Title: James M. Auer Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1949-1973

Creator:

• Auer, James M., 1928-

Call Number: U.S. Mss 180AN

Quantity: 4.0 c.f. (10 archives boxes)

Repository:

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

Archival Locations:

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

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of James Auer, a Wisconsin newspaper journalist and writer. Included are motion picture and television publicity; fragmentary records of the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors (AASFE), an organization designed to improve Sunday newspapers and weekend feature sections and magazines; writings; and correspondence. Little of Auer's own newspaper writings are included; rather the journalism-related papers consist of various files Auer accumulated. Among these are publicity files containing press releases, biographies, and summaries for several motion pictures and television programs. The files are particularly revealing about the publicity techniques used by MGM, United Artists, Universal, Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, and ABC Television. Also included are correspondence, newsletters, and financial, meeting, and membership files for AASFE, a group in which Auer served as treasurer and president. These document the organization's efforts to plan conventions, collect dues, and solicit membership. Writings include variant drafts of plays, stories, and poems authored by Auer, while correspondence consists of personal and business letters from family, friends, and readers. Included with the correspondence are two letters from August Derleth in which he complained that The Capital Times censored his newspaper column.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0180an

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James Auer, Wisconsin newspaper journalist and writer, was born December 2, 1928, in Neenah, Wisconsin. In 1950 he received a B.A. degree from Lawrence College, Appleton, Wisconsin, and in 1953 he became a reporter for the Neenah Twin City News-Record. Auer then took a year off to write and travel and in 1956 briefly worked for the Hanford California Sentinel. He then returned to Wisconsin where he became assistant to the editor and later news editor for the Twin City News-Record. In 1960 Auer began to work for The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin) when that newspaper acquired the Twin City News-Record and its staff. Over the next decade he held several positions with the paper and eventually became its Sunday editor. In 1972 Auer left to become the art critic for The Milwaukee Journal.

Auer has been actively involved in the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors (AASFE), an organization designed to improve Sunday newspapers and weekend feature sections and magazines. He has served as its treasurer and in 1972 became president of the organization. In addition to these journalistic activities, Auer has written several articles, stories, and plays. Two of his plays, The City of Light (1961) and Tell It to Angela (1971), were produced by the Attic Theatre, an Appleton community theater. Since 1955 Auer has worked with this group and at various times has served on its board of governors and appeared in several of their productions. His coverage of cultural events for newspapers has led to his involvement with area art centers, historical societies, and symphonies. Auer has also produced occasional documentary films on such diverse topics as mental health and the traveling circus.

The papers document Auer's efforts as a writer, particularly his work as a playwright. Papers relating to his journalistic career consist of publicity files, which reveal network and studio publicity techniques, and fragmentary AASFE records Auer apparently accumulated while involved with that group. Little evidence of his own newspaper writings is included. The collection has been organized in four series: General Correspondence, Writings, Newspaper Files, and American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors.

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE consists of personal and business letters. Early correspondence is almost exclusively personal from family and friends. The later correspondence contains letters from readers and includes fan mail and letters of appreciation. Included in the series are copies of two letters from August Derleth (December 13 and December 16, 1965) in which he complained that The Capital Times censored his newspaper column. Miscellany, which contains an Attic Theatre newsletter and editing notes, has been filed with this series.

WRITINGS consist of drafts of his plays and stories plus notes and notebooks which contain his jottings. Among these are his two produced plays, The City of Light and Tell It to Angela. An earlier version of the latter play, “Angela Knows,” is also included.

The NEWSPAPER FILE consists of motion picture and television publicity material, miscellaneous general press releases, and book reviews that Auer received during the 1960's and early 1970's. One issue of the Sunday Post-Crescent Magazine, which contains an article by Auer, is also included. The motion picture publicity files include press releases, summaries, biographies, and announcements about films such as The Americanization of Emily, Cheyenne Autumn, Diamond Head, The Great Race, The Night of the Iguana, Spencer's Mountain, and 36 Hours. The files are particularly revealing about the publicity methods used by major studios including Embassy Pictures, MGM, United Artists, Universal, Walt Disney, and Warner Brothers. The majority of the television files document ABC publicity for the 1963/64 and 1967/68 through 1970/71 seasons and contain publicity for both regular series and various sports, news, and movie specials. A folder of general publicity from the other two networks is also included. Two folders of general press releases from the Sun-Times Daily News Syndicate, Publishers Newspaper Syndicate, and the Chicago Daily News Service and a folder of book reviews from the Chicago Daily News Service are indicative of the types of stories and reviews these services generated.

