samuel french company business records 1847-1992 (bulk ca

© 2010 Amherst College Archives and Special Collections

AMHERST COLLEGE

ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Samuel French Company Business Records

1847-1992 (bulk ca 1880-1920)

Summary: The Samuel French Company Business Records contain the business

correspondence, contracts, and financial records accumulated by the

company from the 1847-1992. The Samuel French Company published

and leased plays in New York, London, and Canada, and the company’s

records document their interactions with playwrights and the plays they

helped distribute.

Quantity: 26.25 linear feet

Containers: 26 record storage boxes

2 oversize folders

Processed: December, 2012

By: Sara Hawran, graduate student intern, Simmons College

Sara Smith, Archives and Special Collections Specialist

Finding Aid: January, 2012

Access: There is no restriction on access to the Samuel French Company Business

Records for research use. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for

preservation purposes.

Copyright: Requests for permission to publish material from the Samuel French

Company Business Records should be directed to the Archives and

Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify

and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.



INTRODUCTION

Historical Note

The Samuel French Company, also known as the Samuel French Dramatic Publishing Co. and

Samuel French & Son, is a company specializing in drama and theatre publication. The Samuel

French Company works with playwrights to publish their plays and lease them for production.

The company was founded in the mid-19th

century by Samuel French (1821-1898) in New York.

As the business expanded, Samuel French brought his son, T.H. French, into the operation, and

by the 1870s Samuel French and Son had established an office in London. T.H. French was

responsible for the New York office and Samuel French operated the London office (T.R.

Edwards taking over at the London office after Samuel French’s death). Eventually the business

would establish an office in Canada, as well, creating Samuel French (Canada) Ltd. The Samuel

French Company still exists in the present day as Samuel French, Inc.

History of the Papers and Their Organization

These records were collected and maintained by the Samuel French Company. The collection is

part of the M. Abbott Van Nostrand Theatre Collection, which was donated to the Amherst

College Archives and Special Collections by M. Abbott Van Nostrand (AC 1934), former

president of Samuel French, Inc.

Related Material at Amherst College Archives and Special Collections

Augustin Daly published material

Samuel French Company Music Holdings

Samuel French Company Theatre Scrapbooks

Truly Yours: one hundred and fifty years of play publishing & service to the theatre, a

history of Samuel French, Inc., Amherst College Archives and Special Collections, File

Z325.S16.T78 1980

M. Abbott Van Nostrand oral history interview (1994),

https://www.amherst.edu/library/about/support/friends/oral_history/oral_history_intervie

ws/van_nostrand

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the Samuel French Company Business Records [Box #, Folder #],

Amherst College Archives and Special Collections, Amherst College Library.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PAPERS



Scope and Content Note

The Samuel French Company Business Records consists of 26.25 feet of business materials

collected by the Samuel French Company. The records consist of account books, letter books,

loose correspondence, contracts, copyright certificates, receipts, newspaper clippings, and other

materials collected by the Samuel French Company. The bulk of the collection falls between the

years 1880 and 1920, although there are documents spanning from 1847 to 1992. Most of the

records pertain specifically to the company owned by Samuel French and his son T.H. French,

but there are also a substantial amount of records pertaining to the affiliated organization the

Lillian Russell Opera Company and pertaining to another theatrical manager and producer,

Augustin Daly.

Organization and Arrangement

The Samuel French Business Records are arranged by material type.

The papers are organized into 3 series:

1. BOUND VOLUMES [1863-1949]

2. UNBOUND DOCUMENTS [1847-1992]

3. FRENCH FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE [1887-1891, 1902]

Series Descriptions

Series 1, BOUND VOLUMES [1884-1949], consists of account books, letter books, and other

bound record books. The series is arranged chronologically, with miscellaneous subseries at the

end. The volumes within each subseries are arranged chronologically. The series is divided into 7

subseries:

A: Account Books [1856-1949]

B: Amateur Books [1912-1918]

C: London Books [1884-1919]

D: Regular Books [1904-1918]

E: Press Books [1878-1931]

F: Miscellaneous Bound Volumes [1863-1879]

G: Miscellaneous Letter Books [1885-1916]

Account Books [1856-1949] (subseries A) contains ledgers and record books which document

box office activity and other financial transactions. This subseries is divided into four sub-

subseries: American Theatre Account books, Grand Opera House account books, Samuel French

(Canada) Ltd. account books, and Samuel French US account books. The volumes within each

subgroup are arranged chronologically.



Amateur Books [1912-1918] (subseries B) consists of letter books containing copies of

correspondence relating to amateur productions.

London Books [1884-1919] (subseries C) consists of letter books that contain copies of

correspondence regarding the London office of the Samuel French Company. The

correspondence includes numerous letters from Thomas Henry French to his father Samuel

French relating to both business and personal matters.

Regular Books [1904-1918] (subseries D) consists of letter books containing copies of

correspondence sent by the Samuel French Company. The “regular books” appear to hold general

outgoing business correspondence from the company’s US office.

Press Books [1878-1931] (subseries E) contains scrapbooks which document certain

productions. The scrapbooks primarily contain newspaper clippings.

