Margaret Brenman-Gibson papers, 1940-1999, bulk 1963-1981

Margaret Brenman-Gibson papers, 1940-1999, bulk 1963-1981

Summary Information

Abstract

Margaret Brenman-Gibson was a Harvard professor of Psychiatry. In 1981, she published a biography of American playwright Clifford Odets, entitled Clifford Odets - American Playwright: The Years from 1906-1940. Brenman-Gibson and her husband, William Gibson, also a playwright, lived and worked in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The collection consists of Brenman-Gibson's research files for her work on the Clifford Odets biography. It contains chronological notebooks, which outline each year of Odets' life, as well as correspondence, interviews, and interview transcripts with friends, relatives, and acquaintances of Odets. The collection also contains copies of correspondence, diaries, and notes from Odets. A small portion of the collection consists of personal correspondence between Brenman-Gibson, William Gibson, and Clifford Odets.

At a Glance

Call No.:
MS#1635
Bib ID:
6797567 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Brenman-Gibson, Margaret
Repository:
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Physical Description:
18 linear feet (18 record containers)
Language(s):
English .
Access:
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least 2 business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Description

Summary

The collection consists of Margaret Brenman-Gibson's research files for her biography on American playwright, Clifford Odets, entitled Clifford Odets - American Playwright: The Years from 1906-1940. Brenman-Gibson constructed detailed chronologies of Odets life, taken through his various diaries, notes, and correspondence. These chronological notebooks form the basis for the collection. She also, in the course of her research, copied a good deal of Odets personal papers: correspondence, diaries, notes, plays, and screenplays. The files she created when applying for grants while writing and researching the biography are represented in the collection. Additionally, Brenman-Gibson performed interviews with numerous friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and family members of Odets. Both her notes on the interviews and the tapes of the interviews can be found in the collection. Additionally, she corresponded with many of her interviewees, including Marlon Brando, Harold Clurman, Sammy Davis Jr., Elia Kazan, Lee and Paula Strasberg, and Luise Rainer. The correspondence in the collection primarily relates to the biography, and includes permission agreements. There is a small section of personal correspondence between Margaret and her husband William Gibson with Clifford Odets during the 1950s as well as with the Gibson's and Clifford's son and daughter, Walt and Nora, after his death in 1963.

Arrangement

Material is arranged into three series.

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least 2 business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Margaret Brenman-Gibson Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Selected Related Material -- at Columbia

Clifford Odets Papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University

Accrual

No additions are expected

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Ownership and Custodial History

The Margaret Brenman-Gibson Papers were the gift of William Gibson in 2008. The donor agreement was signed by Montana Katz, who had power of attorney for Gibson. It came through the rare book dealer George Robert Minkoff. An addendum to the collection was donated in 2011.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

2008.2009.M008: Source of acquisition--William Gibson. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--2008.

2011.2012.M003: Source of acquisition--William Gibson. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--2011.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers processed Adrien Hilton October 2012.

Finding Aid written Adrien Hilton 10/25/2012.

Collection is processed to folder level.

Revision Description

2012-10-26 xml instance created by Adrien Hilton

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Biographical / Historical

Margaret Brenman-Gibson was a Harvard professor in the department of Psychiatry. In 1982, she became the first woman to be appointed as a full professor. Brenman-Gibson was the first non-physician from any discipline to receive full clinical as well as research psychoanalytic training in America. She is considered the first psychologist. Brenman-Gibson also had a deep interest in nuclear weapons and the use of nuclear power. She picketed and protested in numerous places, including Los Alamos. William Gibson, the husband of Margaret was an American playwright and novelist. The couple married in 1940. Shortly thereafter, Brenman-Gibson took a job as psychoanalyst at Stockbridge, Massachusetts and William published his book, The Cobweb, which was set in a psychiatric ward. In addition to her work on hypnosis and hypnotherapy, and her interest in nuclear weapons, she was also the biographer of American playwright Clifford Odets. Odets and the Gibson's were friends, as the correspondence between them reveals.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form
Audiocassettes
Correspondence
Notebooks
Research (documents)
Name
Brando, Marlon
Brenman-Gibson, Margaret
Clurman, Harold, 1901-1980
Davis, Sammy, Jr., 1925-1990
Gibson, William, 1914-2008
Group Theatre (U.S.)
Odets, Clifford, 1906-1963
Odets, Walt
Rainer, Luise, 1910-2014
Strasberg, Lee
Subject
Dramatists, American -- 20th century -- Biography

