Part 2 (U.S. Mss 32AN, Audio 1413A, Disc 233A, PH 6617): Additions, 1922-1980
Physical Description: 2.6 c.f. (5 archives boxes, 1 half-size record center carton, and 1 oversize folder), 41 disc recordings, 6 open-reel tapes, and 76 photographs 
Scope and Content Note

Taken out of the context of the existing Coots papers, the coverage of the additions appears incomplete, even scattershot; this is true, however, only of some of the later material. The scattershot quality is balanced by the large quantity of song manuscripts and lyric typescripts, few of which were included in the original collection. It is further offset by the diversity and complexity of the material, which invokes the names of a plethora of well-known show business and creative personalities and publishers, and documents the wide variety of Coots's activities and interests. This material by and large reflects Coots's professional persona; his personal life is not particularly well-represented here.

The CORRESPONDENCE series (1942-1980, undated; bulk 1962-1980) is arranged in chronological order and consists primarily of letters and cards written to Coots by colleagues and other business contacts, as well as by people he met during his professional and personal travels. Aside from business-related correspondence, there are many letters from admirers expressing appreciation for his performances, and from colleagues expressing gratitude for his support and admiration of their own activities. There is little in the way of sustained correspondence between Coots and any one individual, but songwriting collaborators and numerous other well-known figures - Richard Rogers, Anthony Newley, and Arthur Treacher, to name a few - are represented. There is little in the way of outgoing correspondence from Coots himself, but his sense of humor is evident in his exchange with the Superior Songwriters Service of Hollywood, in which he represented himself (under a pseudonym) as an aspiring songwriter in search of assistance and willing to pay for it.

The CREATIVE WORKS series (1939-1971, undated; bulk 1950-1971) consists of four subseries: Song Manuscripts and Lyric Typescripts, Musicals, Published Sheet Music, and Other Creative Writing. The first two of these are further subdivided. A detailed listing of the songs included in this series, ordered alphabetically, can be found in Appendix 1.

The Song Manuscripts and Lyric Typescripts subseries is by far the largest grouping in the collection. The documents in this subseries are of four different types: (1) autograph pencil manuscripts, usually in the form of lead sheets or sketches of songs; (2) transparencies (also known as “onionskins”) intended for limited reproduction - these consist of fair copies of lead sheets, possibly made by Coots himself in some cases, otherwise by professional music copyists; (3) reproductions produced from such transparencies; and (4) lyric typescripts. Few songs in the collection are represented by all four types of documents; in a number of cases, only lyric typescripts - often by lyricists other than Coots himself - are present. Note also that in some cases, one manuscript may designate Coots as the sole composer of a song, while other, presumably later song material will attribute the text to another lyricist. Many of these documents indicate copyright dates, sometimes modified, often shifting as rights were passed from composer to various publishers over time: in many cases, Coots's own publishing entity, Toy Town Tunes, Inc., received the copyright. Other documents contain no attribution, although it seems likely that Coots himself is the composer in the case of manuscripts written in his hand. A small amount of pertinent correspondence is included in this subseries; some of the songs are further complemented by recordings in the Audio Materials series. Besides songs and sketches, there are included a few arrangements or medleys of works by other songwriters, as well as commercial songs or jingles written by Coots for companies such as Chrysler, Seagram's, Singer Sewing Machine, Simmons Cruises, and Old Gold Cigarettes. These commercial attempts were not always successful, as can be seen in the case of Coots's proposed theme song for the 1950s children's television program, Captain Kangaroo; a similar case may be the song “D.J. Ghost,” which represents an attempt by Coots to write rock 'n roll, a style he despised. Coots wrote a few of his songs under various pseudonyms; these are clearly intended as jokes.

This subseries is divided into three headings, with the songs in each division ordered alphabetically by title: General, further subdivided by lyricist(s) and/or cowriter(s); French and British Collaboration; and “Kiddie” Songs.

The French and British Collaboration consists primarily of correspondence and a small amount of song material, and includes an itinerary and travel information for an American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) European tour taken by Coots and his wife, Marjorie. The presence of the travel material among the other documents in the heading and the timing of the tour suggest that French and British contacts for the professional activity documented here might have been made or at least solidified during this tour.

In this collaboration, Coots provided English language lyrics to at least two songs represented by Publications Francis-Day in Paris; he also received French language lyrics to one of his own tunes, “Bonsoir, cherie.” As is sometimes the case with correspondence in this collection, well-known performers - in this case, Frank Sinatra and Connie Francis - are mentioned as possible performers of the material in question.

