Guide to the Biff McGuire Papers 1948-circa 1990s SPEC.RARE.0246 Finding aid prepared by Nicole Miller Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2018 December This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2019-02-06T15:01-0500 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Biff McGuire Papers SPEC.RARE.0246 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 0.18 Cubic feet 1948-circa 1990s The Biff McGuire Papers, dated 1948-circa 1990s, contain actor and writer Biff McGuire’s collection of notated books by author James Thurber that McGuire used as source materials to write the television script for a 1961 performance of James Thurber’s “Quillow and the Giant” Also included is a compact disc containing a recording of the televised performance. This collection also contains a copy of "Thurber's Dogs," published after the screenplay was written; it is unknown if McGuire referenced this title to write the "Quillow and the Giant" screenplay, but if so, used a different copy from the one present in this collection. (1) flat box English McGuire, William J. Arrangement of Materials

This collection is arranged alphabetically by book title, with the recording of the televised performance also inserted alphabetically between the appropriate book titles.

 Acquisitions Information

RARE.2018.0079: William J. McGuire, 2018 October

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Biff McGuire Papers, SPEC.RARE.0246, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University

 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

This collection contains a compact disc.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only. Audio/visual materials and computer media may need a use copy produced before access is allowed.

 Processing Information

Processed by: Nicole Miller, 2018 December; Finding aid written by: Nicole Miller, 2018 December

 Biographical Note

As of 2018, Biff McGuire is an actor and writer. McGuire was born on October 25, 1926, in New Haven, Connecticut as William J. McGuire, Jr. McGuire starred in and wrote the 1961 television screenplay for “Quillow and the Giant” which is based on James Thurber’s fairy tale “The Great Quillow."

 Scope and Contents

The Biff McGuire Papers contains four books by James Thurber notated with laid in notes from Biff McGuire. McGuire used these books as source materials to assist him in writing the 1961 television screenplay for “Quillow and the Giant,” which is based on Thurber’s “The Great Quillow”. Also included is a compact disc containing a recording of the televised performance. This collection also contains a copy of "Thurber's Dogs," published after the screenplay was written; it is unknown if McGuire referenced this title to write the "Quillow and the Giant" screenplay, but if so, used a different copy from the one present in this collection.

 McGuire, William J. Thurber, James, 1894-1961 Books Compact discs Humorists, American--20th century Plays (performing arts compositions) Television scripts Television writers--United States--20th century "Alarms & Diversions" book 1 1 1957 "The Beast in Me and Other Animals" book 1 2 1948 "Lanterns and Lances" book 1 4 circa 1961 "The Middle-Aged Man on the Flying Trapeze" book 1 5 circa 1960 “Quillow and the Giant” 1961 performance recording 1 3 circa 1990s Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements Compact Disc; approximate run time: unknown "Thurber's Dogs" book 1 6 1963