- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"17 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"28 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- unitid
-
{"value"=>"*T-Mss 1981-001", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"21735", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"circa 1907-1980", "type"=>"inclusive", "certainty"=>"approximate", "normal"=>"1907/1980"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1907
- date_inclusive_end
-
1980
- keydate
-
1907
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Richard and Edith Barstow papers"}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</span> <span class=\"subarea\">Billy Rose Theatre Division.</span> <div class=\"address\"> <span class=\"addressline\">New York, New York</span></div>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"The Richard and Edith Barstow Papers document the careers of the sister and brother, both as dancers, then as choreographers and directors, for stage, screen, television, the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, nightclubs, and industrial shows."}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p>Richard and Edith Barstow Papers, *T-Mss 1981-001. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Barstow, Richard", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Choreographer, director, dancer, and composer Richard Barstow was born in Ashtabula, Ohio on April 1, 1908, the youngest of seven children of British immigrants. He began his varied show business career as a dancer, going on to direct and choreograph for the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, industrial shows, and for stage, film, and television productions.</p> <p>Born with a clubfoot, Richard Barstow was pronounced fully \"cured\" by the age of six, after surgery and a determined course of physical therapy (including writing with his toes). During his convalescence, Barstow's older sister and future professional partner, Edith, born in 1907, would show him dance steps she was learning in ballet class at a dance school across the street from the family's home, by then in Seattle. (Thomas Barstow, Richard and Edith’s father, had been killed in a railroad accident while Richard was still an infant.)</p> <p>Richard Barstow attended school only through the second grade. By the time Barstow was seven, he and Edith were appearing in a vaudeville dance act with their sisters, called \"The Five Barstows.\" The group played the Pantages vaudeville circuit on the west coast. After several years, only Richard and Edith remained in the act. The two continued to dance together in such places as Al Capone's saloons in Chicago, in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in Europe and Australia, until Edith left the act planning to be married. (It is unclear if the marriage ever took place.) Edith and Richard Barstow would continue to work together on numerous projects, such as the circus and industrial shows, throughout their careers.</p> <p>Richard Barstow settled in Chicago and found work at the Palmer House with Eddie Duchin's revue, learning choreography and directing. Both Barstows also choreographed for the Merriel Abbott dancers. Barstow also served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he played the drums and wrote songs.</p> <p>Although Richard Barstow had never even seen a circus, he was hired in 1949 by John Ringling North of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, to direct and choreograph. He continued in this capacity for twenty-nine years and even wrote a number of songs for the circus. Until her death in 1960, Edith also assisted her brother in staging and directing the circus. Richard Barstow also staged the circus production numbers for Cecil B. DeMille's Oscar winning film <span class=\"title\">The Greatest Show on Earth</span> (1952).</p> <p>Barstow's Broadway credits include the choreography and musical staging for <span class=\"title\">Barefoot Boy with Cheek</span>(1947), a musical comedy by Sidney Lippman and Sylvia Dee, Leonard Sillman's revue, <span class=\"title\">New Faces of 1952</span>, featuring Robert Clary, Alice Ghostley, Eartha Kitt, Carol Lawrence, and Paul Lynde. (He also worked on the 1954 film version.) Edith Barstow assisted with the choreography for <span class=\"title\">New Faces of 1952</span>. Richard Barstow also choreographed Broadway revivals of Noel Coward's <span class=\"title\">Tonight at 8:30</span>(1948) with Gertrude Lawrence, and Jerome Kern's <span class=\"title\">Sally</span> (1948).</p> <p>Barstow’s other stage work includes choreography for numerous summer theater productions, including a summer (1948) at the Municipal Opera in St. Louis, Missouri, directing several musicals at the Jones Beach Marine Theatre on Long Island, including <span class=\"title\">Song of Norway</span> in 1959, and <span class=\"title\">Annie Get Your Gun</span> starring Lucie Arnaz in 1978.</p> <p>The Barstows’ work in nightclubs included staging a Latin Quarter nightclub show (1965) and acts for numerous performers such as Janet Blair, George Jessel, and Lisa Kirk. They also staged ice shows as <span class=\"title\">Champagne on Ice</span> (1953) for the British skating star Belita, as well as <span class=\"title\">Icelandia</span> (1949).</p> <p>For Judy Garland, Richard Barstow staged and choreographed several of her concerts, including two of her New York appearances: the first at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1959, the second <span class=\"title\">Judy Garland at Home at the Palace</span>(1967). He also choreographed and staged the musical numbers for the 1954 version of <span class=\"title\">A Star Is Born,</span> considered one of Garland's most important films. Richard Barstow also staged the dances for <span class=\"title\">The Girl Next Door</span> (1953), a film with June Haver and Dan Dailey.