As language was not an issue in the U.K., the British collaboration involves representation by Robbins Music Corporation, Ltd. of London in the attempted recording and release of a few of the songs included in the General song heading; later correspondence documenting the continued relationship between Coots and Robbins Music Corporation can be found in the Correspondence series. The correspondence reflects the difficulty at that point in time - the so-called “British Invasion” of the U.S. by groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones - of selling the older style of popular song exemplified by Coots's writing, likely a contributing factor to Coots's negative attitude towards the rock 'n roll genre (interestingly, one of the A&R men who was to be shown Coots's songs was George Martin, whose later production of the Beatles had a profound influence on their style).

The “Kiddie” Songs heading includes not only manuscripts and typescripts, but a few pieces as well of published sheet music, a songbook, and a large number of American and Canadian copyright assignments and other documentation of copyright status.

The Musicals subseries is divided into the headings “If I Were Queen” and “Pardon My Glove.” The former represents Coots's collaboration with poet Ogden Nash on a musical (book by Polan Banks and William Gaxton) that never quite came to pass. Included are two versions of a synopsis, a story treatment, and song materials, including pencil manuscripts of some of the lyrics. An open-reel demo tape of some of the songs is included in the Audio Materials series. The latter musical was a collaboration between Coots, Edward Eager, and Jerry Leng on a musical version of the Lynn Root and Harry Clark play, The Milky Way. Included are song materials and Leng's contract with Coots and Eager, but nothing in the way of a script or synopsis. Note that a number of the songs and sketches included in the Song Manuscripts and Lyric Typescripts subseries appear to have been written in connection with possible musicals, but none as well fleshed-out as these two.

The Published Sheet Music subseries consists of publications of a number of Coots's songs, as well as a handful of arrangements of his songs for groups such as dance bands and barbershop quartets. More complete information on these publications can be found in Appendix 3.

The Other Creative Writing subseries consists largely of story typescripts written under pseudonyms such as J. Haybeus Corpus, R.U. Withit, Rieger Mortiss, and Harlequin Fandancer. In a more serious vein is a typescript of a children's story and a TV script idea intended for Sid Caesar.

The RIGHTS ASSIGNMENTS AND RELEASES series (1944-1974; bulk 1961-1974) is quite incomplete. It is ordered chronologically and includes documents assigning rights to only five of Coots's songs: “His Hand Is on Your Shoulder,” “It's Too Early to Tell, “ “Stay Home, Little Girl,” “Whistlin' Jim,” and “You Happened to Me.” The series also includes a 1944 Certificate of Copyright Registration for renewal of “Where Are the Girlies of My Childhood Days” (original copyright, 1917). Other documents include a few releases for the use of Coots's songs and/or performances in various media projects; an agreement “divorcing” three of Coots's co-written songs from their lyrics; and a renewal agreement continuing the assignment of a portion of Coots's royalties on certain songs in payment of a promissory note, signed off on by Coots's wife and four children.

The PERSONAL APPEARANCES series (1931-1972; bulk 1956-1967) consists of contracts, travel itineraries, and documentation of a few non-contract appearances; all are ordered chronologically. The contracts are primarily between Coots's agent, W. Colton Leigh, Inc. and various organizations (businesses, clubs, schools, and so forth) for Coots's lecture-recital appearances around the U.S. Related correspondence and contract renewals with Coots's agent are included, as is correspondence from employing organizations and individual audience members, generally expressing appreciation for Coots's performances. News items reporting on some of these performances can also be found in the Newspaper Clippings series. Documentation of payment for these appearances, as well as some of the travel expenses incurred and their reimbursement, can be found in the Financial Records series.

The travel itineraries document the road trips Coots took in connection with these contracted personal appearances. A few other (non-contract) appearances are documented by a passenger list and daily programs from a cruise on which Coots was one of the entertainers; a press release indicating Coots's participation in an event designed to encourage polio immunization of pre-schoolers; a program from a Muscular Dystrophy Association fundraiser that included a Salute to ASCAP in which Coots participated along with Cy Coleman, Johnny Mercer, and Jule Styne, among others; and other materials that reflect performances by Coots.

The FINANCIAL RECORDS series (1926-1975; bulk 1957-1975) consists of general records, performance and royalty records from the Association of Songwriters, Composers, and Publishers (ASCAP), royalty records from individual publishers, and appearance fees and expenses. All are ordered chronologically. General records are few in number and consist primarily of items such as loan documents, rental agreements, proposals for business investments, a receipt for the purchase of a piano, and a 1926 stock certificate from the Wrigley Pharmaceutical Company, together with its conveying correspondence.

