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Frances Herriott Sargent papers (Ms. 80.6)

Brown University Library

Box A, John Hay Library
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2148
Fax: 401-863-2093
E-mail: hay@brown.edu

Inventory

Series 1. Correspondence - letters

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 1 From Heyward (2), Mamoulian, Rouse, and Seymour.
5 items

November 1928-March 1929
Box 1, Folder 2 From McClendon, Paul, Gordon, and Cooper. Includes letters from three members of the London production of Porgy, writing about their experiences in England.
4 items

April-May 1929
Box 1, Folder 3 From Mama, Thomas, and McClendon (2). Includes letters from two members of the Porgy cast, expressing their regret for Miss Herriott's absence.
4 items

June-October 1929
Box 1, Folder 4 From Whipper, Frances, McClendon (2), and Rosenfield. Christmas cards with Porgy motif.
5 items

December 1929-March 1930
Box 1, Folder 5 From Du Bose Hayward, George Gershwin, Linley (3), and McClendon. Concerning the possibility of Miss Herriott working with the production of the musical version of Porgy.
6 items

November 1933-August 1934
Box 1, Folder 6 From Valls, George Gershwin, Mamoulian, and Turjman. Personal. Enclosed in the Turjman letter are photographs of Miss Herriott, John Bubbles, Red the prop man, and Porgy's goat.
4 items

December 1934-March 1936
Box 1, Folder 7 From From Todd Duncan and Munsell. Duncan discusses his efforts to get Miss Herriott into the production of Porgy and Bess; Munsell reports he recommended her to Merle Armitage to be stage manager of Porgy and Bess.
5 items

Julu 1936-September 1937
Box 1, Folder 8 From Du Bose, Heyward, Steiner, Todd Duncan and Burton. Includes letters pertaining to the production of Porgy and personal letters.
5 items

December 1937
Box 1, Folder 9 From Gladys Duncan, Jessye, Mary, Nicholson (2). Relating to the Herriott production of Porgy and Bess in California.
5 items

January-February 1938
Box 1, Folder 10 From Armitage and Mamoulian (2). Armitage outlines the financial difficulties of producing Porgy and Bess.
3 items

February 1938
Box 1, Folder 11 From Delano and from Todd and Gladys Duncan. Personal.
2 items

August 1938
Box 1, Folder 12 From Digges, Todd Duncan, and Lester (2). Includes business correspondence, among which is a letter from Digges to McClintic recommending Miss Herriott to be stage manager of Mamba's Daughter.
4 items

September 1938-April 1941
Box 1, Folder 13 From Todd and Gladys Duncan. Includes a description of the Duncans' personal experiences in London.
2 items

1942
Box 2, Folder 1 From Thomas Hellerman (2), Cheryl Crawford, Cliff Goldsmith, Clayton
6 items

Contents Note: A82-156
1929-1933
Box 2, Folder 2 From Jean, George S. Kaufman, Mary Morrison, Osgood Perkins
4 items

Contents Note: A82-156
1927
Box 2, Folder 3 Envelopes
2 items

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 23 From Zerka Moreno. Asks Frances to give a lecture at the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama.
1 item

Contents Note: A89-4
December 5, 1960

Series 2. Correspondence - telegrams and cablegrams

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 14 From Agnes and the Gang, Quigly, the three Delanos, Waram, Mamoulian, Collidge and Mee, and McClendon. Wishing success for the Boston production.
7 items

August-October 1935
Box 1, Folder 15 From Rouben Mamoulian. Expresses his gratitude to Miss Herriott and to the whole Porgy and Bess company.
7 items

November 1935
Box 1, Folder 16 From George Gershwin, Crous, Mamoulian, Cobb and Roberta. Gershwin wires that he is having a fine time in Mexico. Course wishes Porgy and Bess company a merry Christmas. Mamoulian thanks Herriott for her letter. Cobb says she greatly admired the production. Roberta informs Miss Herriott that Shirley Burke of the Theater Guild wishes to see her Friday.
5 items

November 1935-September 1937
Box 1, Folder 17 From Brown, Ira Gershwin, Digges, Mamoulian, and Steinert. Expressing best wishes for the production of Porgy and Bess.
5 items

February 1938
Box 1, Folder 18 From Howard, Ruth, and Clarice; Gladys Duncan; Rutherford; and Lester (2). Lester asks Frances to stay on as stage manager of Porgy and Bess.
5 items

February 1938-March 1941
Box 2, Folder 4 From Theresa Hellburn, Cheryl Crawford, Edwin Lester, Rose McCleudon, Gertrude Moran, Howard Ruth and Clarice, Wilma, unsigned (2)
8 items

Contents Note: A82-156
1929-1938

Series 3. Correspondence - postcards

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 19 From Johnson, Gladys and Todd Duncan (2) Brown, and Elsy. Concerning vacations.
5 items

May 1928-November 1938
Box 1, Folder 20 Six unused picture postcards, four of which depict scenes from Porgy and Bess.
6 items

