Jane Cowl papers

1907-1949 [bulk 1927-1945]

Jane Cowl (1884-1950) was an actress, playwright and theatrical producer. She appeared in her most famous acting roles in the 1920s and 1930s and co-authored several plays during this period with Jane Murfin. During World War II she was co-director of the Stage Door Canteen, an entertainment center for U.S. servicemen and women in New York City. She also hosted a radio program in the 1940s. Collection consists of correspondence, financial papers, diary, and biographical materials collected by Cowl. Correspondence, 1923-1948, is with noted playwrights, directors, actors, and theater managers; other correspondence, 1943-1946, concerns her charitable work with disabled veterans and underprivileged children. Also, diary written during Cowl's first trip to Europe in 1907 in which she described the European stage; materials she collected for a planned autobiography; and personal financial accounts.