- unitid
-
{"value"=>"*T-Vim 2002-020", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"21629", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1935-1990", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1935/1990"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Alvin Colt designs"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"3.75 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"14 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"=>"Alvin Colt is an award-winning costume and scenic designer that has worked in film, television and theater. The collection consists mainly of costume designs for television productions from the 1970s and 1980s, but also includes scenic designs for stage productions drawn early in his career (1935-1947)."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p>Alvin Colt Designs, *The Vim 2002-050. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Colt, Alvin", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Alvin Colt was born in Louisville, Kentucky on July 5, 1915. He received his drama training in Yale's Department of Drama (1934-37), where he was the youngest member of his class. After working in summer theater, he moved to New York and was soon told (by legendary costume designer Irene Sharaff) to forget about the theater and \"Go and live a happy and peaceful life.\" Disregarding this advice, and began designing for what is now the New York City Ballet Company. His early experiences in designing for ballet made him a natural choice for the 1944 Broadway show <span class=\"title\">On the Town</span>. <span class=\"title\">On the Town</span> was based on the Jerome Robbins ballet, <span class=\"title\">Fancy Free</span>, and was Colt's Broadway debut.</p> <p>Colt worked steadily both on and off-Broadway throughout the 1940s. Two of his notable works include a 1946 Mercury Production of <span class=\"title\">Around the World in 80 Days</span> (produced, written and directed by Orson Welles), and the design of over 200 costumes for <span class=\"title\">Music in My Heart</span> in 1947. In 1950 Colt was asked to design costumes for the smash-hit <span class=\"title\">Guys & Dolls</span>. The librettist, Abe Burrows, had seen Colt's designs for <span class=\"title\">On the Town</span> and thought they \"looked like real New York people\". In 1953 the 6 foot 6 inch designer from Louisville was aptly chosen to design for <span class=\"title\">The Tall Kentuckian</span>. He also helped to found the Phoenix Theatre. His work with the Phoenix included <span class=\"title\">Madam, Will You Walk</span> with Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, 1954's cult musical <span class=\"title\">The Golden Apple</span>, and the legendary revival of <span class=\"title\">The Sea Gull</span> with Montgomery Clift, his longtime friend Kevin McCarthy, and Maureen Stapleton.</p> <p>1956 brought greater recognition to Colt with a Tony Award for Costume Design for <span class=\"title\">Pipe Dream</span>, and an Antoinette Perry Award for Distinguished Work in the New York Theater. That year he also designed costumes for the Broadway production of <span class=\"title\">Li'l Abner</span>, which he would rework for the film version only three years later. Colt expanded into designing for television in 1961 with <span class=\"title\">The Enchanted Nutcracker</span>. He continued to work in television occasionally throughout the 1960s but it was the 1970s and 1980s that saw his true focus on the medium. His varied productions included Awards shows such as the Emmy s and the Tonys, many specials, and a 13-hour historical drama called <span class=\"title\">The Adams Chronicles</span>.</p> <p>In the 1990s Colt returned to the theater, and in 1994 began an ongoing relationship with the off-Broadway review <span class=\"title\">Forbidden Broadway</span> that continues to this day. He received the Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award in Costume Design from the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) in 1996, and in 2001 he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The designs of Alvin Colt include both costume and scenic works. The costume designs were made for television productions, the bulk of which are from the 1970s and 1980s. They are mounted and often have fabric samples attached. The scenic designs are from an earlier period of Colt's career, 1935-1947, and consist mainly of sketches for theater sets. There is also a folder of photographs of stage sets done for Eltch's Garden Theatre.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Alvin Colt designs are arranged in two series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21629#c315787'>Series I: Costume Designs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1961-1990</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>12 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains costume design sketches and watercolors, often accompanied by fabric samples, made for various television productions.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21629#c315825'>Series II: Scenic Designs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1935-1947</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>2 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains Colt's earlier works. It includes scenic design sketches and watercolors, as well as some photographs of the actual scenery. (Though there is no show that includes both a photograph and the design sketch.)</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p> <ul class=\"list\"> <li>Series I: Costume Designs</li> <li>Series II: Scenic Designs</li></ul></p>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Alvin Colt Designs were donated by Alvin Colt in 2002.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Jennifer Winters; Machine-readable finding aid created by Mary Ellen Rogan and Jennifer Winters.</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
-
1935
- keydate
-
1935
- date_end
-
1990
- date_inclusive_start
-
1935
- date_inclusive_end
-
1990