Miscellaneous Bound Volumes [1863-1879] (subseries F) contain the Dramatic Authors’ Society

Provincial Tariff (1879) and two books of Augustin Daly copyrights (1863-1870 and 1870-

1925).

Miscellaneous Letter Books [1885-1916] (subseries G) contains several different types of letter

books. The subseries is divided into two groups: special-purpose letter books and unlabeled letter

books. Both groups are arranged chronologically. Special-purpose letter books include Madison

Square Garden and “Officer 666” letter books. The unlabeled letter books have no specified

focus. Most of them are probably general letter books, possibly precursors to the regular books.

Among other topics, the unlabeled letter books contain numerous letters from Thomas Henry

French to his father Samuel French relating to both business and personal matters.

Series 2, UNBOUND DOCUMENTS [1847-1992], consists of correspondence, contracts,

receipts, and other business records that were not stored in bound volumes. The subseries are

arranged chronologically, with miscellaneous materials at the end. The series is divided into nine

subseries:

A: Augustin Daly Contracts [1872-1915]

B: Play Documentation by date [1878-1968]

C. Play Documentation by correspondent

D: Lillian Russell Opera Company [1890-1893]

E: American Theatre Company Mortgage [1892-1894]

F: Events [1970-1992]

G: Miscellaneous Materials [1847-1957]

Augustin Daly Contracts [1872-1915, bulk ca. 1880-1900] (subseries A) primarily contains

contracts for obtaining play rights. The series also contains a small amount of correspondence



regarding contracts and copyright. Many of the contracts deal with French or German plays.

Several contracts are written in French.

Play Documentation by date [1878-1968] (subseries B) contains correspondence, copyrights,

contracts, and newspaper clippings corresponding to specific plays distributed by the Samuel

French Company. Of special note are the plays from 1902-1903, during the time when the

Samuel French Company was active in acquiring British plays to perform in the United States.

The plays are arranged in chronological order by the date of the available documentation.

Play Documentation by correspondent [1896-1983] (subseries C) is a collection of letters

acquired as a group in 2003, containing correspondence between Samuel French, Inc. and

authors, publishers, producers and others. Arranged alphabetically by last names of

correspondents. See Appendix A for list of correspondents

Lillian Russell Opera Company [1890-1893] (subseries D) consists primarily of receipts and

vouchers for expenses during a tour of “La Cigale.” The subseries also contains a 1890 contract

between Lillian Russell and the Samuel French Company formally establishing the opera

company.

American Theatre Company Mortgage [1892-1894] (subseries E) contains vouchers, bills,

receipts, and general financial information relating to the construction and mortgage of the

American Theatre Company building.

Events [1970-1992] (subseries F) contains information about the American College Theatre

Festival (1970), Neil Simon’s commencement speech for Hofstra University (1981), and

schedules for the New Dramatists (1991-1992). The material is arranged chronologically.

Miscellaneous Materials [1847-1957] (subseries G) contains miscellaneous newspaper clippings

and business records that do not connect to any other materials in the collection.

Series 3, CORRESPONDENCE [1887-1891, 1902], consists of correspondence between Samuel

French, his son Thomas Henry (T.H.) French, his daughter Marie French, and Thomas R.

Edwards. This series is divided into 3 subseries:

A: Letters from Samuel French to T.H. French [1887-1891]

B: Letters from Marie French to Samuel French [1887, 1890]

C: Letters from T.R. Edwards to T.H. French [1889, 1902]

Letters from Samuel French to T.H. French [1887-1891] (subseries A) consists of letters that

Samuel French wrote from the London office to his son and business partner, T.H. French, at the

New York office. The letters are primarily business-related, but occasionally mention personal

matters. Arranged chronologically.



Letters from Marie French to Samuel French [1887, 1890] (subseries B) consists of personal

correspondence written from Marie to her father, Samuel French, while she was away at school.

Letters from Thomas R. Edwards to T.H. French [1889, 1902] (subseries C) consists primarily of

letters T.R. Edwards wrote from the London office to T.H. French at the New York office. The

correspondence is business-related. Arranged chronologically.


Series 1: BOUND VOLUMES [1884-1949]

Box Volume Dates Description


Subseries A: Account Books

1 1 1893-1895 American Theatre account book

1 2 1893-1894 American Theatre box office

1 3 1894-1896 American Theatre box office

1 4 1895-1896 American Theatre ledger receipts and expenditures

1 5 1887-1889 Grand Opera House, NY account book



1 8 1939-1942 Samuel French (Canada) Ltd. general account book

1 9 1939-1942 Samuel French (Canada) Ltd. special account book

1 10 1939-1944 Toronto office trial balance

1 11 1939-1944 Toronto office general ledger

2 1 n.d. Standard Plays record book

2 2 1856-1889 Accounts for standard and minor drama

2 3 1857-1858 Account book

2 4 1870 Account book










2 10 1889-1890 “Little Lord Fauntleroy” tour account book

2 11 1891 Margaret Mather Co. tour account book


3 2 1892-1907 Account of stock

3 3 1893 Garden Theatre account book

3 4 1898-1901 Old Manuscript Book

3 5 1907-1909 Stock company royalties account book






4 5 1916-1920 Purchase book


4 7-9 1918 Sunday accounts (3 folders)


