DACS

urn:taro:smu.00058 Community Course records A Guide to the Collection Finding aid prepared by Anna Banhegyi, 2008. DeGolyer Library

P. O. Box 750396 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275-0396

Finding aid encoded by Lara Corazalla, 2008. Finding aid written in English. Description based on DACS. Overview Southern Methodist University Archives, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University Community Course (Dallas, Tex.) Community Course records 1939-1981 1965-1979 13 boxes (6.5 linear feet) The Community Course was a non-profit lecture-concert-drama series co-sponsored by Southern Methodist University and Temple Emanu-El, the largest Reformed Jewish temple in Dallas. The organization presented cultural events on the SMU campus, usually in McFarlin Auditorium from 1939 to 1981. The collection includes administrative records, ephemera, and extensive correspondence related to the SMU Community Course and its director, Ronald C. Knickerbocker. SMU 1991.0079 Material is in English Historical Note

Founded in 1939 by co-sponsors Southern Methodist University and Temple Emanu-El, Community Course was a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural life of SMU and the Dallas community. With seven or eight performances per season (October-April) held at SMU’s McFarlin Auditorium, Community Course provided a variety of lectures, musical performances, and theatrical productions, which catered to general public tastes. Only season tickets were sold – and quickly sold out – at a low price, while SMU students received free admission to all events. Yet from its very first season the series managed to operate without subsidies from its two sponsors.

Ronald C. Knickerbocker, an SMU alumnus and son of a school founder, served as executive director of the Community Course throughout its forty-year run. Part of the success of the flexible-format series stemmed from Knickerbocker’s ability to identify performers on the verge of international stardom and bring them to Dallas while their booking fees were still relatively low: for instance, Isaac Stern, Paco de Lucia, and Yehudi Menuhin all appeared on the Community Course stage as soon-to-be world-famous young artists. In addition, Knickerbocker also booked such well known figures as Salvador Dali and Thomas Mann, as well as a few popular returning acts including the three-time visit of Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

After forty seasons, the Community Course came to an end with Knickerbocker’s retirement in 1979, as the university administration decided to cancel the popular series due to the absence of a proper replacement for the longtime director.

Biographical Note

Ronald C. Knickerbocker (1908-1984), a graduate of SMU, returned to his alma mater to serve as its first director of publicity in 1931. "Knick" had strong family ties to the university: his father, H.D. Knickerbocker, a Methodist preacher, had been one of the school’s founders, while his brother H.R. Knickerbocker established SMU’s journalism department. In nearly five decades of employment at SMU, Ronald C. Knickerbocker served as university photographer, director of the Office of Information and University Publications, and founding director of the SMU Archives. Yet his name is most associated with the Community Course, which he founded and directed throughout its forty-year tenure from 1939 to 1979. Knickerbocker, who had been the recipient of the 1968 Cultural Award by the Dallas-Fort Worth Art Directors Association in recognition of his achievements through the cultural entertainment series, retired in 1979 after the last season of the Community Course.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Community Course Records collection consists primarily of correspondence, promotional materials, ephemera, and financial and other administrative records pertaining to the non-profit lecture-concert-drama series and its director Ronald C. Knickerbocker. Types of sources include brochures, flyers, photographs, press releases, newspaper clippings, artist contracts, stagehand payrolls, ticket sales logs, and invoices, as well as extensive correspondence with booking agents, artists, patrons, university administrators, newspaper editors, and other organizations.

Although Community Course was founded in 1939, the overwhelming majority of the records are from the last fourteen seasons of the series, from 1965 to 1979. Some of the administrative records were kept in the order of the original topical filing system used by Community Course administrators in the 1970s, and most file folders have original labels.

Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is organized into 3 series:

Series 1: Notices and Printed Matter, 1939-1979 Series 2: Performances, 1966-1979 Series 3: Administrative records, 1946-1981 Related Materials

R.C. Knickerbocker Collection of Performing Arts, located in the McCord/Renshaw Collection on the Performing Arts, Jerry Bywaters Special Collection, at the Hamon Arts Library of Southern Methodist University.

Community course records are available by appointment at Temple Emanu-El’s archives in Dallas, Texas.

Access to Collection:

Collection is open for research use.

Publication Rights:

Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the Director of the DeGolyer Library.

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain copyright authorization.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following terms in the Southern Methodist University Libraries' online catalog. Researchers desiring related materials may search the catalog using these terms.

