Ephraim London papers, 1940-1975

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Series I: Leonard Alfred Schneider (aka Lenny Bruce) v. People of the State of New York,, 1960-1967

Series I holds records from London's defense of Lenny Bruce in 1964. Files of correspondence consist of letters between attorneys, and also notes and telegrams between the lawyers and the defendant. There are notes pertaining to the defense witnesses, who included leading cultural figures. Also present is courtroom testimony, as well as typed transcripts from some of Bruce's live performances. Legal documents track the case through the decision and part of the appeals process, and follow the attorneys' attempts to recoup their fees, even after their client's untimely death.



Box 1 Folder 1 Bills and Receipts, 1963-1965


Box 1 Folder 2 Brennan, London & Buttenwieser v. Leonard Schneider (aka Lenny Bruce),, 1964-1967


Box 1 Folder 3 Clippings--Newspaper, 1960-1964


Box 1 Folder 4 Clippings--Magazine, 1962-1964


Box 1 Folder 5 Correspondence--London and Bruce, 1964


Box 1 Folder 6 Correspondence--General, 1964-1969


Box 1 Folder 7 Court Documents, 1964


Box 1 Folder 8 Court Documents--Drafts, 1964


Box 1 Folder 9 Decision and Opinion, 1964



Box 2 Folder 1 Exhibits, 1959-1963


Box 2 Folder 2 Legal Research, 1964


Box 2 Folder 3 People of California v. Lenny Bruce, 1963-1964


Box 2 Folder 4 Performance Transcripts, 1964


Box 2 Folder 5 Trial Notes, 1964


Box 2 Folder 6 Trial Transcripts, 1964



Box 3 Folder 1 Witnesses, 1962-1965

Series II: Attorney General of Massachusetts v. A Book Named Tropic of Cancer, 1947-1964

Series II focuses on the uproar surrounding Grove Press's attempt to publish Tropic of Cancer in 1961. Legal correspondence follows the development of the case, and is highlighted by London's attempts to find leading cultural figures – including Jacques Barzun and Norman Mailer – to attest to the literary merits of Miller's controversial novel. The attorneys hired a clipping service to record every mention of censorship in the nation's newspapers. Much of this series is dedicated to the copious results of this effort. Hundreds of tear-sheets from around the country follow the public attitudes toward obscenity and reveal a loud debate over the American publication of Tropic of Cancer. The articles also follow local cases, including trials in California and Texas, of booksellers charged with selling obscene materials.


Box 3 Folder 2 Bills and Receipts, 1961


Box 3 Folder 3 Censorship--Texas, 1961


Box 3 Folder 4 Clippings--1960 November -, 1961 September


Box 3 Folder 5 Clippings--1961 October


Box 3 Folder 6 Clippings--1961 October


Box 3 Folder 7 Clippings--1961 November



Box 4 Folder 1 Clippings--, 1961 December - 1962 February


Box 4 Folder 2 Clippings--Bestseller Lists, 1961


Box 4 Folder 3 Clippings--Magazines, 1955-1964


Box 4 Folder 4 Copyright and Contracts, 1961


Box 4 Folder 5 Correspondence--General, 1961-1964


Box 4 Folder 6 Correspondence--Literary Merit, 1961-1962


Box 4 Folder 7 Court Documents, 1960-1962


Box 4 Folder 8 Grove Press--Distribution Contracts, 1961


Box 4 Folder 9 Grove Press--News Releases, 1961


Box 4 Folder 10 Legal Briefs and Drafts, 1961


Box 4 Folder 11 Memoranda of Law, 1961



Box 5 Folder 1 Trial Notes, 1947-1964

Series III: Censorship, 1950s-1960s

Series III holds files relating to London's long career working against censorship. This series is arranged in two subseries: Censorship Files, and Embassy Pictures.


Subseries III.1: Censorship Files, 1950s-1960s

These files from London's law offices were not dedicated to a particular case, but included court documents, pamphlets, legislative reports, and unpublished studies related to the history of obscenity and censorship. Included here are transcripts from some of London's appearances on radio and TV, in which he expresses his personal philosophy on First Amendment law.


Box 5 Folder 2 General, circa, 1960


Box 5 Folder 3 Court Documents, 1950s


Box 5 Folder 4 Court Documents, 1960s


Box 5 Folder 5 Legislative Reports, 1950s


Box 5 Folder 6 Movies and Religion, 1950s



Box 6 Folder 1 Pamphlets, 1950s-1960s


Box 6 Folder 2 Transcripts--London on Censorship, 1950s-1960s


Box 6 Folder 3 Unpublished Censorship Studies, 1954, 1961, 1954, 1961


Box 6 Folder 4 Unpublished Censorship Studies, circa, 1960


Subseries III.2: Embassy Pictures, 1961-1964

This subseries consists of several slim files dedicated to some of the films distributed by Embassy Pictures during these years. London's role was to help the movies clear local census boards. Most troublesome was the Kansas State Board of Review and its determined chairman, Kitty McMahon.


Box 6 Folder 5 Boccachio '70 , 1963


Box 6 Folder 6 Divorce Italian Style , 1963


Box 6 Folder 7 The Empty Canvas , 1964


Box 6 Folder 8 Fellini's 8½ , 1963


Box 6 Folder 9 Long Day's Journey Ino Night , 1963


Box 6 Folder 10 No Love for Johnnie , 1961


Box 6 Folder 11 The Sky Above -- the Mud Below , 1962

Series IV: Simon and Schuster, 1949-1973

Series IV focuses on London's work for Simon and Schuster. As attorney for the publishing company he both drafted contracts for the business, and handled legal issues arising with individual books and authors.


