- unitid
-
{"value"=>"*T-Mss 1993-041", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"21651", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1902-1985", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1902/1985"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Edith Meiser papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"7.1", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"17 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.</span><div class=\"address\"> <span class=\"addressline\">New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center</span> <span class=\"addressline\">40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498</span></div>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Edith Meiser, actress, vaudeville performer and scriptwriter is best known for her dramatization of radio programs in the 1930s and 1940s. The bulk of this collection is radio scripts written by Edith Meiser. The collection also includes many personal and business letters."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p>Edith Meiser Papers, *T Mss 1993-041, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Meiser, Edith, 1898-1993", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Edith Meiser's career spans vaudeville, Broadway, radio, and motion pictures. Her accomplishments in the fields of acting, writing and producing were most prominent in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. In addition she was on many committees and boards supporting theaters and actors. Born on May 9, 1898 in Detroit, Michigan her father was a journalist for the <span class=\"title\">Detroit Free Press</span> and her mother was an avid socialite active in many committees. She was educated at the Liggett School, Detroit; Kox Schule in Dresden, Germany; Ecole de la Cour de St. Pierre, Geneva, Switzerland; and Vassar College which she attended from 1917 to 1921. At Vasser she was the head of the dramatic society, which began her career in the performing arts. From there she performed in the American Shakespeare Festival Co., Jessie Bonstelle's Summer Stock Co. (Detroit 1921), The Theatre Guild, and was the first women to work with Sock and Buskin. She was also one of the original actors in the <span class=\"title\">Garrick Gaeities</span> revue in 1925, 1926, and 1930. From 1927-1928 she performed in Edward Albee's Keith Orpheum vaudville circuit. It was during this time that she married Thomas McKnight in Chicago, the marriage ended in divorce. With Tom and another partner she did form the McKnight and Jordan Inc, during which time in the 1930s she produced her most notable work, the dramatization of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's <span class=\"title\">Sherlock Holmes</span> for the radio. As radio drama enthusiasm waned Edith Meiser returned to the stage in the 1940s acting in a number of productions, including: <span class=\"title\">Jupiter Laughs</span> (1940); <span class=\"title\">Let's Face it</span> (1941); <span class=\"title\">Mexican Hayride</span> (1944); <span class=\"title\">Round Trip</span> (1945); <span class=\"title\">The Rich Full Life</span> (1945); <span class=\"title\">Twilight Bar</span> (1946); <span class=\"title\">The Magnificent Heel</span> (1946); <span class=\"title\">The Stars Weep</span> (1947); <span class=\"title\">I Gotta Get Out</span> (1947); <span class=\"title\">Getting Married</span> (1951); <span class=\"title\">Sabrina Fair</span> (1954); <span class=\"title\">The Magic and the Loss</span> (1954); <span class=\"title\">The Carefree Heart</span> (1955); American Shakespeare Festival productions (1956), <span class=\"title\">King John</span> and <span class=\"title\">Measure for Measure</span>; <span class=\"title\">Janus</span> (1956-57); <span class=\"title\">Happy Hunting</span> (1957); <span class=\"title\">The Unsinkable Molly Brown</span> (1960); <span class=\"title\">Murder in the Cathedral</span> (1966); National Repertory Theatre, (1968),<span class=\"title\">The Comedy of Errors</span>; <span class=\"title\">Blithe Spirit</span> (1968-69); <span class=\"title\">Pygmalion</span> (1972); Philadelphia Drama Guild, (1972), <span class=\"title\">Tartuffe</span>; <span class=\"title\">Hobson's Choice</span>(1972); <span class=\"title\">The Unsinkable Molly Brown,</span> (1973) and <span class=\"title\">A Little Night Music</span> (1976). In motion pictures she appeared in <span class=\"title\">Middle of the Night</span> (1959), <span class=\"title\">It Grows on Trees</span> (1952), <span class=\"title\">Go West, Young Lady</span> (1941), and <span class=\"title\">Glamour Boy</span> (1940). Her television appearances include <span class=\"title\">Queen for a Day</span> (1951). She wrote a novel entitled <span class=\"title\">Death Catches Up with Mr. Kluck</span> as well as authored a <span class=\"title\">Sherlock Holmes</span> comic strip published by ACG Comics in the 1950s. She was a member of the Board of Governors of the Actors Equity Association from 1954 until her death as well as chairwoman of the Equity Library Theater. Edith Meiser died Sept 26, 1993 at the Roosevelt Hotel in NYC.