Series I: Research Files for Clifford Odets-American Playwright: The Years from 1906-1940, 1940-1999

Series I: Research Files consists of Brenman-Gibson's research files for her biography on the American playwright, Clifford Odets entitled, Clifford Odets - American Playwright: The Years from 1906-1940. It contains chronological notebooks, which are basic summaries of Odets' life taken from his own diaries and correspondence, as well as interviews Brenman-Gibson conducted during the course of her research with Odets' family, friends, and acquaintances. Also found in Series I is the correspondence Brenman-Gibson had with various people related to Odets. Additionally, summaries, transcripts, and audio of the interviews are found in Series I. There are her files for grants in which she applied to conduct her research. There is significant material copied from Clifford Odets papers. This includes his diaries, correspondence, and notes. Rough drafts for Volume II of Brenman-Gibson's biography, which she never published, are also in Series I.


Subseries I.1: Chronological Notebooks

Subseries I.1: Chronological Notebooks consists of the notebooks that Brenman-Gibson compiled during the course of writing her biography on Clifford Odets. The notebooks outline each year of Odets' life; the overviews provided by Odets' own original correspondence, diaries, and notes, but also from interviews Brenman-Gibson conducted with Odets' family, friends, and acquaintances. Odets' secretary, Virginia Rowe, worked with Brenman-Gibson during the course of her work on the biography. She provides her own recollections and summaries for each chronological notebook. The notebooks begin with an "early chronology", summarizing Odets' childhood, and then follow yearly from 1924-1963, the year Odets died. There are also notebooks entitled, "Aftermath", which trace the years following Odets' death.


Box 1

Early Chronology, (2 folders)


Box 1

1924, (2 folders)


Box 1

1926, (2 folders)


Box 1

1927, (2 folders)


Box 1

1930s, (3 folders)


Box 1

1941-1942, (3 folders)


Box 1

1943-1945, (2 folders)


Box 1

1944, (4 folders)


Box 1

1945, (4 folders)


Box 2

1945


Box 2

1946, (4 folders)


Box 2

1947 July-December (3 folders), 1947


Box 2

1947, (8 folders)


Box 2

1947-1948


Box 2

1948, (4 folders)


Box 2

1949, (6 folders)


Box 3

1950, (5 folders)


Box 3

1951, (4 folders)


Box 3

1951 Appendix, 1951


Box 3

1952, (5 folders)


Box 3

1953, (5 folders)


Box 3

1954, (2 folders)


Box 3

1954-1955


Box 4

1954-1955, (3 folders)


Box 4

1955


Box 4

1956, (3 folders)


Box 4

1957, (3 folders)


Box 4

1958, (4 folders)


Box 4

1959, (4 folders)


Box 4

1960, (2 folders)


Box 4

1960-1961, (3 folders)


Box 5

1960-1961


Box 5

1961, (2 folders)


Box 5

1962, (3 folders)


Box 5

1962--Excerpts, (2 folders)


Box 5

1963 January-June (2 folders), 1963


Box 5

1963 July-December (3 folders), 1963


Box 5

1963--Excerpts


Box 5

1964-1999--Aftermath


Subseries I.2: Correspondence, 1963-1989

Subseries I.2: Correspondence contains the correspondence Brenman-Gibson had with people related to her work on the biography. Included here are letters from Odets' longtime friends and acquaintances: Stella Adler, Marlon Brando, Harold Clurman, Aaron Copland, Helen Deutsch, Alfred Hitchcock, Elia Kazan, Paula and Lee Strasburg, among numerous others. Much of the correspondence is carbon copies of Brenman-Gibson's outgoing letters, however, there are original letters from her correspondents. There is a section of the correspondence securing permissions to quote for her book from various people. The correspondence ranges in date from 1963-1989.


