Title: Edwin H. Newman Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1936-1974 (bulk 1965-1974)

Creator:

• Newman, Edwin H., 1919-2010

Call Number: U.S. Mss 78AF; PH 6890; Audio 536A; Disc 135A

Quantity: 9.2 cubic feet (23 archives boxes), 0.1 cubic feet of photographs (1 folder), 1 tape recording, and 2 disc recordings

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of Edwin H. Newman, an author and NBC news commentator and drama critic, comprised of fan mail, annotated playbills and programs, television scripts, and transcripts. The fan mail, mainly 1963-1974, pertains to many important events of the period: Spiro Agnew's attack on the media, the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the Vietnam War, and Watergate. Handwritten notes used in his dramatic criticism are part of a file of playbills and programs, 1968-1971. The reviews themselves are present as scripts for Eleventh Hour News and other WNBC-TV programs. In addition, there are scripts for several specials and transcripts for Speaking Freely, which Newman moderated for WNBC-TV. Guests included Birch Bayh, David Ben Gurion, James Bryant Conant, Marc Connelly, Aaron Copland, Milton Friedman, S.I. Hayakawa, Herbert G. Klein, David Lilienthal, William Manchester, Robert Moses, Wright Patman, George Reedy, Bayard Rustin, Jean Jacques Servan-Schreiber, Susan Sontag, Rod Steiger, James Stewart, Lee Strasberg, John Tower, Stewart Udall, and Roy Wilkins. Also included in the collection are clippings, speech materials, and photographs depicting Edwin Newman's freshman year at the University of Wisconsin (1936-1937).

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0078af

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Edwin Newman, radio and television news commentator and critic for the National Broadcasting Company, was born January 25, 1919, in New York City. He attended George Washington High School in upper Manhattan, and the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated in 1940 with a degree in political science. While at Wisconsin he was on the staff of the Daily Cardinal, the university newspaper. He began graduate study at Louisiana State University but soon decided it was not what he wanted and left school to go to Washington, D.C.

In Washington, Newman took a position with the Department of Agriculture in the field of public administration, but this too he found was not to his liking. He then obtained a job as dictation boy with the Washington bureau of the International News Service, and from there moved over to United Press.

In 1942 Newman entered the United States Navy as an ensign and served as a communications officer, first in Trinidad and then at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He was discharged in 1945 with the rank of lieutenant. He returned briefly to the staff of the United Press until the end of 1946, when he began working with the Washington bureau of PM, the New York daily. From 1947 to 1949 he was on the staff of the CBS Washington Bureau, assisting Eric Sevareid in the preparation of Sevareid's evening radio broadcasts.

Newman then left CBS to go to London, where for three years he worked on a free-lance basis, writing magazine articles and giving special broadcasts for NBC and the BBC. During this period, he also worked for the European Recovery Program in which he visited Greece, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, and Holland and wrote articles to be published in the United States.

It was in December of 1952 that Newman really began his career with the National Broadcasting Company. By 1956 he was made its new bureau chief in London, the next year was transferred to Rome to head the bureau there, and in 1958 took charge of the Paris bureau. In 1960 he came back to the United States long enough to cover the political conventions, and the following year left Paris to return to New York permanently.

With NBC, Newman serves as a narrator, reporter, writer and critic. He averages three to four hours a week on television. He frequently contributes to NBC's radio program, Emphasis, has done commentary on the Today show and The Nation's Future, was anchorman for the JFK Reports, and was the summer replacement on the weekly, This is NBC News. Newman was also narrator for the NBC specials, “Japan: East is West,” 1961; “California-The Most,” 1963; “Orient Express,” 1964; “Who Shall Live,” 1965; “Politics: The Outer Fringe,” 1966; and “Expo 67.”

In 1965, Edwin Newman was appointed drama critic for WNBC-TV (NBC) in New York, and gained a national reputation as critic and reviewer. In 1966 the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented him with an Emmy for his dramatic criticism, and the same year he was the recipient of the Peabody Award in radio newscasting. In 1966 he also served as president of the Association of Radio, Television, and News Analysts. He was honored by the Boston Press Club and his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin.