</p> <p>Richard and Edith Barstow's extensive work for industrial shows includes producing, directing, staging, choreographing, writing, and composing for several editions of General Motors’ <span class=\"title\">Motorama</span> in the early 1950s, and <span class=\"title\">Powerama</span> in Chicago (1955). Richard Barstow, a non-driver, also wrote a song \"I Am Not Dreaming,\" adopted by Cadillac as its theme. The Barstows also choreographed for <span class=\"title\">The Best of Broadway,</span>a television series in 1954, including an episode featuring Ethel Merman in <span class=\"title\">Panama Hattie</span> by Cole Porter. Television personalities for whom Richard Barstow worked include Fred Allen, Milton Berle, Eddie Cantor, Dave Garroway, Brenda Lee, Jane Morgan, Ed Wynn, and others.</p> <p>Edith Barstow’s television work included working as choreographer and staging director for <span class=\"title\">Garroway-at- Large</span> with Dave Garroway. She also did the choreography for <span class=\"title\">Frankie Laine Time</span>(1956).</p> <p>With Edith, Barstow also produced and directed <span class=\"title\">M.O.D.</span>(a.k.a. <span class=\"title\">The Rainbow Years</span>), a star-studded event in 1958, marking the twentieth anniversary of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, i.e., the March of Dimes. Performers such as Don Ameche, Eddie Cantor, Lillian Gish, and Rudy Vallee were featured. Richard Barstow also directed and choreographed the <span class=\"title\">Symphony of Fashion</span> in 1950 in St. Louis, Missouri.</p> <p>A number of unusual accomplishments--including walking four and a half miles on his toes in 1928 (winning $500), and balancing himself with one toe stuck in a bottle--earned Barstow a record number of mentions in Robert Ripley's <span class=\"title\">Believe It or Not</span> newspaper column.</p> <p>After a series of heart attacks, Richard Barstow died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City on May 2, 1981.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection contains correspondence, production materials, clippings, programs, scrapbooks, photographs, scripts, contracts, plans, and notebooks documenting the careers of Richard and Edith Barstow, both as dancers, and later as directors and choreographers. There are virtually no personal materials in the papers. Much of the material relates primarily to Richard; however, because of Richard and Edith’s lifelong professional collaboration, the papers also reflect Edith’s work.</p> <p>Of particular note is the large amount of material on the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus and the General Motors’ industrial shows, <span class=\"title\">Motorama</span> (1953-1955) and <span class=\"title\">Powerama</span>(1955). There are also a number of items relating to the 1954 Judy Garland film <span class=\"title\">A Star Is Born</span>, for which Richard Barstow staged the musical numbers. A number of oversized scrapbooks of clippings and programs contain additional materials documenting the Barstows’ professional activities.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Richard and Edith Barstow papers are arranged in six series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21735#c441383'>Series I: Personal Papers, and</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1916 - 1980</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains correspondence, programs, publicity materials, and clippings relating to Richard and Edith Barstow. The correspondence concerns professional activities and includes letters to and from the Barstows, both together and individually. There are notes from Fred Allen, Vivian Blaine, Dave Garroway, Arthur Godfrey, Phyllis McGuire, Eileen and Ole Olsen, and Harry Ruby.</p> <p>The programs and clippings span the Barstows’ careers: from their earliest days in the family vaudeville act, The Five Barstows, then as a dance team touring the U.S., Europe, and Australia, to directing and choreographing in the 1960s. (Specific productions in which Richard and Edith Barstow appeared are filed in the Productions series.) Of particular note is the two-part profile of Richard Barstow in <span class=\"title\">The New Yorker</span> (April 20 and April 27, 1957).</p> <p>Included in this series are a number of papers on Richard Barstow, such as writings, drawings and sketches by and of Richard Barstow, awards, a list of music copyrights, a transcript of a radio interview with Ruth Moss in 1937, and papers from Barstow’s U.S. Army tour of duty at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. At Camp McCoy, Barstow co-authored a newspaper column, as well as a radio program, <span class=\"title\">It’s the McCoy</span>, that helped raise money during World War II.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21735#c441420'>Series II: Circus, and</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1951 - 1977</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>4.5 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series includes mostly production materials, programs, and clippings for the Red and Blue Units of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, which Richard Barstow staged with Edith’s assistance. Richard Barstow’s production notes often include diagrams and written notes on the various circus routines, such as the Opening, “Spec,” “Menage,” “Web,” and Finale. There are several notebooks with copies of costume designs, including some by Miles White, published sheet music with songs by John Ringling North and Henry Sullivan, and a folder of memorabilia, including a publicity brochure autographed by aerialist Philippe Petit. Additional circus materials may be found in the Photographs, Oversized, and Scrapbooks series.