Performance and royalty records from ASCAP are divided into domestic records and foreign records. The former consist of (mostly quarterly) domestic performance records, copies of checks/check stubs documenting the amount paid to Coots in royalties as a result of performances and broadcasts of his songs, and a small amount of related correspondence from ASCAP; also included is an IRS Form 1099 from ASCAP for the year 1936. The latter consist of (mostly semiannual) check stubs documenting the amount of foreign royalties paid to Coots, including information on the countries and years involved. The individual publishers' records consist primarily of royalty statements for the years 1971-1972 only, from music publishers such as Leo Feist, Inc., Bourne Company, and Robbins Music Corporation.

Appearance fees and expenses consist of check stubs or duplicates of checks/stubs, plus invoices detailing expenses incurred that were charged against or credited to Coots's personal appearance fees, along with related correspondence.

The NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS series (1924-1979; bulk 1960-1975) consist of clippings relating to Coots, “Famous Flops,” other show business clippings, and non-show business clippings. Clippings relating to Coots include notices and descriptions of his activities, mostly professional but including notices of his marriage to Marjorie. Later clippings provide additional evidence of Coots's negative attitude towards rock 'n roll. One telling quote from a 1963 article: “[Coots's] publishers say his work is 'too good - the kids won't buy it'.”

“Famous Flops” - so-labeled by Coots himself - are all clippings of articles about the 1965 Broadway musical Kelly, which cost $650,000 to mount and survived for only one performance. Judging from the manner in which this material was received, Coots may have intended to add documentation of other failed productions but never did so. Other show business clippings include news items and features about, and obituaries of, Coots's colleagues, collaborators, and other show business people, including such figures as Haven Gillespie, Dorothy Fields, Groucho Marx, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Noel Coward, Sammy Cahn, and even Ludwig van Beethoven. Notices and reviews of Broadway shows are also included.

The non-show business clippings provide context to the collection through their documentation of Coots's non-professional interest in such activities and subjects as horse racing, opera, European travel, personal financial planning, successful women (novelist George Eliot, jockey Barbara Jo Rubin), boxing, and politics.

The CERTIFICATES, AWARDS, AND OTHER MEMORABILIA series (1922-1975; bulk 1960-1975) consists of both professional and personal material. Professional material includes Coots's certificate of election to membership in ASCAP in 1922 and a subsequent 1972 certificate celebrating his 50th anniversary in that organization. There is also documentation of his activity as a member and president of the American Arbitration Association. Also included are memorabilia such as a gold-plated portable typewriter presented to Coots by Tin Pan Alley T.V., a program that last aired in 1950; and an autographed copy of Henry Kane's How to Write a Song (1962), which includes a chapter on Coots. Documentation of the earlier portion of Coots's career includes an Imperial Theatre (Shubert Theatre Corporation) program booklet from 1930, a copy of Guy Magley's Down Memory Lane (undated) that includes extracts of vaudeville programs from 1914-1926, and a copy of music publisher Bourne, Inc.'s 1919-1956 catalog, which includes a number of Coots's songs.

Personal material includes travel-related memorabilia and souvenirs, genealogical information, programs of concerts unrelated to Coots's professional activities, and certificates documenting Coots's membership in organizations such as the Westchester Country Club and The Old Grand-Dad Club.

The PHOTOGRAPHS (1937-1975, undated) include portraits of Coots and photographs taken with professional colleagues; personal and family pictures; vacation photographs; and a few striking photographs not directly related to Coots. One photograph of particular interest is a panorama shot taken at the 1940 New York World's Fair and entitled “'Cavalcade of American Musicians' sponsored by ASCAP.”

The AUDIO MATERIALS (1950-1972; bulk 1950-1957) series is divided by format into two subseries, Disc Recordings and Open Reel Tape Recordings. The Disc Recordings are further subdivided into Demo Recordings and Commercial Releases. The Demo Recordings heading presents realization of a number of Coots's songs, as well as of two of the French songs for which he was to provide English lyrics. The Commercial Releases heading consists of a long-play album (And Then I Wrote...) of Coots's songs strung together with autobiographical commentary; and a number of rare 45 and 78 RPM recordings of his songs, a few of which are of foreign provenance. Except in the case of the album, Coots's songs generally appear on only one side of a disc; songs written by others are often on the other side. More complete information on these recordings can be found in Appendix 1.