Box 5

Master Address List, undated


Box 5

A, 1964-1982


Box 5

Awake and Sing , 1970


Box 5

B, 1963-1968


Box 5

Brandt and Brandt, 1979


Box 5

C, 1964-1981


Box 5

Contract with Walt and Nora Odets, 1969-1979


Box 5

D, 1964-1972


Box 5

Dead End Letter, 1964-1969


Box 5

E, 1965-1972


Box 5

Editorial Work, 1976


Box 5

F, 1964-1979


Box 5

Flowering Peach , 1969


Box 5

Form Letters, 1964-1965


Box 6

G, 1964-1967


Box 6

Gollob, Herman, 1975-1981, (2 folders)


Box 6

Greenbaum, Wolff and Ernst, 1969-1980


Box 6

H, 1964-1969


Box 6

Harris, Mark, 1964-1965


Box 6

Inquiries regarding Biography, 1968-1975


Box 6

J, 1964-1966


Box 6

Joan and Roberta, 1966-1967, (2 folders)


Box 6

K, 1964-1982, (2 folders)


Box 6

Knopf, Pat, 1979-1981


Box 6

Kobland, Herman, 1963-1981


Box 6

L, 1964-1966


Box 6

Lawson, John Howard, 1964-1978


Box 6

Legal, 1964-1974, (3 folders)


Box 6

Libraries, 1967-1982


Box 6

M, 1963-1971


Box 6

Mc, 1966-1971


Box 6

N, 1965-1968


Box 6

New York Times , 1965-1967


Permissions


Box 6

1965-1978


Box 6

A-D, 1978-1980


Box 6

E-K, 1978-1979


Box 6

L-R, 1978-1979


Box 6

Rainer, Luise, 1978-1980


Box 7

Rainer, Luise, 1964-1979


Box 7

S-Z, 1969-1979


Box 7

Signed Forms, 1978-1979


Box 7

Permissions for Photos, 1979


Rowe, Virginia


Box 7

1963-1966


Box 7

Contract, 1963-1978


Box 7

General, 1968-1989, (5 folders)


Subseries I.3: Grants, 1957-1980

Subseries I.3: Grants contains the files that Brenman-Gibson kept which document her application for grant funds to conduct her research on the Clifford Odets' biography. There are application materials for such funds as American Association of University Women, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Institute for Mental Health. The grant files range in date from 1957-1980.


Box 7

American Association of University Women, 1972-1980


Box 7

Foundation Fund for Research in Psychiatry, 1967-1979


Box 7

Foundation for Research in Psychoanalysis, 1967-1976


Box 7

The Grant Foundation, 1971-1976


Box 7

Guggenheim Foundation, 1968-1976


Box 7

Lederer Foundation, 1964-1978


National Endowment for the Humanities


Box 7

1968-1976, (3 folders)


Box 7

Matching Grant, 1971


National Institute for Mental Health


Box 7

1965-1968


Box 7

Research Science Award, 1968


Box 7

Public Health Service, undated


Box 7

The Rockefeller Foundation (includes recommendation from Norman Mailer),, 1973-1976


Box 7

Sharcar, Inc., 1971


Box 7

Variable Floating Research Fund, 1966-1976


Box 7

William C. Whitney Foundation, 1968-1976


Box 7

Application for Research Funds, 1972-1974, (5 folders)


Box 8

Bibliographies, undated


Box 8

Budgets, 1957-1974


Box 8

Curriculum Vitae, undated


Fund-raising


Box 8

Creativity Research, 1963-1970, (2 folders)


Box 8

Rejections, 1968-1973, (2 folders)


Box 8

Questionnaires, 1964-1974, (2 folders)


Box 8

Recommendations, 1964-1980, (2 folders)


Box 8

Ideas, 1971-1972


Box 8

Research Funds--Foundations, 1967-1973, (2 folders)


Subseries I.4: Interviews, 1963-1985

Subseries I.4: Interviews contains the summaries, transcripts, and audio of interviews Brenman-Gibson conducted while researching for her biography on Clifford Odets.


