The Norman Jewison Papers are divided into six series: General, Television, Theater, Motion Pictures, Motion Pictures (Unproduced) and Submissions. Within each of these series, the materials are ordered chronologically.
The GENERAL series consists primarily of correspondence with agents, interviews and clippings, and papers documenting Jewison's involvement in such political activities as Citizens Against ABM and New York Mayor John Lindsay's re-election campaign.
In the TELEVISION series, there is little about Jewison's Canadian experience except some lighting notes, a script for Off Limits and two tape recordings for The Denny Vaughn Show. Scripts and production information are available for several American television specials, including The Fabulous Fifties, the Harry Belafonte specials, The Secret World of Eddie Hodges, The Million Dollar Incident and An Hour with Danny Kaye.
One folder in Box 3 contains THEATER information--correspondence and the settlement agreement for Here's Love, a Broadway play with which Jewison was briefly associated as director.
The series MOTION PICTURES (Boxes 3-27, 29-36 ) comprises the bulk of the collection. The series deals with the films Jewison was associated with as director and/or producer, beginning with The Thrill of It All in 1963 and ending with F.I.S.T. in 1978. There are primarily correspondence and scripts for the first films, but documentation becomes more extensive with The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. Materials include correspondence, several drafts of scripts, contracts, technical production information, financial papers, photos and promotion information. The files for Billy Two Hats consist of information on casting, technical production, and publicity. Included with the latter material is a discussion of the various campaigns considered to sell the film and sample advertisements. Two variant scripts, both co-authored by Sylvester Stallone, are the only documentation for F.I.S.T., a film Jewison directed and co-produced.
The Fiddler on the Roof files reveal efforts to find a suitable location to capture the image of a small Ukranian village and include a critique of Eastern European film production facilities and a brief mention of attempts to obtain insurance for their filming in Yugoslavia in case of invasion or war. The section also includes a file on Marc Chagall, whose permission was sought to film his paintings on shtetl life. Chagall, who was displeased with the stage production, refused permission.
Documentation for Jesus Christ Superstar covers all aspects of production and includes a discussion on costuming and the type of character portrayals that Jewison sought. Also included is an eight-page summary of a lawyer's attempt to squash a Rhodesian theatrical production that was unauthorized. Of interest in addition to the regular production files are materials relating to the controversy surrounding the film's portrayal of the role of Jews in the trial and death of Christ. The motion picture elicited letters of criticism and concern from such groups as the Jewish Film Advisory Committee, the American Jewish Committee, and the Anti-Defamation League; the latter file includes a letter by Golda Meir (July 16, 1973). Letters defending the film and Jewison's rebuttal to critics are also contained in the files.
MOTION PICTURES (UNPRODUCED) (Boxes 24-26) relates to those motion pictures on which Jewison worked but did not finally produce. There is documentation here on Judgment of Corey, The Confessions of Nat Turner and Spector.
Finally, Boxes 27 and 28 concern SUBMISSIONS--correspondence, synopses and scripts dealing with properties that Jewison read and rejected. What Jewison chose not to do, and why, is often as revealing as what he did do.
