Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:17:23 -0500
From: Steve Abrams <sapuppets-AT-gmail.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Puppet Files, clipping collections


There are still quite a few puppeteers who have extensive paper archives.
I am one of them.
My archives now include 2 boxes of material collected by Rod Young, that his
nephew tuned over to me.
I hope the nephew is still keeping the remainder of the material in his
attic.
For many years Rod edited the NY Guild newsletter in his own unique style.
We gave a set of the newsletters to the library and museum of the performing
arts at Lincoln Center

Of the material that I have from Rod-one box was well organized and neatly
files, the other box was totally random.
as it happens- that is exactly the situation with my own material- some
organized and some very disorganized

Rod acquired ephemera from other collectors. He had a lot of material from
David Sears and also from Ken Moses

A number of "old timers' have given me all kinds or brochures and clippings
and photos.
Several of the guilds also have archives. The archives of the Phila guild
are currently in boxes at Bill Scott's church.

Alan is correct the Bob Longfield scrapbooks  are in Detroit. I think
someone photographed the material, maybe Nancy Henk

Phillip Huber has a very well organized archive, Bob Nathanson and Elise
Handleman have lots of material on paper.
I am sure there are many many others.

The Detroit Institute has the Paul McPharlin archives. It includes many many
of the letters that Paul received from puppeteers all around the world. The
archive is well organized and it is totally separate from the PofA material
in the DIA.

Steve


On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 11:11 AM, Stephen Kaplin <skactw-AT-tiac.net> wrote:

> Rod Young also collected enormous piles of puppet ephemera relating to
> New York and East Coast Puppet activity from the 40's and 50's up to
> the time of his death. I hope they find some suitable resting place as
> well.
>
> Stephen
>
>
> On Feb 22, 2010, at 10:40 AM, Alan Cook wrote:
>
> > When I joined Puppeteers of America in 1947 (but got no newsletter
> > until May 1948) many puppeteers were keeping pretty extensive files
> > of puppet articles, brochures, handbills & the like. It was from
> > such sources that Paul McPhalin (who had his own extensive files
> > too) garnered so much information which ended up in PUPPET THEATRE
> > IN AMERICA.
> >
> > Jay Marshall, Frank Paris, Bob Baker all saved paper stuff about
> > puppets. So did Jero Megon, so I hope his files will not get
> > trashed. Since Jero was a teacher (his star pupil was Paul Winchell)
> > I am sure his files had worthwhile material.
> >
> > Even I have several file cabinets.
> >
> > Now I am wondering how many puppetry folk are currently keeping
> > similar files? In the 1930s there were a lot more newspapers &
> > magazines with articles on puppets.
> >
> > Many puppeteers also maintained scrapbooks. Bob Longfield (aka Andre
> > Verne) did. For aesthetic reasons he tended to snip off the dates &
> > names of magazines (NOT a good idea for historians). His scrapbooks
> > included the Tony Sarg article from The Ladies Home Jounal Dec.
> > 1927, with little sketches by Sarg  decorating the borders of the
> > text. That article impelled a kid in Amarillo, Texas/Frederick
> > Oklahoma to become a puppeteer; his name was Frank Paris.
> >
> > Bob Longfield's scrapbooks I believe were bequeathed to Puppeteers
> > of America, and probably stored at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
> > Are they accessible there?
> >
> > In the digital age, who is saving such information? I know Jim
> > Gamble does.
> >
> >
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