The Wendell Hall papers consist of fan mail, miscellaneous printed matter, scrapbooks, and four disc recordings. The materials trace Hall's career, but also provide some information about vaudeville and early radio.
The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL, 1938-1962, includes a 1938 ASCAP biography, two newspaper stories written about Hall after 1962, and a few miscellaneous pieces. Also includes and interview of Hall conducted by Gerald Fritz, as University of Wisconsin graduate student in 1967.
The CORRESPONDENCE, 1923-1929, consists primarily of routine fan mail. There are also congratulatory telegrams from notable entertainment personalities and “radio appreciation” post cards. These were form cards on which radio listeners noted the programs they liked, the types of radio sets they owned, the quality of reception, and other information which aided stations and set manufacturers to determine how well the broadcasts were succeeding.
The PUBLICATIONS, 1921-1945, consist of love poems, sheet music and a ukulele instruction book, all by Hall.
PROGRAMS AND CATALOGS, 1916-1936, include programs from various shows in which Hall participated and catalogs listing a few Hall selections.
The SCRAPBOOKS, 1915-1938; 1951, include one large book of newspaper clippings which trace Hall's career from the early days to the late 1930s. There are also a few clippings about his attempt at television. Other items in the scrapbooks are contracts, tickets, sheet music covers, and other miscellaneous pieces. The years 1930 and 1931 are documented in two small, separate scrapbooks. Because of deterioration, all of the scrapbooks have been microfilmed. Most multi-paged items, such as programs, catalogs, and sheet music, were removed and are filed with the other papers. The scrapbooks were destroyed after filming.
The collection is completed by a number of AUDIO RECORDINGS by Hall, including one with Milton Berle.