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The bulk of this collection is radio scripts written by Edith Meiser. While she is most famous for her dramatization of the <span class=\"title\">Sherlock Holmes</span> stories, the collection contains very few of that series' scripts. In contrast the collection has complete runs for other radio shows including <span class=\"title\">Island Boat</span> (1932), <span class=\"title\">Judge Priest</span>, <span class=\"title\">The New Penny</span> (1935-36) (a story created as a vehicle for Helen Hayes), and <span class=\"title\">Edward Taylor</span> (1930) as well as a large collection of scripts from shows including <span class=\"title\">Dr. Susan</span> (1939), <span class=\"title\">Bill Baker</span> (1937), <span class=\"title\">Polly Preston</span> (1929-30), and <span class=\"title\">Mysteries in Paris</span> (1932). Some of the actors and actresses who were featured in the radio dramatizations include Helen Hayes, Agnes Moorehead, John McGovern, Alfred Shirley, William Shelbey, among others. In addition there are scripts for adaptations of <span class=\"title\">A Christmas Carol</span>, <span class=\"title\">Gigi</span> (1973), <span class=\"title\">The Musical Wizard of Oz</span> (not complete), <span class=\"title\">This Wooden O</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Ah! Wilderness</span>. Many of the scripts have handwritten notes and corrections. The collection does not include much information on her career in vaudeville, Broadway or the movies before 1930 or after the 1940s.</p> <p>The rest of the collection contains various business letters and contracts between Edith Meiser and Tom McKnight's company McKnight and Jordan Inc. and sponsors such as G. Washington Coffee, General Foods Corp., House of Bourjois, Nathaniel Fisher Shoe Co. as well as the Library of Congress Copyright Agency, NBC, and various firms such as Cedric, Warwick & Cedric, and Ruthrauff & Ryan. On a more personal note there is a small collection of letters, photos, and mementos from Thomas McKnight's childhood as well as personal letters from Edith Meiser to Thomas McKnight directly after their marriage in 1927. In addition there are a few rough budgets for various productions and Edith Meiser's personal income budget.</p> <p>The collection is excellent for those researching radio drama in the 1930s and 40s. The collection includes timing copies, and the business transactions necessary to air the material. It gives a researcher some insight into the social and economic issues of the day such as the value of the American dollar in the 1930s since bills, contracts, and salaries are recorded within various documents. While the collection does contain mementos from Thomas McKnight's early childhood the only substantial insight into Edith Meiser's personal life is the newspaper article in <span class=\"title\">The Women's Newspaper of Princeton</span> 1985 and her private letters to her husband Thomas McKnight months after their marriage in 1927.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Edith Meiser papers are arranged in six series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21651#c321857'>Series I: Radio Scripts</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1929-1940</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>14 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains weekly episodes of many of the radio dramas written by Edith Meiser. Many contain annotated copies with timings and notes.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21651#c322304'>Series II: Other Scripts</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1973</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Included are scripts many unproduced written by Edith Meiser. Some other scripts are included.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21651#c322312'>Series III: Personal Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1902-1985</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The material in this series consists of personal items of Edith Meiser and her husband Thomas McKnight. The folder on Thomas McKnight consists mainly of old letters and tokens from Thomas' early childhood. Four folders in the series are letters from Edith Meiser to Thomas McKnight just a few months after their marriage when she was traveling the vaudeville circuit. The letters show the more personal side of Edith and her relationship towards her husband. Included in the letter is a brief inventory of Edith Meiser's expenses while traveling. While there is one or two mementos of Edith Meiser's life when she was young, the rest of the material is mainly personal letters written to and by Edith in an attempt to find a proper home for her collection of <span class=\"title\">Sherlock Holmes</span> scripts. Also included are some newspaper clippings.