- unitid
-
{"value"=>"21461", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"*T-Mss 1967-005", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b14547365", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"circa 1920-1967", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1920/1967", "certainty"=>"approximate"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Paul Muni papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"11 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"4.25 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Billy Rose Theatre Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"The Paul Muni papers span the years 1920 through 1967 and consist of correspondence, photographs, clippings, scrapbooks, personal papers and writings documenting his career as an actor of stage and screen. The correspondence contains letters from many notables of the day and often discuss Muni's political and professional opinions. Correspondents include: Maxwell Anderson, Sherwood Anderson, Rex Beach, Noel Coward, Albert Einstein, Lion Feuchtwanger, John Golden, Arthur Hopkins, Helen Morgan, Dick Powell, Billy Rose and Blanche Yurka. Personal papers contain many programs and personal photographs as well as a notebook written by Muni in Hebrew or Yiddish and a sketch of him by Staats Cotsworth. Scrapbooks in the collection are primarily clippings with reviews and articles about Muni and his roles in plays and movies. However three of the scrapbooks document trips taken by him and his wife to Paris, Vienna and Israel. Other items of note include autographed photographs from friends and a photograph of Muni with Amelia Earhart on the set of The WOMAN I LOVE."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
{"value"=>"Some material is in Yiddish"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Muni, Paul, 1895-1967", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Paul Muni (Mehilem Weisenfreund), actor of stage and screen, was born in Austria on September 22, 1895. Muni's early career on the American stage was in the Yiddish theater where he acted under the name Muni Weisenfreund. His first role was in the production <span class=\"title\">Two Corpses at Breakfast</span> in 1908. During the years 1908 through 1926 he toured in Yiddish theater productions becoming a member of the Yiddish Art Theatre in 1918. Paul Muni married Bella Finkel an actress of the Yiddish theater on May 8, 1921.</p> <p> In 1926 he played Morris Levine in the play <span class=\"title\">We Americans</span> followed in 1927 by the play <span class=\"title\">Four Walls</span>. In 1930 he began using the name Paul Muni. Plays he starred in after that date include <span class=\"title\">Counseller-At-Law</span>, <span class=\"title\">Key Largo</span>, <span class=\"title\">A Flag Is Born</span>, <span class=\"title\">They Knew What They Wanted</span>, <span class=\"title\">Death of a Salesman</span> and <span class=\"title\">Inherit the Wind</span> for which he won a Tony Award.</p> <p> Muni was also a successful motion picture actor, appearing in many notable Hollywood films including <span class=\"title\">Scarface</span>,<span class=\"title\"> I Am A Fugitive From a Chain Gang</span>, <span class=\"title\">Black Fury</span>, <span class=\"title\">Dr. Socrates</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Story of Louis Pasteur</span> for which he won an Oscar in 1936, <span class=\"title\">The Good Earth</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Woman I Love</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Life of Emile Zola</span>, <span class=\"title\">We Are Not Alone</span>, <span class=\"title\">Commandos Strike At Dawn</span> and <span class=\"title\">The Last Angry Man</span>.</p> <p> Paul Muni had a great interest in the plight of European Jews and this can be seen in the correspondence with his friends and professional contacts. He starred in Ben Hecht's pageant <span class=\"title\">A Flag Is Born</span> which rallied support for Israel. Paul Muni died in California on August 25, 1967.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Paul Muni papers span the years 1920 through 1967 and consist of correspondence, photographs, clippings, scrapbooks, personal papers and writings documenting his career as an actor of stage and screen. The correspondence contains letters from many notables of the day and often discuss Muni's political and professional opinions. Correspondents include: Maxwell Anderson, Sherwood Anderson, Rex Beach, Noel Coward, Albert Einstein, Lion Feuchtwanger, John Golden, Arthur Hopkins, Helen Morgan, Dick Powell, Billy Rose and Blanche Yurka. Personal papers contain many programs and personal photographs as well as a notebook written by Muni in Yiddish containing an adaptation of a work by Sholem Aleichem and a sketch of him by Staats Cotsworth. Scrapbooks in the collection are primarily clippings with reviews and articles about Muni and his roles in plays and movies. However three of the scrapbooks document trips taken by him and his wife to Paris, Vienna and Israel. Other items of note include autographed photographs from friends and a photograph of Muni with Amelia Earhart on the set of<span class=\"title\"> The Woman I Love</span>.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Paul Muni papers are arranged in four series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21461#c302090'>Series I: Correspondence,.