Sub-subseries I.4.A: Notes and Transcripts, 1963-1973

Sub-subseries I.4.A: Notes and Transcripts consists of notes and transcripts to interviews that Brenman-Gibson conducted in the course of research her biography on Clifford Odets.


Box 8

Adler, Jay 1965 June 18, 1965


Box 8

Alden, Hortense, 1967 February 21, 1967


Box 8

Aronson, Boris, 1965 April 19, 1965


Box 8

Bard, Ben, 1965 June 21, 1965


Box 8

Brando, Marlon, 1965 June 21, 1965


Box 8

Braun, Hannah, 1965 June 24, 1965


Box 8

Burger, Mary, 1965 June 19, 1965


Box 8

Clurman, Harold, 1964 October 16, 1966 July 24, 1964, October 16, 1966


Box 8

Clurman, Bob, 1965 September 8, 1965


Box 8

Corcoran, Catherine, 1965 June 27, 1965


Box 8

Curtis, Tony, 1965 June 25, 1965


Box 8

Dunne, Philip, 1966 March 31, 1966


Box 8

Elkins, Hillard, 1964 October 18, 1964


Box 8

Erikson, Leif, 1965 June 21, 1965


Box 8

Gertsman, Jack, 1965 June 22, 1965


Gibson, William


Box 8

1963, (4 folders)


Box 8

Notes, 1963


Box 9

Notes, 1963, (2 folders)


Box 9

Goetz, Mr. and Mrs. William and Edith Mayer, 1965 June 18, 1965


Box 9

Gordon, Clark and McVeagh, Eve, 1966 April 2, 1966


Box 9

Harris, Hillary, 1967 May 25, 1967


Box 9

Herman, Harvey, 1965 June 26, 1965


Box 9

Heilpern, Mr. and Mrs. Carl K., 1966 February 3, 1966


Box 9

Hiss, Alger, 1965 July 4, 1965


Box 9

HUAC, undated


Box 9

Kabaker, Florence Odets, 1965 June 20, 1965


Box 9

Karlen, Stymean, 1965 June 10, 1965


Box 9

Karzmar, Leonard, 1965 June 24, 1965


Box 9

Kaye, Sidney, 1965 May 26, 1965


Box 9

Krim, Arthur, 1967 January 31, 1967


Box 9

Lancaster, Burt, 1965 June 21, 1965


Box 9

Lane, Lynn (Mrs. Burton), 1966 March 17, 1966


Box 9

Lawson, John Howard, 1965 June 19, 1965


Box 9

Leof, Milton, 1966 April 7, 1966


Box 9

Levy, Genevieve, 1964 May 20, 1964


Box 9

Lipper, Milton and Frances, 1965 April 20, 1965


Box 9

Mason, Josephine, 1965 June 27, 1965


Box 9

Meisner, Sandy, 1965 April 30, 1965


Box 9

Norton, E., 1967 June 25, 1967


Box 9

Odets, L.J., 1965 May 4, 1965


Box 9

Penn, Arthur, 1965 June 21, 1965


Box 9

Rainer, Luise, 1964 March21, 1964


Box 9

Ray, Nicholas, 1966 July 25, 1966


Box 9

Renoir, Jean and Dido, 1966 June 25, 1966


Box 9

Robinson, Edward G, 1965 June 25, 1965


Box 9

Rosenberg, Jerry, 1967 February 2, 1967


Box 9

Ross, Madi Leof, 1966 April 1, 1966


Box 9

Rossman, Fredda, 1964 January 12, 1964


Box 9

Rowe, Virginia, 1963


Box 9

Saarinen, Aline, 1964 April 7, 1964


Box 9

Selznick, Irene Mayer, 1966 June 27, 1966


Box 9

Shulman, Morris, 1967 February 7, 1967


Box 9

Smith, Bernard, 1965 June 25, 1965


Box 9

Stell, Gladys, 1965 June 22, 1965


Box 9

Strasberg, Lee, 1966-1967


Box 9

Tone, Franchot, 1966 June 27, 1966


Box 9

United Bank Discussion, 1965 August 23, 1965


Box 9

Voutsinas, Andreas, 1966 July 6, 1966


Summaries


Box 9

A, 1964-1968


Box 9

B, 1964-1965


Box 9

C, 1964-1973


Box 9

Clurman, Harold, 1963-1969, (2 folders)