5 2 1923-1927 Record of play publications

5 3 1939-1949 Stock record-book #2

5 4 1946 George Beisser record book #1

5 5 1946 George Beisser record book #2





Subseries B: Amateur Books

6 1 1912 Mar-Aug Amateur book #7

6 2 1913 Jan-May Amateur book #9

6 3 1913 Mar-May Amateur book #10

6 4 1913 Nov Amateur book #11

6 5 1913 Nov-1914 Jan Amateur book #12

6 6 1914 Jan-Mar Amateur book #13

6 7 1914 Mar-May Amateur book #14

7 1 1914 May-Oct Amateur book #15

7 2 1914 Oct-Dec Amateur book #16

7 3 1916 Dec-1917 Jan Amateur book #33

7 4 1917 Jan-Feb Amateur book #34

7 5 1917 Feb-Mar Amateur book #35

7 6 1917 Mar Amateur book #36

7 7 1917 Mar-Apr Amateur book #37

8 1 1917 Apr Amateur book #38

8 2 1917 Apr-May Amateur book #39

8 3 1917 May-Jun Amateur book #40

8 4 1917 Jun-Aug Amateur book #41

8 5 1917 Aug-Oct Amateur book #42

8 6 1917 Oct-Dec Amateur book #43





8 7 1917 Dec-1918 Jan Amateur book #44

8 8 1918 Feb-May Amateur book #45

Subseries C: London Books

9 1 1884 May-1886 Jan London letter-book

9 2 1885 May-1886 Aug London letter-book

9 3 1886 Aug-1887 Oct London letter-book

9 4 1890 Mar-Dec London letter-book

9 5 1890 Dec-1891 Nov London letter-book

9 6 1892 Nov-1893 Aug London letter-book

9 7 1894 Jul-1895 Oct London letter-book

9 8 1895 Oct-1897 Sep London letter-book

9 9 1897 Sep-1899 Jun London letter-book

9 10 1899 Oct-1900 Jun London letter-book

10 1 1900 Jun-1902 Jul London letter-book

10 2 1904 Oct-1907 Jan London letter-book

10 3 1907 Feb-1911 Jul London letter-book

10 4 1911 Jul-1914 Jun London letter-book

10 5 1914 Jun-1917 May London letter-book

10 6 1917 May-1919 Sep London letter-book





Subseries D: Regular Books

11 1 1904 Dec-1905 Apr Letter book #53

11 2 1905 Apr-Jul Letter book #54

11 3 1905 Jul-Oct Letter book #55

11 4 1905 Oct-1906 Jan Letter book #56

11 5 1906 Jan-Jun Letter book #57

12 1 1907 May-Jul Letter book #63

12 2 1907 Jul-Oct Letter book #64

12 3 1907 Oct-Nov Letter book #65

12 4 1907 Nov-1908 Jan Letter book #66

12 5 1908 Jan Letter book #67

12 6 1908 Jan-Feb Letter book #68

12 7 1908 Feb-Jun Letter book #69

12 8 1908 Jun-Aug Letter book #70

12 9 1908 Aug-Oct Letter book #71

12 10 1908 Oct-Nov Letter book #72

13 1 1912 May-Feb Regular book #90

13 2 1912 Jun-Oct Regular book #92

13 3 1912 Oct-1913 Jan Regular book #93

13 4 1913 Jan-Mar Regular book #94

13 5 1913 Mar-May Regular book #95





13 6 1913 Aug-Oct Regular book #97


14 2 1914 Jan-Mar Regular book #99

14 3 1914 Mar-Jun Regular book #100

14 4 1914 Jun-Sep Regular book #101

14 5 1914 Sep-Nov Regular book #102

14 6 1914 Nov-1915 Jan Regular book #103

14 7 1915 Feb-Apr Regular book #104

14 8 1915 Apr-Jun Regular book #105

15 1 1915 Jun-Aug Regular book #106

15 2 1915 Aug-Nov Regular book #107

15 3 1915 Nov-1916 Feb Regular book #108

15 4 1916 Feb-Apr Regular book #109

15 5 1916 May-Jul Regular book #110

15 6 1916 Jul-Oct Regular book #111


15 8 1917 Jan-Apr Regular book #113

16 1 1917 Apr-Jun Regular book #114

16 2 1917 Jun-Aug Regular book #115

16 3 1917 Aug-Oct Regular book #116






16 5 1918 Jan-Feb Regular book #117-A

16 6 1918 Feb-May Regular book #118

16 7 1918 May-Sep Regular book #119

Subseries E: Press Books

17 1 1878-1890 Samuel French and Son – General Press Book

[bulk 1878-1882]

17 2 1888-1889 “Little Lord Fauntleroy” press book

17 3 1892-1896 Lillian Russell Opera Co. press book – New York to

San Francisco

17 4 1896-1897 “A Fool of Fortune” press book

17 5 1930-1931 Pressbook: “Green Grow the Lilacs” [bulk];

“Roadside”; “Iron Dish"

Subseries F: Miscellaneous Bound Volumes

17 6 1863-1870 Augustin Daly copyright documents

17 7 1870-1925 Augustin Daly copyright documents (Library of

Congress)