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21735#c441506'>Series III: Productions, and</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>4.5 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series consists of scripts, programs, clippings, production, and publicity materials for stage, screen, nightclubs, and industrial shows on which the Barstows worked. Most of the productions in this series are those they staged and choreographed, but several specific productions in which they appeared are also included.</p> <ul> <li>Sub-series 1: Nightclubs</li> <li>Sub-series 2: Summer Theater</li> <li>Sub-series 3: Automobile Shows</li> <li>Sub-series 4: General</li></ul></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21735#c441648'>Series IV: Photographs, and</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1907 - 1980</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1.5 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series includes early portraits and publicity photographs of Richard and Edith Barstow, including their tours of the U.S. and abroad, and several photographs of The Five Barstows. Circus photos include photos of animals, clowns, performers, and personnel. Of particular interest are two benefit performances: one for the Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation (March 1955), and <span class=\"title\">UNICEF Night at the Greatest Show on Earth</span> (March 23, 1970). A few of the celebrities photographed include Louis Armstrong, Sid Caesar, Marlene Dietrich, Henry Fonda, Gypsy Rose Lee, Danny Kaye, and Ed Sullivan.</p> <p>There are also photos of nightclub shows, automobile shows, stage and film productions such as <span class=\"title\">Symphony of Fashion</span>, St. Louis, Missouri (1950), <span class=\"title\">Panama Hattie</span> by Cole Porter for television’s <span class=\"title\">The Best of Broadway</span>(1954), and the film <span class=\"title\">A Star Is Born</span> (1954). Additional photographs can be found in the Oversized and Scrapbooks series.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21735#c441693'>Series V: Oversized, ca. and</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1917 - 1978</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>10 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains photographs, papers, floor plans, and designs. There are early portraits of Richard and Edith Barstow, including several photos from their tours. The circus is especially well-documented with a number of photos, programs from the 1970s, notebooks, plans, and copies of designs. There are floor plans for <span class=\"title\">Song of Norway</span> at Jones Beach Marine Theater (1958), of the Coliseum, New York City, <span class=\"title\">Motorama</span> (1954, 1955), and <span class=\"title\">Powerama</span> (1955). There are also a number of photographs and some papers for the 1954 film <span class=\"title\">A Star Is Born</span>.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21735#c441756'>Series VI: Scrapbooks</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1922 - 1956</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>6 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The scrapbooks contain programs, clippings, some photos, greeting cards, telegrams, productions relating to the Barstows’ careers. Loose scrapbook materials have been filed In the appropriate series by topic. Oversized loose clippings have been filed with the scrapbook</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p> <ul> <li>Series I: Personal Papers</li> <li>Series II: Circus</li> <li>Series III: Productions <ul> <li>Sub-series 1 - Nightclubs</li> <li>Sub-series 2 - Summer Theater</li> <li>Sub-series 3 - Automobile Shows</li> <li>Sub-series 4 - General</li></ul></li> <li>Series IV: Photographs</li> <li>Series V: Oversized Series</li> <li>Series VI: Scrapbooks</li></ul></p>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Richard and Edith Barstow Papers were donated to the Billy Rose Theatre Division in 1981 by Richard and Edith Barstow.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Camille Croce Dee; Machine-readable finding aid created by Camille Croce Dee.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p>The collection was originally processed sometime in the 1980s. The original finding aid indicates the classmarks MWEZ + N.C. 26 392 - 26 408 were assigned. The collection was reprocessed in April 2005 in order to integrate materials stored in different locations.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Photocopying prohibited.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>Richard Barstow Papers, 1927-1977 and Undated (Bulk Dates 1940-1977), JPB 04-37, Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</p> <p>Richard Barstow Correspondence to Morgan James, 1958-1977, *T-Mss 1981-013, The Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</p>"}
- note
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts holds related material, the Richard Barstow papers, 1927-1987 (JPB 04-37)</p>", "encodinganalog"=>"500"}
{"value"=>"<p>The Billy Rose Theatre Collection, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts holds related material, Correspondence to Morgan James, 1958-1977 (*T-Mss 1981-013)</p>", "encodinganalog"=>"500"}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- extent_statement
-
17 linear feet (28 boxes)
- date_start
-
1907
- date_end
-
1980