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Creator
Darling family
Call number
*T-Mss 1986-005
Physical description
.4 lin. ft. (1 box)
Preferred Citation

Edward V. and Alfred T. Darling Papers, *T-Mss 1986-005, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

The papers give a brief and sporadic look at the careers of Edward and Alfred Darling.

Biographical/historical information

Edward V. and Alfred T. Darling were brothers born in Waterbury, Connecticut, who became prominent in the business side of New York vaudeville during the first three decades of the 20th century.

Edward V. Darling, born in 1878, began his theatrical career as an usher before becoming private secretary then business manager for vaudeville producer E. F. Albee. He later rose to the position of managing director of the Keith-Albee-Orpheum Exchange, one of the most powerful theatrical organizations of its day. Younger brother Alfred Darling, born in 1891, began as a performer and later became the head booking agent for the United Booking Offices. Edward V. Darling retired in 1928 when the K-A-O Exchange was reorganized. Alfred Darling died in 1948, Edward three years later.

Scope and arrangement

The Darling papers document the careers of vaudeville executives Edward V. and Alfred T. Darling. Included in the collection is correspondence and memoirs of Edward Darling for the years 1901-1951, photographs from 1922-23 which are mostly of Alfred, and clippings scrapbooks for each of their careers spanning the years 1899-1952. Of particular interest is the typescript of Edward Darling's unfinished memoirs, composed ca. 1946-47, in which he writes of many prominent performers with whom he worked, including Sophie Tucker, Nora Bayes, Eva Tanguay, and Jack Benny, among others. Also included is a contract proposing financial terms for the book with his intended co-author, as well as a later letter to a friend explaining why he abandoned the project. There are numerous clippings and a souvenir booklet related to performer Eva Tanguay, who was reported to be engaged to Edward Darling in 1909, although the marriage did not take place. There is also a typed list of every vaudeville act which played the Palace Theatre, New York, N.Y., between its opening in March 1913 until August 1921.

The Edward V. and Alfred T. Darling papers are arranged in two series:

  • Series I: Personal Papers
    1901-1951
    4 folders

    This series includes correspondence, photographs, a booking register and the memoirs of Edward V. Darling.

  • Series II: Scrapbooks
    1899-1952
    2 folders

    This series includes items removed from scrapbooks documenting the careers of Edward and Albert Darling.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

The collection was donated in 1986 by Catherine Darling O'Connor.

Processing information

Processed by Rosalie Spar; machine-readable finding aid created by Mary Ellen Rogan.

Using the collection

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.

Access restrictions

Photocopying prohibited.