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Creator
Linder, Mark, -1950
Call number
*T-Mss 1997-030
Physical description
2.9 lin. ft. (8 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Mark Linder Papers, *T-Mss 1997-030, 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

Mark Linder was a writer for vaudeville and the theater. The collection includes correspondence, set designs, scripts including multiple drafts and sides and document his career and his writing process.

Biographical/historical information

Mark Linder was born ca. 1881, in New York City. He made his theatrical debut as a dancer at the age of 6 in the Thalia Theatre. He continued his career touring at the age of 12 in such productions as Peck's Bad Boy, in which he played the title role, and Jesse James in the role of "Muggsy the Slugger".

By the age of 18 Mark Linder headed a school of elocution in Boston, Massachusetts. From there, he entered vaudeville writing and acting in many sketches. His two brothers, Jack and Charles joined Linder in the theater collaborating with him as writers and producers. Some of their cooperative work includes Chatham Square, written by Jack and Charles Linder; The Squealer, written by Mark Linder and produced by Charles and Jack Linder; Cortez, directed by Mark Linder and produced by his brothers; Honor Code, directed by Mark Linder, produced by Charles and Jack; and Summer Wives a collaboration with Dolph Singer. Some of his other works include: Bowery Follies & Gay 90's Revue presented at The Grieff Theatre; Room 349, a murder mystery based on Arnold Rothstein's The Gambler; Triplets; a domestic comedy, staged by Walter Wilson, and presented at Masque Theatre; The Case of Helen Deane; and The Squealer which premiered at The Forest Theatre.

Linder wrote more than one hundred plays and was a member of the Jewish Theatre Guild and the Author's Guild. He wrote and appeared in vaudeville in playlets directed by Roland West, and also appeared in a succession of melodramas produced by A.H. Woods. Linder's writings also included a series of television sketches that lasted in duration from 15 minutes to 1 hour, under the title of Spotlight Theatre. An example of this was Dr. Cronkhite, starring Smith & Dale.

In 1940 Mark Linder was sued by Mae West over the production Diamond Lil, which Linder claimed he had written under the title of Chatham Square. Linder lost the suit and Mae West was awarded one million dollars.

Mark Linder died of a heart attack in New York City in 1950. He had been working on the play Six Wacs and a Gob.

Scope and arrangement

The papers of Mark Linder document his career. The collection includes correspondence, set designs, scripts and sides. There are no personal materials in the collection, the materials being mostly scripts, early drafts and revisions.

The Mark Linder papers are arranged in three series:

  • Series I. Personal Papers
    1933-1950
    2 folders

    This series includes correspondence, contracts and legal documents belonging to Mark Linder.

  • Series II. Set Designs
    1 folder

    This series contains sketches of stage designs and layouts for Mark Linder productions. Productions included are: African Jess, A Bundle from Heaven, Fourteenth Street, The Hawk of the Desert, Six Wacs and a Gob, The Kid's Clever and Triplets.

  • Series III. Scripts
    7 boxes

    This series contains drafts and revisions of scripts written by Mark Linder. One problem sorting through the scripts in the collection was caused by Linder's habit of reusing names of individual characters from one play to another sometimes making it difficult to determine drafts or revisions for each title. Some titles include: American Presidents On Parade, The Auctioneer, Auditioning for the Borscht Circuit, A Bundle From Heaven, Chatham Square, Chip Off the Old Block, Fourteenth Street, Frau Klink, Digging Up the Dead, Good Time Charlie, The Hawk of the Desert, Lady Chatterly's Lover, My Mother Was a Lady, Six Wacs and a Gob, and Summer Wives. Of special note is Mark Linder's tendency to give alternative titles, often the same as another play he has written.

Administrative information

Processing information

Processed by Staff.

The Mark Linder Papers arrived in good condition and processing was completed in the spring of 1998.

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.