Subseries IV.1: Contracts and Business, 1949-1973

These files have correspondence and meetings minutes related to the business transactions of the founding executives at Simon and Schuster: Richard L. Simon, M. Lincoln Schuster, and Leon Shimkin. Records include contracts, and drafts of contracts, related to several distribution and sales deals. An internal memo on contracts from the late 1950s maps out the company's grand strategy for the following years.


Box 6 Folder 12 Contracts--General, 1956


Box 6 Folder 13 Contracts--Affiliated, 1956



Box 7 Folder 1 Contracts--Internal, 1957-1959


Box 7 Folder 2 Contracts--Little Golden, 1952-1956


Box 7 Folder 3 Contracts--Pocket Books, 1944-1952


Box 7 Folder 4 Correspondence--1952-1955


Box 7 Folder 5 Correspondence--1956


Box 7 Folder 6 Correspondence--Internal, 1949-1962



Box 8 Folder 1 Correspondence--Pocket Books, 1957-1973


Box 8 Folder 2 Purchase Agreement--Pocket Books, 1951


Box 8 Folder 3 Sales Agreements--Pocket Books, 1960-1965


Box 8 Folder 4 Trident Press, 1959-1962


Box 8 Folder 5 World Publishing Annual Reports, 1953-1957


Subseries IV.2: Authors and Books, 1960-1966

In these slim files, London deals with exigencies arising from the publication of individual books. In most cases, he was employed in vetting manuscripts for possible instances of libel.


Box 8 Folder 6 100 Million Guinea Pigs by Don Congdon,, 1961


Box 8 Folder 7 All the Way Down by Vincent Riccio,, 1961-1962


Box 8 Folder 8 Before My Time by Niccolo Tucci,, 1961


Box 8 Folder 9 The Cipher by Alex Gordon, 1966


Box 8 Folder 10 Easier Ways to Make Better Meals by Campbells Soup, 1961


Box 8 Folder 11 The Eye of Summer by Marjorie Lee,, 1961


Box 8 Folder 12 Fifty Year Decline and Fall of Hollywood by Ezra Goodman, 1961


Box 8 Folder 13 The Goddam White Man by David Lytton,, 1962


Box 8 Folder 14 Let Us Begin by Barbara Ward and others,, 1961


Box 8 Folder 15 Lilith by J.R. Salamanca, 1962-1963


Box 8 Folder 16 Lizzi Borden: The Untold Story , 1961


Box 8 Folder 17 Lovejoy, Clarence E., 1961-1962


Box 8 Folder 18 Marvin Rosenberg v. Simon & Schuster, 1961


Box 8 Folder 19 The Medicine Show by the Consumers Union,, 1961


Box 8 Folder 20 Memoirs of a Maverick Publisher by David Stern, 1961



Box 9 Folder 1 Mobil Travel Guide , 1962


Box 9 Folder 2 The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel by Helene Kazantzakis,, 1960-1961


Box 9 Folder 3 The Prize by Irving Wallace, 1962


Box 9 Folder 4 Release From Nervous Tension by Dr. David Fink,, 1962


Box 9 Folder 5 The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and The Decline of France by William L. Shirer, 1961-1964


Box 9 Folder 6 A Spy in Rome by Peter Tompkins,, 1962

Series V: General, 1940s-1975

This series is dedicated to London's legal work that did not relate to issues of censorship.


Subseries V.1: Publishing, 1957-1970

These files consist of London's publishing work that did not have to do with censorship, or his responsibilities at Simon and Schuster.


Box 9 Folder 7 Evergreen Review , 1957-1964


Box 9 Folder 8 Herbert H. Smith v. Pantheon Books, 1967-1970


Box 9 Folder 9 McCauley, Gerard F., 1968


Box 9 Folder 10 Otto Nathan v. Monthly Review , 1968-1970


Box 9 Folder 11 Random House, 1960-1961


Subseries V.2: Entertainment, 1940s-1975

This subseries relates to London's work for theater, film, and television clients. These cases mostly dealt with copyright and contract issues. The files on Bertolt Brecht contain several letters between the playwright and Eric Bentley, his translator, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. Several files here are dedicated to Samuel and Bella Spewack vs. Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, a case involving issues of television copyright protection.



Box 10 Folder 1 Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl by Meyer Levin, 1969-1970


Box 10 Folder 2 Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht,, 1940s-1966


Samuel and Bella Spewack v. Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, 1958-1975


Box 10 Folder 3 Clippings--, 1958-1968


Box 10 Folder 4 Contracts--, 1950s-1960s


Box 10 Folder 5 Correspondence--, 1967-1972


Box 10 Folder 6 Court Documents--, 1968-1969


Box 10 Folder 7 Court Documents--, 1970-1975



Box 11 Folder 1 Depositions, 1968


Box 11 Folder 2 Exhibits, 1950s-1960s


Box 11 Folder 3 Legal Research, 1968-1969


Box 11 Folder 4 A View from the Bridge , 1958-1961


Subseries V.3: Personal, 1961-1975

One small file in this subseries relates to London's own work as an author.


Box 11 Folder 5 Correspondence--1963-1975


Box 11 Folder 6 Lady Chatterley proposed by Ephraim London,, 1961