http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8mp57tj No online items Guide to the Milt Larsen variety theater collection PA Mss 108 Finding aid prepared by Anh Huynh and Mona Luo and Zachary Liebhaber, 2016. UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara 93106-9010 [email protected] URL: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/special-collections 2016 Guide to the Milt Larsen variety PA Mss 108 1 theater collection PA Mss 108 Title: Milt Larsen variety theater collection Identifier/Call Number: PA Mss 108 Contributing Institution: UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections Language of Material: English Physical Description: 162.78 linear feet(58 document boxes, 7 half-size document boxes, 37 flat boxes, 25 flat oversize boxes, 11 cartons, 220 audiotape reels, 337 videocassettes, 3 film reels) Creator: Larsen, Milt? Date (inclusive): 1880s-2000s Date (bulk): 1920-1959 Abstract: This collection consists of materials amassed during the later half of the 20th century by Milt Larsen, founder of the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, and the Society for the Preservation of Variety Arts. The collection, vast in breadth of format and coverage, documents the history of the variety arts in the United States from the vaudeville era onwards. Physical Location: Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library Access Restrictions The collection is open for research, with the exception of Series 7. SPVA files (Box 1-6). Many of the materials in this collection are brittle and will require special handing. Use Restrictions Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained. Preferred Citation [Identification of Item], Milt Larsen variety theater collection, PA Mss 108. Department of Special Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara. Acquisition Information Gift of Milt and Arlene Larsen, 2015. Biographical Note Writer, comedian, lyricist, magician and entrepeneur Milt Larsen was born in Pasadena California (1931) to William W. Larsen Sr. and Giselle Larsen, both performing magicians and publishers of Genii, the Conjuror's Magazine. Larsen wrote for the audience participation shows Truth or Consequences (1956-1977) and Malibu U (1967). As a lyricist, Larsen collaborated with Richard Sherman in the satirical albums Smash Flops and Banned Barbershop Ballads. Larsen also collaborated with Sherman on the comedy musical Pazzazz! In 1956 Larsen produced the still running magic review "It's Magic!" which has run annually since that year. In 1963 Larsen founded the Magic Castle in Hollywood (1963). A club for magicians, the Magic Castle is home to the Academy of Magical Arts. In addition to the Magic Castle, Larsen founded the Mayfair Music Hall (1973-1980) and the Variety Arts Theatre in Los Angeles (1977-1990). Larsen served as a consultant and actor in Hollywood films, and authored joke books and books on magic. In 2007 Milt and his late brother, Bill, received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Larsen, a theater historian, founded the Society for the Preservation of the Variety Arts (1975-1990), having gathered a collection of materials from the early days of variety theater and vaudeville, including scrapbooks, scripts, joke books and photographs. The collection, especially rich in materials related to Eddie Cantor, Ed Wynn, and Earl Carroll, now forms the Milt Larsen Variety Theater Collection at the library of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Scope and Content The Milt Larsen variety theater collection consists of a mix of materials and formats related to all aspects of variety theater from, roughly, the 1890s forward. Established by Milt Larsen, founder of the Academy of Magical Arts as well as the Society for the Preservation of Variety Arts, the collection is unique in its scope and breadth, and documents the development of the variety arts in the United States from stage to radio and film, and finally, television. The collection is especially strong in materials related to vaudeville, Broadway stage, film, television and radio stars Eddie Cantor, Ed Wynn, Billy House, Harold Peary, and Earl Carroll, as well as very early and rare materials related to lesser know vaudevillians. Materials include performer files containing correspondence, clippings, manuscripts, ephemera, and personal/biographical items; scripts, comedy sketches, jokes and gags; photographs; theater programs and playbills, and theater record and performer scrapbooks. Guide to the Milt Larsen variety PA Mss 108 