Papers of Dore Schary, a playwright, motion picture executive, and activist in Jewish and liberal political causes documenting both his personal and professional life. Included are general correspondence; microfilmed scrapbooks; scripts and production material for plays and motion pictures; records pertaining to MGM; non-dramatic writings, speeches (many in recorded form), and an autobiography and a family memoir; home movies and photographs; correspondence, reports, lists, financial records, and speeches from his tenure as national chairman of the Anti-Defamation League and subject files on other organizations with which he was involved such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Jewish Committee, and the Democratic Party; and personal and biographical information. Documentation in the production files varies but may include correspondence, notes, variant drafts of scripts, clippings, financial records, publicity, stills, designs, and casting information. Records of Schary's years as executive producer, studio head, and vice-president at MGM include reports of executive meetings, correspondence and memoranda, and scattered financial reports. Also present are papers pertaining to the career of Schary's wife Miriam, painter M. Svet. The collection is arranged in four parts: the Original Collection, the 1968 Additions, the 1977 Additions, and the 1981 Additions. The Original Collection dates 1923-1962 and is organized in these categories: Biographical and Personal Material, General Files, General Writings, and Production Files. The 1968 Additions date 1933-1952 and consist of Production Files only. The 1977 Additions date circa 1920-1980 (though primarily 1956-1977) and again contain Biographical and Personal Material, General Files, General Writings, and Production Files, as well as a new category, Anti-Defamation League Files. Finally, the 1981 Additions date 1924-1980 (primarily 1974-1980) and include the same categories as the 1977 Additions plus a separate category for Disc Recordings. The Original Collection includes other disc recordings, and tape recordings are present in all but the 1968 additions. Some records are present only in microfilm format.
Creators:
Schary, Dore and Schary, Miriam
Dates:
1920/1980
Repository/Collector:
Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research
Repository/Collector Type:
College or university
City:
Madison
State:
Wisconsin
Country:
United States
Collection ID:
U.S. Mss 37AN
Extent:
74.2 c.f. (203 archives boxes, 1 record center carton, and 1 flat box), 37 reels of microfilm (35 mm), 26 tape recordings, 231 disc recordings, 55 reels of film, and photographs
Content types:
Still image, Two-dimensional moving image, and Spoken word
Formats:
Acetate open reel tape, Lacquer disc, Pressed LP disc, Photographic print, and Microfilm
Carrier types:
Audiotape reel, Audio disc, and Sheet
Indexing terms:
Radio interviews, Radio plays, Speeches, Interviews, Academy Award ceremonies, Tex and Jinx Show, NBC, Barry Gray Show, and WMCA
Languages:
English
Genres:
Manuscript collection, Microforms, Sound recordings, Motion pictures, and Photographs
Access statement:
There is a basic inventory of the audio in the Dore Schary collection but the discs have not been officially processed. There may be condition issues that prevent the discs from being digitized.
Usage statement:
Audio included in collections at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research must be digitized before patrons can access it. If audio has been digitized, no advance notice is needed to access it; if audio needs to be digitized a two week minimum notice is required in order to evaluate and digitize the audio. Access to audio is only available on-site for reference purposes - no reproductions may be made for reference or broadcast without the permission of the copyright holder.
Inventory description:
EAD finding aid and Narrative descriptions
Supporting documentation:
The collection has a finding aid which features details of the materials. In addition, narrative descriptions are included for three parts of the collections.
Historical relevance:
Dore Schary was an important playwright, motion picture executive and activist.
Condition note:
Playable with proper equipment and Unknown
Notes:
The audio in the Schary papers is a mixture of commercial recordings, transcription discs and instantaneous discs. Many are recordings of radio broadcasts including programs such as Tex and Jinx, Maggi McNellis, and The Barry Gray Show. There are recordings that are not radio related but it will take some work, including listening to some discs, to determine if some discs include radio broadcasts or not.