- unitid
-
{"value"=>"18955", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"*T-Mss 1993-010", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b20319652", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1943-2017", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1943/2017"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Joseph Stein papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"101 boxes, 1 tube", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"42.12 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"4 audio_recordings", "unit"=>"audio_recordings"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Billy Rose Theatre Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Joseph Stein (1912-2010) was an American playwright and librettist, best known for his book for the musical <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span>. The Joseph Stein papers (1943-2017) document Stein's professional life with scripts, production materials, and business correspondence. Stein's musicals<span class=\"title\"> The Baker's Wife</span>, <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Rags</span> are extensively represented in this collection."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Stein, Joseph", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Joseph Stein was born in the Bronx, New York, on May 30, 1912. He graduated from City College of New York in 1934 and earned a master's degree in social work from Columbia University in 1937. He worked as a social worker for many years until a chance meeting with the comedian Zero Mostel led to Stein writing material for a radio show. He started writing sketches and landed one in the Broadway revue, Lend an Ear (1948).</p> <p>Stein's first full-length play on Broadway was the 1949 comedy <span class=\"title\">Mrs. Gibbon's Boys</span>, a collaboration with Will Glickman. In 1950, he wrote sketches for the revue <span class=\"title\">Alive and Kicking</span>. During the next decade he wrote the librettos for the musicals <span class=\"title\">Plain and Fancy</span> (1955), <span class=\"title\">Mr. Wonderful</span> (1956), <span class=\"title\">The Body Beautiful</span> (1958), <span class=\"title\">Juno</span> (1959), and <span class=\"title\">Take Me Along</span> (1959).</p> <p>In 1963, Stein adapted actor and comedian Carl Reiner's semi-autobiographical novel, <span class=\"title\">Enter Laughing</span> (1958), into a hit Broadway comedy. Stein wrote the screenplay for the 1967 film version of <span class=\"title\">Enter Laughing</span>, as well as the libretto for the 1976 musical version, <span class=\"title\">So Long, 174th Street</span>. During the 1950s and 1960s Stein also wrote material for several television shows, most notably <span class=\"title\">Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows</span>.</p> <p>In 1964, Stein wrote the libretto for <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span>, and he later wrote the screenplay for the 1971 film version. After <span class=\"title\">Fiddler</span>, Stein wrote librettos for such musicals as <span class=\"title\">Zorba</span> (1968), <span class=\"title\">Irene</span> (1973), <span class=\"title\">King of Hearts</span> (1978), <span class=\"title\">Carmelina</span> (1979), and <span class=\"title\">Rags</span> (1986). Stein wrote librettos for some musicals that were never produced on Broadway including the cult classic <span class=\"title\">The Baker's Wife</span>, and Kander and Ebb's <span class=\"title\">All About Us</span> (an adaptation of Thornton Wilder's <span class=\"title\">The Skin of Our Teeth</span>).</p> <p>Joseph Stein was married to Sadie Singer, with whom he had three sons, until her death in 1974. In 1975 he married actress and psychotherapist Elisa Loti. Joseph Stein died in New York on October 24, 2010.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Joseph Stein papers (1955-1993) document Stein's career as a playwright, librettist, and screenwriter, and the process of creating and revising his major stage and film works. <span class=\"title\">Rags</span>; <span class=\"title\">The Baker's Wife</span>; <span class=\"title\">Carmelina</span>; <span class=\"title\">Zorba</span>; and <span class=\"title\">So Long, 174th Street</span> are represented most extensively in this collection. Many unproduced film, television, and theatre projects are also contained in this collection, as well as shows to which Stein contributed as an unaccredited consultant or script doctor. These include The <span class=\"title\">Rothschilds</span>, <span class=\"title\">Sheep on the Runway</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Minnie's Boys</span>. The collection holds Productions, Business Correspondence, Contracts, Printed Matter and Sound Recordings.</p> <p>Production materials illuminate Stein's writing process with multiple drafts of revised and annotated scripts, excerpts, rewritten scenes, outlines, and treatments. There are also photographs and a program from a Hebrew production of <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span>. Production files pertaining to <span class=\"title\">Enter Laughing</span> include programs, review, and a letter discussing weekly grosses.</p> <p>This collection also contains a small amount of business correspondence. These letters document negotiations for professional projects between Stein and various collaborators, lawyers, potential producers, and agents. Correspondence frequently discusses film rights and later productions of such shows as <span class=\"title\">Rag</span>s, <span class=\"title\">The Baker's Wife</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Zorba</span>.