Community Course (Dallas, Tex.) Community and college -- Texas -- Dallas. Universities and colleges -- Texas -- Dallas -- Public services. Performing arts -- Texas -- Dallas -- 20th century. Music -- Texas -- Dallas -- 20th century. Texas -- Intellectual life -- 20th century. Knickerbocker, R.C. (Ronald C.) Southern Methodist University. Temple Emanu-El (Dallas, Tex.) McFarlin Auditorium (Dallas, Tex.) Preferred Citation

Community Course records, Southern Methodist University Archives, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University.

Acquisition Information

Deposit, 1991.

Processed by

Archives staff, 1991.

Anna Banhegyi, 2008.

Finding Aid written by

Anna Banhegyi, 2008.

Encoded by

Lara Corazalla, 2008.

Detailed Description of the Collection Series 1: Notices and Printed Matter, 1939-1979 3 Boxes

Folders arranged by season generally contain patron notices and public announcements, season tickets and order forms, newspaper clippings, as well as promotional material including brochures, flyers, and event programs. Records from 1939 to 1952 are in bulk; post-1952 files are arranged by season.

11Notices and Printed Matter 1939-1950 12Notices and Printed Matter 1950-1952 13Notices and Printed Matter 1952-1953 14Notices and Printed Matter 1953-1954 15Notices and Printed Matter 1954-1955 16Notices and Printed Matter 1955-1956 17Notices and Printed Matter 1956-1957 18Notices and Printed Matter 1957-1958 19Notices and Printed Matter 1958-1959 110Notices and Printed Matter 1959-1960 111Notices and Printed Matter 1960-1961 112Notices and Printed Matter 1961-1962 113Notices and Printed Matter 1962-1963 114Notices and Printed Matter 1963-1964 115Notices and Printed Matter 1964-1965 116Notices and Printed Matter 1965-1966 21Notices and Printed Matter 1966-1967 22Notices and Printed Matter 1967-1968 23Notices and Printed Matter 1968-1969 24Notices and Printed Matter 1969-1970 25Notices and Printed Matter 1970-1971 26Notices and Printed Matter 1971-1972 31Notices and Printed Matter 1972-1973 32Notices and Printed Matter 1973-1974 33Notices and Printed Matter 1974-1975 34Notices and Printed Matter 1975-1976 35Notices and Printed Matter 1976-1977 36Notices and Printed Matter 1977-1978 37Notices and Printed Matter 1978-1979 Series 2: Performances, 1966-1979

Arranged chronologically in performance order, this series consists of material related to individual Community Course events. Folders typically contain contracts and technical requirements ("riders"), correspondence with booking agents, performers, and the media, press releases and biographical information, newspaper clippings (ads and reviews), event programs, promotional materials such as flyers and brochures, and various production-related materials, including printing bills and stagehand payrolls. Many folders also contain photographs, which are usually agency-supplied black-and-white publicity stills or headshots.

