Messmore Kendall Theatrical Productions Papers
SPEC.TRI.0087
Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
3.2 Cubic feet
1915-1948
Messmore Kendall was a lawyer who was also active in real estate development in the New York City area, book publishing, and theatrical and film production. The Messmore Kendall Theatrical Productions Papers date from 1915-1948, and consist of scripts, partial scripts, and other ephemera related to Kendall's work as a theatrical producer in New York City.
(8) 5" letter document boxes
English
Kendall, Messmore, 1872-1959
Arrangement of Materials
Materials are arranged in alphabetical order by playwright's last name, then alphabetically by the title of the folder, which is either the title of a play or a description of ephemera related to the playwright contained within. Scripts with an unknown author are listed at the end of the container list in alphabetical order by play title.
Acquisitions Information
Unknown
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], Messmore Kendall Theatrical Productions Papers, SPEC.TRI.0087, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, Ohio State University
Access to Materials
Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.
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.
Processing Information
Processed by: ATS students, 2022 April; Finding aid written by: Zoe MacLeod, 2017 April; Audrey Wimbiscus, 2022 April
Biographical Note
Messmore Kendall (1872-1959) was a lawyer who was also active in real estate development in the New York City area, historic building preservation, film production, theatrical production, the Sons of the American Revolution, book publishing, and collecting of George Washington and Harry Houdini memorabilia. He moved to New York City in 1897, and established the law firm of Kendall and Herzog in 1900 with Paul M. Herzog. By 1919, Kendall had founded his real estate company, Moredall Realty Company, which built New York City's first movie theater, the Capitol Theater. Throughout the 1920s-1930s, he became involved in both film and theatrical production; from the 1940s until his death, Kendall focused his attentions on his collections of historical items, particularly those relating to Harry Houdini and George Washington.
Scope and Contents
The Messmore Kendall Theatrical Productions Papers date from 1915-1948, and consist of scripts, partial scripts, and other ephemera related to Kendall's work as a theatrical producer in New York City. It is unknown which, if any, of these scripts were ultimately produced by Kendall.
Correspondence
Playwriting--United States--20th century
Scripts (documents)
Theater--New York (State)--New York--20th century
Theatrical producers and directors--New York (State)--New York--20th century
Achard (Marcel) "Marlborough Goes to War" script
1
1
1920s
Barry (Philip) "The Youngest" parts
1
2
1920s
Barry (Philip) "The Youngest" script
1
3-5
1920s
Barry (Philip) "The Youngest" script
1
6
1925 January 14
Barry (Philip) "The Youngest" script
1
7
1925 January 17
Beanes (John), Alec Dyer "Your Humble Servant." summary
1
8
1937 April 7
Bourdet (Edouard) "Just Out" parts
1
9-10
1920s
Bourdet (Edouard) "Just Out" script
2
1
1928 October
Bourdet (Edouard) "Just Out" script
2
2
1920s
Bourdet (Edouard) "Just Out" script
2
3
circa 1920s
Brokaw (Clare Booth), Paul Gallico "The Sacred Cow" script
2
4
1930s
Clawson (H. Phelps), Caroline Lang "The Present of a Past" script
2
5
1930s
Cooper (Mae), Grace Klein "Lily Henry" script
2
6
1948 February 16
Cormack (Bartlett), W. S. Maugham "The Painted Veil" scripts
3
1-8
2
7-8
1930s
David (E. J.) "East of Sunrise" script
3
9
1930s
Davis (Irving Kaye) "(Untitled) A New Play in 3 Acts" script
3
10
1931
Dell (Floyd), B. Marie Gage "Family Circle" script
4
1
1932
Dell (Floyd), Norman Lindsay "The Cautious Amorist" script
4
2
1933
Dixon (Campbell), W. S. Maugham "Secret Agent" script
4
3
1933
Elkins (Felton), Ainsworth Morgan "Panthea Potter (working title)" script
4
4
1930 June
Elliott (James W.) "The Man in the Making" script
4
5
1920
Gaskill (Helen) "Caviar and Wine" script
4
6
1930s
Glover (Evelyn) "The Chairs of Chent" script
4
7
1930s
Hanna (Robert), Preston Lockwood "God of Today" script
4
8
1930 May 21
Harper (Henry Howard), Marguerite Harper, "Dickens Re-Capturing Youth" script
4
9
1934
Harper (Henry Howard), Marguerite Harper, "Dickens the Dreamer" script
4
10
1936
Harper (Henry Howard), Marguerite Harper, "The Romantic Dickens" scripts
4
11
1930s
Henry (Arthur), Dorothy Henry "Holy Night" script
5
1
1920s
Hughes (Rupert) "A Man for A While" script
5
2
1920s
Lenormand (Henri Rene) "Mixture" script
5
3
1930s
Lenormand (Henri Rene) "The Three Rooms" script
5
4
1931
Lloyd (Rollo) "Poe and the Raven" script
5
5
1920s
Lurie (George) "Twenty-one, or Dead and Alive" script
5
6
1930
Maugham (William Somerset) "The Breadwinner" script
5
7
1937 September 14
Maugham (William Somerset) "For Services Rendered" script
5
8
1930s
Maugham (William Somerset) "The Letter" script
5
9
1927
Maugham (William Somerset) "Our Betters" Act II script
5
10
1915 July 19
Maugham (William Somerset) "Our Betters" parts
5
11-12
1917
Maugham (William Somerset) "Our Betters" script
5
13
1917
Maugham (William Somerset) "Sacred Flame" script
6
1-2
1928
Meehan (John) "Cross Currents" draft
6
3
1920s
Meehan (John) "The Last Drink" script
6
4
1930s
Meehan (John) "A Man's Job" parts
6
5-6
1930s
Meehan (John) Theatrical representation contract, correspondence
6
7
1918 March-June
Meehan (John) Untitled manuscript
6
8
1920s
Morgan (Ainsworth) "Man-child (The Story of an Arctic Highlander)" draft
7
1
1920s
Powys (Stephen) "Wise Tomorrow" script
7
2
1930s
Ratti (Federico Valerio) "Judas" script
7
3
1930s
Richman (Arthur) "The Far Cry" scripts
7
4-5
1930s
Rinehart (Alan) "Volcano" scripts
7
6-7
1930s
Sherwood (Robert E.) "Harold Rainier Party" script
7
8
1930s
Strong (Austin) "Where Liberty Dwells" script
7
9
1930s
Townley (Barry) "The Jumpin' Jack" script
8
1
1930s
Trevelyan (H. B.) "The Dark Angel" scripts
8
2-3
1920s
[Unknown author] "Cradle of Liberty" script
8
4
1940s
[Unknown author] "The Sandy Hooker" Act II script
8
5
1929 October 4
[Unknown author] "The Sandy Hooker" parts
8
6-8
1929