</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>circa 1932-1962</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains correspondence to Paul Muni from many friends, associates and business acquaintances. The letters are primarily from the 1930s and 1940s and reflect Muni's concerns for the war, the Jews in Europe and other timely issues of the era. Correspondents include Maxwell Anderson, Rex Beach and John Golden. Of special note is a copy of a letter from Albert Einstein with a translation included.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21461#c302113'>Series II: Personal Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>circa 1929-1959</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains awards given to Muni, programs from some of his productions, photographs, some personal, as well as production photographs, writings and other ephemera belonging to Paul Muni and his wife, Bella. Included as well are 2 pamphlets, one entitled <span class=\"title\">Fundamentalism vs Evolution at Dayton, Tennessee</span> and the other, <span class=\"title\">Medicine Under Mussolini</span>. Of special note is a sketch of Paul Muni done by Staats Cotsworth and a notebook written probably by Paul Muni in either Hebrew or Yiddish.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21461#c302127'>Series III: Scrapbooks</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1927-1949</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains bound volumes of clippings and photographs documenting events in Muni's life as well as his career. Three of the scrapbooks are of trips which he and his wife took to Paris, Vienna and Israel. The remaining scrapbooks contain articles and reviews for plays and movies in which Muni starred. Included in these are the plays <span class=\"title\">Four Walls</span>, <span class=\"title\">Counsellor-At-Law</span>, <span class=\"title\">Key Largo</span> and <span class=\"title\">They Knew What They Wanted</span>. Films include <span class=\"title\">Black Fury</span>, <span class=\"title\">Bordertown</span>, <span class=\"title\">The World Changes</span>, <span class=\"title\">Seven Faces</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Valiant</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Life of Emile Zola</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Good Earth</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Story of Louis Pasteur</span>, <span class=\"title\">Dr. Socrates</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Woman I Love</span>, <span class=\"title\">Juarez</span> and <span class=\"title\">We Are Not Alone</span>.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21461#c302136'>Series IV: Oversized Materials</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series is primarily oversized photographs of Paul Muni in his stage and motion picture roles. There are also some awards and press materials for the motion pictures <span class=\"title\">Commandos Strike At Dawn</span>, <span class=\"title\">Bordertown</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Valiant</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Life of Emile Zola</span> and <span class=\"title\">Scarface</span>. Of special interest is a photograph of Paul Muni and Amelia Earhart on the set of <span class=\"title\">The Woman I Love</span>.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Gift, Bella Muni, 1967</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<ol class=\"list\"> <div class=\"head\">Annotated scripts described in the New York Public Library's Research Catalog</div> <li> <span class=\"title\">Counsellor-at-Law</span> - NCOF+ (Rice, E.L. Counsellor-at-law. 1931, [smaller version, copy 1]) and NCOF+ (Rice, E.L. Counsellor-at-law. 1931, [smaller version], copy 2)</li> <li> <span class=\"title\">Home At Seven</span> - NCOF 74-123</li> <li> <span class=\"title\">Inherit the Wind</span> - NCOF+ (Lawrence, J. Inherit the wind. [New York], 1955)</li> <li> <span class=\"title\">The Last Angry Man</span> - MFLM+ (Last angry man)</li> <li> <span class=\"title\">The Light of Heart</span> - NCOF (Williams, E. Light of heart)</li> <li> <span class=\"title\">Nobel</span> - MFLM+ (Nobel. 1946 (3 v. in 1.))</li> <li> <span class=\"title\">They Knew What They Wanted</span> - NCOF 74-485</li></ol>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Mary Ellen Rogan. The collection was reprocessed and recataloged with a finding aid written both for the repository and online, January and April 2000.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Box 11 is available by appointment only.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>Lawrence and Lee Collection of Paul Muni Materials at the Harvard Theatre Collection</p>"}
- revisiondesc
-
{"value"=>"The collection was reprocessed and recataloged with a finding aid written both for the repository and the Web", "date"=>"2000 January-April"}
{"value"=>"Detailed description and frontmatter updated to include Box 11 (Ton award)", "date"=>"2026-04"}
- date_start
-
1920
- keydate
-
1920
- date_end
-
1967
- date_inclusive_start
-
1920
- date_inclusive_end
-
1967
- extent_statement
-
4.25 linear feet (11 boxes)
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Paul Muni papers, *T-Mss 1967-005. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}