17 8 c. 1879 Dramatic Authors’ Society Provincial Tariff – Third

Issue

Subseries G: Miscellaneous Letter Books

18 1 1885-1888 Grand Opera House letter book

18 2 1887 Aug-1890 Feb Broadway Theatre Co. letter book





18 3 1889 Apr-1890 Jun Madison Square Garden letter book

18 4 1899-1901 Theatre Royal Drury Lane letter book

18 5 1890 Jun-1891 Jun Madison Square Garden letter book

18 6 1913 Dec-1916 May “The New Henrietta” letter book

18 7 1914 Mar-Dec “Officer 666” letter book

18 8 1915 Jan-1916 Nov “Officer 666” letter book

18 9 1915 Mar-Dec American Play Company book #1

19 1 1873 Oct-1876 Jun Letter book

19 2 1876 Sep-1877 Mar Letter book

19 3 1877 Mar-1878 Feb Letter book

19 4 1877 Oct-1878 Sep Letter book

19 5 1878 Sep-1879 Sep Letter book

19 6 1879 Sep-1880 Oct Letter book

19 7 1880 Oct-1881 Aug Letter book

19 8 1881 Aug-1882 Aug Letter book

20 1 1882 Sep-1883 Feb Letter book

20 2 1884 Oct-1885 Apr Letter book

20 3 1885 May-1886 Jan Letter book

20 4 1887 Jan-Oct Letter book

20 5 1887 Mar-1888 Oct Letter book





20 6 1887 Oct-1888 Sep Letter book

20 7 1889 Nov-1890 Mar Letter book

20 8 1890 Mar-Aug Letter book

21 1 1890 Aug-1891 Jan Letter book

21 2 1892 Dec-1893 Aug Letter book

21 3 1883 Sep-1884 Feb Letter book


22 1 1894 Mar-Jul Letter book

22 2 1894 Jul-Nov Letter book


22 4 1895 May-Jul Letter book

22 5 1895 Jul-1896 Jan Letter book

22 6 1896 Jan-Sep Letter book

22 7 1896 Sep-1897 May Letter book


Series 2: UNBOUND DOCUMENTS

Box Folder Dates Description


Subseries A: Augustin Daly Contracts and

Correspondence

23 1 1882-1883 Augustin Daly and Felix Bloch

23 2 1884 Jan-Aug Augustin Daly and Felix Bloch

23 3 1884 Sep-Dec Augustin Daly and Felix Bloch

23 4 1885 Mar-Oct Augustin Daly and Felix Bloch

23 5 1885 Nov-Dec Augustin Daly, Felix Bloch, and Samuel French

23 6 1886 Augustin Daly and Felix Bloch

23 7 1887 Augustin Daly and Felix Bloch



23 10 undated (likely c. 1884-1888)

Augustin Daly and Felix Bloch

23 11 undated Undated contract with J.H. Rosenthal

23 12 1886-1893 Contracts with Franz von Schoenthan

23 13 1872-1880 General contracts

23 14 1889-1891 General contracts and correspondence




23 18 1885-1888 French contracts

23 19 1889-1891 French contracts





23 20 1888-1899 Correspondence on the play “Sapho”

23 21 1903-1915 Misc. documents, 1903-1915

23 22 1912 Contract between Joseph Daly and Charles Dillingham

23 19 1939 Report on status of current Daly copyright holdings (1939)

[includes comprehensive list of registered plays, c. 1870-

1915]

Subseries B: Play documentation by date

24 1 1878, 1892 R.M. Field (producer): “Diplomacy” (translation of the

French “Dora” by Victorien Sardou)

24 2 1878, 1880 Bronson Howard (author): “Lillian’s Last Love”; “Only a

Tramp”

24 3 1885 James Mortimer (author): “Polly the Pet of the Regiment”

(Edward Solomon, composer)

24 4 1886, 1901 Bronson Howard (author): “The Henrietta”

24 5 1887-1889, 1898 Frances Hodgson Burnett (author): “Little Lord Fauntleroy”

24 6 1890 Unknown: “Doctor Bill” (by Albert Carré) – Performance

Contract

24 7 1891-1892 Various: “La Cigale” (written by Henri Chivot and Alfred

Duru; music composed by Edmond Audran)

24 8 1891-1892 Richard Mansfield (author): Unknown Production

24 9 1892 Various: “The Silver King” (by Henry Arthur Jones and

Henry Herman)

24 10 1894 Clotilde Graves (author, aka Clo Graves): “Dr. and Mrs.

Neill”





24 11 1894 Charles Klein and Harrison Grey Fiske (co-authors): “The

District Attorney”

24 12 1896 William Greet (manager): “The Gay Parisienne,” aka “The

Girl from Paris” (George Dance, author; Ivan Caryll,

composer)

24 13 1898, 1901 Bronson Howard (author): “Shenandoah”

24 14 1901-1903 George Ade (author): “The Sultan of Sulu”

24 15 1901-1904 Herbert Darnley (author): “Mr. Wix of Wickam” (music by

Herbert Darnley and George Everard); “The Merry

Mormon” (co-written with Wal Pink, music by Darnley);

“Chang” (music by John C. Shepard)

24 16 1902 J. Russell Bogue (author): “A Trip to Blackpool”; “A

Fisherman’s Daughter”

