Scope and arrangement
This collection contains mainly professional files, pertaining to all aspects of his career. Production files, scrapbooks, photographs, scripts, publicity files and publications are represented in this collection. The majority of the materials in this collection are from the period in which Ives’ career peaked, the 1950s and 1960s. Ives’ music career is covered more fully here than his acting career. One of the highlights of this collection is the Photographic History, which contains photos of Ives at various points in his life with extensive identifications. Another highlight of the collection are the histories of many of the songs and albums, and occasionally the plays and films, which provide useful background information and function as a running professional biography throughout the collection. The separated materials from this collection include albums of Ives songs and films of episodes from his television show, OK Crackerby!
The Burl Ives papers are arranged in nine series:
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1935-1975, Undated20 boxes
This series contains advertisements, album contents, album covers, call sheets, charts, contracts, correspondence, costume sketches, fan mail, financial records, flyers, histories, interviews, invoices, legal documents, liner notes, listings, lyrics, mailings, memos, notes, order forms, press coverage, promotional materials, radio listings revisions, schedules, song lists, staff lists, study cards and telegrams pertaining to Ives’ albums, songs, films, plays and television shows.
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1945-19677 boxes
This series contains scrapbooks, which contain clippings, photographs and mementos documenting Ives’ career as a singer and as an actor in theater film and television.
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1916-1967, Undated6 boxes
This series contains the Burl Ives Photographic History, an extensive collection of photos and other images of Ives, through 1965. There are also various stills and production shots from Ives’ stage and screen performances.
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1913-1967, Undated6 boxes
This series is comprised mainly of the Burl Ives Publicity files given to NYPL in 1965, documenting the ways the various sides of Ives’ career were publicized. This series also contains many articles published by or about Ives, as well as interviews, press releases and images of Ives used for promotional purposes.
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1951-1966, Undated2 boxes
This series contains information and manuscripts of various publications written, edited or introduced by Ives. The publications included in this series are Ives’ children’s book, Albad the Oaf (1965), his second autobiography, The Wayfaring Stranger’s Notebook (1952) and various songbooks, such as Burl Ives Songbook (1953) and Irish Song Book (1958).
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1955-1966, Undated3 boxes
This series contains scripts from film and television projects Ives appeared in, including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Big Country and Summer Magic.
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1951-1965, Undated1 box
This series includes published sheet music from songs recorded by Ives, as well as hand-written lyric and music sheets with notes that Ives made during recording sessions.
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1951-1967, Undated1 box
This series includes various items pertaining more to Ives’ career at large, or to his personality, than to any one particular facet, including his Christmas cards, information of his concerts, tours and radio spots as well as miscellaneous correspondence.
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1948-1962, Undated3 boxes
This series contains various oversized items, such as album advertisements, a magazine in Braille and oversized photos from Ives’ film The Spiral Road (1963).