Archives • Evanston, Illinois

Tony Randall (1920-2004) Papers, 1937-1984 Series 31/6/44/1 Boxes 1-4

Biography

Tony Randall, born Arthur Leonard Rosenberg on February 26, 1920 at Tulsa, , attended Northwestern University’s School of Speech during the 1937-1938 academic year. Randall left Northwestern to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in City. He made his Broadway acting debut in 1941 in “A Circle of Chalk” and appeared in a few more plays before serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. After leaving the Army Randall resumed his acting career and in 1957 appeared in his first motion picture role in Oh Men! Oh Women! He has worked on numerous television programs including such notable series as Mr. Peepers, and The Tony Randall Show. Randall received an Emmy award in 1975 for his work on The Odd Couple. (text by Kevin Leonard from Biography section of Series 31/6/44)

See also: Series 31/6/44, Tony Randall Photographs, c. 1920-1985, and Tony Randall Biographical File, Room 110, University Archives

Description of the Series

The Tony Randall Papers fill four boxes and span the years 1937-1984. The bulk of the papers consists of clippings from newspapers and magazines concerning Randall’s career, involvement in politics, social engagements, and biographical pieces. One folder contains Randall’s handwritten class notes from courses he took as a student at Northwestern University (1937-1938). The notes are identified by course name, and are decorated with occasional sketches of actors (notably John Barrymore); they also indicate the transition from the future actor’s original name, Arthur Rosenberg, to the stage name Anthony Randall. Clippings, forming the balance of the series, are organized by topic or by specific production, and are arranged chronologically within the folders, with undated materials placed at the end of each folder. The General clippings, dating between 1950 and 1984, consist mainly of biographical pieces about Randall’s career and personal life. Clippings concerning Randall’s social life— articles about charities he attended, parties he was seen at, restaurants he was photographed in— make up a large percentage of these clippings. Other clippings include interviews with Randall, and articles about his character and talent as a whole. One folder contains clippings of articles written by Tony Randall himself, dating between 1959 and 1974. Letters and telegrams relate to various productions (1957-1970). and span the years and programs from his productions. The folder about Randall’s involvement in politics (1960-1983) contains clippings documenting his support for political candidates, his involvement with charities and foundations, and his protests against various events. Another folder holds copies of some of the many advertisements (1957-1984) featuring Randall, either for productions he was in, or for products for which he was a spokesperson. Randall’s attendance at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre is documented in one folder of programs from productions in which he appeared during 1938 and 1939.

1 Northwestern University Archives • Evanston, Illinois

Tony Randall (1920-2004) Papers, 1937-1984 Series 31/6/44/1 Boxes 1-4

While most of the clippings relating to Randall’s acting career are organized by specific production, general folders reflecting a format—Television, Music and Books, and Theatre— contain clippings concerning one-time appearances or other situations where few clippings were generated. Included in the Television folders, for example, are clippings describing Randall’s guest appearances, the television shows and specials that he hosted, and his appearance in awards shows. The Productions files relate to specific productions—plays, television shows, television specials, and films—that Randall was in. Productions include plays in the theater and plays done for television, musicals, television series, television specials, and films. Spanning the years 1952 to 1985, these folders are arranged chronologically by the date of the production (usually a date span encompassing pre- and post-production clippings) and titled with the name of the production. In some cases, both the original and the later or alternate title are shown (the work’s title sometimes changed when a film was made into a play or the reverse). These folders contain mostly reviews of the production from newspapers and magazines, and reviews of Randall’s performance. There are also advertisements for the production, articles concerning the development of the project, and articles on the opening or premiers of the productions. Occasionally, there are clippings document problems with the production.

Provenance: The Tony Randall Papers were separated from Accession Number 85-172, donated to the University Archives on August 22, 1985.

Restrictions: None.

Separations: One-third cubic foot of duplicate and extraneous materials were discarded.

Processor: Zoë Streicker-Howard

2 Northwestern University Archives • Evanston, Illinois

Tony Randall (1920-2004) Papers, 1937-1984 Series 31/6/44/1 Boxes 1-4

Container List

Box Folder Title Date

1 1 Northwestern University class notes 1937-1938 3 General Clippings (folder 1) 1950-1968 4 General Clippings (folder 2) 1969-1979 5 General Clippings (folder 3) 1980-1984 6 Articles written by Tony Randall 1959-1974 7 Letters and telegrams 1957-1970

2 1 Television: General (folder 1) 1941-1967 2 Television: General (folder 2) 1968-1984 3 Music & Books 1958-1985 4 Politics 1960-1983 5 Advertisements 1957-1984 6 APRA Mystery Celebrity 1960 7 The Neighborhood Playhouse School 1938-1939 8 Theater:General 1941-1982 9 Programs and cast lists 1941-1983

Productions 10 Othello (never produced) 1951-1964 11 Mr. Peepers (1952-1955) 1952-1959 12 Oh Men! Oh Women! 1954-1963 13 No Down Payment 1957 14 Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter 1957-1958

3 1 The Mating Game 1958-1958 2 Oh Captain! 1958-1976 3 Arms and the Man 1959 4 Hello, Charlie 1959 5 “Holiday on Wheels” 1959 6 Pillow Talk 1959-1963 7 The Second Happiest Day 1959 8 “Summer on Ice” 1959 9 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1959-1962 10 Goodbye Again 1960 11 “Hooray for Love” 1960 12 Let’s Make Love 1960 13 The Secret of Freedom 1959-1960 14 Arsenic and Old Lace 1962 15 Boys’ Night Out 1961-1962

3 Northwestern University Archives • Evanston, Illinois

Tony Randall (1920-2004) Papers, 1937-1984 Series 31/6/44/1 Boxes 1-4

Container List

Box Folder Title Date 16 Lover Come Back 1960-1963 3 17 Island of Love 1962-1963 18 The Brass Bottle 1962-1964 19 1963-1965

4 1 Seven Faces of Dr. Lao 1964-1984 2 Fluffy 1964-1965 3 UTBU (Unhealthy to be Unpleasant) 1965-1966 4 The Alphabet Murders OR The A.B.C. Murders 1964-1975 5 Bang! Bang! You’re Dead OR Our Man in Marrakech 1966 6 The Odd Couple 1967-1979 7 The Wide Open Door 1967 8 Album: ‘Vo, Vo, De, Oh, Doe’ 1967 9 How Now Dow Jones 1969 10 The Button OR Hello Down There 1967-1970 11 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex—But Were 1972 Afraid to Ask 12 The Tony Randall Show 1976-1977 13 The Music Man 1978 14 Foolin’ Around 1978-1980 15 Sidney Shore AND Love, Sidney 1981-1984 16 Hitler’s SS 1985 17

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