24 17 1902 J. Dobson Clyde (author): “A Man in a Thousand”

24 18 1902 Tom Craven (author): “Half-Mast High”

24 19 1902 Robert A. Cuthbert (author): “A Vow of Vengeance”; “The

Queen of Diamonds”

24 20 1902 Brandon Ellis (author): “Sappho” (adaptation of Alphonse

Daudet book); “A Fatal Crown” (co-authored by James

Bell); “Through the World”; “Beneath the Stars”

24 21 1902 Lewis Gilbert and T.W. Ranson (co-authors): “A Faithful

Friend”

24 22 1902 James Steward Machale [?] (author): “The Modern

Miracle”

24 23 1902 Kennedy Miller (manager): Communications relating to

rights of all J.W. Whitbread plays

24 24 1902 Fred Moule (author): “The Life that Kills”





24 25 1902 Edward Neville (author): “The Anarchist Terror”

24 26 1902 T.R. Nugent (author): “The Web of Fate”

24 27 1902 Morten Powell (manager): Unidentified plays.

24 28 1902 John F. Preston (manager?): “Through the Divorce Court”;

“Ancestors of the Crown”; “Secrets”; “Rich and Poor of

London”; “Nell Gwynne”; “Lady Godiva”; “Soldiers of the

Queen”

24 29 1902 Harry J. Snelson (manager): “Soldiers of the Queen” (by

Max Goldberg); “True to the Core” (by A.R. Slous)

24 30 1902 Horace Stanley (author?): “The 10-30 Down Express”

24 31 1902 Matt Wilkinson (author): “Saturday Night in London”

24 32 1902-1903 Frank Bateman (author): “At War with Heaven”; “From

Scotland Yard (co-written with John Douglass)

24 33 1902-1903 Oswald Brand (author): “Dr. Nikola” (co-written with Ben

Landeck); “Oliver Twist”; “Little Nell, or, Dickens’ Old

Curiosity Shop”

24 34 1902-1903 J. Harold Carson (manager): “Who’s Brown?” (Frank

Wyatt, author)

24 35 1902-1903 Frank Denman-Wood (author): “A Voice from the Grave”

(co-written with S. Planche)

24 36 1902-1903 W.L. Dobell (manager): “The Great Detective” (written by

Haddington Tamplin)

24 37 1902-1903 Fred S. Jennings (author): “Why Woman Sins” (co-written

with W.P. Sheen)

24 38 1902-1903 John Mills (author): “Hearts of Erin”; “A Crimson Crime”;

“Deception”





24 39 1902-1903 Frank Stuart (manager): “The Curate” (by Rass Challis)

24 40 1902-1903 Henry Swinerd (manager): “Dare-Devil Dorothy” (by

Wilfred Carr; music by Sparrow Harris)

24 41 1902-1904 Frank Adair (author, aka Riada): “The Painted Woman”;

“Sweethearts and Wives”

24 42 1903 Ridgewood Barrie (author): “A She Devil”

24 43 1903 Montague Beaudyn and E. Carter Livesey (authors): “A

Traitor Prince”

24 44 1903 Albert H. Clarke (author): “Wings of Wealth”

24 45 1903 Charles Darrell (author): “The Power and the Glory”;

“Defender of the Faith”

24 46 1903 Forbes Dawson (author): “Dead Men’s Shoes”

24 47 1903 W.H. Dearlove (author): “Cissy”

24 48 1903 W.G. Duncan (manager): “The Best Must Win”; “For the

Woman He Loves” (both co-authored by Myles Wallerton

and Francis Gilbert)

24 49 1903 Lionel Ellis (author): “The Right Man”

24 50 1903 Charles Freeman (author): “The White Demon”

24 51 1903 Edward Graham-Falcon (author?): “The Lady Cyclist”

24 52 1903 James Hewson (author): “A Marked Man” [bulk]; “For the

Sake of a Woman”; “Thou Art the Man”; “Recalled to

Life”; “Why we Parted”; “A Past Redeemed”; “Manhood”

24 53 1903 Bronson Howard (author): Unknown play





24 54 1903 F. Jarman (author): “Under the Czar”; “In Dark Siberia”;

“The Rebel’s Wife”; “At Foot[?] of the Altar”

24 55 1903 F.G. Kimberly (manager): “Bound to Win”; “A Sister’s

Sin” (both written by Mrs. F.G. Kimberly)

24 56 1903 Fred J. Kirke (author): “A Guilty Inheritance” (Alfred

Rousby, co-author); “In Old Madrid” (W.T. Clifford, co-

author); “Our Sailor Lad”

24 57 1903 John Leopold (author): “Frivolty”

24 58 1903 McLeod Loader (author): “The Greatest Scoundrel Living”

24 59 1903 Fawcett Lomax (manager): “Shamus” (George Roberts,

author)

24 60 1903 Richard Lord and W. Armstrong (co-authors): “A

Daughter’s Love”

24 61 1903 David McFarlane (manager): “Good Luck” (by Oswalle

Silverstone)

24 62 1903 Alice Raynor (formerly Alice Howell-Poole; widow of the

author): “The Master Passion”; “The Peacemaker”; other

unnamed plays (all by Howell Poole)

24 63 1903 Clifford Rean (author): “A Son of Satan”

