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Creator
Ryerson, Florence, 1892-1965
Call number
*T-Mss 2014-102
Physical description
5.4 linear feet (2 boxes, 6 volumes)
Preferred Citation

Florence Ryerson and Colin Clements papers, *T-Mss 2014-102. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Some collections held by the Dance, Music, Recorded Sound, and Theatre Divisions at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. For general guidance about requesting offsite materials, please consult: https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/lpa/requesting-archival-materials

Florence Ryerson (1892-1965) and Colin Clements (1894-1948) were a married American writing team who created plays, novels, and short stories. The Florence Ryerson and Colin Clements papers date from 1909 to 1965 and contain scrapbooks, typescripts, notes, and correspondence.

Biographical/historical information

Florence Ryerson (1892-1965) was an American writer. Born Florence Willard in Southern California, she was the daughter of journalist and author Charles Dwight Willard. She retained the last name of her first husband, Harold Swayne Ryerson, with whom she had one son. While a student at Pasadena High School, Ryerson wrote Wan o' the Wood, a play that was later produced by the Los Angeles Children's Theatre in 1911. Her numerous short stories appeared in publications such as The American Magazine, Ladies Home Journal, and Metropolitan. Ryerson also wrote for film, and was co-author of the script for the 1939 screen version of The Wizard of Oz.

Colin Clements (1894-1948) was an American writer. In the late 1910s, Clements attend drama educator George Pierce Baker's 47 Workshop in playwriting at Harvard University. He then wrote and published several series of short plays such as The Touchstone and Other Plays (1919), Plays for a Folding Theater (1923) and Plays for Pagans (1924).

In 1927, Clements met Ryerson while directing a small play in California. They married a year later and soon after began collaborating. They wrote plays for Broadway such as Glamour Preferred (1941), Harriet (1943), and Strange Bedfellows (1948); and novels such as Fear of Fear (1931), Diana Laughs (1932), and The Borgia Blade (1937). Appleton-Century Company published several of their mystery novels. In the 1930s, Ryerson and Clements acquired the Albert Workman 19th century ranch in California and renamed it Shadow Ranch. They lived on the property for several years before selling it in 1948. Now, Shadow Ranch is one of Los Angeles' historic-cultural monuments and a city park.

Scope and arrangement

The Florence Ryerson and Colin Clements papers date from 1909 to 1965 and contain scrapbooks, typescripts, notes, and correspondence. The collection is not a comprehensive representation of their work, and is more reflective of Ryerson's experiences and career.

The bulk of the collection consists of scrapbooks. A few of the scrapbooks document the reception of Ryerson's and Clements's collaborations such as the clippings for Fear of Fear, Diana Laughs, and The Borgia Blade. There is also a guide to the screen version of The Wizard of Oz in Photoplay Studies magazine. The other scrapbooks highlight periods in their individual careers. One pertains to Clements's theatrical work for amateur groups such as his Plays for a Folding Theater and Plays for Pagans. There is a scrapbook of Ryerson's short story clippings with a table of contents that includes the name of the story, where it was published, the date, and the amount she received for publication. Additionally, there is a scrapbook of materials from Ryerson's life as Florence Willard and her early theatrical efforts such as clippings and programs from the 1911 Los Angeles Children's Theatre's first production of Wan o' the Wood; her costume designs for Bury Fair (1914); and correspondence related to her first marriage.

There are some writing files that include story development outlines, work diaries, drafts, correspondence, and research materials for Oh! Susanna, Sombra, and The Beckoning Fair One among others.

There are various autobiographical materials that detail their careers and personal lives such as Ryerson's "How Did You Land on Broadway?" and "I Look at My Life" narratives; a comprehensive list of their books and Ryerson's individual writing projects; and correspondence and notes about Ryerson's father's life and work.

The collection holds background information on Shadow Ranch before it became a California historic monument. There are clippings, personal photos, and correspondence about legal matters. There is also correspondence between Ryerson and the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission once the property was turned into a city park. Ryerson wrote several narratives about the ranch itself and her family's experience living on the property.

Materials in the collection were assigned catalog numbers before final processing, and those numbers are retained as notes in the container list.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by subject or format.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Unknown

Processing information

Compiled by Joyce Joseph, 2015

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

Access to materials

Some collections held by the Dance, Music, Recorded Sound, and Theatre Divisions at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. For general guidance about requesting offsite materials, please consult: https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/lpa/requesting-archival-materials

Conditions Governing Use

The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Theatre Division at theatre@nypl.org.