41Andre Watts – Apr. 12, 1967 (Cancelled, replaced by Ronald Turini) 4[Booking agent: Columbia Artist Management, Inc.] 42Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Nov. 16, 1967 4[Booking agent: Pryor-Menz Attractions, Inc.] 43Hogan's Goat – Nov. 30, 1967 (Cancelled) 4[Booking agent: National Performing Arts, Inc.] 44Replacement/Hogan's Goat Correspondence (Search for replacement options for cancelled event) 45Fiesta Mexicana – Dec. 16, 1967 4[Booking agent: Columbia Artists Management, Inc.] 46A.E. Hotchner – Jan. 11, 1968 4[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh] 47Emlyn Williams as Dylan Thomas Growing Up – Feb. 15, 1968 4[Booking agent: Hurok Attractions, Inc.] 48Lion in Winter – Mar. 12, 1968 4[Booking agent: Robert T. Gaus Associates, Inc.] 49Battle of the Sexes (Philip Burton Drama Quartet) – Mar. 28, 1968 4[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 410Rey De La Torre – Apr. 9, 1968 4[Booking agent: Herbert Barrett Management] 411Theatre Royal Windsor – Oct. 10, 1968 4[Booking agent: Robert T. Gaus Associates, Inc.] 412Kid Thomas Valentine & His Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Nov. 6, 1968 4[Booking agent: Pryor-Menz Attractions, Inc.] 413Takako Nishizaki – Dec. 5, 1968 4[Booking agent: The Edgar M. Leventritt Foundation] 414Howard Taubman – Jan. 29, 1969 4[Booking agent: The Keedick Lecture Bureau, Inc.] 415Lord Harlech – Feb. 11, 1969 4[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 416Royal Winnipeg Ballet correspondence – Feb. 27, 1969 4[Booking agent: Hurok Concerts, Inc.] 417Kipnis Mime Theater – Mar. 27, 1969 4[Booking agent: Herbert Barrett Management] 418James Dick – Apr. 9, 1969 4[Booking agent: The Edgar M. Leventritt Foundation] 419Max Morath – Oct. 15, 1969 4[Booking agent: Pryor-Menz Attractions, Inc.] 420Romanian Chorale Madrigal – Oct. 28, 1969 4[Booking agent: Hurok Attractions] 421Alexander Scourby – Nov. 11, 1969 4[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 422Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead – Dec. 11, 1969 4[Booking agent: American Theatre Productions, Inc.] 423Francisco Espinosa – Jan. 28, 1970 4[Booking: Robert T. Gaus Associates / Arthur Shafman International] 424Don Shirley – Feb. 26, 1970 4[Booking agent: Columbia Artists Management] 425Danzas Venezuela – Mar. 10, 1970 4[Booking agent: Columbia Artists Management] 51The World of Gilbert and Sullivan – Oct. 13, 1970 5[Booking agent: Columbia Artists Management] 52John Alexander – Oct. 28, 1970 5[Booking agent: Arthur Judson Management, Inc.] 53Leon Bibb – Nov. 18, 1970 5[Booking agent: Kolmar-Lutz Entertainment] 54Cleveland Amory – Dec. 9, 1970 5[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh] 55Varel and Bailly – Jan. 27, 1971 5[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment] 56Jose Greco and Company – Feb. 9, 1971 5[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 57Sergio Luca – Mar. 17, 1971 5[Booking agent: The Edgar M. Leventritt Foundation] 58Stecher and Horowitz 5[Booking agent: Arthur Judson Management] 59Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Oct. 19, 1971 5[Booking agent: Pryor-Menz Attractions] 510Whitmore, Will Rogers’ USA – Nov. 1, 1971 5[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment] 5Includes 1 audio tape 511Orchestra Michelangelo di Firenze – Nov. 29, 1971 5[Booking agent: Albert Morini Artist Management] 512Clann Gael – Jan. 26, 1972 5[Booking agent: Albert Morini Artist Management] 513Hanna Aroni – Feb. 15, 1972 5[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 514Jose Molina & Company – Mar. 8, 1972 5[Booking agent: Arthur Shafman International / Pryor-Menz Attractions] 515Kun Woo Paik – Mar. 21, 1972 5[Booking agent: The Edgar M. Leventritt Foundation] 516 Daniel Schorr – Oct. 16, 1972 5[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 517Kreskin – Oct. 31, 1972 5[Booking agent: The Keedick Lecture Bureau, Inc.] 518Celeste Holm & Company – Nov 14, 1972 5[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 519Lillian Gish – Jan. 31, 1973 5[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 520"Midsummer Night's Dream" – Feb. 19, 1973 5(National Shakespeare Company) 521Geoffrey Holder – Mar. 6, 1973 5[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 522Verda Erman – Mar. 20, 1973 5[Booking agent: The Edgar M. Leventritt Foundation, Inc.] 523Salt Lake Symphonic Choir – Apr. 11, 1973 5[Booking agent: Pryor-Menz Attractions, Inc.] 61Eugene V. Rostow – Sept. 25, 1973 6[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 62World's Greatest Jazzband – Oct. 9, 1973 6[Booking agent: Sutton Artists Corporation] 63Hal Shane – Nov. 5, 1973 6[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 64William Windom Plays Thurber – Nov. 19, 1973 6[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 65Joan Fontaine – Dec. 3, 1973 6[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 66Royal Tahitian Dancers – Jan. 29, 1974 6[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 67Patrice Munsel – Feb. 13, 1974 6[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 68Leonid Hambro – March 13, 1974 6[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 69Rajko, Gypsy Orchestra & Dancers – October 15, 1974 6[Booking agent: Hurok Concerts, Inc.] 610Joshua Logan – Nov. 4, 1974 6[Replacement for Sir Cecil Beaton (cancelled)] 6[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 6Also includes Sir Cecil