Newman published numerous articles in a wide range of periodicals; such as Esquire, Atlantic Monthly, Harpers, New York Times Magazine, Progressive, New York Herald Tribune Book Review, and T.V. Guide.

Edwin Newman was married to the former Rigel Grell, whom he met in London. They had a daughter, Nancy. Newman and his wife lived in Manhattan, in New York City, and later moved to England. He died in Oxford, England, on August 13, 2010.

Note

Sources: Current Biography, 1967; Life Magazine, November 15, 1968.

The papers of Edwin Newman are organized into three parts. The materials received in the Archives between 1965 and 1968 constitute the 10 boxes of Part 1 and consist primarily of correspondence from listeners, a large number of annotated playbills and programs, scripts of Newman's various newscasts, and other items and date 1963-1968. Part 2, Boxes 11-14, consists of additions received in 1969 which include additional correspondence and annotated playbills, Speaking Freely transcripts from 1968, and other items and dates 1962-1969. Papers received in the Archives between 1970 and 1974 comprise Part 3, designated the “1974 additions.” They date 1944-1974 and comprise further correspondence, annotated programs, scripts, recordings, and other items and fill Box 15-23.

Part 1, Original Accessions, 1963-1968, consist primarily of correspondence Newman received from his NBC listeners. This correspondence, 1965-1968, is more in the nature of “fan mail”, with more letters being concerned with the assassinations of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy than with any other single subject. There are very few replies sent by Newman to his correspondents. A quantity of letters concerning the 1968 political conventions appears in the collection, but for the most part they are of minor importance. There are no letters to or from prominent individuals.

The collection also contains a large number of playbills and programs extensively annotated by Newman. Most of the programs are from the Lincoln Center, while the playbills are generally from the Broadway theaters. There is evidence that Newman used these playbills and programs with their many annotations in writing the scripts for his critiques heard on WNBC-TV.

In addition to the incoming mail and the annotated playbills, there are scripts, 1966-1968, of Newman's various newscasts; for example, his six and eleven o'clock, and his “late edition” reports. The Papers also include a speech given by Newman, “The Art of Traveling,” which he prepared for the 1964 Show Magazine's Third Annual Travel Luncheon; and typewritten excerpts showing press and audience response to the NBC special, “Orient Express,” narrated by Newman in 1964.

Part 2, the 1969 Additions, 1962-1969, contain two boxes of additional correspondence and two boxes of miscellaneous papers. These latter include annoted Playbill programs, 1968-1969, and other programs and playbills, Speaking Freely transcripts for 1968 and other TV scripts, lecture material, and clippings and biographical items.

Part 3, the 1974 Additions, again reflect Newman's work as a newscaster and drama as a newscaster and drama critic for the National Broadcasting Corporation. There is general correspondence for the years 1944, 1957, and 1967-1969. Also filed here are scripts, programs, playbills, notes and clippings from television and radio programs and theatrical performances, spanning the period from 1968 to 1974, and including: Speaking Freely scripts; annotated Playbill programs; New York Opera playbills; Theatrevue; various Playfare playbills; McCall Publishing Company Reporter; New York Theatre Critics' Reviews; 11th Hour News scripts [drama reviews]; an EXPO '70 script; an interview script, “A Conversation with Professor Raymond Aron;” and miscellaneous tape and disc recordings.

The bulk of the correspondence is fan-mail. Also found in the correspondence is viewer response to controversial contemporary issues, e.g.; NBC's “From Here to the '70's” (October 1969); Vice-President Agnew's speeches of November 1969 and February 1970 concerning news coverage of governmental affairs; President Nixon's speech of 20 April 1970, his University of Kansas speech (September 1970), and his State of the Union message of January 1974; letters from Student Conservatives for Broadcasting Reform to NBC concerning news bias; and responses to Newman's “This Child is Rated X” (May 1971); the Supreme Court decision regarding the Pentagon Papers; bombing raids of North Vietnam; the attempted assassination of Governor George Wallace; and NBC's “The Meaning of Watergate” (22 May 1973). The correspondence file is arranged chronologically.

