The Irna Phillips Collection is arranged in chronological order according to the material as it first appears, whether in scripts, outlines, or correspondence. Some titles were reused by Miss Phillips (although, as in the case of Today's Children, she did not really approve of the practice) for entirely different programs, and are labeled “New,” so as not to be confused with the original.
Correspondence is included with any one particular series, a year at a time, when the correspondence (i.e., letters, telegrams, messages) is concerned with some aspect of the program itself (e.g., reference to character portrayals on the broadcast; reference to script changes between authors, producers, sponsors; reference to commercial copy to be used within the show, reference to storyline rights of conflicting or competing programs).
Often complete outlines of a program were formulated, sometimes as much as a year in advance. These are included at the end of each series' year, or at the end of the entire series. Most of the material in this collection is composed of rough drafts of daily episodes. When a final, production draft is also available (most of these also include commercial and emcee copy), it is noted on the box list. However, there are no rough drafts for some final copies.
The Today's Children episodes include a “Chain Series,” some episodes of which were taken from the original series in an attempt to make the two eventually correspond. The “Chain Series” refers to programs written for network stations outside the Chicago broadcasting area, and were evidentally discontinued for lack of sponsorship (see the correspondence and scripts for Today's Children, 1933 May-August).
Episodes often seem to be misnumbered or misdated, but are arranged in what appears to be consecutive order. Miscellaneous scripts include episodes within the dates indicated on the box list, but are for the most part rough drafts with no particular episode numbers or dates. May of them are pilots for proposed programs, as is indicated by the accompanying correspondence.
Of the collection as a whole, Today's Children/Woman in White, and The Guiding Light are the most complete for an overall picture of the works of a soap opera. The General Mills Hour (1944-1946) consisted of four programs written by Miss Phillips (“New” Today's Children, “New” Masquerade, “New” Woman in White, and The Guiding Light), and afforded the interchange of copy for special programs (i.e., holidays, World War II victories, etc.), interlocking emcee copy, and special advertising vehicles for General Mills (see The Fairview Clarion newspaper, Box 46).
The formation of Radio Scripts Incorporated (1946-1947), apparently gave new writers the opportunity of having a program produced or having it incorporated into a series (e.g., see Whom God Hath Joined). Miss Phillips was a script consultant for Radio Scripts Incorporated; thus the collection contains scripts by other writers, as well as by Miss Phillips. Many of the episodes in any one series were, in fact, written by co-authors supervised by Miss Phillips, although when this was done is not precisely indicated, but is sometimes referred to in correspondence.
A blueline proof of the book Radio's Golden Age (1966) by Frank Buxton and Bill Owen, which lists production information for major network programs from the earliest days of radio until about 1950 has been removed from the Phillips collection and is shelved in the Film Archives office for reference use.