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21651#c322329'>Series IV: Business Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1932-1941, 1983</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>4 folders</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Materials are grouped by production or major business company. The majority of the papers consist of business letters between various companies on the production of the <span class=\"title\">Mr. Fortune</span> and <span class=\"title\">Sherlock Holmes</span>. The main companies involved are: McKnight and Jordan Inc., Cecil Warwick & Cecil, Ruthrauff & Ryan and the Library of Congress Copyright Division. All the material is typed.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21651#c322334'>Series V: Photographs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>ca. 1902-1940</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>4 folders</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Most of the material in this series is undated and unmarked. Many of the pictures seem to be of Thomas McKnight as a young boy and are in a fragile condition. In addition are some large 8 x 11 photos that were found in a folder labeled Lawes Cast Photographs.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21651#c322340'>Series VI: Ephemera</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1940, 1951</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The material in this series and has no apparent connection to other scripts, personal, or business papers. Most of the materials in this series are undated scripts.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p> <ul class=\"list\"> <li>Series I: Radio Scripts <ul class=\"list\"> <li>Sub-series 1 - <span class=\"title\">Barbara Wayne</span> (1931)</li> <li>Sub-series 2 - <span class=\"title\">Bill Baker</span> (1937)</li> <li>Sub-series 3 - <span class=\"title\">Dr. Susan</span> (1939)</li> <li>Sub-series 4 - <span class=\"title\">Edward Taylor</span> (1930)</li> <li>Sub-series 5 - <span class=\"title\">Hellinger</span> (1940)</li> <li>Sub-series 6 - <span class=\"title\">Island Boat</span> (1932)</li> <li>Sub-series 7 - <span class=\"title\">Judge Priest</span></li> <li>Sub-series 8 - <span class=\"title\">Mr. Fortune</span> (1937-1938)</li> <li>Sub-series 9 - <span class=\"title\">Mysteries in Paris</span> (1932)</li> <li>Sub-series 10 - <span class=\"title\">New Penny</span> (1935-36)</li> <li>Sub-series 11 - <span class=\"title\">O Henry</span> (1932)</li> <li>Sub-seriee 12 - <span class=\"title\">Old Gold</span> - Don Ameche (1940)</li> <li>Sub-series 13 - <span class=\"title\">Polly Preston</span> (1929-31)</li> <li>Sub-series 14 - <span class=\"title\">Rudyard Kipling</span></li> <li>Sub-series 15 - <span class=\"title\">Sherlock Holmes</span> (1932-1936)</li> <li>Sub-series 16 - <span class=\"title\">Welcome Valley</span> (1936-37)</li></ul></li> <li>Series II: Other Scripts <ul class=\"list\"> <li>Sub-series 1 - <span class=\"title\">Ah Wilderness</span></li> <li>Sub-series 2 - <span class=\"title\">Dicken's \"A Christmas Carol\"</span></li> <li>Sub-series 3 - <span class=\"title\">Gigi</span></li> <li>Sub-series 4 - <span class=\"title\">The Musical Wizard of Oz</span></li> <li>Sub-series 5 - <span class=\"title\">This Wooden O</span></li></ul></li> <li>Series III: Personal Papers</li> <li>Series IV: Business Papers</li> <li>Series VI: Ephemera</li></ul></p>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection was donated in 1993 by the Edith Meiser Foundation.</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>Audiovisual materials separated from archival collections are cataloged individually and can be found in the Library catalog. Search CATNYP, The New York Public Library catalog.</p> <ul class=\"list\"> <li>LP: <span class=\"title\">The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</span> Broadcast on NBC. <span class=\"title\">One Hour of the Legendary Sherlock Holmes</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Dying Detective and the Empty House</span> Golden Age Records 1978</li> <li>Cassette: Side A: <span class=\"title\">Hound of Baskervilles</span> Chapt. 5. First half, 15 min. Side B: <span class=\"title\">The Retired Colourman</span> 3/11/1940</li></ul>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Rachel Cohen; Machine-readable finding aid created by Rachel Cohen and Mary Ellen Rogan.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Some collections held by the Dance, Music, Recorded Sound, and Theatre Divisions at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. For general guidance about requesting offsite materials, please consult: https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/lpa/requesting-archival-materials Photocopying prohibited.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.</p>"}
- date_start
-
1902
- keydate
-
1902
- date_end
-
1985
- date_inclusive_start
-
1902
- date_inclusive_end
-
1985