2 theater collection PA Mss 108 The collection includes comprehensive collection of audiotape reels, ranging from 1953 to 1960, of the television show People are Funny, and many other materials in various audiovisual formats. In addition, the collection contains administrative files related to the Society for the Preservation of the Variety Arts (1975-1990), as well files related to the Mayfair Music Hall (1973-1980) and the Variety Arts Theatre in Los Angeles (1977-1990), all founded by Milt Larsen, and thus documenting his many activities and roles, including that of performer, producer, lyricist, writer, comedian, magician, and theater historian. Other Descriptive Information The collection retains, in general, original physical arrangement and folder titles. Arrangement This collection has been divided into the following series: 1. Artist Files, Mixed Materials, 2. Artist Files, Images, 3. Miscellaneous, 4. Scrapbooks, 5. Scripts, 6. Skits, Jokes and Gags, 7. Society for the Preservation of the Variety Arts (SPVA) Files, 8. Theater Programs and Playbills, 9. Audiovisual. Acronyms SPVA = Society for the Preservation of Variety Arts Separated Material Copies of The Jolson Journal Volumes 1-29 (1952-1960) have been separated for cataloging and will be accessible through the UC Santa Barbara Library online catalog. Subjects and Indexing Terms Vaudeville Artist files Audiotapes Clippings (information artifacts) Correspondence Scrapbooks Photographs Playbills Scripts Videocassettes Larsen, Milt? -- Archives Society for the Preservation of Variety Arts -- Archives Series 1. Artist Files, Mixed Materials 1920s-1950s Scope and Content This series contains mixed materials (photographs, corespondence, clippings, ephemera, loose scrapbook pages. Included in this series is an extensive collection of materials related to Eddie Cantor, including scripts, clippings, essays, notes, programs, and correspondence. The bulk of these materials range from the 1920s through the 1950s. Arrangement Materials in this series have been filed alphabetically by file title (mainly artist name). Separated Material Artist scrapbooks, scripts, and large collections of photographs have been separated and filed under the series "Scrapbooks," "Scripts," "Skits, Jokes and Gags," and "Artist Files, Images." box 17 Animal Behavior Enterprises box 17 Arthur, Dirk box 17 Ashton, Doug box 17 Autry, Barbara box 17 Aleco and Vera box 17 Aguilars Guide to the Milt Larsen variety PA Mss 108 3 theater collection PA Mss 108 Series 1.Artist Files, Mixed Materials 1920s-1950s Cantor, Eddie box 17 Arren, Charlotte and Broderick, Johnny box 17 The Agostinos box 17 Amazing Ashtons (Hoody) [1] box 17 Amazing Ashtons (Hoody) [2] box 17 Hoody Ashtons box 18 The Austins box 18 Albers, Dick box 18 Baretta' Birds box 18 Anthony, Philip box 18 Diane Allen Birds box 18 [?] Press 1963-1964 box 18 Six Antonettes box 18 Flying Abbots box 18 Adele and Gory box 18 Alfie the Baby Elephant box 18 Aradon, David box 18 Arnaot Bros box 18 Avner the Eccentric box 18 The Five Amandis box 18 Allen's Bears box 18 Almiros Cantor, Eddie Biography Singer, dancer, comedian, actor, songwriter, and author, "Banjo Eyes" and the "Apostle of Pep" Eddie Cantor (1892-1964) began his career as a vaudeville and "illustrated" song performer, making his Broadway debut in the Ziegfield Follies of 1917. As a regular Follies performer through the 1920s, Cantor appeared beside Bert Williams, Will Rogers, Fanny Brice, and W.C. Fields. In 1931, Cantor joined the Chase and Sanborn Hour radio variety show; other radio shows included Time to Smile (1940-1946), and Pabst Blue Ribbon Show (1946-1949). Cantor began making phonograph recordings in 1917, performing for such labels as Emerson, Vocalion, and under exclusive contract for both Columbia Records and Victor through the 1920s. Some of his hit songs included Makin' Whoppee, Yes! We Have No Bananas, and How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree?), and his own composition, Merrily We Roll Along. Appearing in short films in the 1920s, Cantor would become a major Hollywood film star throughout the 1930s, inclunding roles in the film version of Whoopee! (1930), Roman Scandals (1933), and Kid Millions (1934). In the 1950s, Cantor was an alternating host of the television variety show The Colgate Comedy Hour introducing variety acts and playing comic characters including the well known "Maxie the Taxi." Cantor authored many books, including Caught Short!: A Saga of Wailing Wall Street (1929). In addition to his artistic endeavors,