Box 9

Compton, Juleen, 1964-1965


Box 9

D, 1964-1967


Box 9

E, 1964-1968


Box 9

F, 1964-1965


Box 9

G, 1964-1967


Box 9

H, 1964-1967


Box 9

I, 1964


Box 9

J, undated


Box 9

K, 1964-1968


Box 9

Kazan, Elia, 1964


Box 9

L, 1963-1967


Box 9

M, 1964-1973


Box 9

N, 1967


Box 9

O, 1964-1965, (2 folders)


Box 9

P, 1964-1965


Box 9

R, 1965-1966


Box 10

R, 1963-1967


Box 10

S, 1963-1967


Box 10

Strasberg, Lee and Paula, 1963-1968


Box 10

T, 1965-1968


Box 10

U, 1965


Box 10

W, 1964-1966


Box 10

XYZ, 1966


Sub-subseries I.4.B: Audio, 1963-1985

Sub-subseries I.4.B: Audio consists of the audiocassettes and reel-to-reel tapes of interviews Brenman-Gibson conducted while writing her biography on Clifford Odets.


Box 17

Audiocassettes and Reel-to-Reel Tapes, 1963-1985, 9 audiocassettes; 127 open reel audiotapes; small-size reels; 4 open reel audiotapes; medium-size reels


Subseries I.5: Clifford Odets Materials (copies of), 1940-1963

Subseries I.5: Clifford Odets Materials (copies of) contains copied material from Odets' original papers. Found here are copies of Odets' correspondence from 1961-1963, copies of his appointment books and diaries from 1940-1963, as well as notes he wrote for various productions, including:Mafia Man, North Star, Only the Young, Strange Hunt,andTwo Agents.


Appointment Books


Box 10

1953, (2 folders)


Box 10

1954


Box 10

1955


Correspondence


Box 10

1961 January-April (2 folders), 1961


Box 10

1961 May-July (2 folders), 1961


Box 10

1961 August-September, 1961


Box 10

1961 October-December (2 folders), 1961


Box 10

1962 January-February, 1962


Box 10

1962 March-May, 1962


Box 10

1962 June-August (2 folders), 1962


Box 10

1962 September-December (2 folders), 1962


Box 10

1963 January-February, 1963


Box 10

1963 March-April, 1963


Box 11

1963 May-July, 1963


Box 11

1963 August, 1963


Diaries


Box 11

1940, (4 folders)


Box 11

1958


Box 11

1961


Box 11

1962 (pages taken from front), 1962


Box 11

1963


Box 11

Mafia Man--Draft, 1963 March, 1963


Box 11

Monroe, Marilyn--Correspondence, Notes, Drafts, and other Materials,, 1959 undated, (2 folders)


Box 11

North Star--Draft, 1963 March 12, 1963


Notes


Box 11

1961, (2 folders)


Box 11

1962-1963, (3 folders)


Box 11

1963


Box 11

1963 (from hospital), 1963


Box 11

undated (typed by Margaret Brenman-Gibson), undated


Box 11

undated (on his diary), undated, (2 folders)


Box 11

Only the Young--Notes and Correspondence, 1963 April, 1963


Box 11

Strange Hunt--Notes and Correspondence,, 1963


Box 11

TV Story Ideas, 1963 undated


Box 11

Two Agents--Notes, undated


Subseries I.6: Original Worksheets, 1970-1975

Subseries I.6: Original Worksheets consists of handwritten notes by Brenman-Gibson taken during the course of her work on the Odets' biography. These worksheets range in date from 1970-1975.


