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Finding Aid
Marion Meade - Nathanael West and Eileen McKenney Archives MsC 914 Collection Dates: 2009-2010 10 linear ft. Access and Restrictions: This collection is open for research. Digital Surrogates: Except where indicated, this document describes but does not reproduce the actual text, images and objects which make up this collection. Materials are available only in the Special Collections Department. Copyright: Please read The University of Iowa Libraries' statement on Property Rights, Copyright Law, and Permissions to Use Unpublished Materials. Use of Collections: The University of Iowa Libraries supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted by their fragile condition or by contractual agreement with donors, and it may not be possible at all times to provide appropriate machinery for reading, viewing or accessing non-paper-based materials. Please read our Use of Manuscripts Statement. Acquisition and Processing Information: Gift of Marion Meade, 2011. Photographs: Box 7 |
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Scope and Contents
Research for the book Lonelyhearts: The Screwball World of Nathanael West and Eilleen McKenney.
Biographical Note
Marion Meade's previous biography subjects include Eleanor of Acquitane, Madame Blavatsky, Victoria Woodhull, Dorothy Parker, Buster Keaton, Woody Allen, and women writers of the nineteen twenties. Meade studied at Northwestern University and holds a Master's degree from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. She has contributed articles to The New York Times and The Village Voice, in addition to writing two novels. She lives in New York City.
Related Materials
See the other materials of Marion Meade
Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin
Box Contents List
Box 1
Outlines
Timelines
Chronologies by years, 1903-1940:
---. 1903-1921--Harlem, New York City
---. 1922-1924--See subject files Tufts and Brown
---. 1925
- ---. 1926--Paris
- ---. 1927-1928-- Kenmore Hall
---. 1929-1930--See subject file Beatrice Mathieu
---. 1931--Viele Pond summer; Sutton Hotel, New York City
---. 1932
- ---. 1933--Erwinna, Pennsylvania
- ---. 1934--Erwinna, Pennsylvania
- ---. 1935--Hollywood. See subject file Parva Sed Apta
---. 1936
---. 1937 Republic Pictures
---. 1938--RKO
---. 1939
---. 1940--See also subject files Ann Dowless Moore; Death Certificates/Coroner's Jury
Drafts and Notes by book chapter:
---. Preface
---. Chapters 1-23. (25 folders)
---. Appendix-Works of Nathaneal West
Family history/genealogies:
---. Weinstein, Wallenstein, Jardio, Ross, etc.
---. Nancy Silbert (West great niece)
---. Business files, Weinstein-Wallenstein family: NYC building construction, real estate
Bucks County, Pennsylvania (town of Erwinna, Pa. )
General Research - Subject Files
General Notes (2 folders)
Anti-Semitism
West's Humor
West Personality/psychology
Hunting
Camp Paradox
Tufts University
Box 2
Brown University
Guggenheim Application
Miss Lonelyhearts contracts--Boni & Liveright, Harcourt
Contempo magazine
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Plagiarism
Sexuality and homosexuality
Gonorrhea
New York City 1930s
The Depression
West Addresses--New York and Hollywood
New York City Hotels: Kenmore Hall and Sutton Club then
New York Citt Hotels: Kenmore and Sutton now
Hotel: Parva Sed Apta--Hollywood
West's Los Angeles—includes West addresses in Hollywood
Death certificates (West and McKenney); coroner's jury hearing
Mount Zion Cemetery, Maspeth, Queens, New York City
Beatrice Mathieu [Roos]--writer, West's fiance
Alice Shepard [Dougall]--fashion model, West's fiance
Charles A. Pearce--Harcourt editor of Miss Lonelyhearts and My Sister Eileen
Joseph Schrank--playwright, screenwriter, West's coauthor "Good Hunting" play, 1938 (2 folders)
Josephine Herbst--writer, Bucks County neighbor
Mike Gold--writer, owner of Erwinna, Pennsylvania, farm
Lester Cole--screenwriter
F. Scott Fitzgerald--writer. File includes Sheilah Graham (girlfriend) and Frances Ring (secretary)
John O'Hara--writer
Stanley Rose--Hollywood bookseller
Yetive Moss--clerk, Stanley Rose bookstore