24 64 1903 Edward T. Ward (manager): “Man and Wife” (by Walter

Howard); “We Are But Human” (by Nita Rae)

24 65 1903 Ernest F. Welch (author): “A Soldier’s Honor”

24 66 1903 Harold Whyte (author): “Women of London” [bulk];

“Tempted to Sin”; “True to the Queen”; “The Pleasures of

London”; “The Red Terror”

24 67 1903 James Willard (author): “A Woman of Pleasure”





24 68 1903 T.E. Worth (author): “In the King’s Name”

24 69 1903-1904 Charles H. Phelps (author): “The Blind Foundling” [bulk];

“Man’s Inhumanity”; “One Woman’s Wickedness”

24 70 1906 W.W. Woods (unknown): “A Woman’s Victory”

(unknown author)

24 71 1909 Various: “Morocco Bound” (Arthur Branscombe, author)

24 72 c. 1912 Tom Terriss (author): “Scrooge”

24 73 1913-1915 Marie Doran (author) and others: “Tempest and Sunshine”

– Documentation for legal battle over copyright.

24 74 1914 Various: “Officer 666” (by Augustin MacHugh) –

Performance contracts (1914)

24 75 1915 Various: “Officer 666” (by Augustin MacHugh) –

Performance contracts (1915)

24 76 1916-1918 Various: “Officer 666” (by Augustin MacHugh) –

Performance contracts (1916-1918)

24 77 1919-1923 Various: “Officer 666” (by Augustin MacHugh) –

Performance contracts (1919-1923)

24 78 1927 Kenyon Nicholson (author) and others: “Tell Me Your

Troubles” – Performance contracts and correspondence

24 79 1930 Paul Green (author): “Tread the Green Grass” –

Performance contracts

24 80 1930-1932 Unknown: “Green Grow the Lilacs” (Lynn Riggs, author) –

Magazine reviews and short bio of author

24 81-84 1930-1932 Unknown: “Green Grow the Lilacs” (Lynn Riggs, author) –

Assorted newspaper clippings (4 folders)

24 85 undated Roy Cochrane (author): “Held with Honor”





24 86 undated E. Vivian Edmonds (author): “A Silent Foe”

24 87 undated Herbert Fuller (manager?): “Passion of Life”; “A Triple

Vengeance”

24 88 undated Jerold Heather (author?): “Midst Shot and Shell”; “The

Lass that Loves a Sailor”; “The Slave Girl”

24 89 undated Arthur Pickett (author): “The Chances”

24 90 undated Rosaline Scott Watson (manager): “The Scarlet Woman”

(C.S. Beaulieu, author)

24 91 undated Unknown: List of Edward E. Kidder’s plays

25 1 1954 Leonard Sillman, “New Faces”

25 2 1957 Unknown author, “Penny”

25 3 1968 Rolf Hochhutch, “The Soldiers” (see also: Stage-setting

and scenery for “The Soldiers” oversize folder)

Map case oversize folders Stage-setting and scenery for “The Soldiers”

Map case oversize folders Posters

Subseries C: Play documentation by correspondent

25 1 1896-1983 George Ade, Gertrude Ahrens, Hardie Albright, Richard

Aldrich, Ronald Alexander, Don Appell, Theodore

Apstein, George Arliss

25 2 1896-1983 George P. Baker , Fred Ballard, Charles Barnard, Albert

Barker, May H. Barry, Lewis Beach , George Beban ,

Albert Bein, Alladine Bell, Digby Bell, David Belasco,

Dorothy Cheston Bennett, Fred G. Berger, Sadye A.

Berman, Edwin Bjorkman, Adele Blood, Gustav Blum , De

Witt Bodeen, Jessie Bonstelle, Hilliard Booth, William A.

Brady, Wilbur Braun , George R. Brett, Harold Brighouse,





George Broadhurst, Iva Broadhurst , Thomas W.

Broadhurst, Joseph Brooks , John C. Brownell, Charles

Burnham, R.H. Burnside, Richard Burton (American poet)

25 3 1896-1983 Robert Campbell, A.H. Canby, Fred Carmichael, Edward

C. Carpenter , Haddon Chambers , C. Chapin, Frank E.

Chase, J. & W. Chester Ltd., Josephine Cheney, Edward

Chodorov, C.B. Chorpenning, Barrett H. Clark, Marguerite

Clark, Charles H. Clarke, J.E.B. [?] Clarke, Colin

Clements, Florence Ryerson Clements, Sada Cowan,

Charles Coburn, George M. Cohan, Arthur Collins (Theatre

Royal Drury Lane), Edward Fales Coward, Irene J.

Crandall, William H. Crane, John Crittenden

25 4 1896-1983 James L. Daggett, Edward H. Daly, Test Dalton , George

Darnroth, Essex Dane, William E. Danforth, Darcy &

Wolford (Dealers in, American and Foreign Plays, Aristide

d'Angelo, Allan Davis, Hallie Flanagan Davis, Owen

Davis, Alexander Dean, Marian de Forest, Alfred de

Liagre, Jr., Harry Delf, William C. Demille, Kurt Desch,

Richard C. De Wolf, Mel Dinelli, Charles B. Dillingham

(Globe Theatre New York), Allan Dinehart, George H.

