The Irving Caesar Papers, 1905-1972, mainly document the very early development of his talents and various aspects of his social service commitment. There is almost no information on his career as a writer of popular songs or musical comedies. The material is arranged alphabetically by type of document and includes clippings, correspondence, scrapbook pages, songs, speeches, writings, and disc recordings. All the correspondence has been Xeroxed and the originals returned to Caesar; some other material was in such poor condition that it was Xeroxed or photostated, and the originals were discarded.
The CORRESPONDENCE includes letters of general information, 1905-1924 and undated, about his activities and the development and implementation of his social service philosophy. These, however, are better documented in the alphabetical files of correspondence, especially the files on the Campus Courageous project, Upton Sinclair, William English Walling, and Ella Wheeler Wilcox. There are also five folders on George Seldes' efforts to have his Great Quotations book published and later revised for a new edition; Caesar raised funds for the first edition.
The SONGS material includes lyrics of “Mister Boodle,” which satirizes the military-industrial complex; songbooks for his children's songs of safety, of friendship, and for the United Nations; and sheet music for the “Pledge of Allegiance.” Some of these same works are represented in the DISC RECORDINGS.
Among his WRITINGS are some of Caesar's earlier efforts such as an undated autobiography, and a journal, poems, and essays written while he was in his middle teens. Photostats of some of his articles printed in The Independent, 1958-1960, and a protocol, prospectus, and four folders of correspondence re his “Peace By Wireless” plan offer more insights into his concept of social service. In the article “Ten Popular Songs I Wish I Had Written,” one can see by what criteria Caesar considered a popular song successful. Also included are speeches and a lengthy transcript of an oral interview taped in 1971 for the William E. Wiener Oral History Library of the American Jewish Committee.