</p> <p>This collection does not contain personal materials.</p> <p>The Additions, dated 1943 to 2017, are mostly scripts written or adapted by Stein (and with co-authors) for theatrical productions, television and radio programs. Other files are business and general correspondence (inter-mixed), contracts, printed material, memorabilia, and sound recordings.</p> <p>Most of these scripts mirror the material available in the original collection, however, new scripts may include several draft versions of that script. For example, <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span> will now have scripts translated to foreign languages, production notes, contracts, correspondence, commendations, playbills, and reviews. The musicals <span class=\"title\">Rags</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Zorba</span> have similar materials.</p> <p>Researchers studying Stein's career will be interested in scripts not previously available in the collection including: <span class=\"title\">The Body Beautiful</span>; <span class=\"title\">By the Skin of Our Teeth</span>; <span class=\"title\">Enter Laughing</span>; <span class=\"title\">Heaven Can Wait</span>; <span class=\"title\">Lovely Rita</span>; <span class=\"title\">Henry Morgan</span> radio show; and <span class=\"title\">Miracles</span>. There are also several writings by the American author Joseph Heller (1923-1999). These may have been sent to Stein, for his opinion. Writings by Heller in the files are as follows: the scripts <span class=\"title\">Picture This</span> and <span class=\"title\">We Bombed in New Haven</span>; and his autobiography <span class=\"title\">Now and Then</span>. An interesting note written on <span class=\"title\">Now and Then</span> was \"Unedited, but good enough!\"</p> <p>The Business Correspondence expands to include more contemporaneous material about the productions with cast information, financial, legal, staging and congratulatory messages. <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span> and <span class=\"title\">Juno</span> have the most additional files. Related business files are Stein's contracts for his productions including <span class=\"title\">The Body Beautiful</span>; <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span>; <span class=\"title\">Happily Ever After</span>; <span class=\"title\">Juno</span>; and <span class=\"title\">Mrs. Gibbons' Boys</span>.</p> <p>The Printed Material holds playbills, posters, promotional materials, and reviews. All of these materials were generated by and about the productions. The playbills are extensive with samplings from the 1950s to the 2000s. These playbills represent productions from New York City (including the Broadway theatres), regional productions and abroad. The files hold playbills from California, the Kennedy Center, New York City and the United Kingdom. The promotional material files hold press kits, press releases, flyers and souvenir brochures to be sold to the public. The reviews files hold the reviews written by critics on opening night and articles about the productions. One interesting item is <span class=\"title\">Mad</span> magazine, the American humor magazine that featured a satire of <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span> on their cover.</p> <p>Related materials include outlines and sketches for possible productions, notes, correspondence with friends and colleagues, and assorted printed matter.</p> <p>Audio recordings in the collection are musical selections from <span class=\"title\">Heaven Can Wait</span> and <span class=\"title\">Miracles</span>. and <span class=\"title\">The Skin of Our Teeth</span>.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Joseph Stein papers are arranged in seven series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18955#c1860447'>Productions</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18955#c1860538'>Business Correspondence</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18955#c1860570'>Contracts</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18955#c1860593'>Printed Material</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18955#c1860650'>Assorted Files</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18955#c1860659'>Memorabilia</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/18955#c1860667'>Studio Recordings</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The sound recordings are select songs from <span class=\"title\">Heaven Can Wait</span>, <span class=\"title\">Miracles</span> and <span class=\"title\">Skin of Our Teeth</span>.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by Joseph Stein in 1993 and 1994.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by <span class=\"name\">Diana Bertolini</span> in <span class=\"date\">2014</span>.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Inquiries regarding audio and moving image materials in the collection may be directed to the Billy Rose Theatre Division (theatre@nypl.org). Audio and moving image materials may be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>Joseph Stein Papers, 1942-1969. Wisconsin Historical Society Archives / Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research.</p>"}
- revisiondesc
-
{"value"=>"76 boxes processed by Valerie Wingfield in", "date"=>"2023."}
- date_start
-
1943
- keydate
-
1943
- date_end
-
2017
- date_inclusive_start
-
1943
- date_inclusive_end
-
2017
- extent_statement
-
42.12 linear feet (101 boxes, 1 tube). 4 audio_recordings
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Joseph Stein papers, *T-Mss 1993-010. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}