Sidney Joseph (S.J.) Perelman— writer-humorist, West's brother in law; Laura Weinstein Perelman, West's sister
Adam Perelman--West's nephew, son of Sid and Laura
Maxine Winokur--West's niece, executor of West-Perelman estate
Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman--writers
John Sanford--writer, childhood friend
---. Memoirs (3 books )—annotated by MM (in Box 8)
---. John Sanford-James Light correspondence
---. John Sanford -Angel Flores correspondence -including Sanford's 1939 "hate'' letter
---. John Sanford, Folder 1
---. John Sanford folder 2
Box 3
---. Jack Mearns-Sanford literary executor (some Mearns letters also in Sanford files, "Ruth McKenney psychology" and elsewhere)
---. "Caliphornia"--novel by Jack Mearns
Tony Kahn--NPR broadcaster- writer, son of blacklisted Screenwriter Gordon Kahn
J.D. (Sandy) McClatchy--poet, librettist (Miss Lonelyhearts opera)
Maxim Lieber—literary agent
Quentin Reynolds—writer, friend aka "Susan Chester"
David Goodrich
Ann Dowless Moore--Joseph Dowless daughter--present at scene of fatal car crash
Bettye Musham—business executive, one-time owner of the West-Perelman Farm, Erwinna, Pennsylvania.
Leila Hadley Luce— writer, editor, Sid Perelman's friend
Budd Schulberg—writer, West friend
Chronology by year
---. 1913-1930
---. 1930-1933
---. 1934
---. 1935
---. 1936
---. 1937
---. 1938
---. 1939
---. 1940
General Notes
Family: Mishawaka, Indiana, Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland addresses
McKenney Family History
---. Genealogies
Ethel Weirich McKenney--stepmother; Jack McKenney--stepbrother; Robert McKenney--stepbrother
Flynn family history
---. Genealogies
Richard Selvey (Eileen's cousin)
Pamela Turner
---. (1) Interviews and other research contributed by professional family historian, on-site in Cleveland
---. (2) Research continued
Cleveland Heights (Ohio) High School (class of 1931)
---. Letters to surviving classmates
---. Ruth Beebe Hill (classmate)
---. Alix Kates Shulman (writer, graduate of Heights High)
Gay Street, New York City. McKenney sisters lived at No. 14 Gay St., 1935
Earl Wilson--New York Post "Broadway" columnist; friend
Knickerbocker Village, New York, Apartment complex, home of Eileen and Morris Jacobs (husband), 1935-1936
Morris Jacobs--Eileen's first husband
Thomas Jacobs aka Patrick Bransten--son of Eileen and Morris Jacobs, adopted in 1941 by Ruth McKenney and Richard Bransten, renamed Patrick
Hillary Hillson--daughter of Patrick Bransten
Amy Baxter--daughter of Morris Jacobs and second wife
Jen Cazier--granddaughter of Morris Jacobs. Missing
St. Clair McKelway--writer, New Yorker magazine editor, Eileen's boyfriend, 1937-1939
Robert Josephy--book designer, Eileen's boyfriend
Matthew Josephson--writer, friend
"My Sister Eileen" by Ruth McKenney (Stage, screen, television 1940- 2003)
Jo Ann Sayers—actress in original stage production
Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov--playwrights who adapted "My Sister Eileen" for the stage. File includes author correspondence with Chororov family members and friends (Louise Hirschfeld)
"Wonderful Town"-- 1953 musical adaptation of "My Sister Eileen". 2003 revival.
RUTH MCKENNEY BRANSTEN--writer, sister of Eileen McKenney
General biographical info—includes published writings
Xeroxes from McKenney books
Ruth—psychology, medical problems
Akron—Employment at Akron Beacon Journal
New York Post--including Newark Star Ledger--newspapers employing Ruth McKenney, 1935-1937. Including Walter Lister material, Post Editor
Correspondence with New Yorker Magazine (1936 -1948)
Katharine White—Ruth's editor at the New Yorker
Christina Stead-writer, friend
Roger Straus—publisher; fragment from unidentified oral history
Richard Bransten (husband of Ruth McKenney)
---. Bransten/Brandenstein genealogies
---. Louise Rosenberg Bransten Berman--Richard Bransten first wife. Includes info on Thomas Bransten -Bransten-Rosenberg son
Holly wood-McKenney-Bransten film credits
Eileen Bransten--daughter of Ruth McKenney and Richard Bransten
Box 4
Harcourt Inc. (publisher of McKenney books) Includes complete McKenney file from Harcourt Records Center.