The Open Reel Tape Recordings subseries consists of demo recordings of Coots's songs, of radio interviews of Coots by Jim McClain (“Dr. IQ”), of a performance by Coots at a Songwriters' Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and of a tribute to Coots at the ceremony in which he was himself inducted in 1972.

Series: Correspondence

1942-1980, undated

Series: Creative Works

Subseries: Song Manuscripts and Lyric Typescripts

General

J. Fred Coots, 1939-1971, undated

“The Al Jolson Music Memorial” (arrangement)

“Alexander's Ragtime Band” (arrangement)

“And I Thought of You”

“Bambino”

“Baskin' Out in the Sun”

“Be My Lovin' Baby”

“Before I Saw You Eat”

“Blame It All on Georgia”

“The Call of the Wild”

“Cat in a Birdcage”

“Caught in a Cloudburst of Love”

“A Change of Scenery”

“Cheers”

“Come Back to Roma”

“The Connecticut State Police”

“The Copenhagen Polka”

“Cora's in the Chorus”
Note: See “Sally's in the Chorus”

“Cornet on the Cob”

“The Curtain Falls”

“The Dale Sutton Medley (arrangement)

“Dark Glasses”

“Donna Marie”

“Don't Make a Human Out of Me”

“Dream Street”

“Drink, Drink, Drink”

“Ev'rybody's Falling in Love”

“Fall in Love”

“Farmer Gray”

“Florence Nightingale”

“Florida”

“Follow the Flag of Freedom”

“Forgotten Melody”

“French”
Note: See also “I Feel Like Dancing with You To-Night”

“French Tune”
Note: See “The Night Has Eyes”

“The Gay Divorcee”

“German Bierstuben Valse”

“Get Acquainted with an Old Gold Cigarette”

“The Girls I Met in Gay Paree”

“Good-Night, Good Friends”

“Good Waltz”
Note: See “Come Back to Roma”

“Goodbye My Love”

“The Guest Star”

“The Happiest Guy in the World”

“A Heaven on the Hill”

“Here Comes Marie”
Note: See “I Feel Like Dancing with You To-Night”

“Here Comes the Summertime”

“High Society Jimmy”

“Horn and Hardart”

“How Can I Tell You (How Much I Love You)”

“I Can Hear Those Christmas Bells”

“I Feel I'm Falling in Love with You”

“I Feel Like Dancing with You To-Night”

“I Hope She'll Be Happy”

“I Hope There's Room for One More”

“I Love You - You Love Me”
Note: See “Forgotten Melody”

“I Thank You”

“I'd Be So Happy”

“I'd Rather Be Alone”

“I'll Come to You”

“I'm Gonna Change It All”

“The Irving Berlin Story in Song” (arrangement)

“It Takes All Kinds of People”

“It Takes the Moonlight (For Making Love)”

“It Was Written in the Stars”

“It's Wonderful to Be in Love Again”

“It's You”

“I've Got My Arms Wrapped around a Rainbow”

“I've Really Some Very Nice Friends”

“The Jack Arthur Medley” (arrangement)

“Kleinchen”

“Klondike Mary”

“Let a Jane Mansfield Dream Pool (Make All Your Dreams Come True)”

“Let My Lips Remember You”

“Let's Back Jack”

“Let's Bake a Cake

“Let's Have a Party”

“The Lighthouse Keeper

“The Little Dutch Girl”

“Little Red Riding Hood on Broadway”

“Losing You”

“Louie's Ermine Wrap”

“Love”

“Love Is - “

“Love, Love, Beautiful Love”

“Love Me - Love Me - Love Me”

untitled (“The Man with the Fiddle and the Bow Tie”)

“Manhattan Mountaineer”

“March Ensemble (opening)”

“Middle Release”

“The Million Dollar Hat”

“Mine to Love”

“Mister Branigan”

“Mon Homme LaFitte”

“The More I See You, the More I Know”
Note: See “Cat in a Birdcage”

“My Heart (Keeps Calling Your Heart)”

“My Little Lady (Has a Coat that Grows)” [Coatcraft]

“Old Fashioned Song Medley” (arrangement)

“Old Gold” [cigarette]

“Old Gold” [cigarette]
Note: See “An Old Gold Is Like an Old Friend”

“An Old Gold Is Like an Old Friend”

“On the Ten-o-Ten (for Ten-Ten-Tennessee)”

“Oo-la-la Cecile”

“Paradise Island”

“Please Save the Last Waltz for Me”
Note: See “I Feel Like Dancing with You To-Night”

