urn:taro:utexas.hrc.00311 Edward Chodorov: A Preliminary Inventory of His Papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Finding aid created by Isabel Morales and Hope Rider, 2005 Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, 2006 Finding aid encoded by Lisa Schmidt, 2006 Finding aid written in English. The University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Chodorov, Edward, 1904-1988 Edward Chodorov Papers 1936-1997 22 boxes, 2 oversize boxes (9.87 linear feet) This collection contains Chodorov's notes, proposals, and scripts for produced plays, movies, and unrealized productions, including typescript drafts of Kind Lady and Oh Men! Oh Women!; business and personal correspondence, including some relating to the Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s; other business and personal documents of Chodorov and his wife, including clippings, notes, travel documents, diaries, and address books; and a short story by Chodorov's brother Jerome, a television documentary proposal by his sister Isabelle Chase, and several versions of a play by his wife Rosemary. Most material in English. None Index Terms People Chodorov, Rosemary. Chodorov, Jerome. Chase, Isabelle. Hirschfeld, Al. Rosenthal, Abe. Subjects Screenwriters United States. Blacklisting of authors. Diarists. Document Types Plays. Motion picture plays. Diaries. Scope and Contents

The Edward Chodorov Papers contain materials relating to his long career writing for film and stage. The collection is arranged in four series: I. Works & Related Files, ca. 1941-1993; II. Correspondence 1947-1997; III. Career-Related & Personal, 1936-1995; and IV. Works by Others.

Series I. Works & Related Files includes produced plays and movies, as well as notes, proposals, and scripts for many unrealized productions. Two of the works represented are Kind Lady and Oh Men! Oh Women, both produced on stage and in film. The bulk of the series contains typescript drafts of the works. Chodorov did not keep materials related to his early productions.

The correspondence in Series II. is primarily business related, although there are some personal letters. It is organized chronologically, with some folders also grouped by subject. There are several folders of notebooks, listing outgoing correspondence kept by Chodorov's wife, Rosemary. These record all of the mail, both business and personal, that the couple sent for the years 1970-1980. Of special interest in this series are folders relating to the Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s. Chodorov was blacklisted in 1954 and spent the rest of his life trying to reclaim his position and benefits. Throughout the series there are numerous letters to the artist Al Hirschfeld and the journalist Abe Rosenthal, both personal friends of the Chodorovs.

Series III. Career-Related & Personal includes reference files of clippings and notes collected by Chodorov, personal photographs and official travel documents, and diaries. The diaries were kept by Rosemary Chodorov, beginning several years before she met Edward, and continuing after his death. The bulk of the diaries chronicle their daily activities and appointments, both personal and business. There are several folders of address books covering time they spent in England, Europe, and New York.

The works by others in Series IV. consist of a short story by Chodorov's brother Jerome (also a playwright), a television documentary proposal by his sister Isabelle Chase, and several versions of a play by Rosemary entitled Harry's Whore.

Audio and video cassettes received with this collection were transferred to appropriate departments within the Ransom Center.

 Acquisition:

Gift 2003 (Gift no. 12422)

 Access:

Open for research

 Processed by:

