Scope and arrangement
The George Plimpton papers date from 1902 to 2008 (bulk dates 1960-2003), and chronicle Plimpton's career as a writer, book editor, journalist, and actor, as well as his early life, education, military service, and family history. The collection is arranged into ten Series comprising writing and editing files; materials related to Plimpton's media projects in film, television, and advertising; files detailing his public appearances and speeches; professional and personal correspondence; research files; photographs; biographical files; datebooks; accolades and memorabilia; and audio and video recordings. Plimpton's papers detail the varied nature of the literary projects he pursued throughout his career, as well as his on screen appearances, participatory endeavors, and the creative process behind those pursuits.
The George Plimpton papers are arranged in ten series:
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1949-200365.62 linear feet (161 boxes)
Series I spans the entirety of Plimpton's professional literary career, detailing five decades of his writing and editing work. The Series comprises files from most of the books Plimpton authored or edited; shorter pieces published in books, anthologies, magazines, and newspapers; unpublished and incomplete works; and administrative materials such as contracts, agreements, and royalty statements. The Writing and Editing files primarily hold manuscripts, notes, drafts, and research files, which are arranged within each Subseries by book title or publication name.
Subseries I.A. holds files related to books in which Plimpton was the author or co-author. It commences with Plimpton's inaugural publication, the 1955 children's book Rabbit's Umbrella, and concludes with the final book he published in his lifetime, Ernest Shackleton. The Subseries is arranged chronologically by each book's publication date, and consists mostly of notes, research, drafts, manuscripts, photographs, correspondence, and clippings of book reviews. There is also some fan mail present in the files for Out of my League, legal papers from a court case surrounding Mad Ducks and Bears, a screenplay adapted from The Curious Case of Sidd Finch, and interview transcripts from Plimpton's biography of Truman Capote.
The most thoroughly documented book is the Truman Capote biography, which contains alphabetically filed interviews, notes arranged by subject matter, and permission forms for each interviewee and contributor. The interview files contain a mixture of transcripts and excerpted selections that Plimpton considered for the book. Similar excerpts appear in the Notes and Research section, but are arranged by topic or chapter instead of interviewee name. Audio recordings of many of these interviews are held in Series X.
The Editing Subseries holds files from the books in which Plimpton served as editor. These files date from 1964 to 2001 and are arranged chronologically by publication date. The Subseries holds a mixture of drafts, manuscripts, notes, research, correspondence, financial documents, permissions, and press clippings. The most comprehensive files are from Edie, the biography of Edie Sedgwick written by Jean Stein, and D.V., which is fashion editor Diana Vreeland's autobiography. The Edie files are arranged chronologically and grouped by format, while the D.V. files comprise notes, manuscripts, drafts, financial documentation, and press clippings, which are often found in a single folder.
Book chapters, book introductions and forwards, magazine and newspaper articles, collaborative projects, and tributes written by Plimpton are all held in Subseries I.C. Most of the files are from newspapers and magazine articles Plimpton authored, which are arranged alphabetically by publication title. These files hold notes, research, notebooks, manuscript drafts, and correspondence with the publications and publishers. Plimpton's writing appeared most frequently in Sports Illustrated, which includes some articles that were later adapted into books, most notably The Curious Case of Sidd Finch and Shadow Box. The Sports Illustrated files contain more notes and research, while the files for the subsequent books held in Subseries I.A. contain full manuscripts and more comprehensive notes and drafts.
The Collaborative Projects files include a scrapbook, correspondence, drafts, and mission statements from The Dynamite Museum, which was a loose coalition of writers and artists that Plimpton helped to organize. Another collaborative project, Not the New York Times, contains drafts, notes, and a full issue of the satirical newspapers. Also of interest are notes and scripts from Animal Tales, the children's opera written by Plimpton in collaboration with the composer, Kitty Brazelton.
The tributes held in Subseries I.C. contain an assortment of typed pieces, notes, and drafts of accolades, homages, and obituaries Plimpton penned for Timothy Dickinson, Willard Espy, Jimmy Grucci, and Brock Safronoff.
Incomplete and unpublished materials are held in Subseries I.D., which consists of Early Writing; Book Projects; and Plimpton's unfinished memoir. Materials include proposals, correspondence, manuscripts, notes, and research. Much of the book projects material is devoted to an incomplete project about Barney Rosset, while much of the early writing comprises typescripts of unidentified short stories.