---. Correspondence
---. Contract Files
---. Clippings
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) official files on Ruth McKenney
---. FOIA Applications and Correspondence
---. Official files
Copies of Ruth McKenney works:
---. Early editions, heavily annotated by Meade
---. History of Mishawaka, Indiana
Videos of selected West Films
---. Follow Your Heart
---. Ticket to Paradise
---. Rhythm in the Clouds
---. It Could Happen to You
---. The President's Mystery
Box 5
Book Publishers: Boni & Liveright, Harcourt, Covici-Friede
Random House--Bennett Cerf
West-Cerf correspondence
Writer friends; Bob Brown, James Farrell, Edmund Wilson, Jack Conroy, Darrell McGowan
Critical Essays
Literary critics--articles
Ober Agency
Max Rudin/Library of America
Reviews: Jay Martin and James Light biographies
West short stories
The Dream Life of Balso Snell: essays, notes, clips
Miss Lonelyhearts: essays, clips
A Cool Million--notes on Horatio Alger Jr.
The Day of the Locust--notes, essays, reviews, FIRST magazine
Believer Magazine article, 2010
Hollywood: General; notes, clips, Perelman transcripts
Hollywood: Writers/friends of West—John Fante, William Saroyan, Elliott Paul, Horace MCoy
Studios:
---. Republic
---. RKO
---. Columbia—including West script for "Return to the Soil"
---. MGM—including West treatment for "Flight South"
---. Universal
Boris Ingster—Russian-bom screenwriter, TV producer, West collaborator
Film treatment: A Cool Million
Adaptations and Ripoffs of West's work
Master list of West films
Interview Log (Requests)
Interview request correspondence
Interviews: Notes, transcripts, interview questions. *Some transcripts can be found in subject files.
John Sanford memoirs, annotation by MM:
---. Waters of Darkness
---. Intruders in Paradise
---. The View from Mt. Morris
Box 6 (Tape box)
Recorded interviews on cassette tapes: names followed by number of cassette sides.
Amy Baxter (daughter of Morris Jacobs)--2
Harry Bruch (nephew of Boris Ingster) --2
Joan Castle (actress) --5 minutes
Laurence Chase (Brown University alum)--1
Susan Chodorov (daughter of Jerome Chodorov)--1
Rosemary Chodorov (sister of Jerome Chodorov)--1
Douglas Dutton (Dutton's Bookstore, Los Angeles)--1
Sarah Schrank Gold (daughter of Joseph Schrank)--1
Ruth Beebe Hill (Eileen's high school classmate) --2
Joyce Green (West greatniece )--2
Lynn Greening (Erwinna, Pennsylvania., source)--10 min.