Box 11

1970, (3 folders)


Box 12

1970, (3 folders)


Box 12

1971-1972, (2 folders)


Box 12

1974-1975, (4 folders)


Subseries I.7: Reference Files, 1950-1968

Subseries I.7: Reference Files is a general filing system Brenman-Gibson kept, which contains articles and notes on art, artists, creativity, and the theater.


Box 12

General, 1950-1968, (2 folders)


Box 12

C, 1964


Box 12

D, 1954-1964


Box 12

E, 1961, 1964, 1961, 1964


Box 12

F, 1963


Box 12

G, 1957-1966


Box 12

H, 1960-1963


Box 12

K, 1956-1965


Box 12

M, 1955-1965


Box 12

P, 1958-1964


Box 12

R, 1964-1965


Box 12

S, 1959-1966


Box 12

T, 1961-1964


Box 12

W, 1961-1964


Subseries I.8: Research Files, 1961-1979

Subseries I.8: Research Files are files of notes that Brenman-Gibson kept on each of Odets' plays, screenplays, and television shows.


Box 12

General, 1961-1965


Box 12

References regarding Clifford Odets' Plays, undated


Box 12

The Actor, 1961-1964 undated, 1961-1964, undated


Box 12

An Old Fashioned Man , undated


Box 12

Awake and Sing , 1964-1979


Box 12

The Big Knife, 1965 1968 undated, 1965, 1968 undated


Box 12

Clash by Night, 1965-1971 undated, 1965-1971, undated


Box 12

The Country Girl, 1964-1972 undated, 1964-1972, undated


Box 12

Cuban Play , 1964


Box 12

Dark Companion , 1964


Box 12

The Flowering Peach , 1964-1965


Box 12

Golden Boy, 1964-1966 undated, 1964-1966, undated, (2 folders)


Box 12

I Can't Sleep , 1964-1965


Box 12

I Heard the Music Start , undated


Box 12

Mother and Son , 1956-1961


Box 12

Night Music, 1964-1965 undated, 1964-1965, undated


Box 12

Paradise Lost, 1964-1969 undated, 1964-1969, undated


Box 12

Private Treaty , undated


Box 12

Projected Plays, 1965, undated


Box 12

Rocket to the Moon , 1964-1965


Box 12

The Russian People , undated


Box 12

Silent Partner, 1964-1968 undated, 1964-1968, undated


Box 12

Tides of Fundy , 1964-1966


Box 12

Till the Day I Die, 1964-1968 undated, 1964-1968, undated


Box 12

Waiting for Lefty , 1964-1965


Movies


Box 12

Deadline at Dawn , 1964


Box 12

The General Died at Dawn , 1964-1965


Box 12

Humoresque , undated


Box 12

Joseph and His Brethren , 1964-1965


Box 12

None but the Lonely Heart , undated


Box 12

Rhapsody in Blue , undated


Box 12

Wild in the Country , 1967


Box 12

Television, 1964-1965


Box 12

Unfinished Plays, 1964-1966


Box 12

Miscellaneous, 1964-1965


Box 12

Notes for Full-Length Plays, undated


Box 12

Notes for Movies, undated


Subseries I.9: Rough Drafts, 1970-1975

Subseries I.9: Rough Drafts contains early drafts of Volume II of Brenman-Gibson's biography on Clifford Odets. The drafts cover the years 1940-1944.


Box 12

1940 January-Spring, 1940, (2 folders)


Box 13

1940 Summer-December (2 folders), 1940


Box 13

1940 Summer-1941 December (2 folders), 1940


Box 13

1942-1943, (2 folders)


Box 13

1944-


Box 16

1940 January-Spring (Chapter 24), 1970, 1940, 1970


Box 16

1940 Summer-December (Chapter 24), 1970-1971, 1940, 1970-1971, (2 folders)


Box 16

1941 January -December (Chapter 26), 1971-1972, 1941, 1971-1972


Box 16

1942-1943 (Chapter 27), 1972-1975, 1942-1943, 1972-1975, (2 folders)


Box 16

1944-, 1974-1975


Subseries I.10: Themes, 1959-1969

Subseries I.10: Themes is a section of research files that Brenman-Gibson kept, which document her developing ideas on themes for the Clifford Odets biography. She delves into ideas such as creativity, psychoanalysis, sex, and relations that Odets' had with men, women, and his family and children.