The Administrative Subseries dates from 1964 to 2003, and contains book contracts, correspondence, agreements, and royalty statements. Although there is some administrative materials found with the files for individual books, Plimpton kept most of these items separate, choosing instead to file them all chronologically.
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1961-20036.75 linear feet (17 boxes)
Files pertaining to Plimpton's work in advertising, film, radio, and television are held in the Media Projects Series. These files document Plimpton's various forays as an actor, broadcast host, and product pitchman through correspondence, contracts, notes, photographs, and scripts. The Series is further arranged into four Subseries that include Administrative Files; Advertising and Commercials Files; Film Files; Radio Files; and Television Files. Each Subseries is arranged alphabetically by production title, product name, or subject matter with the exception of Subseries II.D., which exclusively holds files from Plimpton's 1971 radio show, George Plimpton, Man About Sports.
The Series holds files from advertising campaigns for companies such as Boeing, Muzak, Nike, Oldsmobile, and Volkswagen; films such as Lawrence of Arabia, Nixon, Reds, and Vali, The Witch of Positano; and television programs that include Disney's Mousterpiece Theatre, Rio Lobo, and a number of George Plimpton hosted specials. Many of the files in this Series contain correspondence regarding Plimpton's performances, as well as administrative materials concerning logistics and compensation. There are a number of scripts, audio transcripts, and narration scripts held in these files, which are noted in the container list when present.
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1967-20034.42 linear feet (11 boxes)
Series III contains files related to Plimpton's public appearances, performances, and speeches he delivered. The Series is further arranged into three Subseries: Contracts and Agreements; Events and Performances; and Speeches.
The Events and Performances files are arranged alphabetically by subject matter or event name, and hold materials from Plimpton's public appearances, participatory exploits, and theatrical presentations. Of special interest are the USO Tour files, which contain correspondence, photographs, and a scrapbook from a United States government sponsored trip called "Operation VIP (Visits by Interesting Personalities)." There are numerous photographs present depicting Plimpton signing copies of Paper Lion and meeting with injured American military service members in Japan and the Philippines. Also of note are scripts from Zelda, Scott, and Ernest, a play about the relationship between F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway, in which Plimpton played the part of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Subseries III.C. contains files from speeches Plimpton delivered between 1967 and 2003. There is a selection of notes and drafts from unknown speeches which are arranged chronologically, while the rest are arranged alphabetically by individual name, institution, or subject matter. The files hold notes, drafts, correspondence, and programs.
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1935-200312.33 linear feet (30 boxes)
Plimpton's correspondence, which dates from 1935 to 2003, is held in Series IV. The bulk of the correspondence is arranged chronologically in Subseries IV.A. The other Subseries consist of alphabetically arranged correspondence; family correspondence; and fan mail.
Among the alphabetical correspondence is letters from Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer, Paul Newman, John Steinbeck, William Styron, and former presidents John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Plimpton also kept a file called "Very Peculiar Correspondence," where he collected unusual unsolicited letters from readers and individuals with whom he was not acquainted.
The Family correspondence, which dates from 1935 to 2002, includes many letters to and from Plimpton's immediate family and close relatives. Of special interest is a group of letters Plimpton wrote to his parents, Francis T.P. Plimpton and Pauline Ames, where he discusses his experiences at boarding school in the early 1940s. The Family correspondence is arranged alphabetically by correspondent name.
Much of the Fan Mail addresses Plimpton's books, Paper Lion, Bogey Man, Mad Ducks and Bears, and One for the Record; his 1970s television specials; and his articles for Sports Illustrated. Some of the letters, especially those from school children, includes Plimpton's replies.
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1950-20037.5 linear feet (18 boxes)
Plimpton's Research Files, which comprise notes, notebooks, and subject files, are held in Series V. There is a large cache of notes and notebooks which are unlabeled and cannot be associated with any particular project. The rest of the Research Files are arranged alphabetically by topic. Although it is typically not clear if these files pertain to a certain piece of writing, project, or appearance, they do all hold extensive notes on the assigned topic.
