- unitid
-
{"value"=>"20877", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1929-1989", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1929/1989"}
{"value"=>"1945-1985", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1945/1985"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1929
- date_inclusive_end
-
1989
- keydate
-
1929
- date_start
-
1929
- date_end
-
1989
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Earl Sydnor papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>".7 lin. ft. (1 archival box, 1 oversize)"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division.</span> <div class=\"address\"> <span class=\"addressline\">Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture</span> <span class=\"addressline\">515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801</span></div>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Actor, Earl Sydnor appeared on and off-Broadway, on television, and in film. He began his acting career after performing with the New Jersey Federal Theatre Company. Throughout his career, he worked with Katherine Dunham, Ethel Waters, Henry Fonda, James Earl Jones, and Lou Gossett, Jr. in various plays such as \"Cabin in the Sky,\" \"Kiss The Boys Goodbye,\" \"First Monday in October\" and the films, \"The Emperor Jones\" and \"Take A Giant Step.\" As a young man Sydnor wrote poetry and several of his poems were published in black literary magazines. Sydnor died on July 9, 1989. Papers documenting the acting career of Earl Sydnor. The papers are divided in two series, Personal and Professional, which include correspondence, biographical material, newspaper articles and reviews, and playbills. Additionally, there are two scrapbooks dealing with his acting career and service in the Army Air Force in 1943. A third scrapbook relates to his appearance, with his wife Virginia, in \"The American Home\" magazine in 1945, which became a controversial issue because the magazine had never featured blacks before."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"Materials in English"}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p>Earl Sydnor papers, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Sydnor, Earl, 1907-1989", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Earl Lawson Sydnor, actor, was born in Wayne, Pennsylvania in 1907, and grew up in Orange, New Jersey. His family moved to Boston where he attended the Dana School for Drama where his acting talent was realized. Two years in succession, Sydnor won the Boston Players Jabberwock Competition until he was asked not to compete for fear that other actors would not run.</p> <p>Sydnor attended Brookwood College in Katonah, New York on scholarship where he studied labor relations and journalism. He also studied poetry with noted poet and teacher, Robert Hillyer, at Harvard University. Much of his poetry was published in literary magazines such as <em render=\"italic\">The Sign</em>, a National Catholic magazine, and <em render=\"italic\">The Saturday Evening Quill</em>, the publication of the Saturday Evening Quill Club of black writers in Boston.</p> <p>In 1941, Earl married his first wife, Virginia Williams. They settled in New York where he pursued his acting and writing careers.</p> <p>During the Depression, Sydnor performed with the New Jersey Federal Theatre Company (WPA Federal Theatre Project) in the production of <em render=\"italic\">The Trial of Dr. Beck</em>. This play, in 1937, ignited his acting career. Soon thereafter, Sydnor landed a part in the first of the then famous Lew Leslie's <em render=\"italic\">Blackbirds</em> shows on Broadway. His other Broadway credits include <em render=\"italic\">Kiss the Boys Goodbye, Cabin in the Sky</em> with Ethel Waters and Katherine Dunham, <em render=\"italic\">The Skin of our Teeth</em> with Tallulah Bankhead, <em render=\"italic\">Detective Story, Sweet Bird of Youth</em> with Paul Newman, <em render=\"italic\">I Never Sang For My Father</em>, and <em render=\"italic\">First Monday in October</em> with Henry Fonda. He performed in repertory theatres at the Boston Arts Festival, Syracuse Stage, The Goodman Theatre in Chicago, and Lincoln Center. Among his off-Broadway and summer stock performances are the plays, <em render=\"italic\">The Black Terror, Take a Giant Step</em> with Lou Gossett, <em render=\"italic\">The Emperor Jones</em> with James Earl Jones, and <em render=\"italic\">The Little Foxes</em>.