Box 13

General Comments and Prefatory Statements, 1964


Abandonment


Box 13

1965


Box 13

Orality, 1965-1966


Box 13

Music, 1964-1965


Box 13

Activity/Passivity, undated


Aggression


Box 13

undated


Box 13

Masochism, 1964


Art/Creativity


Box 13

Odets, Clifford, 1964


Box 13

Brenman-Gibson, Margaret, 1964-1967


Box 13

Gibson, William, 1959-1969


Box 13

Others, 1962-1968


Box 13

Identification with Beethoven, 1964, undated


Box 13

Identification with O'Neill, undated


Box 13

Identification with Mozart, 1965


Box 13

Identification with Whitman, undated


Box 13

Artist in America, 1963-1965 undated, 1963-1965, undated


Box 13

Belonging/Acceptance, 1963, undated


Box 13

Death, 1963-1964


Box 13

Giving and Getting, 1964-1965


Family


Box 13

1964


Box 13

Pearl, 1963-1965


Box 13

L.J., 1964-1965


Box 13

Relatives, 1964-1965


Box 13

Comments, 1964-1965


Box 13

Nora and Walt, 1964-1965


Identity Issues


Box 13

1964-1965


Box 13

Prophet Identity, 1964


Box 13

Writer, 1964


Box 13

Actor, 1964-1965


Box 13

Innocent, Honest Young Girl, 1964


Box 13

Jewishness, 1963-1965


Box 13

Past, 1963


Box 13

Playwrights and Playwriting, 1965-1966


Box 13

Psychoanalysis, 1965


Relations to Others


Box 13

1964-1966


Box 13

Loyalty and Betrayal, 1964


Box 13

Others Image of Clifford Odets, 1964-1965


Box 13

Relation to Women, 1964-1965


Box 13

Children, undated


Box 13

Relation to Men, 1963-1965


Box 14

Self-Advice, 1964


Box 14

Self-Image (Humility vs. Omnipotence), 1964-1965


Box 14

Sex, 1964-1965


Box 14

Success, 1963-1964


Box 14

Symbols, 1963-1965


Box 14

Values, 1963-1967


Vignettes


Box 14

1964-1969, (3 folders)


Box 14

Group Theatre, 1964-1968


Subseries I.11: General Files, 1946-1999

Subseries I.11: General Files is an assortment of files that did not fit in with the previous subseries. It consists of administrative and financial files, as well as logistics related to a trip that Brenman-Gibson took to California in 1965 to conduct research for her biography. There are two folders with material related to Odets' friend, Harold Clurman. Several files contain material from Virginia Rowe, who was both Odets' secretary, and later an assistant to Brenman-Gibson. Additionally, there are articles, clippings, notes, and notebooks. One of the notebooks is entitled, "Birdseye" and offers a broad summary of Odets' life.


Box 14

Administration, 1963-1967


Aftermath


Box 14

1965-1999, (2 folders)


Box 14

Art from the Clifford Odets Estate, 1963-1965


Box 14

Clippings, 1965-1995


Box 14

Correspondence, 1964


Box 14

"Preface: A Memento"--Recollections of Clifford Odets by William Gibson,, 1965


Box 14

Research Files, 1964


Appendix


Box 14

1961, (2 folders)


Box 14

Correspondence and Clippings (copy), 1958, (2 folders)


Box 14

Notes and Other Materials, 1962-1965 undated, 1962-1965, undated


Box 14

Articles, Clippings, Obituaries, 1963


Box 14

Birdseye--Notebook, undated, (3 folders)


Box 14

Book Orders, 1964-1970


California Trip


Box 14

1982 November, 1982


Box 14

Addresses from Clifford Odets Phone Book, undated


Box 14

Chronology, undated


Contacts


Box 14

Brenman-Gibson, Margaret, 1965, (2 folders)