“Paree!”
Note: See “Love, Love, Beautiful Love”

“Production Valse”
Note: See “The Little Dutch Girl”

“Pussy Cat Jamboree”

“Rollin' Stone”

“Rosie O'Clooney”

“Sail with Simmons (And See the Sea)”

“Sally's in the Chorus”

“Seagram's Extra Dry”

“The Sid Gary Story”
Note: See “Tin Pan Alley Serenade”

“Silhouette Sweetheart”

“Simmons Follies”

“Soliloquy of a Somnambulist”

“Splitsville”
Note: See “Let My Lips Remember You”

“Stay Home, Little Girl, Stay Home”

“Strange Faces”

“Sunday School Sweetheart”

“Suzanne”

“Tell Me You Love Me”

“That's What It Takes to Make a Star”

“That's What Little Girls Are Made For”

“That's What Love Is Made of”

“There Goes That Girl”

“There Must Be Somebody for Me”

“There's Only One Way to Say I Love You”

untitled (“They're Not Writing Songs Like They Used to Anymore”)

untitled (“They're So Cantankerous”)

“This Is Your Show (Finale)”

“This Night in Venice with You”

“Three Hundred Pounds Ago”

“Till We Love Again”
Note: See “Cat in a Birdcage”

untitled (“Tin Pan Alley on Parade”) (arrangement)

“Tin Pan Alley Serenade” (also known as “The Sid Gary Story”)

“Tony Spagoni”

“Touché”

untitled tune

“Valse Production”
Note: See “Cat in a Birdcage”

“Wait'll You See My Sweetie and Me in My Chrysler Automobile”

“We're the Gals Behind the Guys Behind the Guns”

“Western”

“Western Song”
Note: See “Cat in a Birdcage”

“What's Gonna Happen to the Beautiful Girls?”

“When Angelina Shakes her Tamborina”

“Where the Spanish Onions Grow”

“Wherever You Are at Christmas (I'll Be There with You)”

“Whistle'n Jim”

“Who Am I? Who Are You?”

“Winter in Washington Square”

“The Witch Song”

“With All My Heart and Soul”

“With My Song”

“You Meet the Nicest People at the Race Track”

untitled (“You're Only As Good As Your Material”)

“You're Here”
Note: See “Forgotten Melody”

“Yours Could Be the Love”

J. Fred Coots with Edward Eager, undated, 1955-1959

“Arizona”

“Cheerful Weather for the Wedding”

“Goodbye Stranger”

“It's Twelve O'Clock, My Love”

“Java Jive”

“The Lady with the Big Black Cigar”

“Love in a Mist”

“Love on Top of a Bus”

“Love Opened My Eyes”

“Mignonette”

“Mud in Your Eye”

“Passion Fruit”

“Rings on Her Finger”

“She Walks in Beauty”

“Sigh No More, Ladies”

“Slumming on Miami's Shore

“Someone Lovely Just Passed By”

“Sugar Cane”

“Whistlin' Girl”

J. Fred Coots with Walt Framer, undated, 1953-1956

“The Greatest Man on Earth”

“It's Never Too Warm to Wear Mink”

“Let's Take a Holiday for Two”

“Love Is the Pay Off”

J. Fred Coots with Gene and Glenn, undated

“Send Her Some Flowers”

“Side by Side by the Beautiful Seaside”

“Sweethearts in the Summer (Strangers in the Fall)”

“To-day, To-night and To-morrow”

“Toodle-oodle-oo”

“When I Get Back to Caroline”

J. Fred Coots with Haven Gillespie, 1957-1967

“Christmas Doll”

“Sing”

“The Wine of Love”

“You Happened to Me”

J. Fred Coots with Nick and Charles Kenny, 1956-1957

“I'd Like to Find You in My Stocking”

“If You Could Care a Little Bit More for Me”

“Where Are You Gonna Go on Your Vacation?”

J. Fred Coots with Bill Margaretten, undated, 1956-1962

“Another Night, Another Dream”
Note: See “High as a Kite”

“But Not So Long in My Heart”

“Cha Cha Cha Romance”

“Here Comes Love and Kisses”
Note: See “High as a Kite”

“High as a Kite”

“I Like Your Attitude”

“I'm Looking Forward”

“Love Is Just a Dream Away”

“Love Me Fortissimo”

“May I Walk You Home?”