Hillary Hillson (daughter of Patrick Bransten)--2
Louise Hirschfeld (widow of artist Al Hirschfeld)--1
Phyllis Hurlburd (Bucks County resident)--5 minutes
Mike Ingster (son of Boris Ingster) --2
Fred Israel (Erwinna resident)--5 minutes
Julius Jacobson (brother of Morris Jacobs)--1
Carl Josephson (son of writer Matthew Josephson)--1
Warren Josephy (nephew of Robert Josephy )--1
Tony Kahn (son of screenwriter Gordon Kahn)--1
Lynn Lane (widow of composer Burton Lane)—1
Elinor Langer (biographer of Josephine Herbst)--2
Walter Lister Jr. (son of Walter Lister, New York Post editor)--1
Jo Marshall (daughter of Dashiell Hammett)--1
Malachy McCourt (writer)--1
Jack McKenney (Eileen's stepbrother)--2
Robert McKenney (Eileen's stepbrother)--2
Jack Mearns (John Sanford literary executor)--1
Anthony Melchiorri (general manager, Algonquin Hotel, New York City)--1
Yetive Moss (employee Stanley Rose bookstore)--1
Bettye Musham (former owner of West farm, Erwinna, Pennsylvania)--1
Deborah Paley (friend of Quentin Reynolds)--1
Elise Pear (resident Erwinna, Pennsylvania) --1
Adam Perelman (nephew of West, son of S.J. Perelman) --3
Frances Ring (Scott Fitzgerald's secretary) --1
David Roessel (Mike Gold biographer)--1
Lore Sabersky (friend of Yetive Moss)--1
Jo Ann Sayers (actress, original production of My Sister Eileen) --1
Anne Kaufman Schneider--(daughter of George S. Kaufman)--1
Lester Sciss (resident Erwinna, Pennsylvaina)--1
Gary Scharnhorst (biographer Horatio Alger Jr. )--1
Budd Schulberg (writer)--2
Linda Seifert (daughter of Alice Shepard)--1
Richard Selvey (Eileen's nephew)--2
Douglas Shepard (retired college professor)--1
Nancy Silbert (West's great niece )--2
Gloria Steinem (writer)--1
Rita Wade (secretary, Lillian Hellman)--5 minutes
Susie West (West family)--5 minutes
Earl Wilson Jr (son of Earl Wilson)--1
Maxine Winokur (West niece, literary executor)--2
Illustrations: photo research, sources, correspondence, photo copies, original photos.
General photo sources
All photos
Photo inserts
Permissions
Laura Brady
Larry Cooper
Lori Benton--publisher
Jay Martin--photo section from his biography of West
Lillian Hellman
Katharine White
St. Clair McKelway
Eileen McKenney
Eileen McKenney Homes--Indiana, New York
John Sanford
Josephine Herbst
Budd Schulberg
Thomas Jacobs aka Patrick Bransten—Eileen's son
Quentin Reynolds
Joseph Schrank
Alice Shepard
Charles A. Pearce
Beatrice Mathieu
Boris Ingster
Bennett Cerf
Sid Perelman
Jerome Chodorov/Joseph Fields
Movie Stills
West homes
Weinstein family: Maxine Winokur family photo album
Annotated Books
Hard-to find books about West's work, annotated by Meade
---. Comerchero, Victor. Nathanael West: The Ironic Prohpet. Seattle: The University of Washington Press, 1964. Hard back and paperback copies
---. Light, James F. Nathanael West: A Interpretive Study. Chicago: Northwestern University Press, 1961
---. Martin, Jay, Ed. Nathanael West: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1971
---. Siegel, Ben. Critical Essays of Nathanael West. New York: G. K. Hall & Co., 1994
---. White,William. Nathanael West: A Comprehensive Bibliography. The Kent State University Press, 1975
Book Proposal: submissions, correspondence with various editors, agent
Editorial correspondence: Andre Bernard--acquiring editor, publisher, Harcourt, Inc.
Editorial Correspondence: Andrea Schulz--editor Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Author correspondence
Reader correspondence
Research notebooks (5)
Follow-ups--to do lists
In Progress--to do lists
"Interior Decoration"--Marion Meade personal view of West
Rebecca DiLiberto--Columbia University /Hertog Assistantships intern
Box 8
Darcie Posz--genealogist
Lynn Greening- Gloria Scoboria ( her mother)--Erwinna, Pennsylvania sources
Guggenheim Grant applications:
---. West's application; Marion Meade application
Bibliography
Office Wall "art"
Book Publicity Reviews (selected)
Huntington Library: Xeroxes of letters written to Jay Martin for his biography. Includes list of books owned by West at time of his death.
Beinecke Library, Yale University. Meade notes and transcripts from the following collections: Matthew Josephson; Josephine Herbst; Edmund Wilson; William Carlos Williams
Box 9
Other Libraries: List of Major West Collections; correspondence; requests, orders.
---. Huntington (2), Mugar (Boston), Berg (NYPL), Hay (Brown), HRC
Lonelyhearts typescript, copy edited manuscript
First edition: Lonelyhearts hardcover--Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010
Lonelyhearts paperback edition--Mariner Books, 2011
Selected reviews
Audio DVD (mp3)