Beaton files 611Paco de Lucia – Nov. 20, 1974 6[Booking agent: Hurok Concerts, Inc.] 612Louis Nye – Jan. 22, 1975 6[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 613Max Lerner & Reid Buckley Debate – Feb. 20, 1975 6[Moderated by SMU Vice President & Provost James E. Brooks] 6[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 614Continental Theatre Company, "A Streetcar Named Desire" – March 5, 1975 6[Booking agent: Pryor-Menz Attractions, Inc.] 615Ray Bolger – March 18, 1975 6[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 616R.S.V.P. - The Cole Porters – April 3, 1975 6[Jack & Sally Jenkins, accompanied by The Mac Frampton Triumvirate] 6[Event title was changed to "A Tribute to Gershwin & Porter"] 6[Booking agent: Pryor-Menz Attractions, Inc.] 71Kreskin – Oct. 7, 1975 7[Booking agent: The Keedick Lecture Bureau, Inc.] 72Jelly Roll Morton Jazzband – Nov. 12, 1975 7[a.k.a. Bob Greene’s World of Jelly Roll Morton] 7[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 73DeMaio & Silver – Dec. 2, 1975 7[a.k.a. John DeMaio & Fred Silver, pianists] 7[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 74Lindley Clark, Lecturer – Jan. 20, 1976 7[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh] 75Norman Luboff Choir – Feb. 18, 1976 7[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 76Los Indios Tabajaras – March 10, 1976 7[Replacement for cancelled Jacques D’Amboise ballet recital] 7[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 77"Ah, Wilderness!" – Mar. 29, 1976 7[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 78Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Sept. 21, 1976 7[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment / Pryor-Menz Attractions] 79St. Louis Jazz Quartet – Oct. 14, 1976 7[Replacement for cancelled Brock Peters event] 7[Booking agent: Ozark Attractions] 7Also includes Brock Peters event files 710Max Morath – Nov. 18, 1976 7[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 711Ray Middleton – Dec. 8, 1976 7[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 712Cole Trio – Feb. 10, 1977 7[a.k.a. The Freddy Cole Trio] 7[Replacement for cancelled event by Masterplayers] 7[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 7Also includes Masterplayers event files 713Vincent Price – Feb. 24, 1977 7[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 714BROLN, The Moravian Folk Ensemble – Mar. 8, 1977 7[a.k.a. Brnensky Roshlasovy Orchestr Lidovych Nastroju] 7[a.k.a. Brno Broadcasting Orchestra for Folk Music] 7[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 715William Windom plays Thurber II – Oct. 6, 1977 7[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 716Carol Teitel in "Faces of Love" – Oct. 19, 1977 7[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 717New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra – Nov. 3, 1977 7[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment / Pryor-Menz Attractions] 718Threepenny Opera – Nov. 22, 1977 7(The New Shakespeare Company) 7[Booking agent: W. Colston Leigh, Inc.] 8 1Maryland Ballet – Jan. 19, 1978 (Cancelled) 8(Replaced by Space/Dance/Theater, see Folder 2) 8[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 8 2Space/Dance/Theater – Jan. 19, 1978 8[Replacement for cancelled Maryland Ballet event] 8 3Woody Guthrie – Feb. 16, 1978 8[a.k.a. Tom Taylor as "Woody Guthrie"] 8[Booking agent: Kolmar-Luth Entertainment, Inc.] 8 4Peter Nero – April 3, 1978 8[Booking agent: Kolmar-Lutz Entertainment, Inc.] 8 5"Give 'Em Hell, Harry" (K. McCarthy) – Nov. 21, 1978 8[Play written & directed by Samuel Gallu; starring Kevin McCarthy] 8[Booking agent: Kolmar-Lutz Entertainment, Inc.] 8 6Winston Churchill – Oct. 12, 1978 8[a.k.a. Winston Churchill II] 8[Booking agent: The Keedick Lecture Bureau, Inc.] 8 7Bill Crofut – Dec. 5, 1978 8[Replacement for cancelled event by Norma French] 8[Booking agent: Kolmar-Lutz Entertainment, Inc.] 8Also includes Norma French event files 8 8Rodgers & Hammerstein – Jan. 30, 1979 8[a.k.a. Atlantis Productions, "An Evening of Rodgers & Hammerstein"] 8[Booking agent: Ozark Attractions, Inc.] 8 9Richard Eder – Feb.15, 1979 8[a.k.a. "Abroad in the Theatre"] 8[Replacement for cancelled event by Garson Kanin] 8[Booking agent: The Keedick Lecture Bureau, Inc.] 8Also includes Garson Kanin event files 810"Chopin Lives" (Robt. Guralnik) – Mar. 20, 1979 8[Booking agent: Ozark Attractions, Inc.] 811Miscellaneous Performers 8Miscellaneous undated B&W photographs (27 items): Carlos Montoya Leon Bibb Clara Ward & Her Gospel Singers Chicago Chamber Orchestra, with Dieter Kober conducting Aldo Parisot, violoncellist Stratford Festival Company performing "HMS Pinafore" Shirley Verrett, mezzosoprano The Cleveland Playhouse in "The Rivalry" Edgar Bergen Harrison Salisbury The Royal Shakespeare Company in "The Hollow Crown" Richard Dyer-Bennett, "the 20th Century Troubadour" Hans Conried & Ruth McDevitt in "The Absence of a Cello" The Brothers Four (Columbia Records) Brunilda Ruiz (Harkness Ballet) Erick Friedman, violinist Bennett Cerf Hal Holbrook applying makeup for appearance as Mark Twain Sabicas Diana Russell & James Croshaw, dancers ("Love is a Ball!") Hans Conried Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain Maurice Evans & Helen Hayes Jose Molina & company, Bailes Espanoles Salvatore Accardo, violinist Jose Greco James Mathis, pianist Series 3: Administrative records, 1946-1981 5 Boxes