Box 2, Folder 5 Blank card.
1 item

Contents Note: A82-156

Series 4. Production details

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 21 Lists of the cast of Porgy and Bess and the understudies for each part.
4 items

Box 1, Folder 22 Porgy and Bess cast list.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 23 Lists of addresses and phone numbers of the cast and crew.
2 items

Box 1, Folder 24 Lighting cue sheet for Porgy and Bess.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 25 Lighting directions.
2 items

Box 1, Folder 26 Draft of lighting cue sheet.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 27 Lighting cue sheet.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 28 Key to switchboard.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 29 Stage direction and diagrams.
10 item

Box 1, Folder 30 Property plot, listing props and their places and times on stage.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 31 A second property plot.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 32-35 Four different property plots for Porgy and Bess.
4 items

Box 1, Folder 36 Two copies of the costume plot and one copy of the costume chart, detailing the cast's costumes.
3 items

Box 1, Folder 37 Costume chart.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 38 sketchbook with diagrams of sets of Porgy and Bess.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 39 Contains the Rhythm Scene, changes in the production for December 10, descriptive information on the War Memorial Opera House, extra refrains for Ain't Necessarily So, and two copies of the Theater Guild's dressing room sheet.
8 items

Box 1, Folder 40 Leaves from a notebook kept by Frances Herriott during the production of Porgy and Bess.
1 item

Series 5. Programs and stagebills

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 41 Contains the Theater Guild's souvanier program, which includes a history of the guild, photographs of its acting company and guest players, and discussion of several of its productions, including Porgy.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 42 Advertisements of the Theater Guild's production of Porgy at the Blackstone theater.
5 items

Box 1, Folder 43 Program guide to the London production of Porgy in His Majesty's Theater, in the Spring of 1929.
1 item

Spring 1929
Box 1, Folder 44 Program guide from the Ohio Theater (Cleveland).
1 item

Box 1, Folder 45 Program guide from the Lyceum Theater, Minneapolis, December 1928-January 1929. Newspaper clipping from the Minneapolis Journal, January 8, 1929.
2 items

December 1928-January 1929 and January 8, 1929
Box 1, Folder 46 Hotel Greeter's Guide and Hotel Directory of Wisconsin (c. 1928), 32 p.
1 item

1928
Box 1, Folder 47 Contains The Playgoer: The Magazine of the Theater, which includes an advertisement for the Theater Guild production of Porgy at the Blackstone Theater, November 5, 1928, and a program guide to the Victory Theater, Dayton, Ohio, November 1, 1928.
2 items

November 1 and 5, 1928
Box 1, Folder 48 Three program guides, including one from the Erlanger Theater, Buffalo, New York, 1927.
3 items

1927
Box 1, Folder 49 Program guide from the Princess Theater, Toronto, Ontario, and the Republic Theater, 42nd. St., West of Broadway.
2 items

1928-1929
Box 1, Folder 50 Programs from the Hollis St. Theater and the Erlanger Theater, Philadelphia. Also a silkscreen program from the Republic Theater.
3 items

Box 1, Folder 51 The October 25, 1935 issue of Musical America, with a cover story on Porgy and Bess.
1 item

October 25, 1935
Box 1, Folder 52 Two copies of the Alvin Theater Playbill and a program from the Colonial Theater, Boston, Massachusetts.
3 items

September 30, 1935
Box 1, Folder 53 Copy of Concertgoer (The Program of the Elmer Wilson Concert Course) and three copies of the program of Porgy and Bess at the Philharmonic Auditorium.
4 items

February 3, 1938
Box 1, Folder 54 Copies of the Playgoer, the official program of the Curran Theater, February 14.
2 items

Box 1, Folder 55 Copies of a stagebill advertising Porgy and Bess at the Philharmonic Auditorium.
12 items

February 4-12, 1938
Box 1, Folder 56 Stadium Concerts Review, Lewisohn Stadium, College of the City of New York, and the National Symphony Orchestra Magazine.
3 items

August 8-10, 1937
Box 1, Folder 57 Program guides to the George Gershwin Memorial Concert in the Hollywood Bowl.
2 items

September 7, 1937
Box 1, Folder 58 A copy of the Playbill from the Majestic Theater and a program guide for a radio concert by Todd Duncan.
2 items

Series 6. Souvenir books

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 59 Copies of The Theater Guild Presents Porgy and Bess, 22 p.
2 items

Box 1, Folder 60 Copies of Cheryl Crawford Presents George Gershwin's Immortal Porgy and Bess (New York: sold by Al Greenstone) 61 p. One has a red cover; the other is brown.
2 items

Box 1, Folder 61 Copies of Merle Armitage in association with Paul Posz and by arrangement with the Theater Guild presents Porgy and Bess (Printed by Lynton R. Kistler, ltd.) 24 p.
2 items

Box 2, Folder 12 Broadsides for various Theater Guild productions.
5 items

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 13-18 Programs from other (non Porgy) productions.
23 items

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 19 Ralph Bellamy Players: The Princess Theater, bound program.
1 item