All other materials in these additions are arranged in a loosely alphabetical file by subject and chronologically thereunder. Miscellaneous items are listed at the end of the file. Included in these materials are transcripts of WNBC-TV's (New York, New York) Speaking Freely, and papers relating to Newman's career as a drama critic.

The Speaking Freely transcripts include interviews with Roy Wilkins of the NAACP; Thanat Khoman, Minister of Foreign Affairs-Thailand; Rod Steiger, Aaron Copland; S. I. Hayakawa; Herb Klein, Director of White House Communications; David Ben Gurion; Susan Sontag; Roy Innis of CORE; James Stewart; Senator Birch Bayh; and Kenneth Clark.

The materials relating to Edwin Newman's responsibilities as drama critic for NBC are for the 1969-1971 New York theatre season and include annotated programs for such plays as The Front Page, Butterflies are Free, Three Sisters, Private Lives, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Boy Friend, Sleuth, The School for Wives, The Philanthropist, How the Other Half Lives, No Place to be Somebody, and Indians.

Part 4, Photographs, consists of images from Edwin Newman's freshman year as a resident of Siebecker House-Adams Hall at the University of Wisconsin, 1936-1937; these pictures depict students sleeping, studying, drinking beer, mock conducting with a baton, and dressing in women's clothes. Many of the photographs have identifying names and room numbers.

Acquisition Information

Presented and placed on deposit by Edwin H. Newman, New York, New York, and NBC News, 1965-1974.

Processing Information

Processed by Cheri Brill, November 21, 1968 and by Christine Rongone, G. Thomas Zamaria, and Joanne Hohler, November 25, 1974.

