Series III: Scripts, 1919-1996

The stage scripts represent Theatre Guild productions dating from the company’s first presentations in 1919, through the 1996 production of State Fair. Scripts include annotated and unannotated typescripts, and bound and unbound promptbooks which may contain the script as well as costume, properties, scenic and lighting lists, and groundplans and diagrams. Scripts annotated by actors, directors, or other Theatre Guild personnel indicate dialogue changes, blocking, and sound, lighting, and scenic cues. In some cases the development of the script is documented by successive drafts. Unproduced scripts are also included in this subseries.

The radio scripts, for the most part, were written for Theatre Guild on the Air, which was broadcast from 1945 until 1953, and sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation. Scripts for a particular broadcast may include those marked as drafts, for rehearsals, and “as broadcast.” Many of the scripts were adapted from stage plays by the original playwright or by an adapter. Additional scripts within this subseries include those written for the BBC Saturday Night Theatre, the Philco Radio Hall of Fame, and the World War II-era Writer’s War Board Scripts for Soldiers and Sailors.

The majority of television scripts represent programs created for the Theatre Guild’s television series, The United States Steel Hour (1953-1963). Many of the scripts were developed specifically for television, although a number of adapted stage plays were produced. Scripts for each title may include typescript, rehearsal, and/or “as telecast” versions. The subseries also includes a small number of scripts produced for broadcasts other than The United States Steel Hour.