The Shumlin Papers came to the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theatre Research in two segments. The original material, which covered the period from 1930 to 1962, was received in 1962, and additional material covering the early 1960's was presented in 1969. During the 1970's the 36 original press books received with the collection were microfilmed in order to preserve their contents, and the originals were discarded. In 1992, as part of a project to reappraise the papers of a number of theatrical producers, a large quantity of the detailed financial records (primarily those documenting Inherit the Wind) were discarded from the Shumlin Papers, and the two additions were rearranged.
The resulting collection does not present full coverage of Shumlin's career. There is no information either of his earliest productions or his work before he became a producer. Even after 1930, the date of the first documented play, not all of the dramas with which Shumlin was associated as producer and/or director are included. There is also no documentation whatsoever following his work on The Deputy in 1964. Even taking into account the considerable reduction in volume which took place as a result of the 1992 reappraisal, it is unlikely that the material received by WCFTR represents the “extensive files” described by Director Robert Hethmon during a 1961 field trip to New York City.
Production records for his association with Lillian Hellman were received by WCFTR not as part of the Shumlin Collection, but as part of the papers of Kermit Bloomgarden, who worked with Shumlin as general manager and co-producer from 1935 to 1945. Unfortunately those records were returned to Bloomgarden in 1962 at his request, and at the time of the reappraisal in 1992 they had not been returned to archival custody. (Some records of The Children's Hour were later added to the Bloomgarden Papers.) Shumlin's association with Lillian Hellman is primarily documented here in microfilmed scrapbooks, scattered general correspondence, and in the production records on The Searching Wind. Several of his other important early productions such as The Corn is Green, Grand Hotel, and The Male Animal are also represented chiefly by microfilmed pressbooks.
In general, the business aspects of theatrical production is less fully represented in the Shumlin collection than in the papers of Herman Levin and other theatrical producers held by WCFTR, and only Inherit the Windcan be considered fully documented in that respect. (There is, however, unusually complete correspondence concerning his relationship with his partners and investors.)
But unlike the collections of producers who involved themselves very little with the artistic aspects of production, the Shumlin
papers contain rich material about his activity in that regard. There is extensive correspondence relating to his relationship with playwrights and the revision of particular dramas, although there are only a few draft scripts here. Shumlin's reputation as a tireless searcher for promising scripts is abundantly documented, and his relationship with British playwrights, promoters, and theatrical agents is especially prominent.
The GENERAL PAPERS, which are alphabetically arranged by subject or type of documentation, contain a few biographical clippings, general correspondence, and specialized correspondence files relating to his activity in the Council of the Living Theatre and the League of New York Theatres. For the Council of the Living Theatre, there are also minutes and reports. Additional special correspondence regarding charitable contributions documents his donations to a wide range of theatrical and social action causes, although for the majority Shumlin's support appears to have been solely financial.
Several files in this section relate to his association with Warner Brothers during World War II. Included is a budget for Confidential Agent and drafts of Shumlin's contract with Jack Warner. (Additional correspondence related to Shumlin's Hollywood years may be found in the General Correspondence.) Another special correspondence file relates to a particular effort to import British drama, while a file of handwritten notes concerns his play selection process during the late 1930's.
The general correspondence should not be overlooked by researchers, as it contains important production-related information as well as other professional and personal letters which range in subject from his real estate dealings to his support for particular legislation to his relationship with many people in the theatre. The quality of the correspondence varies over time, and coverage is best for the period from World War II to the mid-1950's and for 1964 and 1965. For some periods there are gaps in the incoming letters, and Shumlin's connection with some of the prominent correspondents noted below may only be inferred from carbons of outgoing letters. The following is a partial list of prominent correspondents for whom there are either incoming or outgoing letters in the general correspondence. Only the first incidence of correspondence with that individual has been noted, and the researcher should know that for some individuals there are also scattered later letters.
- 1938
- Leland Hayward
- 1941
- Marshall Field, Lillian Helman, Jack Warner
- 1942
- Bette Davis, Howard Dietz
- 1943
- Samuel Goldwyn, David O. Selznick, Hal B. Wallis
- 1945
- Humphrey Bogart, Charles Boyer, Peter Lorre
- 1949
- Fanny Brice, Rex Harrison, Edward G. Robinson, Cornelia Otis Skinner, William Wyler
- 1950-1951
- Moss Hart, Laurence Olivier, James G. Patton, William Saroyan, Emlyn Williams
- 1956
- Theodore Bikel, Rod Serling
- 1958
- S.N. Behrman, Lillian Hellman
- 1961
- Michael Kanin
- 1962
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti, William Styron, Margaret Webster
- 1963
- Irving Berlin, Roddy McDowell
- 1964
- Hannah Arndt, Herbert Biberman, Jeremy Brett, Hume Cronyn, Harold Prince, Maximilian Schell, Leonard Spigelgass, Barrie Stavis, Studs Terkel, Tennessee Williams, William Wyler
- Undated correspondence
- Maurice Evans, Albert & Frances Hackett, Archibald MacLeish
Also in the GENERAL PAPERS are a few biographical clippings, articles and statements written by Shumlin about the theatre in general and specific productions, and copies of state and federal income tax forms which track his fluctuating financial condition from 1941 to 1968.
The THEATRICAL PRODUCTION FILES are arranged alphabetically by title and thereunder alphabetically by record type. The material variously includes correspondence, contracts and agreements, box office statistics, financial statements and weekly settlements, clippings, casting information, programs, publicity and microfilmed pressbooks, and some information on technical production, with Bicycle Ride to Nevada, The Deputy, Gertie, and Inherit the Wind being the most completely documented dramas. There are annotated and draft scripts for a number of productions such as Bicycle Ride to Nevada and Inherit the Wind, and for Tonight in Samarkand and Wedding Breakfast director's prompt scripts are included. There is also information on many plays that Shumlin only considered for production.
The production-related correspondence is particular valuable for its documentation of Shumlin's involvement with his partners and investors; with the writers of many represented plays such as Rolf Hochhuth and Lawrence & Lee; and with some actors. For The Deputy there is extensive documentation of the controversy this play generated among the general public.
Important personalities noted in the production correspondence include:
- Biggest Thief - Dalton Trumbo
- Dear Me - Ron Leibman
- The Deputy - Gertrude Berg, Hume Cronyn, Alec Guiness, George Kerstein, Michael Myerberg, Arthur Goldberg, Cyril Ritchard, Shepard Traube
- Gertie - Glynis Johns
- Inherit the Wind - Ed Begley, Victor Borge, Fredric March
- Jeb - David Merrick
- Lace on Her Petticoat - Brooks Atkinson, Billy Rose, Lee Shubert
- No for an Answer - Marc Blitzstein
- Only in America - Diahnn Carroll, Fannie Hurst
- To Dorothy, A Son - Jean Arthur
- Searching Wind - Betty Davis, Fredric March, Jack Warner
- White-haired Boy - Fredric March
- Unproduced plays - Albert and Frances Hackett, Arthur Miller, John O'Hara, John Steinbeck, James Thurber