</p> <p>Sydnor also appeared in television shows and in films. His television appearances included: The Defenders, the Hallmark Playhouse, The Last of the Belles, The Silence, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, and soap operas As the World Turns, Love of Life, and Young Doctor Malone. His movie credits included <em render=\"underline\">Funny Girl, Up the Down Staircase, Requiem for a Heavyweight, The Hustler</em>, and <em render=\"underline\">The Suspect</em>. In addition, Sydnor was the commercial advertising representative for Uncle Ben's Rice in France, Greece, and Guadalupe.</p> <p>Sydnor was called to serve in the armed forces in 1943, where he was a First Sergeant in Army Squadron D (an all black Unit) in the 1504th Army Air Force Base Unit, stationed in Fairfield, California. A trained photographer, Sydnor had developed a specialty in photographing babies, however, while in the service he was assigned to make training pictures for the Army.</p> <p>In May 1945, Sydnor and his wife, Virginia, were featured in <em render=\"italic\">The American Home</em>, a popular decorating magazine of the day. <em render=\"italic\">The American Home</em> until then, had never done a feature spread on blacks. The article, \"They Put the Difference in War Bonds\", detailed the artistic and inventive home of a New York couple on a meager budget who purchased war bonds to help the war effort overseas. It made no mention of the Sydnors' race, however, the article included pictures of the couple in their home. This resulted in a flood of correspondence, both pro and con, from the magazine's readers.</p> <p>Sydnor met his second wife, the former Lucille Altman in 1963. After starring in many roles in various venues, Earl Sydnor died in New York City on July 9, 1989.</p>"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>Papers organized into two series: I. Personal; II. Professional</p>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection was donated by Earl Sydnor in 1983; additional papers were donated by his wife, Lucille Sydnor in 1990.</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>The item (s) listed below have been sent to the division indicated, either to be retained or disposed of there. Any items that should receive special disposition are clearly marked.</p> <p>Schomburg Art and Artifacts Division:</p> <p>Calender Movie Advertisement and Product Advertisements</p> <p>Schomburg Photographs and Print Division:</p> <p>39 Photographs, 1 Box of Photos</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"type"=>"processing", "value"=>"<p>Processed by Andrea R. Jackson/ Diana Lachatanere, November 2001</p>"}
- bibliography
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"bibref\">\"Actor Earl Sydnor, 81 Dies After Long Illness\". <em render=\"italic\">New York Amsterdam News</em>. July 22, 1989: 33.</span> <span class=\"bibref\">Klotman, Phyllis Rauch. <em render=\"italic\">Frame By Frame - A Black Filmography</em>. Indiana Univ. Press (Bloomington, IN), 1979.</span> <span class=\"bibref\">Peterson, Bernard Jr. <em render=\"italic\">A Century of Musicals in Black and White, An Encyclopedia of Musical Stage Works By, About, or Involving African Americans</em>. Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1993.</span> <span class=\"bibref\">Woll, Allen. <em render=\"italic\">Dictionary of the Black Theatre, Broadway, off-Broadway, and Selected Harlem Theatre</em>. Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1983.</span>"}
- note
-
{"type"=>"did", "value"=>"Photographs transferred to the Photographs and Print Division"}
{"type"=>"did", "value"=>"Calendar and movie advertisement transferred to Art and Artifacts Division"}
- extent_statement
-
.7 linear feet (1 archival box, 1 oversize)
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Earl Sydnor papers are arranged in two series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/20877#c1117658'>Personal</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Personal series includes biographical materials, general correspondence, and a souvenir booklet from the Air Transport Command, Pacific Division, of the Army Air Force (AAF). The series also contains correspondence regarding his appearance in <em render=\"italic\">The American Home</em> Magazine in 1945, and a scrapbook (volume 2) documenting the article and the ensuing controversy.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/20877#c1117664'>Professional</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Professional series contains correspondence regarding his acting career. Also in this series are articles, reviews, and programs related to the productions in which he appeared. Sydnor's published and unpublished poetry and short stories are also in this series, along with two scrapbooks - volume 1 documenting his acting career and WWII service, and volume 3 recording his professional endeavors.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- date_bulk_start
-
1945
- date_bulk_end
-
1985