“The Sweetest Words”
Note: See “High as a Kite”

“Today's the Day”

“When the Last Little Star Goes Home”
Note: See “High as a Kite”

“When You're All Alone in Love”

“Yours to Love”

J. Fred Coots with Ogden Nash, 1960, undated

“Incompatibility”

“Matador”

J. Fred Coots with Al J. Neiburg, 1956-1964, undated

“Bonsoir, Cheri”

“I'm Gonna Spread My Wings”

“In a Cup of Tea Leaves”

“It's Too Early to Tell”

“Nineteen Hundred and Sixty”

“Sad and Sorry”

“Seeing You with Somebody Else”

J. Fred Coots with Charles Newman, 1951-1959, undated

“Dream on, My Hopeful Heart”

“Forty Eight Sweethearts”

“Hermit in the Heart of Town”

“I'm Building Castles Again”

“In Cin-Cin-Cincinnati”

“My Apple Pie Guy”

“My New Romance”

“My Waltz”

J. Fred Coots with Maurice Sigler, 1956-1959, undated

“Don't Wait Too Long”

“It Was Fun While It Lasted”

“Man about Town”

“My Chickadee”

“Quality Folks”

“There's a Lull in Lullaby Lane”

“When I Wanna Woo (I Go to You for Love)”

J. Fred Coots with other lyricists/cowriters, 1952-1964, undated

“All Suit! No Man!”

“A Ball Was Had by All”

“Along the Prado”

“As Long as I've a Song to Sing”

“Can't Get You off My Mind”

“(Holy Jeepers Creepers) Can't We Ever Be Alone?”

“Chicken Croquettes”

“Corn Meal Mush and Sorghum Molasses”

“The Curtain Is Falling”

“D.J. Ghost”

“Esmeralda Has a Date”

“The Fisherman's Bride”

“Give Your Heart to Me for Christmas”

“Got Me a Blue-Eyed Baby”

“Hank, the Whip”

“Have You No Pity on Me?”

“Heap Big Drip from the Cherokee Strip”

“Helas!”

“His Hand Is on Your Shoulder”

“If They Made Me”

“I'm Not Here”

“In the Old Rope Swing”

“In Your Eyes”

“Is It Just for To-Night? (Or Is It Forever?)”

“Let's Go Over to Charlie's Before We Say Goodnight”

“A Little Café in Calais”

“Mary, Go 'Round with Me”

“Monte Carlo Calling”

“The Moon on the Nurs'ry Floor”

“Moonlight in Madrid”

“More than Wonderful”

“Music to My Ears”

“Must I Be Bound (And You Go Free)”
Note: See “My Heart (Keeps Calling Your Heart)”

“The Night Has Eyes”

“On a Little Street in Napoli”

“Our Escapade”

“Sing to Your Heart's Content”

“So I'll Never Be a Millionaire”

“Somebody Stole That Old Sweetheart of Mine”

“Song of the Sewing Machine” [Singer]

“Thanks For the Use of Your Heart”

“That Mysterious Lady Called Love”

“There Goes My Runaway Heart”

“This Feelin' for You”

“To Have, to Hold, to Love!”

“To-night I'll Kiss “Hello” Again”

“Trade Me Your Heart”

“Ty Cobb (The Georgia “Peach”)”

“Underneath the “Kiss'l-Toe””

“When We're Together”

“The World Is Waiting to Sing Again”

“Wrap Up Your Worries in a Great Big Smile”

“You Could Have Heard a Pin Drop”

“You Waited Too Long”

“You're Making Headlines”

French and British Collaboration, 1962-1964

“Bonsoir, cherie”

“Mon paradis”

“J'ai tant marché”

“Parce qu'un homme”

“This Was a Man”

“Kiddie” Songs, 1950-1965

“All Around the Christmas Tree”

“Apple on a Stick”

“Bongo the Camel”

“A Boy in Buckskin (and a Gal in Calico)”

“Butch, the Rocking Horse Cowboy”

“Captain Kangaroo”

“A Cowboy Is a Son of God”
Note: See “Peter and the Pony”

“Cuckoo in the Cuckoo Clock”

“Custard the Dragon”

“Don't Worry, Peter”
Note: See “Peter and the Pony”

“Ephraham the Bunny”

“Give My Doggie a Name”

“Here Come the Bunnies on Parade”

“I Can't Spell Hippopotamus”

“I Hope Santa Claus Don't Forget Me”

“I Love My Mommy Best of All”

“I Wish I Had an Elephant”

“I Wish I Was a Bunny”

“In the Land of Lemonade and Lollipops”

“It's Fun to Own a Pony”
Note: See “Peter and the Pony”

“It's Great to Have a Pony for a Pal”
Note: See “Peter and the Pony”

