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Creator
Arent, Arthur
Call number
*T-Mss 2013-102
Physical description
1.26 linear feet (3 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Arthur Arent scripts, *T-Mss 2013-102. 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.

Arthur Arent (1904-1972) was a writer for theatre, radio, television, and films. This collection includes numerous scripts written or adapted by Arent for American radio and television broadcast during the 1940s and 1950s.

Biographical/historical information

Arthur Arent, born September 29, 1904 in Jersey City, New Jersey, was a writer for theatre, radio, television, and films. He authored many of the Federal Theatre Project's Living Newspaper plays in the 1930s, worked for the United States Office of War Information during World War II, and wrote or adapted plays for radio and television in the 1940s and 1950s. Arent died on May 18, 1972.

Scope and arrangement

The bulk of the collection is radio scripts for The Theatre Guild on the Air, presented by United States Steel Corporation, and The Cavalcade of America, presented by the Du Pont Company. There is also a script for a Columbia University bicentennial radio program, titled "Socrates." There are multiple versions of some of the radio scripts, including "The Philadelphia Story" and "Strange Interlude." The collection contains three television scripts: "The Man in Possession" and "The Seventh Veil" from The United States Steel Hour, and "Reflected Glory" from The General Electric Theater.

Arrangement

This collection is organized alphabetically by title and contains only titles "M" through "S."

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by the estate of Blanche Arent, 1984.

Revision History

Overview and detailed description sections revised and expanded by John Calhoun, Billy Rose Theatre Division (2026-06)

Processing information

Processed by Kit Fluker in 2014.

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