Isabel Morales and Hope Rider, 2005

 Edward Chodorov Papers--Folder List Series I. Works & Related Files, ca. 1941-1993 1932: Biographies and Other Events 1 1 Typescript 1 2-5 Typescript photocopies 1 6 Britain's Traditional Americans, typescript photocopy 1 7 The Clubwomen (unproduced play), typescript 1 8 Colonel Lutz: The Two Boon Companions, The Chief and Hollywood, short story typescript Common Ground (play, 1946) 1 9-10 Published play and photocopy The Crow and the Cradle, screenplay typescripts 2 1 First draft, 10 May 1978 2 2-5 Photocopies 2 6 Cue for Passion (play, 1941), original cast list, photocopy 2 7-8 Decision (play, 1946), published script and photocopies Dienbienphu 2 9 Story treatment and legal papers, 1974-1976 2 10 Typescript photocopy 3 1-3 Erskine (unproduced play), typescript photocopies Flanagan (presumed title, EC's final play) 3 4 References, research materials 3 5-7 Typescripts, heavily revised 4 1 Typescripts, cont'd 4 2 Give me YNFI, playlet, published version in Los Angeles Times, 26 February 1967 4 3 Have I Found You, Julie?, synopsis typescript Hell on Wheels (alternate title, Saddle and Go) 4 4-5 Typescripts 4 6-7 Lyrics, songs, research materials The Irrational Knot (unproduced play) 4 8-9 Typescript photocopies 5 1-3 Typescripts, cont'd 5 4 Correspondence, contract draft Kind Lady (play, 1936; films, 1935 & 1951) 5 5 Published play 5 6-7 Business correspondence, ca. 1960-1981 5 8 Contracts, misc. business correspondence 5 9 Houston production, correspondence, clippings, 1985 6 1 Samuel French Inc., correspondence re royalties, IRS lien, 1985-1986 6 2 Like a Singing Bird, screenplay, first draft continuity, 7 August 1947; correspondence Listen to the Mockingbird (play, 1958) 6 3-6 Original version, typescript and photocopies 6 7-8 Revised 1 February 1959 6 9-10 Revised version, photocopy 7 1-2 Contracts, correspondence, notes The Lynching of Elizabeth Taylor (screenplay) 7 3 Story pamphlets, film treatments 7 4-7 Typescript photocopies 7 8 Contracts, business correspondence, 1967-1993 8 1-2 Contracts, cont'd 8 3 Mike Romanoff, typescript Monsieur Lautrec (play, 1959) 8 4 Working copy, with notes 8 5-6 Auditions, scripts 8 7 Pictures from an Exhibition (alternate title), typescript Naked to Walk the Night, screenplay 8 8 Research materials 8 9 Typescript photocopies 9 1 Typescript, cont'd 9 2 The Night They Made a Bum Out of Helen Hayes, television play script, photocopy 9 3 Nora, typescript sections Oh Men! Oh Women! (play, 1955; film, 1957) 9 4 Behold a Wonder (early title), play synopsis typescript 9 5 Typescript 9 6 Cuts from script 9 7 Published play 9 8 Movie royalties reports 9 9 One Hot Night in Alabama, synopsis and references 9 10 The Opening of a Door (revised version of Kind Lady; play, 1975), final draft typescript, 26 November 1975, program 9 11 Paris in the Twenties, proposal 9 12 Reflected Glory (screenplay, adaptation of play by George Kelly), typescript 9 13 Senior Service, news show proposal 10 1-2 The Spa (play, 1957), published play and photocopy 10 3-5 Sunday Father, typescripts, 28 July 1958 10 6 Those Endearing Young Charms (play, 1943), published play photocopy Traffic in Innocents (screenplay) 10 7 First script, 18 September 1963 10 8 Correspondence re Chodorov vs. Ace Films Inc. and Onslow Square Corporations 10 9 Two Boards and a Passion, typescript A Very Important Man Is Dead (stage adaptation of Hall of Mirrors by John Rowan Wilson 11 1-2 Research materials, notes, typescript fragments 11 3 Typescript sections 11 4 Hall of Mirrors, heavily annotated, and clippings 11 5 Miscellaneous writings, includes newspaper and playbill articles Series II. Correspondence, 1947-1997 11 6 1947-1949; re My Dear Watson 11 7 1950-1956 11 8 1954-1959, re passport problems 11 9 1954-1997, re Hollywood blacklist 12 1 1957 12 2 1958 12 3 1959, misc. 1950s 12 4 1960 12 5 1960-1974, with Leo Kerz 12 6 1961 12 7 1962 12 8 1963 12 9 1964 12 10 1965-1966, Letters to do with motion pictures 12 11 1965-1968 13 1 1969 13 2 1970 13 3 1971-1973 13 4 1974 13 5 1975 13 6 1976-1979, misc. 1970s 13 7 1977-1980, teaching, California State University, Northridge; New York University; Showcase Theatre; Fairfield University, Westport 13 8 1980-1988 14 1-4 1988, re death of Chodorov 14 5-8 Collected correspondence: Important notes and letters, business correspondence, and miscellaneous Outgoing, correspondence record books 14 9 1970-1972 14 10 1972-1975 15 1 1976-1980 Series III. Career-Related & Personal, 1936-1995 Accounts, record books 15 2 1969-1971 15 3 1971-1978 15 4 1979-1985 15 5 1986-1990 15 6 Address books 16 1-3 Address books, cont'd 16 4 Chodorov, Wendy, birth certificate (copy), Christmas card, 1961 Clippings 16 5 About EC 16 6 re Writer's Guild of America 16 7-9 Contracts, various 1936-1967 16 10 Credits, résumé, works lists Diaries Prior to marriage 16 11 1950-1951 17 1 1952-1954 17 2 1955-1959 17 3 1960-1965 17 4 1965-1966 17 5 1967 17 6 1967-1969 18 1 1970-1972 18 2 1973-1975 18 3 1976-1978 18 4 1979-1981 18 5 1981-1982 19 1 1986-1988 After Chodorov's death 19 2 1989-1991 19 3 1991-1995 19 4 Financial documents, misc. 19 5-6 Memorial for EC, correspondence, program information 19 7 Obituaries of EC Photograph album 19 8 Guide, with numbered photograph descriptions 19 9 1-19 20 1 20-37 20 2 38-54 20 3 55-77 20 4 78-96 20 5 97-111, 113 20 6 112, ID and membership cards 20 7-9* References, clippings, notes, correspondence drafts, misc. (*oversize removed to box 23) 21 1-3 References cont'd 21 4 Tax forms, 1950-1951, 1961-1963, 1965 21 5* Theatre scrapbook, reviews and clippings (*oversize scrapbook removed to box 24) Travel documents 21 6 International driving permits, immunization records, registration cards 21 7 Passports, EC and RC Series IV. Works By Others 21 8 Biographies of others that mention EC 21 9 Chase, Isabelle (sister of EC). Career, television show proposal typescript 21 10 Chodorov, Jerome. The World's Biggest Caper (And How It Grew), typescript Chodorov, Rosemary. Harry's Whore 21 11 Original script with original names, typescript (titled Eddie's Whore), 1973 21 12 Script photocopy, 1978 22 1-2 Script photocopies, nd 22 3 Directed reading script, EC copy 22 4 Screenplay, typescript photocopy 22 5 Correspondence, 1979-1983 23-24 Oversize