“The Lady in the Clock”

“Little Goldie Goldfish”

“Little Johnny Jelly Beans”

“The Little Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe”

“Little Pete the Parakeet”

“Little Peter Potter (and His Little Teeter Totter)”

“Little Polly Parakeet”

“The Little Tin Soldier (And the Little Toy Drum)”

“Little Tommy Tattle-Tale”

“Me and My Puppy Dog”

“Me and My Teddy Bear”

“Monkey See - Monkey Do”

“My Dolly and Me”

“My Oompah-pah Pa-Pa”

“My Pony's Name Is “Peanut””
Note: See “Peter and the Pony”

“Nina the Ballerina”

“Ozzie the Ostrich”

“Peter and the Pony”
Note: Includes story typescript.

“Pony on the Merry-Go-Round”

“Poor Peter Piper (Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers)”

“The Pop Eye Song”

“The Santa Claus Parade”

“Santa's Little Helper”

“Santa's Prayer”

“Squee-Gee (The Happy Little Clown)”

“Sunrise on a Mountain Trail”
Note: See “Peter and the Pony”

“Sweet, Sweet Dreams To-night”

“Sweetie Bear”

“The Toy Town Parade”

“The Toy Town Trolley”

“Toy Town Tune Parade”

“Toy Town Tune Time”

Toy Town Tune Parade (A Collection of Original Children's Songs)

“When the Teddy Bears Go Marching on Parade”

“Why Don't Grownups Play with Toys?”

Subseries: Musicals

If I Were Queen, undated, 1954-1964

“Cactus Country”

“Call Me a Family Man”

“Desdemona”

“The Face Is Familiar”

“Give a Man Enough Rope”

“I Like to Play with a Putty Cat”

“If I Were Queen”

“It's a Promising Evening for Lovers”

“I've Decided to Be a Grandma”

“Kankakee”

“The King's Day”

“Love Is So Beaucoup Français”

“More Than Wonderful”

“No He-Man, He”

“No Love But Yours”

“R-E-P- Rep!”

“Waltz with a Kiss”

“We're All Washed Up in Washington

Pardon My Glove, undated, 1957

“Along the Milky Way”

“Allergic to You”

“Bright April”

“Follow Your Star”

“It Didn't Happen”

“Love's in the Room”

“No Poet I”

“Pardon My Glove”

“People Who Come Out After Dark”

“That...!”

“This Is the Embassy”

“A Waltz Without End”

“Whodunit?”

Subseries: Published Sheet Music, 1928-1971

“Balalaika Boogie Woogie”

“A Beautiful Lady in Blue”

“Bei Mama Nicolini”

“Copper Colored Gal”

“Doin' the Raccoon”

“Dreams Were Made for Lovers”

“Encore, Cherie”

“For All We Know”

“God Is My Friend”

“If I Loved You More”

“If I Loved You More”
Note: For mixed-voice chorus.

“I'm Pally with Sally Again”

“It's That Time of the Day”

“Love Letters in the Sand”

“Love Letters in the Sand”
Note: For school dance band.

“Love Letters in the Sand”
Note: For barbershop quartet.

“The Men in Meninak” (Marching song)
Note: Included in the Meninak 29th Annual Charity Game Program.

“The Men in Meninak” (Marching song)
Note: Words and music, J. Fred Coots.

“One Minute to One”

“A Precious Little Thing Called Love”

“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”

“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”
Note: For organ.

“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”
Note: For dance band.

“Sippin' Cider with My Ida (Down by the Zuyder Zee)”

“Westchester Country Club Anniversary Song”

“Why?”

“With God's Hand in Mine”

Subseries: Other Creative Writing, undated

“The Banquet”

“Beware of Free Medical Advice”

“Come to the Auction”

“The De Gaule-Stone”

“Doctor Davis”

“Doctor Hippity Hoppity (A Story for Little Children)”

“Here's Johnny”

“The Incredible Edible”

“The Little Giant”

“The Merger”

“Midget Golf Championship”

“Mother Fukker”

“Murder in Tin Pan Alley”

“My Privvy Pal”

“Now, You Can Take It with You”

“Pratt-Keester Nuptials”

“The Thing”

“Where the Heck Is Charlie???”

