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Creator
Crawley, Robert
Call number
*T-Mss 2014-124
Physical description
2.8 linear feet (7 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Robert Crawley and Casey Walters papers, *T-Mss 2014-124. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Robert (Bob) Crawley (1917-1987) was a stage manager for Broadway plays, who was known for his long association managing Emlyn Williams' solo shows; his companion, Casey Walters (1916-1991), was an actor who was active in regional and stock theater, and well-known for his regular appearances on the television show Harbor Command in the late 1950s. Their papers (1939-1987) contain correspondence, production files, and scrapbooks that represent both men's careers in the performing arts and their long friendship with the actor and writer Emlyn Williams.

Biographical/historical information

Robert (Bob) Crawley (1917-1987) was a stage manager for Broadway plays, who was known for his long association managing Emlyn Williams' solo shows; his companion, Casey Walters (1916-1991), was an actor who was active in regional and stock theater, and well-known for his regular appearances on the television show Harbor Command in the late 1950s.

Robert Crawley was born in 1917 in Social Circle, Georgia. He moved to New York City and initially entered show business acting in the Broadway productions The Great Big Doorstep (1942), The Moon Vine (1943), Harvest of Years (1948), Montserrat (1949), and Ondine (1954). By 1960, he had transitioned to the role of stage manager on Cut of the Axe (1960), First Love (1961), and The White House (1964). Crawley also worked steadily for the actor and writer Emyln Williams, stage managing Williams' two one-person shows, Emlyn Williams as Charles Dickens and Emlyn Williams as Dylan Thomas Growing Up, which included international tours that ran intermittently from 1952 to 1981. Williams wrote and starred in both shows. The Dickens show in particular was iterative in nature, growing from impersonations Williams first began performing in 1951. Crawley and Walters met Williams in 1948, and maintained a close friendship with him until the deaths of Crawley and Williams in 1987.

Casey Walters was born in 1916 in Boston, Massachusetts. At the age of twenty three, he began performing regularly with the company at the Schubert Copley Theatre in Boston, as well as with regional summer stock companies. In 1940, he moved to New York City and appeared in productions of the American Actors Company, including Texas Town and Out of My House, both in 1941. His acting career was stalled when he joined the Navy for the remainder of World War II. Walters returned to New York and performed in the Broadway productions Mister Roberts (1948), starring Peter Fonda; Red Roses for Me (1955); and A Minor Adjustment (1967). Walters also appeared in various television shows, including a starring role in the syndicated television show Harbor Command from 1956 to 1957.

Robert Crawley died in New York, and Walters died in 1991 in Montana.

Scope and arrangement

The Robert Crawley and Casey Walters papers (1939-1987) contain correspondence, production files, and scrapbooks that represent both men's careers in the performing arts and their long friendship with the actor and writer Emlyn Williams.

The correspondence is arranged by recipient. The primary correspondent is Williams who often wrote letters to Crawley or Walters with the expectation that one would share the letter with the other. The letters span from 1959 to 1987 and are professional and personal in nature. The Crawley file contains additional correspondence from John Roberts, who managed Williams' affairs in the United Kingdom, and the Walters file contains correspondence from Molly Shan, Williams' wife; playwright Joshua Logan; and producer Arthur Cantor, among others.

The production files consist of prompt books and scripts, the bulk of which represent Crawley's work as a stage manager. The files are arranged alphabetically by production. The scripts are heavily annotated and contain prop notes, lighting and sound cues, and checklists. Various iterations of scripts for Emlyn Williams as Charles Dickens are present, as well as prompt books for several of the tours of Emlyn Williams as Charles Dickens and Emlyn Williams as Dylan Thomas Growing Up. Williams', and by extension, Crawley's, persistent touring schedule is documented by records of Williams' tours in Australia, Europe, North America, and South America from 1951 to 1984.

The two scrapbooks were compiled by Walters and contain news clippings, photographs, and programs. The 1939 to 1947 scrapbook documents his appearances with the Schubert Copley Theater, the American Actors Company, the Equity Library Theatre, and various summer stock companies, as well as his time in the United States Navy. The second scrapbook documents the Broadway production Mister Roberts, which ran from 1948 to 1951. Additional material consists of a typescript copy of the eulogy Williams gave at the funeral of Richard Burton; photographs of Crawley, Williams, and others; and Crawley's resume.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Casey Walters in 1988.

Processing information

Compiled by Susan Malsbury, 2014

The scrapbooks were removed from their bindings though they remain in their original order. The scrapbooks are fragile and care should be used when examining them. The legacy call numbers for each scrapbook have been retained and included in the note field of the container list.

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

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