Doran (publisher), Marie Doran, Richard Dorney, Robert

Downing, G.N. Dowsett, Theodore Dreiser, Sidney Drew,

Philip Dunning, Francis Durbridge, H.A. Dusouchet

25 5 1896-1981 Fred Eastman, Walter P. Eaton, Buddy Ebsen, R. Bruce

Edwards, Thomas R. Edwards, Ida Lublenski Ehrlich, P.

Eldredge, Julian Eltinge, Fatha Engle, Lehman Engel,

Henry Ephron, A.L. Erlanger, Edward Esmonde, Edwin

Barlow Evans, Judith Evelyn, Lawrence Eyre

25 6 1914-1978 William Faversham, Walter Ferris, Robert Finch, Eleanor

Fitzgibbons, Martin Flavin, Anne C. Flexner, John H.

Floyd, James Forbes, Harriet Ford, Mary Forrest, Paul

Foster, David E. Freeman, Ethel Hale Freeman, Ketti

Frings, Daniel Frohman, Grace Livingston Furniss





25 7 1913-1977 Crosby Gaige, Eleanor Gates, Charles George, Alice

Gerstenberg, Paul Gilmore, Norman Ginsbury, Susan

Glaspell, James Gleason, Carl Glick, Austin Goetz, John

Golden, Carter Goodloe, Arthur Goodman, Elizabeth Fuller

Goodspeed, Mordecai Gorelick, John Graham, Harley

Granville-Barker, Nicholas Stuart Gray, Patterson Greene,

Sydney Grundy

25 8 1907-1983 Albert Hackett, James K. Hackett, Robert T. Haines,

Forrest Halsey, Clayton Hamilton, Mary P. Hamlin, Henry

B. Harris, Sam H. Harris, Cyril Harcourt, Joseph Hart,

Joseph Hayes, A If. Hayman, Jack Heifi1er, Hugh Herbert,

Sidney Herbert, Beatrice Herford, David Higgins, Arthur

Hopkins, Alice M. Howard, Keble Howard, Glenn Hughes,

Jos. H. Hughes

25 9 1916-1927 Edith J.R. Isaacs, Joseph Jefferson, Frances Jewett, Walter

C. Jordan

25 10 1907-1967 Alice Kauser, George S. Kauffinan, Frank Keenan, George

Kelly, Augusta Raymond Kidder, Edward E. Kidder,

Rosamond Kimball, Cleves Kinkead, Klaw & Erlanger

(theatrical managers), Lillian Klein, Ben F. Kahn, Frederick

H. Koch, Frederick Kohner, C. Gordon Kurtz

25 11 1907-1981 Mary Lasswell, J.G. Latham, Walter N. Lawrence

(Madison Square Theatre), Emanuel Lederer, Margaret

Cameron Lewis, Joseph C. Lincoln, Frederick Lonsdale,

Katharine Lord, Charles Lovenberg, Frank R. Lowes

25 12 1907-1983 William McCleery, Elizabeth A. McFadden, Frank

McGlynn, Augustin MacHugh,, Constance D'Arcy

MacKay, Archibald Macleish (form letter regarding

copyright deposit copies), F.F. MacKay, Percy MacKaye,

Clare Tree Major, Albert Maltz, David Mamet, Albert

Mannheimer, J. H. Manners, Laurette Taylor Manners,

Beatrice [Mrs. Richard] Mansfield, Victor Mapes,

Josephine [Preston] Peabody Marks, Brander Matthews,

Cyril Maude, Frederick May, Margaret Mayo, Isabelle J.

Meaker, Roi Cooper Megrue, Leonard Melfi, George





Middleton, Alice D.G. Miller, Victor Moore, Carlyle

Moore, Malcolm Morley, William Morris (literary agent),

Oliver Morosco, Martha Morten, Slawomir Mrozek,

Michael Myerberg

25 13 1907-1954 Josephina Niggli, Eille Norwood,, Jack Norworth, Elliott

Nugent, Richard L. O'Connell, Jr., Geoffrey O'Hara, Nance

O'Neil, Peggy O'Neil

25 14 1899-1981 Louis N. Parker, Stewart Parker, John Patrick, Robert

Patrick, Edward A. Paulton,, Rachel Field Pederson, Louis

Sanders Perkins, Max Pfeffer, Raymond V. Phelan,

William Lyon Phelps, Walter S. Phillips (Lakeside Press),

Eugene Pillot, Channing Pollock, Cole Porter (postcard

signed by his secretary), George Haven Putnam (publisher),

Arthur Hobson Quinn, Elise West Quaife

25 15 1912-1983 Samson Raphaelson, William Redmund, Mark Reed, Dore

Reich, Helen [Mrs. Ogdon] Rogers Reid, Paul R. Reynolds,

Arthur Richman, Lynn Riggs (with unsigned corrected

typescript of a preface to a, reading edition of "Green Grow

the Lilacs"), Barbara Robinson, May Waldron Robson, Ann

Ronell, Edward E. Rose, Aurania Rouverol, John W.

