schlesinger. Additionally, there are numerous images of the Plimpton family, including photographs of his elder relatives taken in the early 1900s. Among the photographs from Plimpton's youth is a scrapbook of images from his Army service dating from 1945 to 1956.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/24586#c1569467'>Series VII: Biographical Files</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1912-2008</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>13.92 linear feet (35 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Items that provide insight into Plimpton's personal history, including his education, military service, and extended family, all comprise the Biographical Files of Series VII. This Series is arranged into five Subseries, which includes Education; Military; Plimpton Family; Scrapbooks; and <span class=\"title\">George Being George</span>.</p> <p>The Education Subseries contains materials from Plimpton's attendance at St. Bernard's School, Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard, and University of Cambridge. The files include class notes, notebooks, some school assignments, diplomas, and a few assorted photographs.</p> <p>The Military files hold administrative documents, itineraries, service records, and Plimpton's discharge documents, while the Plimpton Family files comprise various research materials regarding Plimpton and Ames genealogy and family history.</p> <p>There are five scrapbooks present in Subseries VII.D., including two from Plimpton's youth, two that collect clippings about his career accomplishments, and one commemorating his 75th birthday. Plimpton assembled the youth scrapbooks between 1936 and 1944. They hold such items as drawings, invitations, newspaper clippings, photographs, and some original writing by Plimpton. The 75th birthday scrapbook is mostly an assemblage of writings and dedications to Plimpton by his friends and family.</p> <p>The <span class=\"title\">George Being George</span> files are from a posthumous oral history biography that was researched and compiled by Nelson W. Aldrich. The Subseries contains Agreements and Contracts; Interviews; Research; Drafts; Manuscripts; Galleys, a Master Set, and Proofs; Photographs; and Publicity materials. One of the most comprehensive elements of this Subseries is the Interview files, which includes transcripts of interviews with many well-known literary figures and family members recounting memorable anecdotes about Plimpton. Some noteworthy individuals included in the Interview files are Harold Bloom, Ken Burns, Robert Gottlieb, Hugh Heffner, Alex Karras, Fran Lebowitz, Neil Leifer, Norman Mailer, Peter Matthiessen, Philip Roth, James Salter, Bob Silvers, William Styron, Gore Vidal, and Tom Wolfe. Audio recordings of many of the interviews conducted for this book are also held in Series X.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/24586#c1569499'>Series VIII: Datebooks</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1950-2003</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>6.0 linear feet (13 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Plimpton kept track of his many appointments, meetings, and social functions in annual datebooks beginning in 1950. These datebooks are all held in Series VIII. There are datebooks present for many years up until 2003, with the exception of various gaps in the early 1950s, 1960s, and late 1970s. The Series also holds an assortment of address books, and the cards of a Rolodex. All the datebooks are arranged chronologically, with gaps in the chronology noted in the container list.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/24586#c1569514'>Series IX: Accolades and Memorabilia</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1964-2003</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>3.8 linear feet (8 boxes, 1 oversize folder)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This Series holds an assortment of Awards earned by Plimpton; Artwork; a variety of Memorabilia; and Memorials and Tributes to Plimpton. Among the Awards and Certificates are assorted medals, the George Polk Memorial Award, a City of Pittsburgh Proclamation, Signet Society Medal for Achievement in the Arts, Officier de L'Ordres des Arts et des Lettres, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Citation. There is also a commemorative pair of bronzed cleats presented to Plimpton by the Footware Council in 1978.</p> <p>The Artwork is primarily a collection of drawings and illustrations, most of which are David Levine caricatures of Plimpton. Other artists held in this Subseries include Ed Arno, Frank Johnson, Al Smith, Arnold Roth, Donald Reilly, and D. Whitten.</p> <p>The Memorabilia comprises a variety of items related to topics on which Plimpton wrote. The items include a Leonard Bernstein record sleeve that is inscribed to Plimpton by Bernstein, a group of used boxing gloves, a boxing robe that has Muhammad Ali's name embroidered on the back and Plimpton's on the front, and a New York City Fireworks commissioner poster. Documentation of the memorabilia's provenance is not included in the collection.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/24586#c1755670'>Series X: Audio and Moving Image</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1962-2009</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>898 audio_recordings. 491 video_recordings</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Audio and video recordings are held in series X. Included are a large number of interviews from <span class=\"title\"> Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career</span>, <span class=\"title\">D.V.</span>, and <span class=\"title\">George Being George</span>; various recordings from Plimpton's work in advertising and commercials; recordings from his appearances and public speaking events; a variety of videos of fireworks displays; and some posthumous tributes to Plimpton.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}