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 6 The Playgoer.
3 items

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 35 Porgy and Bess publicity material
4 items

Contents Note: A89-43

Series 7. Photographs

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 62 Photos of Frances Herriott, Hartford, De Wolf, Sanford, and one of opening night at the Colonial Theater in Boston, September 30, 1935, which includes George Gershwin, Du Bose Heyward, and Rouben Mamoulian.
7 items

Box 2, Folder 9 Photo of Annie Brown, 1936, signed.
1 item

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 25 Photo of Frances Herriott Sargent.
1 item

Contents Note: A89-4
Box 2, Folder 26 Various Photos--some autographed, many of scenes from or cast of Porgy and Bess.
22 items

Contents Note: A89-4
Box 2, Folder 32 Unidentified group photo
1 item

Contents Note: A89-43
1981
Box 2, Folder 28 Photos of Ralph Bellamy
8 items

Contents Note: A89-43
1981

Series 8. Miscellaneous printed materials

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 63 News clippings.
5 items

May 1928-February 1940
Box 1, Folder 64 Undated news clippings.
4 items

Box 1, Folder 65 Clippings of critical responses to the New Your production in 1935.
9 items

1935
Box 1, Folder 66 Boston clippings.
8 items

Box 1, Folder 67 Chicago clippings.
5 items

February-March 1936
Box 1, Folder 68-69 California clippings.
16 items

Box 1, Folder 70 Clippings about the Gershwin Memorial Concert and the Cheryl Crawford production of Porgy and Bess in New Jersey.
5 items

1942
Box 1, Folder 71 Gravure section of the New York Herald Tribune Sun, March 1, 1936 and a clipping from the Daily News about Rose McClendon.
2 items

May 1928-February 1940
Box 1, Folder 72 The March 1939 issue of National Geographic Magazine.
1 item

March 1939
Box 1, Folder 73 Clippings of obituary notices of Du Bose Heyward.
3 items

June 6, 1940
Box 1, Folder 74 Undated clippings, including photographs of Todd Duncan, Howard Mitchell (conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra), and pianist Don Shirley.
3 items

Box 2, Folder 21 The New Yorker clippings.
3 items

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 22 Various clippings.
9 items

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 24 Sociometry journal, Theater Arts, March 1945, St. Elizabeth's Hospital clipping.
3 items

Contents Note: A89-4
December 5, 1960
Box 2, Folder 27 Various clippings, cards, and broadsides.
8 items

Contents Note: A89-4
Box 2, Folder 36 Profile of Lyonel Feninger
2 items

Contents Note: A89-43
Box 2, Folder 37 Sociometry journal
1 item

Contents Note: A89-43
May 1941

Series 9. Miscellaneous items

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 75 Contains a note from Frances Herriott concerning the telegrams in folder 15, business cards, and an initialed handkerchief to Frances from Rose McClendon.
7 items

Box 1, Folder 76 Verses written for the cast party and a schedule of hotel rates in San Francisco in 1930.
5 items

Box 1, Folder 77 Copies of contracts with Merle Armitage Concerts, Incorporated, October 7, 1937 and January 3, 1938, making her stage manager for Porgy and Bess.
2 items

October 7, 1937 and January 3, 1938
Box 2, Folder 6 Booklet of Plays and Films Seen or Recommended.
1 item

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 7 Contracts.
4 items

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 8 License to have possession of a pistol.
1 item

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 10 Catfish Row business card.
1 item

Contents Note: A82-156
Box 2, Folder 11 and 31 Stage manager's time sheet.
2 items

Contents Note: A82-156, A89-43
Box 2, Folder 28 Frances Herriott Sargent obituary
1 item

Contents Note: A89-43
1981
Box 2, Folder 29 Memoranda for Stage Managers
1 item

Contents Note: A89-43
Box 2, Folder 30 Doodles
4 items

Contents Note: A89-43
Box 2, Folder 34 The Art of Rehearsal by Bernard Shaw
1 item

Contents Note: A89-43

Series 10. Books

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 78 The Theater Guild Presents Porgy and Bess, music by George Gershwin (New York: Gershwin Publishing Corporation). A copy of the original score inscribed to Frances Herriott by Gershwin, Heyward, and Mamoulian. The score bears Herriott's production notes, corrections, etc.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 79 Porgy: A Play in Four Acts (Garden City, Doubleday, Doran and Co., 1928). The Theater Guild Acting Version. A copy in the original wrappers and signed by members of the cast.
1 item

Box 1, Folder 80 Spiritual Songs from the Theater Guild production of Porgy (New York: Bibo, Bloeden, and Lang, 1928) in the original painted wrappers.
1 item

Series 11. Museum pieces

Container Description Date
Box HM, Folder 70 Bell used by Rouben Mamoulian for rehearsal.
Box HM, Folder 71 Baton used to conduct the Rhythm Scene, Act II, Scene I.
Box HM, Folder 72 Ribbon for the Jenkins Orphan Band in the Picnic Scene.
Box HM, Folder 73 Another ribbon for the Jenkins Orphan Band.