The Ransom Center gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, which provided funds to support the processing and cataloging of this collection.
Gifts of Jule Styne, 1962-1965
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Joan Sibley and Amanda Reyes, 2017
This finding aid replicates and replaces information previously available only in a card catalog. Please see the explanatory note at the end of this finding aid for information regarding the arrangement of the manuscripts as well as the abbreviations commonly used in descriptions.
Jule Styne (1905-1994) was one of Broadway's most prolific and successful composers. Born as Julius Stein in the East End of London, Styne acquired an early interest in the theater after an uncle took him to a stage production when he was just three years old. His family moved to the United States and Styne began studying at the Chicago College of Music before he was ten. In his career, which spanned five decades, Styne wrote over 2000 songs, publishing approximately 1500 of them. Roughly 200 of those songs became hits. Styne, who held an unwavering belief in the collaborative process, wrote songs with Sammy Cahn, the team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and Stephen Sondheim. These partnerships garnered several honors during his career, including an Oscar (
While touring with the Ben Pollack Band and performing with the likes of Glenn Miller, Styne's first hit song
The 1950s is considered Styne's most prolific era and he provided music for the hit productions
Styne's strongest writing partners were probably lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with whom Styne collaborated on
Styne was also a successful Broadway producer on
Although the 1960s were a bit quieter for Styne, he composed the music for the hit musical
The inexhaustible Styne also worked in television, composing music for such disparate productions as
Styne was married twice (to Ethel Rubenstein, 1927-1952, then to Margaret Ann Bissett Brown, 1962-1994), and had four children (Stanley, Norton, Nicholas, and Katherine). He sometimes collaborated with his son Stanley. Jule Styne died of heart failure in 1994.
Blau, Eleanor.
Suskin, Steven.
Suskin, Steven.
Taylor, Theodore.
Music scores, lyrics, scripts for plays, film, and television, correspondence, financial, legal, and business records, and production materials document the diverse professional career of the American composer, director, and producer Jule Styne. The papers are organized into four series: I. Works, 1943-1964; II. Letters, 1950-1960; III. Recipients, 1940-1965; and IV. Miscellaneous, 1936-1965. This finding aid replicates and replaces information previously available only in a card catalog. Please see the explanatory note at the end of this finding aid for information regarding the arrangement of the manuscripts as well as the abbreviations commonly used in descriptions. Four boxes of printed materials never described in the card catalog have been added as series V. Additional Materials, 1925-1964. The Jule Styne Papers were formerly a part of the Center's Theater Arts Manuscripts Collection, but now form a separate, discrete collection.
Series I. Works includes music written by Styne, chiefly for musicals, but also for television and for songs used in films. The works are arranged first by medium (stage productions, television, and songs), and alphabetically by production title, and then alphabetically by song title within that production. All production and song titles are included in the Index of Works in this finding aid.
Stage productions from 1944 through 1964 are each represented to some extent, but those dating from the years 1955 to 1964 dominate:
Series II. Letters contains Styne's outgoing correspondence, circa 1950-1960, to colleagues, peers, organizations, friends, and family. The letters are arranged alphabetically by the recipient's name. All correspondent names are listed in the Index of Letters included in this finding aid. Among the correspondents are Anne Bancroft, Harry Belafonte, Claire Bregman (Styne's sister), Nat King Cole, Betty Comden, Johnny Desmond, Eddie Fisher, Adolph Green, Ben Hecht, Judy Holliday, Evan Hunter, Vincente Minnelli, Billy Rose, Maurice "Maurry" Stein (Styne's brother), Hal Wallis, and others.
Series III. Recipient consists of Styne's incoming correspondence, both professional and personal, circa 1940-1965. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by the author's name. All names are listed in the Index of Recipients included in this finding aid. Styne's incoming mail ranges from files of business correspondence from the William Morris Agency, entertainment attorney Lee Moselle, MCA, and tax consultant Robert Young to letters or thank-you notes from a variety of show business collaborators, colleagues, organizations, and friends, including Steve Allen, Louis Armstrong, George Axelrod, Ralph Bellamy, Polly Bergen, Leonard Bernstein, Buddy Bregman (Styne's nephew), Abe Burrows, Sammy Cahn, Alvin Colt, Betty Comden, Joan Crawford, Sammy Davis, Jr., Robert Downing, Sammy Fain, Judy Garland, Hermione Gingold, Samuel Goldwyn, Oscar Hammerstein II, Lillian Hellman, Garson Kanin, Gypsy Rose Lee, Anita Loos, Jayne Mansfield, Johnny Mercer, Ethel Merman, Harold Prince, Terence Rattigan, Jerome Robbins, Richard Rodgers, Frank Sinatra, Oliver Smith, Stephen Sondheim, Isador Stein (Styne's father), Lee Strasberg, Elizabeth Taylor, Jerome Weidman, and Thornton Wilder along with many others.
Series IV. Miscellaneous encompasses the bulk of the Styne Papers, circa 1936-1965, and consists of works, correspondence, and production records created by third-parties. Materials are arranged alphabetically by creator name, with multiple items for a single creator subsequently arranged alphabetically by description. A detailed listing of the contents of this series is included in the Index of Miscellaneous in this finding aid.
Works by others in this series include music, lyrics, and a variety of scripts written for stage, television, or film by persons other than Styne. Most of these were either produced by Styne, sent for his review, or under consideration for production. Many of the scripts that were produced exist in various states with revisions and changes or as rehearsal or prompt copies. Among the authors, composers, and lyricists represented are George Axelrod (
Records are present for several of Styne's production companies: Jule Styne Productions; The Mr. Wonderful Company; The Darling Company (
Series V. Additional Materials, contains four boxes of printed materials dating from 1925 to 1964 that were never described in the card catalog. These have been organized to mirror the arrangement of materials in Series IV. Miscellaneous. More detailed descriptions for these items were interfiled into to the existing Index of Miscellaneous in this finding aid.
Sheet music and theater programs for Styne productions dominate this series, but also present are an award, a cast and staff directory, some casting head shots with resumes, contact sheets, costume design reproductions, financial records, photographs, a printed play, publicity materials, reviews, set designs, and ticket information.
Styne productions represented in this series include
Additional Jule Styne materials at the Ransom Center are located in the Joseph Abeles Studio Collection, the Robert Downing Papers, the Mel Gussow Collection (including a recording of an interview of Styne by Gussow now in the Sound Recordings Collection), and the Theater Biography Collection.
(Styne's outgoing letters)
(Styne's incoming letters)
Prior to 1990 when archival cataloging procedures were adopted at the Ransom Center, all manuscript collections were described in a card catalog.
Manuscripts for each author collection were organized into four categories:
Materials that did not fit into these categories, such as art, photographs, books, and near-print materials such as newspaper clippings, were dispersed to other Ransom Center collections for cataloging and storage.
The symbols below were used in combinations. For example