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1902-20035.21 linear feet (15 boxes)
Series VI contains photographs, most of which depict Plimpton, and also include images of his family, friends, and associates. The photographs date from 1902 to 2003, and are arranged alphabetically by subject matter. The Series contains images from Plimpton's books, media projects, participatory endeavors, and public appearances, as well as depictions of his travels and military service. There is a selection of photographs entitled "friends and writers," which includes images of Plimpton with George H.W. Bush, Edward Kennedy, Norman Mailer, and Arthur Schlesinger. Additionally, there are numerous images of the Plimpton family, including photographs of his elder relatives taken in the early 1900s. Among the photographs from Plimpton's youth is a scrapbook of images from his Army service dating from 1945 to 1956.
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1912-200813.92 linear feet (35 boxes)
Items that provide insight into Plimpton's personal history, including his education, military service, and extended family, all comprise the Biographical Files of Series VII. This Series is arranged into five Subseries, which includes Education; Military; Plimpton Family; Scrapbooks; and George Being George.
The Education Subseries contains materials from Plimpton's attendance at St. Bernard's School, Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard, and University of Cambridge. The files include class notes, notebooks, some school assignments, diplomas, and a few assorted photographs.
The Military files hold administrative documents, itineraries, service records, and Plimpton's discharge documents, while the Plimpton Family files comprise various research materials regarding Plimpton and Ames genealogy and family history.
There are five scrapbooks present in Subseries VII.D., including two from Plimpton's youth, two that collect clippings about his career accomplishments, and one commemorating his 75th birthday. Plimpton assembled the youth scrapbooks between 1936 and 1944. They hold such items as drawings, invitations, newspaper clippings, photographs, and some original writing by Plimpton. The 75th birthday scrapbook is mostly an assemblage of writings and dedications to Plimpton by his friends and family.
The George Being George files are from a posthumous oral history biography that was researched and compiled by Nelson W. Aldrich. The Subseries contains Agreements and Contracts; Interviews; Research; Drafts; Manuscripts; Galleys, a Master Set, and Proofs; Photographs; and Publicity materials. One of the most comprehensive elements of this Subseries is the Interview files, which includes transcripts of interviews with many well-known literary figures and family members recounting memorable anecdotes about Plimpton. Some noteworthy individuals included in the Interview files are Harold Bloom, Ken Burns, Robert Gottlieb, Hugh Heffner, Alex Karras, Fran Lebowitz, Neil Leifer, Norman Mailer, Peter Matthiessen, Philip Roth, James Salter, Bob Silvers, William Styron, Gore Vidal, and Tom Wolfe. Audio recordings of many of the interviews conducted for this book are also held in Series X.
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1950-20036.0 linear feet (13 boxes)
Plimpton kept track of his many appointments, meetings, and social functions in annual datebooks beginning in 1950. These datebooks are all held in Series VIII. There are datebooks present for many years up until 2003, with the exception of various gaps in the early 1950s, 1960s, and late 1970s. The Series also holds an assortment of address books, and the cards of a Rolodex. All the datebooks are arranged chronologically, with gaps in the chronology noted in the container list.
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1964-20033.8 linear feet (8 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
This Series holds an assortment of Awards earned by Plimpton; Artwork; a variety of Memorabilia; and Memorials and Tributes to Plimpton. Among the Awards and Certificates are assorted medals, the George Polk Memorial Award, a City of Pittsburgh Proclamation, Signet Society Medal for Achievement in the Arts, Officier de L'Ordres des Arts et des Lettres, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Citation. There is also a commemorative pair of bronzed cleats presented to Plimpton by the Footware Council in 1978.
The Artwork is primarily a collection of drawings and illustrations, most of which are David Levine caricatures of Plimpton. Other artists held in this Subseries include Ed Arno, Frank Johnson, Al Smith, Arnold Roth, Donald Reilly, and D. Whitten.
The Memorabilia comprises a variety of items related to topics on which Plimpton wrote. The items include a Leonard Bernstein record sleeve that is inscribed to Plimpton by Bernstein, a group of used boxing gloves, a boxing robe that has Muhammad Ali's name embroidered on the back and Plimpton's on the front, and a New York City Fireworks commissioner poster. Documentation of the memorabilia's provenance is not included in the collection.
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1962-2009898 audio_recordings. 491 video_recordings
Audio and video recordings are held in series X. Included are a large number of interviews from Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career, D.V., and George Being George; various recordings from Plimpton's work in advertising and commercials; recordings from his appearances and public speaking events; a variety of videos of fireworks displays; and some posthumous tributes to Plimpton.