Box 14

Penn, Peggy, 1965


Box 15

Rowe, Virginia, 1965


Box 15

Form Letters, 1965


Box 15

Information and Questions (Peggy Penn), undated


Box 15

Organization, 1965


Box 15

Chapter One--Rough Draft, 1965-1978


Box 15

Chronological Files, 1962, (2 folders)


Box 15

Clifford Odets: American Playwright--Notes, undated


Box 15

Clurman, Harold, undated, (2 folders)


Box 15

Expenses, 1963-1973


Box 15

Financials, 1977-1988, (2 folders)


Box 15

Golden Boy--Assorted Material, 1962


Box 15

Notes, 1967-1988, (2 folders)


Box 15

Notes for Article on Clifford Odets, undated


Odets, Clifford


Box 15

Inventories, 1964, 1971, undated, 1964, 1971, undated


Box 15

Inventory of Notes and Papers, 1964


Box 15

Inventory of Papers, 1963 December 5, 1963


The Odets Revival, A Humanist Hunger in America for Dialogue


Box 15

Correspondence, 1972-1973


Box 15

Draft, 1972


Box 15

Typescript, 1972


Box 15

Reviews of Odets Works (includes some correspondence), 1982-1988


Rowe, Virginia


Box 15

Correspondence regarding Austin Riggs Move, 1976


Box 15

Notes, 1962-1973 undated, 1962-1973, undated


Box 15

Screen Treatment on Clifford Odets, 1981


Box 15

The Show Must Go On--Notes, undated


Box 15

"To Do" Notes (includes some correspondence from Luise Rainer, Maxwell Anderson),, 1963-1966


Box 15

The Whispering Cup--Notes, 1946


Box 15

Sinatra, Frank--Superior Court of California, Odets v Sinatra, circa, 1962


Box 15

TV Project with Dick Boone, 1962


Box 15

The Way West--Clippings, undated


Box 15

Workbook, undated, (2 folders)


Subseries I.12: Rolodex

Subseries I.12: Rolodex consists of Brenman-Gibson's rolodex of index cards. The index cards document the people with whom Brenman-Gibson conducted interviews as well as their correspondence.


Box 18

Rolodex, undated

Series II: Personal Correspondence, 1953-1993

Series II: Personal Correspondence is a small series consisting of correspondence Margaret Brenman-Gibson had with Clifford Odets. It contains letters that Brenman-Gibson wrote to Odets, as well as the letters between her husband, William Gibson and Odets. There are original letters from Odets to Brenman-Gibson and her husband as well. Also included here is correspondence between the Gibson's and Odets' two children, Nora and Walt. The correspondence between Odets and the Gibson's ranges in date from 1953-1963, while the letters between the children is later from 1967-1993.


Box 15

Brenman-Gibson, Margaret to Clifford Odets, 1953-1963, (2 folders)


Box 15

Gibson, William to Clifford Odets, 1957-1962


Box 15

Odets, Clifford to Margaret Brenman-Gibson and William Gibson, 1953-1955


Box 16

Odets, Clifford to Margaret Brenman-Gibson and William Gibson, 1956-1963, (2 folders)


Box 16

Odets, Nora, 1969-1993


Box 16

Odets, Walt, 1967-1986, (2 folders)

Series III: Nuclear Weapons Activism, 1985-1987

Series III: Nuclear Weapons Activism is a small series of material related to nuclear weapons activism that Brenman-Gibson engaged in during the 1980s. There are transcripts of interviews she did with two men: Peter Hagelstein and Lowell Wood. Additionally, there are audiocasettes of interviews she conducted with various people.


Interviews


Box 16

Hagelstein, Peter, 1985-1987, (2 folders)


Box 16

Wood, Lowell, 1985, (3 folders)


Box 17 Container 17a

Audiocassettes, 1985, 10 audiocassettes


Box 17 Container 17b

Audiocassettes, 1985, 10 audiocassettes


Box 17 Container 17c

Audiocassettes, 1985, 10 audiocassettes