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SUNDAY AND FEATURE EDITORS series consist of fragmentary files which Auer collected while serving as an officer of that organization. Included are constitutions; correspondence; lists; newsletters; and financial, meeting, and membership files. The series documents efforts to plan conventions, collect dues, and solicit membership. Included in the correspondence are letters (September 1970) in which the contents of several newspapers' feature sections are critiqued as part of an exchange program AASFE sponsored.

Acquisition Information

Presented by James Auer, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1965-1974. Accession Number: MCHC65-126, MCHC71-160, MCHC72-71, MCHC72-135, MCHC72-136, MCHC74-43

Processing Information

Processed by Lita Kurth and Christine Rongone, November 1978.

	Series: General Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   1-4	Correspondence, 1949-1972, undated
Box   1 Folder   5	Miscellany, 1960, undated
	Series: Writings	⇧
	“Angela Knows” (Unproduced play)
Box   1 Folder   6	Original Notes and Miscellaneous Drafts, circa 1964
Box   1 Folder   7	Notes and Miscellaneous Drafts, circa 1964
Box   1 Folder   8-9	Miscellaneous Drafts, annotated, circa 1964
Box   2 Folder   1	Manuscript Draft, by James Auer, circa 1964
Box   2 Folder   2	First Dialogue Draft, annotated, by James Auer, circa 1964
Box   2 Folder   3	Playscript Fragment and Miscellaneous Pages, by James Auer, circa 1964
Box   2 Folder   4	Playscript Fragment and Miscellaneous Pages, annotated, by James Auer, circa 1964
Box   2 Folder   5	Playscript, fragment, annotated, by James Auer, circa 1964
	“Born to Dream” (Fable in the form of a novel)
Box   2 Folder   6	Notes, Outlines, and Miscellaneous Drafts, undated
Box   2 Folder   7	Typescript, annotated, by James Auer, circa 1957
	The City of Light Note: Produced by a community theater in California and by Attic Theatre, Appleton, Wisconsin, 1961.
Box   2 Folder   8-9	Notes and Miscellaneous Drafts, circa 1960
Box   2 Folder   10	Miscellaneous Drafts, circa 1960
Box   3 Folder   1	Playscript, by James Auer, circa 1960
	“The Gods Arrive” (Unproduced play)
Box   3 Folder   2	Scenes I-III, Notes and Drafts, undated
Box   3 Folder   3	Scenes IV-VI, Notes and Drafts, undated
Box   3 Folder   4	Scenes VII-VIII, X-XII, Notes and Drafts, undated
Box   3 Folder   5-7	Miscellaneous Notes and Drafts, undated
Box   3 Folder   8	Playscript, by James Auer, circa 1957
Box   3 Folder   9	Playscript, by James Auer, circa 1957
	“A Romantic History” (Novel)
Box   3 Folder   10	Typescript, fragment, by James Auer, undated
	“Spring Night” (Unproduced play)
Box   4 Folder   1	Playscript, by James Auer, undated
	Tell It to Angela Note: Produced by Attic Theatre, Appleton, Wisconsin, 1971.
Box   4 Folder   2	Playscript, by James Auer, circa 1971
	“Top Secret” (Unproduced play)
Box   4 Folder   3	Playscript, annotated, by James Auer, undated
Box   4 Folder   4	Miscellaneous Writings and Notes, undated
Box   4 Folder   5	Notebooks, undated
	Series: Newspaper Files	⇧
	Publicity Files
	Motion Pictures
Box   4 Folder   6	General, circa 1966, undated
Box   4 Folder   7	An American Dream--The Devil in Love
Box   4 Folder   8	Diamond Head--The Dirty Dozen
Box   10 Folder   1	Dr. Zhivago
Box   4 Folder   9	Donovan's Reef--Grand Prix
Box   4 Folder   10	The Great Race