Subject files include financial records, administrative documents, and general correspondence by Community Course and its director R.C. Knickerbocker with SMU administrators, outside organizations, and the media. Folders in boxes 9-11 are alphabetized according to the file system used by Community Course in the 1970s, mostly containing correspondence from the 1970s (unless otherwise noted). Boxes 12-13 contain financial information and ticket sales logs, primarily from the 1960s.

91A.C.U.C.A.A. (Association of College, University and Community Arts Administrators), 1980 92Administration Correspondence,1974-1979 93Ads and Promotional Materials, 1971-1979 94Bank Account: Savings, 1966-1981 95Bank Account: Checking, circa 1970s 96Budget: Community Course, 1969-1975 97The Daily Campus, 1971-1975 98Community Course Artists (from the beginning, 1939) 9List of all Community Course events, 1939-1979 99Community Course Communists (Park Cities News Gambit), 1960 910Complimentary Ticket list, 1959-1961 and 1963-1979 911Correspondence (with C.C. patrons and miscellaneous), 1978-1979 912Correspondence (booking agents), 1973-1976 913"D" Magazine, 1975-1976 914Dallas Chamber of Commerce 915Dallas Civic Doormen and Ushers, 1963-1979 916Dallas Civic Music, 1971-1977 101Dallas Morning News, 1971-1978 102Deposits and materials, 1969 103Expenses, 1971-1979 104Financial Reports, 1949-1979 105FORUM (Texas Commission on the Arts and Humanities), 1973-1977 106Historical Information, circa 1970s 10Newspaper clippings (mostly Dallas Morning News), correspondence, biographical data and undated photograph of Ronald C. Knickerbocker 107Kennedy Center of Performing Arts, 1975-1978 10Kennedy Center News (newsletter) 108McFarlin Auditorium, 1963-1977 109Mailing Service, SMU, 1976 111National Endowment for the Arts, 1971-1980 112National Entertainment Conference, 1968-1969 113New York Times, 1975-1977 114Park Cities News, 1975-1978 115RCK – Personal, 1959-1979 116Personnel info 117Post offices correspondence and federal expresses, 1975 11[Associated Air Freight, Inc.] 118Priority Letters, 1969-1978 119Publicity, Newspaper, 1946-1978 1110Publicity, Releases, 1968-69 season 1111Refunds, 1969-1972 1112"Return Your Order" Forms 1113Security, 1970-1978 1114Stagehands, 1970-1979 1115Student Center (Wall Calendar), 1975-1977 1116Temple Emanu-EL (also Irvin Levy correspondence), 1973-1978 1117Texas Fine Art Commission, 1968-1979 121Check Register records, 1967-1981 122Deposits, 1964-1965 123Deposits, 1965-1966 124Deposits, 1966-1967 125Deposits, 1967-1968 126Deposits, 1968-1969 127Petty Cash, 1966-1967 128Petty Cash, 1968-1969 129Petty Cash, 1970-1979 1210SMU SAR (Sundry Accounts), 1966-1967 1211Refunds, 1966-1967 1212Refunds, 1967-1968 1213Refunds, 1968-1969 1214Printing Charges, 1967-1968 1215Printing Costs, 1968-69 131Costs 1967-1968 132Expenses, 1968-1969 133Cokesbury, 1963-1964, 1964-1965 134Cokesbury, 1965-1969 135Neiman-Marcus, 1964-1965 136Neiman-Marcus, 1965-1967 137Printed Forms, Inventory, 1968-1969 138Ads & Promotional Material, 1967-1968 139Community Course Ticket Sales, 1952-1955 1310Season Ticket Sales, 1955-1965 1311Season Ticket Sales, 1965-1979 1312Printing Log, 1953-1961 and 1965-1979