Lula Vollmer papers

1847-1972 [bulk 1910-1945]

The collection dates from 1847 to 1972 and documents Vollmer's writing career through dramatic and literary manuscripts, correspondence, contracts, and other materials relating to the publication and production of her work. Also present are estate papers that document the activities of the administrator of Vollmer's estate, nephew N. Cecil Hill, after her death in 1955. They consist of legal documents, Hill's own writings from the 1930s, and correspondence regarding the promotion and sale of Vollmer's work following her death.

Vollmer's writings make up the bulk of the collection and consist of hand and typewritten manuscripts for essays, speeches, short stories, novels, and scripts for radio, television, motion pictures, and theater. The writings are arranged by title. Works are usually represented through multiple adaptations for television, radio, theater, short stories, and books. Writing files dated after 1955 contain correspondence, reviews, and scripts for works distributed or produced by Vollmer's family after her death.

The best-represented works in the collection include Sun-Up, The Shame Woman, The Hill Between, and Sentinels. Material for Sun-Up consists of several adaptations of the work from 1918 to 1956, including the 1952 opera with libretto by Polish composer Tadeusz Zygfryd Kassern. The Shame Woman is represented through drafts of several working titles in multiple formats, including the short stories Lize (1921, published in Yes or No: The Yellow Magazine) and The Rider, and drafts of a novel entitled Through Closed Doors. Early drafts of Sentinels under the title The Honor and the Glory are present. Many of the files, such as those for The Last Bottle, document the development of Vollmer's work from the original, handwritten drafts to publication.

Radio serial scripts are for episodes of The Widow's Son, Grits and Gravy, Moonshine and Honeysuckle, It's Your Business, and Gabriel Heatter's A Brighter Tomorrow. Moonshine and Honeysuckle is the best represented radio serial in the collection, with scripts and notes for 139 consecutive episodes from 1930 to 1933. Files for Moonshine and Honeysuckle also contain drafts for other adaptations, such as a short story, novel excerpts, and scripts for vaudeville and theater. Some radio files contain additional materials, such as screenplay synopses of The Widow's Sons, or research material gathered by Vollmer for episode ideas.

Essays and speeches in the collection discuss women in theater, playwriting, and autobiographical sketches. Essay titles include My Experiences in Theatre, Careering and Housekeeping, and Why Girls Should Go on Stage. Speeches include those for radio and the Poe Society. One folder of Vollmer's unpublished poetry is also present.

Correspondence is largely professional in nature and discusses contracts with media stations, royalty agreements, box office statements, letters of admiration, rejection letters, and the distribution, publication, and production of Vollmer's works. The box office statements and contracts themselves are also present. Primary correspondents include Vollmer, the National Broadcasting Company, publicity agents, theater managers and directors, and magazine editors. Letters from actress Lucille La Verne are both professional and personal; other personal correspondence consists of family letters from 1867 to the 1920s.

The collection holds a small amount of newspaper clippings and programs for plays Vollmer wrote from 1921 to 1950, such as The Shame Woman, Sun-Up, Moonshine and Honeysuckle, The Hill Between, and She Put Out To Go.

Estate papers date from Vollmer's death in 1955 to 1972 and document the activities of the administrator of the estate, nephew N. Cecil Hill. Correspondence, legal documents, and Hill's unpublished writings from the 1930s are present. Correspondence is mostly between Hill, Mercia Matthews, and Vollmer's niece, Elizabeth Brown, regarding their efforts to distribute and publish Vollmer's works in 1956. Other materials relate specifically to Hill's role as the administrator of her estate, such as correspondence regarding copyright of Vollmer's works, and invoices and memorandums pertaining to unpaid bills and other financial matters.