U.S. Mss 78AF	Series: Part 1, Original Accessions
	Subseries: Correspondence
	Fan Mail
Box   1 Folder   1	1963, 1965 February-July
Box   1 Folder   2	1965 August-September
Box   1 Folder   3	1965 October-November
Box   1 Folder   4	1965 December
Box   1 Folder   5	1966 January-February
Box   1 Folder   6	1966 March-April
Box   1 Folder   7	1966 May-June
Box   1 Folder   8	1966 July-August
Box   2 Folder   1	1966 September-October
Box   2 Folder   2	1966 November
Box   2 Folder   3	1966 December
Box   2 Folder   4	1967 January
Box   2 Folder   5	1967 February
Box   2 Folder   6	1967 March
Box   2 Folder   7	1967 April
Box   2 Folder   8	1967 May
Box   2 Folder   9	1967 June
Box   2 Folder   10	1967 July
Box   2 Folder   11	1967 August-September
Box   3 Folder   1	1967 October-November
Box   3 Folder   2	1967 December, undated
Box   3 Folder   3	Newman's letter replies, 1967
	Fan Mail
Box   3 Folder   4	1968 January
Box   3 Folder   5	1968 February
Box   3 Folder   6	1968 March
Box   3 Folder   7	1968 April
Box   3 Folder   8	1968 April
Box   4 Folder   1	1968 April
Box   4 Folder   2	1968 May
Box   4 Folder   3	1968 June
Box   4 Folder   4	1968 June
Box   4 Folder   5	1968 June
Box   4 Folder   6	1968 June
Box   4 Folder   7	1968 June
Box   5 Folder   1	1968 June
Box   5 Folder   2	1968 June
Box   5 Folder   3	1968 June
Box   5 Folder   4	1968 July
Box   5 Folder   5	1968 July
Box   5 Folder   6	1968 July
Box   5 Folder   7	1968 July
Box   6 Folder   1	1968 July
Box   6 Folder   2	1968 August
Box   6 Folder   3	1968 August
Box   6 Folder   4	1968 August
Box   6 Folder   5	1968 September
Box   6 Folder   6	1968 September-October
Box   6 Folder   7	1968, undated
Box   6 Folder   8	undated
Box   6 Folder   9	Clippings
	Subseries: Playbills	⇧
	Annotated by Newman
Box   7 Folder   1	1965 October-November
Box   7 Folder   2	1965 November-December
Box   7 Folder   3	1966 January-March
Box   7 Folder   4	1966 March-June, September
Box   7 Folder   5	1966 October-November
Box   7 Folder   6	1966 November
Box   7 Folder   7	1966 December
Box   8 Folder   1	1967 January-February
Box   8 Folder   2	1967 March-May June
Box   8 Folder   3	1967 September-October
Box   8 Folder   4	1967 October-November
Box   8 Folder   5	1967 November-December
Box   8 Folder   6	1968 January-February
Box   9 Folder   1	1968 March-April
Box   9 Folder   2	1968 May-June
Box   9 Folder   3	Miscellaneous dates
Box   9 Folder   4	Miscellaneous dates
Box   9 Folder   5	Miscellaneous dates
	Programs from the Lincoln Center
Box   9 Folder   6	1965-1966
Box   10 Folder   1	1967
Box   10 Folder   2	1968
Box   10 Folder   3	Program from the movie, The Bible - annotated by Newman, undated
	Subseries: Scripts and Miscellany	⇧
	Sixth Hour News - Newman Reports
Box   10 Folder   4	1966 January-May
Box   10 Folder   5	1966 June-December
	Newscasts, scripts - Newman Reports
Box   10 Folder   6	1966 January-September, December
Box   10 Folder   7	1967 January-July
Box   10 Folder   8	1967 September-December
Box   10 Folder   9	Eleventh Hour News - Newman Reports, 1968 January-July
Box   10 Folder   10	Speech by Newman, “The Fine Art of Traveling,” 1964
Box   10 Folder   11	Excerpts from press and viewers in response to NBC special, “Orient Express,” 1964
	Series: Part 2, 1969 Additions	⇧
	Correspondence
Box   11 Folder   1	1962 December-1966 December
Box   11 Folder   2	1967 January-December
Box   11 Folder   3	1968 January-October
Box   11 Folder   4	1968 November
Box   11 Folder   5	1968 November
Box   11 Folder   6	1968 December
Box   12 Folder   1	1969 January
Box   12 Folder   2	1969 February
Box   12 Folder   3	1969 March
Box   12 Folder   4	1969 April
Box   12 Folder   5	1969 May
Box   12 Folder   6	1969 June
Box   12 Folder   7	1969 July
Box   12 Folder   8	1969 August
Box   12 Folder   9	1969 September
Box   12 Folder   10	undated
Box   13 Folder   1	Evergreen Showcard (annotated), Vol. 1 #25-Vol. 2 #18
Box   13 Folder   2	New York Theater Critics' Reviews, 1969 February 6-June 16
	Playbill (annotated)
Box   13 Folder   3	1968 October-November
Box   13 Folder   4	1968 December-1969 January
Box   13 Folder   5	1969 February-March
Box   13 Folder   6	1969 April-May
Box   14 Folder   1	Play reviews, 1968 October 7-1969 July 2
Box   14 Folder   2	Miscellaneous playbills (annotated)
Box   14 Folder   3	Speaking Freely transcripts, WNBC