“With a Song in His Heart (TV Script Idea for Sid Caesar)”

“World Population Control”

Series: Rights Assignments/Releases, 1944-1974 (bulk 1961-1974)

Series: Personal Appearances

Contracts, 1931-1967 (bulk 1956-1967)

Travel Itineraries, 1960-1967

Other Appearances, 1963, 1968, 1970-1972

Series: Financial Records

General, 1926-1975 (bulk 1957-1975)

Performance and Royalty Records - ASCAP (Domestic), 1936-1974

Performance and Royalty Records - ASCAP (Foreign), 1961-1974

Royalty Records - Individual Publishers, 1936, 1962, 1970-1971

Appearance Fees and Expenses, 1956-1972

Series: Newspaper Clippings

Relating to Coots, undated, 1924-1974 (bulk 1961-1974)

“Famous Flops,” 1965

Other Show Business, undated, 1962-1979 (bulk 1965-1975)

Non-Show Business, undated, 1960-1965, 1972-1975

Series: Certificates, Awards, and Other Memorabilia

Professional, undated, 1922, 1930, 1960-1972

Personal, 1960-1975

“The Old Grand-Dad Club,” 1965

Typewriter, circa 1950

Series: Photographs

ASCAP panorama, 1940; Coots's portrait

Personal

Photo album

Professional

Vacation

Series: Audio Materials

Subseries: Disc Recordings

Demo Recordings, 1963, undated

“All Suit - No Man”/blank

“Fred Coots Performance”/blank

“Got Me a Blue Eyed Baby”/blank

“Hansel and Gretel,” part 1/part 2

“It's Never Too Warm to Wear Mink”/“The Curtain Falls”

“It's Never Too Warm to Wear Mink”/blank

“J'ai tant marché”/same, different performer

“A Little Café in Calais”/blank

“On a Little Street in Napoli”/”Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life”

“Our Escapade”/blank

“Paradise Island”/blank

“Parce qu'un homme”/blank

“Santa's Little Helper”/same

“Wait Till You See My Sweetie and Me in My Chrysler Automobile”/blank

“Why Let a Lie Break Your Heart”/blank

“Why Let a Lie Break Your Heart”/blank

“You Happened to Me”/blank

“The World Is Waiting to Sing Again”/blank

Commercial Releases, 1950-1957, undated

And Then I Wrote...
Scope and Content Note

Side One consists of the following songs: “Time Will Tell”; “Tomorrow's Another Day”; “Innocent Eyes”; “In My Little Red Book”; “The Promenade Walk”; “Remembering You”; “Put Your Troubles in a Candy Box”; “Oh What a Beautiful Baby (You Turned Out to Be)”; “Things Look Brighter Again”; “A Precious Little Thing Called Love”; “I Still Get a Thrill”; and “I Want to Ring Bells”

Side Two consists of the following songs: “Two Tickets to Georgia”; “One Minute to One”; “You Go to My Head”; “Why?”, “For All We Know”; “Me and My Teddy Bear”; “A Beautiful Lady in Blue”; “Love Letters in the Sand”; and “Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town”

“Apple on a Stick”/”All Around the Mulberry Bush”; “Did You Ever See a Lassie?”, “Bye, Baby Bunting”

“For All We Know”/”I Wouldn't Know (What to Do)”

“Hansel and Gretel”

“Christmas Chopsticks”/“He'll Be Coming Down the Chimney”

“The Smile of a Clown”/“I'm Afraid to Love You”

“I'm Building Castles Again”/”Don't Fence Me In”

“Some Day My Prince Will Come”/“In the Land of Lemonade and Lollypops”

“J'ai vu passer le Père Noel”/”Noel est venu”

“Let's Be Friends”/”Pa-Pa Ma-Ma Cha-Cha”

“Little Johnny Chickadee”/”Peterkin Pillowby”

“The Dwarfs' Yodel Song”/“Little Polly Parakeet”

“Mama Nicolini”/”Mandolino”

“Mama Nicolini”/”The Friend”

“Papa Danst Mambo”/“Mama Nicolini”

“Me and My Teddy Bear”/”I Found My Mamma”

“Music to My Ears”/”To Love and Be Young”

“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”/”Christmas Tears”

“Jingle Bells”/“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”

“Sweetie Bear”/”Counting Song” and “Pony Boy”

“Ooh-woo-wee”/“When We're Together”

“Village in Capri (Guaglione)”/“You Go to My Head”

“You're So Simpatico”/“Mama Nicolini”

Subseries: Open Reel Tape Recordings, 1958, 1971-1972, undated

“If I Were Queen” demo

“The Wine of Love” demo

Coots radio interview with Jim McClain #1

Coots radio interview with Jim McClain #2

Coots live at an ASCAP event

ASCAP salute to Coots