Box   10 Folder   1	The Great Race, continued
Box   5 Folder   1	The Greatest Story Ever Told--Hud
Box   5 Folder   2	The Idol--Murder Most Foul
Box   5 Folder   3	Nevada Smith--Pocketful of Miracles
Box   10 Folder   2	Point Blank
Box   5 Folder   4	PT 109--Rip Van Winkle
Box   10 Folder   3	Ryan's Daughter
Box   5 Folder   5	The Sandpiper--Shoot Loud, Louder...I Don't Understand
Box   10 Folder   1	The Singing Nun
Box   5 Folder   6	Situation Hopeless-But Not Serious--Thoroughly Modern Millie
Box   5 Folder   7	Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Box   5 Folder   8	Three Bites of the Apple--The Young Lovers
	Television
Box   5 Folder   9	General
Box   10 Folder   4	General, continued
	ABC Program Information Book
Box   6 Folder   1	, 1963-64 Season Press
	, 1967-68 Season
Box   6 Folder   2	General
	Television Series
Box   6 Folder   3	American Bandstand--Dream Girl of '67
Box   6 Folder   4	Everybody's Talking--The Joey Bishop Show
Box   6 Folder   5	Judd--Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
	Television Specials
Box   6 Folder   6	“Events” and Theatrical and Musical Specials
Box   6 Folder   7	News and News Specials
Box   6 Folder   8	Sports and Sports Specials including the Olympics
	, 1968-69 Season
Box   6 Folder   9	General
	Television Series
Box   6 Folder   10	American Bandstand--The Felony Squad
Box   6 Folder   11	The Flying Nun--Judd for the Defense
Box   6 Folder   12	Land of the Giants--The Ugliest Girl in Town
	Television Specials
Box   6 Folder   13	Entertainment Specials
Box   6 Folder   14	News and News Specials
Box   6 Folder   15	Sports and Sports Specials
	, 1969-70 Season
Box   6 Folder   16	General
	Television Series
Box   6 Folder   17	American Bandstand--Happening
Box   7 Folder   1	Here Come the Brides--Mod Squad
Box   7 Folder   2	Mr. Deed Goes to Town--This Is Tom Jones
	Television Specials
Box   7 Folder   3	Movies on TV
Box   7 Folder   4	News and News Specials
Box   7 Folder   5	Sports and Sports Specials
	, 1970-71 Season
Box   7 Folder   6	General
	Television Series
Box   7 Folder   7	All My Children--Danny Thomas in Make Room for Granddaddy
Box   7 Folder   8	Dark Shadows--Marcus Welby, M.D.
Box   7 Folder   9	Matt Lincoln--Young Rebels
	Television Specials
Box   7 Folder   10	Movies on TV
Box   7 Folder   11	News and News Specials
Box   7 Folder   12	Sports and Sports Specials
Box   7 Folder   13	Miscellaneous Entertainment Publicity Releases, undated
Box   7 Folder   14-15	General Press Releases, circa 1962-1963, undated
Box   7 Folder   16	Book Reviews, circa 1962-1963, undated
Box   10 Folder   5	Post-Crescent Magazine, January 31, 1965
	Series: American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors	⇧
Box   7 Folder   17	Bulletins, 1971-1974
Box   7 Folder   18	Constitution, 1963, 1972
Box   8 Folder   1-2	Correspondence, General, September 1950-March 1974, undated
	Financial Files
Box   8 Folder   3	Bank Statements for Checking Accounts, 1967-1973
Box   8 Folder   4	Correspondence, 1967-1973
Box   8 Folder   5	Dues, circa 1969-1971
Box   8 Folder   6	Receipts and Miscellany, circa 1969-1972
Box   8 Folder   7	Treasurer Reports, 1953, 1966-1973
Box   8 Folder   8	Savings Accounts: Passbooks and Statements, 1965-1972
Box   8 Folder   9	Lists, 1948, 1950, 1966-1971, undated
	Meetings
Box   8 Folder   10	Notes, undated
Box   8 Folder   11	Programs, Reports, Minutes, circa 1948-1973, undated