Rumsey (American Play Company, Inc.), Morrie Ryskind

25 15 1907-1980 Maurice V. Samuels, Franklin H. Sargent, Gerald Savory,

Jacob J. Schwebel, Charles Scribner's Sons, Edgar Selden,

Edgar Selwyn, Tibor Serly, John Laurence Seymour,

William Seymour, A.B. Shiffrin, Marion Short, J.J.

Shubert, Lee Shubert, Milton I. Shubert, Otis Skinner,

Dodie Smith, Grace Spencer Smith, Harry James Smith,

Henry Clapp Smith, Edith Smith, Winchell Smith, E.H.

Sothern, Ralph Spence, Bella Spewack, Mary Gibbs

Spooner, John Kendrick Stafford, Lynn Starling,, Anita and

Elaine Steiger, Grant Stewart, Rosalie Stewart, Carol

Stone, David Storey, Austin Strong, Preston Sturges,

Alfred Sutro, Elizabeth Swain, Norma Lee Swartout, Mark

Swan





25 17 1907-1975 Tom Taggart, Samuel Taylor, Tom Terriss, A. E. Thomas,

Adelaide Thurston, Charlotte Tittell, Gertrude Tonkonogy,

Dan Totheroh, Shepard Traube, Amelie Rives

Troubetzkoy, Julia R. Tutwiler

25 18 1906-1983 Yale M. Udoff, John Garrett Underhill, Sophie K.

Underwood, Gladys Unger, Maurice Valency, Joan Vatsek,

Ann Van Vechten (Secretary, Society of American

Dramatists and Composers), Allen Vincent, Charles F.

Vincent

25 19 1907-1982 Stuart Walker, Frederick Warde, Mrs. Booker T.

Washington, Dale Wasserman, L. Lawrence Weber, Arthur

Weld, Michael Weller, Arnold Wesker, John Wexley, Bert

Wheeler, Percival Wilde, Ella Crane Wilkinson, Francis

Wilson (document signed), Percy Winter, Herbert H.

Winslow, Tom Wise, Peggy Wood, Fred W. Woitke,

Cecelia M. Young

25 20 1896-1983 unidentified (2 folders)

25 21 1896-1983 photographs

Subseries D: Lillian Russell Opera Company

26 1 1890-1892 Lillian Russell Opera Co. founding contract and later

correspondence

26 2 1892 Aug-Sep Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 3 1892 Sep Accounts and receipts – Salaries and Box-Office statements

26 4 1892 Oct Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 5 1892 Oct Accounts and receipts – Salaries and Box-Office statements

26 6 1892 Nov Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 7 1892 Nov Accounts and receipts – Salaries and Box-Office statements





26 8 1892 Dec Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 9 1892 Dec Accounts and receipts – Salaries and Box-Office statements

26 10 1893 Jan Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 11 1893 Jan Accounts and receipts – Salaries

26 12 1893 Feb Accounts and receipts – Salaries

26 13 1893 Mar Accounts and receipts – Salaries

26 14 1893 Apr Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 15 1893 Apr Accounts and receipts – Salaries and Box-Office statements

26 16 1893 May Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 17 1893 May Accounts and receipts – Salaries and Box-Office statements

26 18 1893 Jun Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 19 1893 Jun Accounts and receipts – Salaries and Box-Office statements

26 20 1893 Jul Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 21 1893 Jul Accounts and receipts – Salaries and Box-Office statements

26 22 1893 Aug Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 23 1893 Aug Accounts and receipts – Salaries and Box-Office statements

26 24 1893 Sep Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 25 1893 Sep Accounts and receipts – Salaries and Box-Office statements

26 26 undated Accounts and receipts – Misc.

26 27 undated Accounts and receipts – Salaries and Box-Office statements





26 28 1891-1892 Lillian Russell Opera Co. - Contracts

Subseries E: American Theatre Company Mortgage

27 1 1892-1894 American Theatre Company Mortgage

Subseries F: Events

27 2 1970 American College Theatre Festival

27 3 1981 Neil Simon Hofstra commencement speech

27 4 1991-1992 Schedules for the New Dramatists

Subseries G: Miscellaneous Material

27 5 1887-1957 Miscellaneous business records

27 6 1847-1907 Miscellaneous newspaper clippings


Series 3: CORRESPONDENCE



Subseries A: Letters from Samuel French to T.H.

French

27 7 1887-1889 Letters from Samuel French to T.H. French




Subseries B: Letters from Marie French to Samuel

French

27 11 1887, 1890 Letters from Marie French to Samuel French

Subseries C: Letters from T.R. Edwards to T.H. French

27 12 1889, 1902 Letters from T.R. Edwards to T.H. French



Search Terms

The following terms represent persons, organizations, and topics documented in this collection.

Use these headings to search for additional materials on this web site, in the Five College Library

Catalog, or in other library catalogs and databases.

Subjects

• Baker’s Plays (Publisher)

• Baker’s plays for amateurs

• Bloch, Felix, d. ca. 1890

• Daly, Augustin, 1838-1899

• Davis, Owen, 1874-1956

• French, Samuel, 1821-1898

• Hamilton, Clayton Meeker, 1881-1946

• Madison Square Garden (New York, N.Y.)

• Samuel French, Inc.

• Samuel French Ltd.

• Samuel French & Son

• Theatrical publishing

•

samuel french company business records 1847-1992 (bulk ca

Documents