{"value"=>"<p>Family correspondence is arranged chronologically and are mainly letters to Gypsy Rose Lee, with occasional out-going correspondence. Most of the letters to Gypsy from her grandmother (who was known as \"Big Lady\") and her aunt Belle have to do with family matters, news of home, health concerns and financial arrangements. This family correspondence also includes letters from second husband Alexander Kirkland (signed \"Bill\"), John and Elizabeth Hovick and very occasionally, other family members. The correspondence of Rose Thompson includes her letters to Gypsy Rose Lee (with occasional replies), letters to her from her mother, Anna Thompson, and her sister, Belle Thornton, and her correspondence relating to legal and financial matters. The letters between Gypsy Rose Lee and her mother reveal the strained and often difficult nature of their relationship. The earliest item in the series is a 1924 note from Olive Thompson, who was engaged as a tutor for Rose Louise and June when they were on the road. Thompson, who makes an appearance under a different name in the book Gypsy, enclosed her teaching certificate.</p> <p>June Havoc's letters (ca. 1941-1969) contain information on family matters and also on her career. During 1960-1961, June Havoc traveled with a State Department sponsored theater tour led by Helen Hayes. The company staged well-known American plays including <span class=\"title\">The Skin of Our Teeth</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Miracle Worker</span>, and <span class=\"title\">The Glass Menagerie</span> in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Her letters from this period (many of them undated) are interesting for their appraisal of the productions and their descriptions of the local surroundings. Also included are several letters and clippings relating to Youthbridge, a theater program which June Havoc created for inner-city youth.</p> <p>Separate files have been created for the following correspondents and arranged alphabetically: Fanny Brice, George Davis, Janet Flanner, Charles James, Michael Todd, Marcel Vertes and Roland Young. Among these files, the George Davis letters, 1937-1950, refer to his own work, to Gypsy Rose Lee's writing and to the house in Brooklyn that he and Gypsy Rose Lee developed as an artist's colony in the 1940's. The Michael Todd correspondence, ca. 1940-1946, includes many telegrams and several personal notes. The three folders of material for Charles James, a designer who made clothing and costumes for Gypsy Rose Lee span the years 1943 to 1960 and are interesting for their details about her wardrobe. They include letters from him describing various designs, and discussing personal matters and controversies over bills. Also included are copies of letters from Gypsy Rose Lee, and bills listing purchases and alterations. Correspondence with Marcel Vertes, ca. 1941, includes several notes with sketches.</p>"}