	1968 April-May
Box   14 Folder   4	1968 November-December
Box   14 Folder   5	Miscellaneous T.V. Scripts, 1968 March-1969 May
Box   14 Folder   6	Lecture material (“used at various times and in various combinations in the middle and late sixties”)
Box   14 Folder   7	Miscellaneous clippings, biographical, etc. regarding Newman
Box   14 Folder   8	Miscellaneous response items
	Series: Part 3, 1974 Additions	⇧
	Subseries: Correspondence
Box   15 Folder   1	1944, 1957, 1967-1969 September
Box   15 Folder   2	1969 October
Box   15 Folder   3	1969 November
Box   15 Folder   4	1969 December
Box   15 Folder   5	1970 January
Box   15 Folder   6	1970 February
Box   15 Folder   7	1970 March
Box   15 Folder   8	1970 April
Box   15 Folder   9	1970 May
Box   15 Folder   10	1970 June
Box   16 Folder   1	1970 July-August
Box   16 Folder   2	1970 September
Box   16 Folder   3	1970 October
Box   16 Folder   4	1970 November
Box   16 Folder   5	1970 December
Box   16 Folder   6	1971 January
Box   16 Folder   7	1971 February
Box   16 Folder   8	1971 March
Box   16 Folder   9	1971 April
Box   16 Folder   10	1971 May
Box   17 Folder   1	1971 June
Box   17 Folder   2	1971 July-August
Box   17 Folder   3	1971 September
Box   17 Folder   4	1971 October-December
Box   17 Folder   5	1972 January
Box   17 Folder   6	1972 February-April
Box   17 Folder   7	1972 May
Box   17 Folder   8	1972 June
Box   17 Folder   9	1972 July-August
Box   18 Folder   1	1972 September-October
Box   18 Folder   2	1972 November-December
Box   18 Folder   3	1973 January
Box   18 Folder   4	1973 February
Box   18 Folder   5	1973 March
Box   18 Folder   6	1973 April
Box   18 Folder   7	1973 May 1-22
Box   18 Folder   8	1973 May 23-31
Box   18 Folder   9	1973 June
Box   19 Folder   1	1973 July
Box   19 Folder   2	1973 August-October
Box   19 Folder   3	1973 November
Box   19 Folder   4	1973 December
Box   19 Folder   5	1974 January
Box   19 Folder   6	1974 February
Box   19 Folder   7	1974 March
Box   19 Folder   8	1974 April
Box   19 Folder   9	1974 May
Box   19 Folder   10	1974 June-July
	Subseries: Subject File	⇧
Box   20 Folder   1	Ambassador Graham Martin's Vietnam file, 1974
	New York Theatre Critics' Reviews
Box   20 Folder   2	1969 September 29-December 31
Box   20 Folder   3	1970 January 12-December 31
Box   20 Folder   4	1971 January 18-June 14
	Playbills (annotated)
Box   20 Folder   5	1969 October-November
Box   20 Folder   6	1969 December-1970 February
Box   21 Folder   1	1970 March-September
Box   21 Folder   2	1970 October-December
Box   21 Folder   3	1971 January-April
Box   21 Folder   4	Playfare (annotated), 1969 December-1971 June
Box   21 Folder   5	Miscellaneous playbills, undated
Box   21 Folder   6	Programs from Lincoln Center, 1969-1971
	Speaking Freely transcripts, WNBC-TV
Box   22 Folder   1	1968 March 17-October 26
Box   22 Folder   2	1968 November 2-23
Box   22 Folder   3	1968 December 21-1969 January 6
Box   22 Folder   4	1969 February 2-March 2
Box   22 Folder   5	1969 March 9-May 4
Box   22 Folder   6	1969 October 18-November 15
Box   23 Folder   1	1969 December 9-13
Box   23 Folder   2	circa 1969
Box   23 Folder   3	1970 January 3-February 20
Box   23 Folder   4	1970 March 8-April 12
Box   23 Folder   5	1970 April 19-26
Box   23 Folder   6	1970 May 3-31
Box   23 Folder   7	Miscellaneous TV scripts, 1970 May 17; 1970 January 6; 1974
Box   23 Folder   8	Miscellaneous responses, undated
Box   23 Folder   9	Miscellaneous clippings, undated
	Recordings
Audio 536A	J.O. McCord Scope and Content Note: Regarding McCord's personal philosophy of religion and a brief history of his experiences developing this philosophy and attempts to make it known.
Disc 135A/1	“The Friendly Blackbird” Note: Missing since before 2005. Scope and Content Note: Song protesting war and its effects.
Disc 135A/2	“The Junkie's Lament” Note: Missing since before 2005. Scope and Content Note: Anti-drug song.
PH 6890	Part 4, Photographs Physical Description: 0.1 cubic feet (1 archives folder)  Scope and Content Note: 29 photographs from Edwin Newman's freshman year as a resident of Siebecker House-Adams Hall at the University of Wisconsin, 1936-1937; these pictures depict students sleeping, studying, drinking beer, mock conducting with a baton, and dressing in women's clothes. Many of the photographs have identifying names and room numbers.	⇧