Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Talbot, William F.
Title:	William F. Talbot Papers
Inclusive Dates:	circa 1954-1993
Quantity:	19 linear ft.
Abstract:	Correspondence, printed material, play reports from the long-time editor-in-chief of drama publisher Samuel French, Inc.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

William F. Talbot (1923-2007) was for 52 years Editor-in-Chief of Samuel French, Inc., a publishing company that provided published plays and musical plays to theatrical groups, from elementary schools to professional troupes. Over his career he read more than 100,000 plays, saw almost every play produced in New York for forty years, and launched dozens of new playwrights.

Talbot actively encouraged new writers and taught playwriting at the City College of New York, Hunter College, and for Double Image Theater. In addition, he created the Off Off Broadway One-Act Play Festival, the prize for which was publication of the winning play by Samuel French. Under his pen name William Francis he also wrote several plays; one, Portrait of a Queen, was produced on Broadway and London’s West End in 1968.

He was a member of the Outer Critics Circle, the Dramatists Guild, the American Theatre Critics Association, and the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. Talbot had degrees from the University of Notre Dame, and Columbia University. He and wife Marilyn Fagan had six children.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The William F. Talbot Papers contains large amounts of correspondence and play reports, some printed material, and a few scripts. The material is unprocessed and the inventory below is a simple box list.

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Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is unprocessed apart from reboxing and remains in original order.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

William F. Talbot Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of William Talbot.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: JS and HG
Date: Feb 2008
Revision history:

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Inventory

	Box listing
Box 1		Books
Box 2		TB contracts
Box 2		Correspondence
Box 2		Play reports (7 folders)
Box 2		"Submitted"
Box 2		"Want to submit"
Box 2		Correspondence
Box 2		"Delay"
Box 2		"Employment"
Box 2		"Current - advertisement"
Box 3		Playbills
Box 3		Untyped play reports
Box 3		Correspondence - unexamined (3 folders)
Box 3		Script calls
Box 3		Preliminary sketches
Box 3		Scripts (?)
Box 3		Correspondence (3 folders)
Box 3		TV show descriptions
Box 3		Correspondence
Box 3		Reports - unexamined (2 folders)
Box 3		Reports - retain (2 folders)
Box 4		"Professional retention" - small binder of theatre misc.
Box 4		Scrapbook - theatre columns, photos, some movies
Box 4		Scrapbook - theatre columns, photos, programs, columns, some TV movies
Box 4		Theatre misc (?)
Box 4		Le Mien (?)
Box 4		Correspondence - May
Box 4		Correspondence - April
Box 4		Correspondence - June
Box 4		Correspondence - July
Box 4		Correspondence - Aug
Box 4		Correspondence - Sept
Box 4		Correspondence - Oct
Box 4		Correspondence - Nov
Box 4		Correspondence - Dec
Box 4		Correspondence - 4/30/99 (4 folders)
Box 4		Corres. (2 folders)
Box 4		Standard forms
Box 4		Form letter
Box 4		Corres. (3 folders)
Box 5		Correspondence 3/6/89
Box 5		Correspondence
Box 5		"Probably for review #2"
Box 5		Correspondence
Box 5		Corres. (6/89) (4 folders)
Box 5		Corres. (8/7/91) (3 folders)
Box 5		Reports
Box 5		Corres. (3 folders)
Box 6		"1963 reports"
Box 6		Play reports (12 folders)
Box 7		Play reports (13 folders)
Box 7		Correspondence (2 folders)
Box 8		Correspondence/theatre misc.
Box 8		Play reports (3 folders)
Box 8		Correspondence/theatre misc.
Box 8		Correspondence (6 folders)
Box 9		Correspondence 4/93
Box 9		Prof. correspondence 1986
Box 9		Theatre misc
Box 9		Correspondence
Box 9		Correspondence 11/93
Box 9		Correspondence 86-88 (2 folders)
Box 9		Correspondence 92 + 93 (3 folders)
Box 10		Skits/material
Box 10		Theatre/articles misc.
Box 10		Criticisms/art
Box 10		Plot
Box 10		Character
Box 10		Theatre history
Box 10		Literary scrapbook
Box 10		Correspondence part 1 (5 folders)
Box 11		Play reports (6 folders)
Box 11		Correspondence (5 folders)
Box 11		Play reports
Box 12		Correspondence (7 folders)
Box 12		Reports
Box 12		Correspondence 7-29-99 (4 folders)
Box 12		Correspondence (3 folders)
Box 13		Correspondence (8 folders)
Box 13		Correspondence 11/91 (3 folders)
Box 13		Play reports (10 folders)
Box 14		Play reports (13 folders)
Box 14		Correspondence (6 folders)
Box 14		Correspondence retained (2 folders)
Box 15		Correspondence retained (2 folders)
Box 15		Correspondence - unexamined (2 folders)
Box 15		Play reports (5 folders)
Box 15		Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center misc.
Box 15		Play reports (2 folders)
Box 15		Correspondence - unexamined (4 folders)
Box 15		Correspondence - unexamined (6/54-4/55)
Box 15		Correspondence - regarding Zita Johnson
Box 16		Correspondence (6 folders)
Box 16		Contemp. correspondence (4 folders)
Box 16		Correspondence (3 folders)
Box 17		Works placed by Samuel French
Box 17		Correspondence
Box 17		Correspondence / play reports
Box 17		Professional correspondence 9/93 (5 folders)
Box 17		Professional correspondence 90/91 (4 folders)
Box 17		Correspondence '92 (3 folders)
Box 17		Correspondence 88-89
Box 18		Correspondence 88-89 (2 folders)
Box 18		Correspondence - removed 10/89
Box 18		Prof. correspondence 85/86 (3 folders)
Box 18		Correspondence (2 folders)
Box 18		Budget mktg
Box 18		Play reports (8 folders)
Box 19		Play reports (2 folders)
Box 19		Literary Guild
Box 19		Correspondence (3 folders)
Box 19		Reviews (3 folders)

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