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Creator
Wiman, Dwight Deere, 1895-1951
Call number
*ZC-310
Physical description
37 reels of microfilm (35mm)
Preferred Citation
Dwight Deere Wiman papers, [microform], Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Theatrical producer, Dwight Deere Wiman produced 56 plays and musicals in 26 years on Broadway making his most distinctive imprint in the musical comedy and revue fields. He was born on August 8, 1895 in Moline, IL, a direct descendant of John Deere, inventor of the steel plow and founder of what became Deere and Co., the farm equipment company and family business in Moline. After World War I service, graduation from Yale, and two years in the family business, Wiman and friends organized an independent film production company, Film Guild, in Astoria (Queens), 1920-1924. When that dissolved due to marketing difficulties, he formed a partnership in 1925 with William A. Brady, Jr. presenting 23 plays in New York of which 5 or 6, including Road to Rome, were profitable. That partnership ended on friendly terms in 1929 as only Wiman was interested in musical theater. From 1930 until his death on January 20, 1951, Wiman produced and occasionally directed his own shows including works by Paul Osborn, John Van Druten, Clifford Odets and others, and had a long association with Rodgers and Hart. During World War II he was director of entertainment for the Red Cross in Britain. Papers consist of draft and mimeo scripts by Marc Connelly, Howard Lindsay, Clifford Odets, Paul Osborn, Robert E. Sherwood, John Van Druten, and others; programs and playbills; press books; and miscellaneous production materials including set designs by Jo Mielziner. Represented are "Babes in Arms" (1937), "Command to Love" (1927), "The Gay Divorce" (1932), "I Married an Angel" (1938), "Letters to Lucerne" (1941), "The Little Show" (1929), "Morning's At Seven" (1939), "On Borrowed Time" (1938), "The Racket" (1927), "The Road to Rome" (1927), and many other titles. Also included are miscellaneous business records and correspondence, as well as several orchestrations by Frederick Loewe and Arthur Schwartz. A single 1922 contract is all that pertains to his film production company. There is no personal material in the collection.

Scope and arrangement

The Dwight Deere Wiman papers, [microform] is arranged in two series:

  • General Files

    Files consist of miscellaneous correspondence concerning partnerships formed to underwrite productions (Diversified Theatre Corp., Ima, and Theatrical Projects, Inc.) and some legal matters dating from the 1940s.

  • Production Files

    Files consist of documentation relating to individual productions dating from the mid 1920s until Wiman's death in 1951. The files are arranged alphabetically by title. Documentation on each production varies, ranging from scripts, press books, published sheet music, to playbills and programs. The scripts often include both typed manuscripts submitted by important playwrights such as Howard Lindsay, Clifford Odets, Paul Osborn, Robert E. Sherwood, and John Van Druten as well as final mimeographed versions. The mimeographed scripts frequently contain information on casting, properties, lighting, and even set design sketches. The annotations on the scripts are unattributed, although many appear to have been made by authors, directors, and stage managers. The collection also includes a few stage designs by Jo Mielziner and original orchestrations for shows composed by Arthur Schwartz and Frederick Loewe, as well as scores (some extensively annotated) for individual instruments.

Administrative information

Custodial history

Presented by Anne Deere Wiman, New York, N.Y., Mrs. Richard Calhoun, Stanford, Connecticut, Mrs. Coleman Grover, New York, N.Y., and Mrs. William Wakeman, Palm Beach, Florida, 1962.

Source of acquisition

Microfilm: Gift, Katherine D. Wiman-Findlay, 04/22/94

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

Location of originals

Originals are at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, Madison, WI